New Reloader.

[timyarb]

Hey All,
I have just gotten into reloading for my rifles. I am going to purchase the parts and pieces I need today but I just wanted a little bit of an expert eye lookover. I have decided on the following items as a first purchase go around. I know that some of the items may not be the top of the line and I am sure that there are some there that you may not have purchased and while I do welcome all of your opinions what I am primarily looking for is an expert or veteran opinion of whether this is all I need or not.

So far I have added to my cart at Midway:
Lee 4 turret deluxe reloading kit
Lee Deluxe 3 Die set for 7mm Magnum
Lee Deluxe 3 Die set for .243 Winchester
Extra 4 hole turret
Lyman Powder Trickler
Frankford Arsenal Stainless Steel Digital Calipers
Kinetic Bullet puller
Lyman Case Lube Kit

So does anyone think that there is anything else I need to get so that i can jump right into reloading.

[zeisloft]

Manual, you definitely need the recipe book. I assume you may need brass, bullets, primers, and powder. Additionally, a scale for weighing said powder, a loading block, and I don’t generally use Lee dies, so I’m not sure if they come with shell plates, if not…a shell plate for each cal. I guess if it is a turret press you may not need the load block unless you decide to single stage load. These are a few items that came to mind immediately, other items such as a case trimmer, reamers, deburring tool, tumbler, media, and a myriad of lesser widgets and whatsits will be in your next order.

Additionally, why did you decide on the Lee turret press, just curious.
~z

[JJB2]

looks good.. altho you'll probably want to get a lee scale too... and like they said a set of shellholders.... i also like my autoprime real well it sure helps speed up the repriming job...

[timyarb]

Sorry about that I actually have a Lyman manual. I am pretty sure the kit comes with a scale and a powder measure as well as the cutter and chamfer tool, primer pocket cleaner.

I actually settled on the Lee Turret for a few reasons. I am just starting reloading and price is definitley a factor. The Lee turret has gotten pretty good reviews is easy to use, inexpensive, and allows for easy caliber changes. I know its not top of the line but I figure if I dont like reloading then I havent put much into it and if I do like it then upgrading to a new press is easy because I didnt put much into the Lee. Also for all I know I may Love the Lee and want to stick with it. I also shoot a decent amount but not near enough to warrent a progressive as a starter. It seemed to me that it is the best of all worlds for a beginner like myself.

When I finally get around to it I will be loading for .243, 7MM Remmy, 32 Winchester Special, 7X57, .40 SW, 9MM, .308, so if the Lee performs I can just add turrets or get a progrssive for the pistol calibers and stick to the turret for the rifles.

So it looks like I will need some loading blocks ( i actually knew that and just forgot) and of course the supplies but that is pretty much a given.

[Shoney]

Timyarb: Welcome to the club. I started loading in summer 1960. I was 12 and knew no one who loaded. When I decided to buy, the extremely nice and patient owner of the sporting goods store did something that I would never forget. As he said the following words, he thumped me in the chest, knocking me back with each blow “YOU ARE PLAYING WITH YOUR LIFE! Never forget that!” Since your kit does not include a loading manual, you will need to get one and READ IT AND REREAD IT BEFORE ANY LOADING.

The products you have chosen are acceptable, with the exception IMHO of the case lube kit, I would strongly urge substituting Imperial Sizing Die Wax, Midway product #519525. It’s a much better lube.

You should also order a Stuck Case Remover, as that will happen and if you don’t have one, you are “dead in the water.

You can get by without the following, but will eventually need: case trimmer, set of weights to check scale, and in time, loading block, and you will find that a high quality powder scale will pay dividends. There are lots of other odds and ends that are nice, but are not really necessary.

Best wishes!

[gb_in_ga]

Case trimmer, scale, primer pocket cleaner, reamer, and a loading block come to mind.

If you are looking to do any handgun loading, or to start crankin' 'em out in volume, you might want to get a powder measure, too.

And -- last but certainly not least: LOADING MANUALS!

[cpaspr]

a caliper micrometer. You'll need to be able to measure your cases to set up the trimmer, and you'll need to be able to measure your end product. You definately do not want to seat your bullets too deep (excess pressure) or too high (darn thing won't chamber).

[gb_in_ga]

...a caliper micrometer.

That's because he already had them listed -- 3rd from the bottom of the original list.

[kingudaroad]

More powder stuff. Scale,check weights, funnel, powder measure. The powder measure could wait but you will have to measure each load individually. Also a camfer and deburring tool.

