help with new reloading set up (new equipment)

[jvr]

i have a new 300 wm. usually shoot factory ammo as time vs. money is an issue. I just can't see paying 3 + dollars a round and have limited availability. I have not reloaded since the 80's but did quite a lot of pistol. (i even cast back in the day). still have a single stage and turret press. pistol and straight wall rifle are easy. bottle neck is another story.

who is making the best dies?
best electronic powder drop (boy are those things cool and beats tumbling into a balance beam scale)
magnum rifle primers or standard
I see h1000 seems to be a good choice in powder.
208 amax or the new berger otm's (other thoughts)
decent case trimmer

this will be a low volume production and want consistent accuracy. would like to know the bullet will reach 1500 yards in a repeatable manner (i am not capable of making these shots but I am working on it).

any other tips will be greatly appreciated.

thanks Jim

 

[sierracharlie338]

Berger 210s are pretty popular in the 300wm. I like amaxs also just hard to find lately. Powder is another thing that can be hard to find but getting better.

Wilson makes a nice but pricey trimmer. For the money the hornady is also a nice trimmer.




Sierracharlie out....

 

[Boxcar]

Dies; RCBS, Redding, Hornady, Whidden, Lee or Forster. Just a few I can think of off the top of my head. I'm partial to Forster for my Rifles and Lee for my pistols. But they all make good dies.
Electronic Powder Drop; Look no further than the RCBS Chargemaster. Best reviews and most consistant with a cheap mod consisting of "1/2 of Mcdonalds straw. This is of the "reloading" factory offerings.
Trimmer; Giraud if you have deep pockets or Worlds Finest Trimmer for speed. For Lathe style I like my Wilson its accurate and repeatable.

Powder, bullets and primers; I have no input for that particular caliber.

Tips; you might want to look into some kind of Annealing setup wether it be a drill, socket adaptor, socket and propane torch. It's a worthwhile investment and skill to learn to extend brass life.

 

[ShtrRdy]

For my precision rifle work, I use Redding dies, a PACT powder dispenser/scale, and a Wilson/Sinclair case trimmer. I use a few other Sinclair tools to deburr flash holes, deburr after trimming, and uniform primer pockets.

I've had good experiences with Federal Large Rifle Magnum primers. I'm going to have to switch to CCI's now because I can't find any Federals locally.

Bergers are a good bullet to use.

 

[Victor N TN]

Redding, Hornady or RCBS dies. Lyman #49 Handloading Manual. At least that will get you started.

Good luck.

 

[Powermac]

For a Electronic powder dispenser the Rcbs chargemaster is the way to go, add the straw mod and reprogram the dispenser speeds to get more consistent results.
Will perform better then the competition.

Best dies it really depends what you want to pary for.
If you want the best dies possible, a Warner tool sizer with the right bushings and a inline seater cut to your chamber. Or a matching set from Neil Jones.
As for factory made dies Triebel guntools is the best available, although they can make customs too.

For a normal budget, and availability, i would look into Redding and Whidden Gunworks.
If you choose a Redding, Whidden or Forster micrometer seater you can expect the same results.
As for sizer the Whidden FL sizer is excellent, and so is the Redding type S, and they're competition neck sizer and body dies.

And for a good case trimmer i would look hard at the Trim it, Cts engineering and WFT.

Of the more normal type a Wilson trimmer can't be beat for consistency but a drill adapter is highly adviced, and still it will be slower then the rest.

One thing to remember with these is that they all index off the shoulder so a FL die and consistent sizing is needed for proper results.

H 1000 will do you well, and is a good starting point if you can find any.
Alternatives: Retumbo, N 165, N170, N 570.
Mrp, rl 22, rl 25, 217 etc.

 

[Pinecone]

I agree with the RCBS Chargemaster.

As for dies, I have used Dillon, Lee, Lyman, RCBS, Redding, Hornady, Pacific, and Whidden. For precision rounds, I will be buying Whidden as I add calibers. I like the dies, and they are nice people.

As for powder, primers and bullets, these days, it is more what you can FIND, not what you WANT. So pick several acceptable choices for each and start looking.