Help a rookie get set up right for reloading.

[357Max]

This coming year I'll be focused on bolt guns and need to get into reloading for what I'll be shooting + few builds I have in the works.

I know I know, not another freaking thread like this..........go read the 100's of other sim threads. I"m not afraid to read and have been reading a ton and will continue to. That said I would very much appreciate advice tailored to what I'm trying to do.
Budget wise I'm not looking to cheap out, but also not looking to win king of 2 mile either. I'm on board with buy once cry once!

I haven't reloaded in 30 years and back then it was nothing precision, just 41 mag on a Lee progressive.
Although new to reloading I am mechanically experienced. Have a lathe and mill in the garage along with a bench I built for reloading.
After some thought however, I decided it would be best to set up for reloading in the house for climate control. I will now have plenty of bench space since I just set up the new Seville Ultra HD bench in my office + still have a full bench in the shop.

Here is what I have so far (not much):

• RCBS Rockchucker Supreme
• RCBS Charge Master
• Area 419 Charge Master billet powder cup
• 5lbs of RL 26
• For inside bench, Inline fabrication flush mount QC plate + Rockchucker top plate (bought additional plate for future Forester Coax)
• For shop bench, Junior ultra mount 7-1/2" high QC
• 
  
• 
  

I'd like input to hopefully avoid wasting money on all the trial and error figuring out what works well. The only purchases I've made so far are items I'm pretty sure will work, but feel free to comment on those as well.
Help me fill in the blanks.

The initial calibers I'd like to load for are 6.5 Creedmore and 25 Creedmore. Need to be able to seat the elr type bullets such as Flatlines, A-tips, & Blackjacks. I don't know squat about dies so please help me with die recommendations? Is there a set that would allow me to change bushing's to switch between 6.5 & 25 or is it best to get dedicated dies? Please explain rational so I can learn.

Aside from dies I know I'll need funnels, primer installer, trimmer, case length gauge, some way to measure distance to lands (Hornady gauge?), case cleaning equipment, run out gauge, & shell holders. Please give me some recommendations for the above items and anything I missed?
Is an annealer setup mandatory for precision reloading? If so please provide suggestions for a reasonable cost setup.

FYI - I already have a full selection of high quality dial calipers, inside & outside mics, bore gauges, dial indicators etc.

The only reloading manual I currently have is a 1987 Speer What is your recommended modern replacement?

Is quick load worth getting?

The other dies I'll be adding this year are 6.8 SPC2, 7-08, 25 SST Sherman, and either 300max Sherman or 300 (PRC) Sherman Magnum

 

[Backcountryguy]

I honestly think a good chronograph makes developing a solid load way easier/faster and gives you more confidence to know that any “flyers” are most likely from you and not the ammo. Magnetospeed V3 and Labradar are what I would look into if you’re interested. I run the V3 and love it.

I personally like wet tumbling my brass. It’s quieter, and just overall cleaner in every single aspect. I use Frankford Arsenal, the bigger one.

I would grab this as well to minimize spent primers that will get all over your bench or floor—- https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0738KY5GP/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1

 

[whatsupdoc]

You will need the ability to measure your shoulder bump and your bullet ogive seating depth. The hornady equipment is fine.
Forget annealing for now not necessary, learn to make good ammo.
For 6.5 creed and 25 creed you can use the same full length bushing die, just pick one hornady, rcbs, redding whatever.

The most Important thing is to learn and understand process. You cant buy the knowledge, anyone can buy equipment.

 

[7mMike]

Wilson LE trimmer with a micrometer is fantastic and one of my favorite pieces if you have the coin to spend.

Also make sure to get the Hornady comparator for measuring shoulder setback/ogive, as it seems most skimp on this important measuring tool and wonder why they are having issues.

I have had great success with Forster dies and if I cant get a Forster, Redding is the next in line.

^
This

 

[lightman]

Some of the stuff that you named can be added later. To start with you will need this stuff.