Man I better stop. I can go on forever.

[Alakar]

If you get the Lee Deluxe die kits, they come with a shellholder, as well as a powder measure, storage box and load data. A pretty good deal for $25.

[azredhawk44]

Definitely need a powder measure of some sort. Not sure what is compatible with the lee turret... I'm more of a fan of the RCBS Uniflow and other similar products made of metal.

I used to have a Lee powder measure... I think they called it the "perfect" powder measure. It cost $15 whereas the RCBS one cost around $50 at the time.

Silly rookie me, I bought the lee one. Made entirely of plastic and rubber, except the zinc handle and the screws that hold it down on your workbench.

My first several hundred rounds were fine, giving me accuracy within 0.2gr or so. Handgun loads needed to be a bit below max to compensate for this, but rifle loads seemed fine.

About 500 rounds later, in the midst of loading my 30-30 with Reloader15 powder, the internal "wipe" washer ripped. The only way I knew was by checking my charges randomly.

I had one charge come up around 29 grains. My target was 28.5, if I remember correctly. I checked a few more. 29.5, 30.2, 31... I was WAY above what I was intending.

I used about 5 different brands of powder in that thing before it gave out. Unique, Win231, Win296, H110 and Reloader15. I think it was the Win296 and H110 that did it in... very fine and abrasive, can get itself into small little nooks and crannies and act like sandpaper.

At first I was going to send it in to Lee for warranty, then thought better. I was lucky to catch it. What if I didn't catch it while I was loading some sort of 300WhomperMagnum, or Harry Callahan ubermagnum rounds? Kaboom, there goes my face.

I considered the loss of $15 a valuable object lesson, and threw the thing away. I now have a Uniflow that has served at least 10K loads to me in the last 2-3 years, of 10 different powder types. Still accurate within 0.1gr.

Beware anything made of plastic or rubber in reloading, from which you expect precision.

[timyarb]

I just finished placing the order with Midway. Thanks for all the advice and by all means keep it coming. I know that I am not really close to done buying but I figure with what I bought I can start reloading for the 2 rifle calibers that I shoot most often.
Also since the order was only $240 I still have a good $150 or so to spend on other parts and pieces and supplies. This should be a great thing for me to do while watching Football this fall on Sundays, (not while watching my Giants of course that would be a bit of a distraction).

So I bought the Lyman 48th edition reloading manual. I read somewhere that it is a good practice to have 3 references for reloading. Any suggestions for the other 2 of them. I figure it may be a good idea to get at least one from a bullet company like Hornady or Speer.

Tim

[Mike Irwin]

The three manuals I generally keep in top rotation are:

Lyman

Hornady

the pamphlet provided by the manufacturer of the powder that I'm using.

You can download information from many of the powder manufacturer's websites free of charge.

You can also get from Midway a caliber specific manual by LoadBooks USA that compiles all available information into one reference source. They are VERY useful. Here's the link to the 7mm Magnum loadbook. http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=490293

I also have Sierra and Nosler manuals, but don't use them as much now that I don't load rifle nearly as much.

[castnblast]

I reload 7mm, and you definitely need a case trimmer. Buy the lee trimmer, it's quick, easy to use, and almost idiot proof. (no, I'm not calling you an idiot... there's a lot involved, and easy to make mistakes, and this trimmer is pre-measured, so you can't overtrim a case)

2nd. Measure every powder charge in the scale. Rifle powder does not meter well at all. (there are a few exceptions)

3rd don't pick your charge based off velocity. Work up your loads in groups of 4-5 rounds. Start and the min, and work up to max.

4th find a mentor if possible, or contact us through the forum. Send me a private message, and I'll get you a phone number you can contact me at and i'll be glad to walk you through your set up and things to watch out for.

5th don't be in a hurry when you load. That's how people get hurt, and always double check yourself. When in doubt, pour it out.

[timyarb]

Thanks for all the advice and seriously keep it coming. I may have ordered my first round of parts but I am far from finished.

Cast no worries about the idiot comment. I work in IT and know all about making things idiot proof. I LOVE idiot proof. No I am not an idiot and I have a ton of comon sense but when it comes to anything in life the difference between the idiot and the unexperienced is that the unexperienced will learn how to not be an idiot.

Tim

[gb_in_ga]

I work in IT and know all about making things idiot proof. I LOVE idiot proof.

