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wncchester · March 31, 2011, 06:18 PM

Don't sweat longivity. Any press, dies, etc. will last longer than you will. You may eventually want to get other stuff for whatever reason but it won't be because you've worn anything out.

IMHO, 'kits' sorta suck. NONE of them are complete, there are always several items you would still need to buy seperately. AND, no maker has a lock on the best tools or best value across the board. SO - I strongly suggest you put your own kit together, one piece at a time.

You can't do better than the all steel Lee Classic Cast press. Ditto their Pace Setter dies, which include a shell holder and crimp die for each cartridge.

Lee's "Perfect" powder measure isn't perfect but it's quite good and will do fine until you decide what you may want to replace it with..which may be never. You can use an infant's steel spoon for a powder 'trickler.'

Lee's reloading manual is excellant, very good beginner instructions and clear illustrations plus a LOT of loading data. Lee's case trimmer tools are very good and very inexpensive too. Lee's little debur-chamfer tool is too small for much easy use but it works as well as any other for the modest numbers of cases most of us ever need it for.

Get a beam type powder scale, a Dillon D-terminator or RCBS 505 (same thing, different look/price). (NOT the Lee "Safety" scale, and not a digital either.)

Anyone's plastic loading blocks and powder funnel will do nicely.

Use a finger-tip applied soft wax case lube such as Imperial Die Wax or Hornady's "Unique" rather than a pad or spray lube.

A 6" stainless steel dial caliper is very nice for general measuing tasks. We do NOT need a professonal mechanist grade caliper, one of the 'cheep-o' Chinese types is fine. They can be bought for lowest price from Harbor Freight Tools (about $12-15 on sale, which they often are) or the same thing from MidwayUSA for just a little more.

That list will get you started very nicely and with basic but excellant tools that will make ammo as well as stuff costing several times more. And, no, unlike others, I'm not trying to get you to buy what I use, my needs are much different from yours. But, IF I were to buy what my grandson needs to get a basic kit, that's what it would all be!

Note -- No one NEEDS a tumbler to start. In fact, while tumblers are nice, they are NOT needed at all!

March 31, 2011, 06:18 PM	#12
wncchester Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2002 Posts: 2,832	Don't sweat longivity. Any press, dies, etc. will last longer than you will. You may eventually want to get other stuff for whatever reason but it won't be because you've worn anything out. IMHO, 'kits' sorta suck. NONE of them are complete, there are always several items you would still need to buy seperately. AND, no maker has a lock on the best tools or best value across the board. SO - I strongly suggest you put your own kit together, one piece at a time. You can't do better than the all steel Lee Classic Cast press. Ditto their Pace Setter dies, which include a shell holder and crimp die for each cartridge. Lee's "Perfect" powder measure isn't perfect but it's quite good and will do fine until you decide what you may want to replace it with..which may be never. You can use an infant's steel spoon for a powder 'trickler.' Lee's reloading manual is excellant, very good beginner instructions and clear illustrations plus a LOT of loading data. Lee's case trimmer tools are very good and very inexpensive too. Lee's little debur-chamfer tool is too small for much easy use but it works as well as any other for the modest numbers of cases most of us ever need it for. Get a beam type powder scale, a Dillon D-terminator or RCBS 505 (same thing, different look/price). (NOT the Lee "Safety" scale, and not a digital either.) Anyone's plastic loading blocks and powder funnel will do nicely. Use a finger-tip applied soft wax case lube such as Imperial Die Wax or Hornady's "Unique" rather than a pad or spray lube. A 6" stainless steel dial caliper is very nice for general measuing tasks. We do NOT need a professonal mechanist grade caliper, one of the 'cheep-o' Chinese types is fine. They can be bought for lowest price from Harbor Freight Tools (about $12-15 on sale, which they often are) or the same thing from MidwayUSA for just a little more. That list will get you started very nicely and with basic but excellant tools that will make ammo as well as stuff costing several times more. And, no, unlike others, I'm not trying to get you to buy what I use, my needs are much different from yours. But, IF I were to buy what my grandson needs to get a basic kit, that's what it would all be! Note -- No one NEEDS a tumbler to start. In fact, while tumblers are nice, they are NOT needed at all!