1. Dies and shell holders for your calibers. Theres nothing wrong with a standard 2 die set. A competition seater is nice.
2. A scale. Many use a digital with a beam scale to keep the digital scale honest.
3. A case trimmer. The tricked out Wilson is nice. The powered Giraud is great for high volume.
4. Accessories. Powder funnel, loading block, deburring tool, primer pocket cleaning tools, ect.
5. A tool to measure case length. ( you say you already have a set of calipers)
6. Maybe a tumbler after you have the basic equipment.

I would skip that expensive powder funnel for now. You can also find your seating debth without a bunch of tools and gadgets and you can properly set up your sizing die without a bunch of that stuff. You can also load good ammo without a run out gauge.

You can also add an annealing machine and chronograph later on.

Don't get to caught up in gear and gadgets until you learn the basics. You can spend as much or as little as you want on gear. But you can also load good ammo on basic equipment. I can beat the accuracy of just about any factory ammo with my basic press and 2 die set. I have most of that gear and most of those gadgets but I loaded good ammo for a long time without them.

 

[want2learn]

while perhaps not an absolute necessity i sure like using a powder trickler as i measure out each load by hand. i used to use a surgical forcep.

i thought this book by Glen D. Zediker was very good: https://www.amazon.com/Top-Grade-gu...eywords=reloading+book&qid=1577889878&sr=8-21

 

[Cerwinski]

I respectfully disagree with whoever said a chronograph can wait until later. Maybe if you are just doing bulk pistol or rifle blasting ammo but if you really want to know what you're loads are doing (and how to hold for different ranges) you need velocity numbers. A chronograph should be on the must buy list IMO.

 

[lightman]

I respectfully disagree with whoever said a chronograph can wait until later. Maybe if you are just doing bulk pistol or rifle blasting ammo but if you really want to know what you're loads are doing (and how to hold for different ranges) you need velocity numbers. A chronograph should be on the must buy list IMO.

That was me!
Thanks for being candid! Happy New Year!

 

[Cerwinski]

Back atcha Lightman!

 

[z7.jled]

A way to clean brass, tumbler etc,

Case trimmer, LE Wilson is very accurate, but not super fast

A way to measure shoulder bump,

I like Forster dies for rifle, they are high quality without costing what Redding do, but Redding are supposed to be great

for pistol or calibers where you not super worried about accuracy (6.8spc) I like lee dies, cheap and they work

 

[TxWelder35]

I would invest in a different press. A turret press makes the process much faster. Redding makes a good turret press. I’m running a Lyman 8 station turret press and I really like it. It really nice to be able to keep 8 different dies set up all the time

 

[ditter]

I only load 6.5 CM on a Rockchucker, so here is my setup, which I have upgraded based on need and with an ultimate goal of speeding up the reloading process.

funnels: I just have 2 of the plastic RCBS funnels. Work just fine
primer installer: RCBS Hand primer. Work great, but seems to be a little finicky. May upgrade later.
trimmer: Frankford Arsenal case prep center. Awesome. You can trim, clean primer pockets, debur and chamfer a case in about 10 seconds.
case length gauge: Lyman ammo checker and a LE wilson Case gauge. Both great. MUST HAVES.
some way to measure distance to lands: I have the Hornady OAL with a fired case modified by Hornady. I also have the Hornady headpsce kit and the ogive measurement inserts.
case cleaning equipment: Frankford Arsenal rotary tumbler with pins. Works great. Dont obsess over shiny brass. Just get it clean.
shell holders: I have Redding shell holders. Seem fine, but RCBS is fine also.
Dies: I have Redding Premium Dies and love them. Definitely get a seater with a micrometer.

I have a Annealeez annealer and it is great. But it doesn't get used alot as I usually anneal all 200 of my cases in one sitting. I anneal after every firing, and you can feel the difference in seating. is it absolutely required? Probably not. I'd see if someone at your range has one and see if they will anneal your cases for you. (Heck, if you send them to me, I'll do them for you.) Or anyone else for that matter. Just PM me.

Chronograph is a must for load development. I have a Magnetospeed Sporter and its great. I selling mine now only because I got the Magnetospeed V3 in a trade.

 

[Codiekfx400]

Forster dies and a giraud power trimmer. Rcbs chargemaster times two.

