About a year ago I started reloading my own rifle ammo. I own a trimmer and scale and a few other odds and ends but I've been using a buddies press, powder measure, and priming tool at his house while I was trying to decide if reloading is something I wanted to do. It's getting a little old using his stuff whenever I want to load so I want to get my own equipment. What does everyone recommend for a press, powder measure, and priming tool?
Reloading equipment
- Thread starter Work2hunt
- Start date
About 25 years ago I bought a RCBS partner press kit and lee hand priming tool. It is the basics, but has served me well. I only load a couple hundred rounds a year so I don't own powder measure just a scale. I have had zero issues with this equipment. The only issue with the lee hand priming tool is you have to buy their shellholders for it, which isn't a big deal. I once owned a lyman trimmer and it was absolute junk and will never buy one of their products again.
What type of reloading do you plan on doing? If you are just reloading rifle i would recommend a single stage or turret press. The progressive press is great for pistol but not ideal for rifle. I recommend hornady and you can get a lot of free bullets if you buy their stuff new right now.
I started reloading my own ammo about 5 yrs ago I use the rcbs rock chucker supreme kit. It has the single stage press and I have used it consistently with no issues. It's fairly simple to use even as a beginner. The hand priming tool it comes with works just fine for me. Hope this helps.
Drhorsepower
Veteran member
***I would recommend a rock Chucker as well. As far as priming tool, I feel the lee is the most user friendly. Powder measure I would look at any really depending on how much you want to spend. I will be going to a quick-measure this year if all pans out right.
shootbrownelk
Veteran member
I have 2 RCBS presses and an old Pacific. I would recommend RCBS as well. I had a Lee press and it is pretty cheaply made IMO.
The Lee priming tool is great however, beats the RCBS version and it's cheaper as well. I have RCBS powder measures too, a Uniflow for rifle ammo, and a RCBS "Little Dandy" for my handguns. I have a Lee measure also, but it's not as accurate as the RCBS units.
Hope this helps.
The Lee priming tool is great however, beats the RCBS version and it's cheaper as well. I have RCBS powder measures too, a Uniflow for rifle ammo, and a RCBS "Little Dandy" for my handguns. I have a Lee measure also, but it's not as accurate as the RCBS units.
Hope this helps.
Musket Man
Veteran member
Alot of good info here! I am wanting to start reloading and have been thinking about asking some of these questions as well. Mostly I want to reload some calibers that that are hard to find or very expensive to buy ammo for. .219 zipper, .32 remington, .32 s&w, .38 s&w, .38 s&w black powder, 32 s&w long, and 2 5/8'' 12 gauge black powder to start with. One question I have is are dies and shell holders standardized between different manufacturers or do you have to use the same make of dies and shell holders with the same make of press? I have been looking at Hornady presses but I can borrow an RCBS press to get started. Redding seems to make the most dies for the calibers I want to reload and they are generally cheaper then other makes.
Thanks guys. That is some good info. Just what I was looking for. Right now I plan to reload my 280, 22-250, and 6mm so I'm thinking single stage type no progressive style.
Colorado Cowboy
Super Moderator
What type of shotgun are you using for the BP loads? I load a lot of 12 ga BP for my Cowboy Action shooting and can probably give you some info when I get my computer back in a couple of days.
Musket Man
Veteran member
Thanks CC! its a Winchester 1887 lever action with a 2 5/8 chamber. I would like to load with a black powder substitute.
Colorado Cowboy
Super Moderator
I have 2 RCBS loaders that I use several times a week. I have an RCBS Turret that is set up for pistol loading. I have separate turret plates set up for .38, .45 Colt, .9mm and 44 mag. I use the RCBS "Little Dandy" powder measure one each one of them. I also have a Rock Chukar that I use for all my rifle loading. I use the big electronic RCBS powder measure that stores all your load data. Use an old MEC 600 jr for shotgun. Been reloading for over 60 years and these do the job for me.
Colorado Cowboy
Super Moderator
You have several choices. I think you can rechamber it to shoot the 2 3/4 shells. You could also scrounge up some all brass cases and trim them to 2 5/8. They load great, once you get the technique down. I use them in my 10 ga. You could also get a roll crimp die and trim regular 2 3/4 plastic cases. I use sub (APP) and real BP (Goex), whichever I get the cheapest. Right now I am using FFG APP sub that I bought at the National Championship Cowboy Action shoot last year. I bought 2 cases (24#) for $15.00/#, no shipping or hazmat for this special. This year it is $17.00/#.
Musket Man
Veteran member
Couldnt I trim a regular plastic shell and use a standard crimper or would that not work? Could I use 777 fffg like I use in my ML or would that not be a good idea either? The only reloading I have ever done so far has been in my muzzleloader, so Im not quite sure what Im talking about here. lol I do want to start reloading though. Some of the somewhat obsolete calibers I have would pay for the reloading equipment pretty quickly compared to buying ammo for them.
