Reloading Equipment

excavator

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I am planning on starting to make my own bullets this year. I shoot a .300 Win Mag. This is probably overdue.

I Was wondering if you guys might have a suggested list of equipment and supplies I need to acquire?

Thanks,

Excavator
 
Get a complete kit from a known manufacturer. It will get you started and produce quality ammo . Over time, get additional equipment to suit your needs. The best advice I can give is that handloading is about quality, not quantity. Keep that in mind and you will be successful. Shortcuts will take longer, and are a safety issue.
 
Yep, grab one of the Hornady or RCBS single stage kits, and a set of does for your favorite rifle. Be wary though, it's super fun and addicting!!


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I agree with what they said. I will add that you pick up a Reloading Manual or two. Read it, and not just the data for your cartridges. There is a lot of good info in there. You will find info and illustrations for the detail stuff.
 
The best reloading equipment are those handed down by a older relative. My dad had me reloading straight cases like the 44 mag 444 marlin , 357 mag when I was like 14 years old. He gave me his old Hollywood press that I have used for years. My grandfather had two other Hollywood presses. One is set up for swagging bullets. I really love these old machines. But a good RCBS rock chucker should me a good start. I have seen several set ups for sale used if you keep your eyes out for them. Good luck.
 
you want to reload cartridges???.....or make your own bullets?.....big, big difference
 
Homer that's just what I thought when I saw this. If you're looking at making your own bullets I only recommend that you make sure of the purity of your lead. Lots of modern "lead" product contains tin also. Tin makes the lead much harder and bullets won't mushroom correctly. Though it makes great buckshot.

As for reloading, I like RCBS press. Dies are typically universally threaded. If you kind find Lee brand they seem to catch less when resizing. If you are using brass that has been fired through your rifle once already you can just re-size the neck. If it's brass fired through another rifle you have to resize the whole case so make sure to lube the heck out of it. OR just buy new brass to reload the first time around. I'm in Davis county Utah, if you're close to that area feel free to PM me I would be happy to introduce you to my dad. He's an encyclopedia for this stuff.
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-26-16 AT 11:12AM (MST)[p]If I were starting from scratch today I would buy:

Redding T7 turret press
Redding Master Hunter 2-die set (this has a basic FL sizing die and a micrometer seating die)
L E Wilson micrometer case trimmer w/holder for 300 mag
Shell holder, debur and chamfer tools, a good dial caliper, loading blocks, funnel, sizing wax (better than regular lube), and a hand priming tool.
For a powder measure I'd get the RCBS Chargemaster if you can afford it, or a good beam scale and trickler.

This equipment makes it quick and easy to load really high precision ammunition and not have to waste a lot of time setting things up. With the turret you can leave your dies set up and just rotate the turret to switch dies. The micrometer seating die makes it nice to adjust your seating depth and to return to other settings you've used before.

If you're just wanting to dabble in the hobby and load a few rounds now and then it might not be worth it to buy the higher-end equipment. A basic single stage press and RCBS dies will allow you to load some pretty good ammo. The starter kits are not a bad way to go if this is what you're after.

For supplies I would strongly recommend getting all your brass at once. It's a huge pain to try and load different kinds of brass and get consistent accuracy. I like Norma brass for the 300 win mag. Federal 215 primers are my favorite in this cartridge, and the "match" primers have a great reputation if you can find them. For powder and bullets it depends on what you're hunting and how far you plan to shoot. I use heavier bullets like the 208 Amax and 212 ELD-X in my guns with H1000. H4831 or H4831SC are good powders with lighter bullets like 168s. I would pick a bullet and then research which powders work well with it.
 
Right. I suppose "bullet" refers to the projectile only.

Anyway, thanks for the responses guys. I will be picking something up in the near future.

Excavator
 
Hunters and shooters are fiercely independent so our nomenclature suffers and confusion ensues.

Whether you're making bullets or reloading ammunition, many on here can help right down to the last detail.

Zeke
 
I mostly use RCBS and I encourage you to consider a digital scale. I started using one several years ago and I really like it.

7 Mag
 
RCBS they stand behind there equipment...life time warranty...
Digital scale:
Adjustble power measure:
Powder trickler:
Lubricant pad:
Shell lube:
Primer hole cleaning tool:
Shell case measuring device:
Dies for your caliber:
Bullet puller:
Shell case funnel
Pad to hold shells upright or make one by drilling out a pice of plywood:
NOTE: Never try to size a shell without case lube...if shell gets stuck in resize die you may never get it out....
My best method works for me:
After your resize your shells ( always lightly use the case lube if you use to much it will act like heavy grease and will not compress distorting the shell throw it away) once shell sized, wipe all remaining shell case lube off shells. Load powder in adjustable powder measure and adjust the charge a few grains under the desired charge. Charge goes into powder poaring cup then using the trickle tool finish off the desired charge....poar in shell...change to bullet seating die....preadjusted to correct bullet depth...

Note when first starting out to obtain correct bullet depth use an empty unprimed shell when you obtain your desired bullet depth and your die is adjusted tighten down snug....good to go....
Use bullet puller to retrieve your bullet from your seating depth test cartridge....
Have Fun...
))))--------->
 
Reloading Manual: Read it cover to cover....then read it again before you start trying to load and use it as a nice reference tool.
 
I couldn't imagine not using a turret type press anymore.
As even when you are first getting started, I think it helps cut down on the chances of a die adj. mistake. Not to mention it saves lots of time reloading.
Those belted mags can be a little contrary to get the resizing die just right.
The only issue is after neck sizing only for a while. This can cause a swell to develop above the belt.
Easily taken care of by a full case resizing of all brass before going back to just shoulder bumping and neck sizing.
Hope you started reloading and find it enjoying.
 

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