 

[Pge]

Some of the stuff that you named can be added later. To start with you will need this stuff.

1. Dies and shell holders for your calibers. Theres nothing wrong with a standard 2 die set. A competition seater is nice.
2. A scale. Many use a digital with a beam scale to keep the digital scale honest.
3. A case trimmer. The tricked out Wilson is nice. The powered Giraud is great for high volume.
4. Accessories. Powder funnel, loading block, deburring tool, primer pocket cleaning tools, ect.
5. A tool to measure case length. ( you say you already have a set of calipers)
6. Maybe a tumbler after you have the basic equipment.

I would skip that expensive powder funnel for now. You can also find your seating debth without a bunch of tools and gadgets and you can properly set up your sizing die without a bunch of that stuff. You can also load good ammo without a run out gauge.

You can also add an annealing machine and chronograph later on.

Don't get to caught up in gear and gadgets until you learn the basics. You can spend as much or as little as you want on gear. But you can also load good ammo on basic equipment. I can beat the accuracy of just about any factory ammo with my basic press and 2 die set. I have most of that gear and most of those gadgets but I loaded good ammo for a long time without them.

What's you best idea on very good precision dies for competing in PRS matches? I run a 6.5 PRC in a Ruger Hawkeye Long Distance.

I've got about EVERYTHING else but haven't yet decided on the dies needed.

FULL length. Neck sizing? Bullet seating with high precision dial adjustment...etc. I have a ROCK CHUCKER single stage press at the moment.

Any input ?

I reloaded everything 40+ years ago...will before it was popular..lol

Ready to get back at it now that I've gone thru 600 rounds of factory Hornady Match ammo doing these matches.

 

[lightman]

I like the Redding Master Hunter dies. The set has a standard full length sizer and the competition seater. Forster has a similar set.

 

[McHaggis]

A cheap consistent setup that produces little to no runout is a Redding Body die followed by a LCD.
Downside is it’s two steps but this combo produces great cases. You can get undersized mandrels from Lee and set final neck tension with expander Mandrels if required.
I agree on the micrometer topped seater die. No more guessing and testing. A pure joy to use.

 

[Codiekfx400]

I really like the Forster dies if you can find them in stock. Full length sizer and a micrometer seater.

 

[Pge]

Great! I'll see if I can find those. Do they work with the Rock Chucker?
Thanks!

 

[spife7980]

Most every die you find will be 7/8 threads and will work in most all presses. If they dont then they are special and probably cost more than you would be willing to pay lol

Basically any sizer will suffice but I like a micrometer topped seater, it just makes it so quick and easy to adjust.

 

[Nodakplowboy]

357Max:

The most important thing you need is a credit card with a large credit limit. After that it gets easier.

 

[culater]

357Max:

The most important thing you need is a credit card with a large credit limit. After that it gets easier.

What he said will help you spend your money, we are professional spenders

 

[nealm66]

i Like the Redding dies. You might have to change the seating stem for some of the really long pointy bullets. I use a headspace gauge. It doesn’t cost that much and is easy to use. It helps keep things snug . Most of the load data is easy to find online from the powder companies or bullet manufacturers. Quick load is nice but I just stay with powders that are less temp sensative and near full case capacity . Some of the ballistic apps have some listed powders and FPS change with temp. That really helps on some of the bigger cases. Whatever dies you go with, use they’re case holder or with Redding you can get different ones for same caliber to play with headspace. I’ve had good luck with all the dies out there including hornady which I think are the cheapest and they offer specific seating stems for they’re bullets. They have an app that works pretty good too. One thing I highly recommend when starting is to do one gun at a time and have a notebook Specific to that gun. On a caliber that size I start at beginning load charge and raise by 2/10 of a grain with 4 shot groups until I find the one that makes one hole at 200 yards. There will usually be another node up higher that will do the same but be cautious in case you plan on shooting in higher temps on other days. I will then reload 10 more rounds at desired load to confirm. I use an rcbs cullet puller time pull whatever’s left getting a feel for my neck tension whilst doing so. If you don’t load too hot , the 6.5’s seem to last pretty good. Don’t know about the 25’s