Colorado Cowboy
Super Moderator
You could try to trim the plastic cases, but usually the "memory" in the plastic will not go below the original crimp. The recrimp will be pretty rough and might not chamber smoothly in your 87. The original 87s can be a bit picky about the ammunition they "like". I had one for awhile that was totally reworked by a gunsmith who specialized in tuning them for cowboy competition shooting. It was really hard to keep it shooting fast and I could only use Winchester AA shells. I shoot only SxS doubles now for competition. The other thing you have to careful about is the wads you use. The modern plastic wads will leave melted plastic in the barrel because the BP (& subs too) is really hot and the plastic wads melt when you shoot them. I only use fiber wads.
There is not a lot of difference between FF & FFF in shotguns, use what you have. If you think you can use some APP, I can find out the current pricing for you. Let me know if I can help out with advice and experience, as I have been shooting the "holy black" in competition for about 10 years now and have made my share of mistakes. Its lots of fun and the old stuff (and modern reproductions too) shoots pretty good once you learn it's quirks.
Musket Man
Veteran member
Thanks CC! I hadnt thought about that in the crimp but it makes sense. I can get brass shells from buffalo arms co. I should go to their shop some time, they are only about 100 miles away from me. Are there any books you would recommend on shotgun reloading? I have the Hornady book and I have learned alot from it about rifle and pistol reloading but I dont have anything on shotguns.
Another question I have is are dies and shell holders standardized between different manufacturers or do you have to use the same make of dies and shell holders with the same make of press?
Another question I have is are dies and shell holders standardized between different manufacturers or do you have to use the same make of dies and shell holders with the same make of press?
I started reloading 17 years ago in college with the lee kit and I still have it. Some guys like to pick on lee products but they work, and work well. Start with the lee kit and then you can upgrade things you don't like. I completely agree with the buy once cry once philosophy but the lee kit is so affordable you aren't wasting money if you decide to try different equipment. The knowledge gained from the hands on use of the lee kit is worth the cost. It is also good to have backs ups because things always seem to break the night before a big shooting match.
I still load my 1000 yd competition ammo on a lee single stage. The lee perfect powder measure is one of the best on the market. It is mainly plastic and flexes under use. I am sure some guys will reply with how cheap it feels, but compare it to almost any other powder measure by weighing charges and you will see it works very very well. The lee case trimmer works well for doing a few cases but is really hard on the hands when doing a big batch. However it works really well for setting up a dummy case to set the lathe style trimmer. The time saved trying to set up the lathe style trimmer will easily pay for the lee trimmer. It also works well when put in a drill press.
I am not stuck on lee products. The reality is all big name companies make pretty good stuff. The rest comes down to likes and dis-likes.
I have a rcbs chargemaster and it is awesome. These are worth the investment if you are going to load a lot of longrange rifle rounds.
If you want some one-on-one help email me at [email protected].
Jason Moeller
I still load my 1000 yd competition ammo on a lee single stage. The lee perfect powder measure is one of the best on the market. It is mainly plastic and flexes under use. I am sure some guys will reply with how cheap it feels, but compare it to almost any other powder measure by weighing charges and you will see it works very very well. The lee case trimmer works well for doing a few cases but is really hard on the hands when doing a big batch. However it works really well for setting up a dummy case to set the lathe style trimmer. The time saved trying to set up the lathe style trimmer will easily pay for the lee trimmer. It also works well when put in a drill press.
I am not stuck on lee products. The reality is all big name companies make pretty good stuff. The rest comes down to likes and dis-likes.
I have a rcbs chargemaster and it is awesome. These are worth the investment if you are going to load a lot of longrange rifle rounds.
If you want some one-on-one help email me at [email protected].
Jason Moeller
Colorado Cowboy
Super Moderator
I wouldn't get too anxious about buying new brass from Buffalo as they are pretty pricey! I found all mine used at gun shows, yard sales and online. Lots of them around as they were used in Viet Nam in trench guns. I do have some good sources for good info on loading BP, as soon as I get my new computer (Thurs), I'll send you a few websites. Dies & shell holders are not all created equal! I don't mix brands as I have found some dimensional differences between brands.
Musket Man
Veteran member
Buffalo is on the pricey side but they do have alot of oddball and obsolete stuff. What make of reloading equipment do you think has the best selection of dies for obsolete calibers? I have been looking at Hornady only because I like their ammo and they are the only company I am familiar with at all and their lock and load system looks interesting although I dont know if it would be a real advantage ot not? RCBS seems to have a better selection of dies and for some calibers like the 219 zipper Redding dies are much cheaper so thats why I was wondering if I could use redding dies in a Hornady or RCBS press. I have seen some RCBS JR2 presses used on ebay pretty reasonable. Would that be a good starter press or should I look at other models?