I'm a programmer of many projects and many years, and I know just how futile that is. There is NO WAY to make something repetitive and/or complicated truly idiot proof. Can't be done, all you can do is try and anticipate the obvious.

A permutation on Murphy: Just when you go and make something idiot proof, along comes another idiot.

Yet another one from the IT world: Never underestimate the stupidity of the average user.



Back to reloading: Always check and double check.

[Anthony Terry]

I would have looked into an RCBS starter kit. It comes with everything but the trimmer. Everything you need to reload all in one box. Since I got it I've only had to add a trimmer and traded my balance scales for digitals.

[skeeter1]

Sounds to me like you've got your head screwed on straight for reloading.

One thing I'd suggest is a reloading block. You can make your own with an old piece of 2x6 and a Forstner bit and a drill press, or buy a plastic one from here:

http://www.mtmcase-gard.com/products...ng/reload.html

When I reload, (I only do .38/.357 and use carbide dies) I first resize and de-cap the cases. After putting in the primers, I put them primer-side up in the block. Then, one-by-one, turn them over, charge them, put in the bullet and run them through the seating-and-crimping die.

It's methodical, but I feel safe with my reloads.

Enjoy your reloading. It beats watching reruns on TV!

[amamnn]

I would have skipped the trickler as you can top off your loads using the dippers that come in the Lee dies. I don't remember if the Lyman trickler is as heavy as the Redding, hopefully it is, and you'll know why after using it a while. I used to use the Lee Deluxe turret 4 hole press for my handgun loading.

I use the Lee classic turret now. The deluxe never failed to work as advertised. You will need to find some method of capturing the primers if you are going to decap in the Lee press. I never found a reliable method, I just bought the classic. The primers will tend to go everywhere, but most annoying, if you remove the priming arm from the press during decapping, enough will collect in the hole where it was to require that it be cleaned out. This is a process aided by the use of a long finishing nail, head down.

Old ammo boxes with the plastic inserts can make ok loading blocks. When I had to replace some lost equipment I used 4 glued together for a while. When your lube runs out you might want to switch to Imperial sizing wax for the case bodies and fine ground mica for the necks, inside and out. the mica is also useful for sealing up leaks in powder measures. The Lee pro auto disk measure works fine on the press for my handgun loads. I use the RCBS stand alone powder measure for rifle loads. Both benefit from the use of the RCBS powder baffle installed.

[timyarb]

and I sat down and Painstakingly put it all together. Actually it was really not to hard at all. With all the advice of the people here and the awesome videos on the Lee site I got up and running fairly quickly.

I now have a few small questions if anyone can answer. I bought the 3 die Deluxe set of dies. The Collet neck sizing die is confusing me a bit because really to me it seems to be doing the exact same thing as the full length sizing die. Now of course I could be wrong and just inexeperienced but I figured I would ask and see if that was the case before I did anything.

The second question is about the bullet seating die. Is there a way to measure how far you have the adjustment out of is it just a trial and error the first time thing and then set that SOB and go for until you change the bullet weight?

Other than those two things I LOVE this setup. I added a few things to it already such as a small battery powered hand drill for the trimming of the cases, a Lee Auto Prime Hand unit because right now I am just doing rifles and to me it just seemed easier to do them in batches. I got the Loadbooks USA caliber loading manulas and I have the Die manulas and the Lyman book, I think I want at least one more, maybe the speer book or sierra if they make one as those are the bullets I have chosen to use first with the .243.

Funny I have been a member here for a while and have put only a hndful of posts up. I think however I am going to be very active in this forum.

Oh yeah and I added one more thing to my reloading arsenal. I was going to head over to Gander Mountain (large chain store if you arent familiar) to pick up some primers (amusingly enough to replace the incorrect ones they gave me the first time) after work Friday. On my way to the highway I remembered there was a little local Gun and Sport shop on the way that I havent had an opportunity to purchase anything from yet. So I stopped in. After asking if the gentleman at the counter, it is a very small shop built from an old house, if he had primers he happily helped me get what I needed and then I figured what the hell. I asked about the priming tool, he had it the Lee one that I wanted and for the same price as Midway no less. He then made sure I had all the shell holders and then proceeded to chat with me while he wrote slip up and charged my card. He has been a reloader for about 25 years and uses the Lee stuff himself. What did I add to my reloading gear yesterday, some good experience from a knowledgable gentleman. I know where I will be going back to from now on for all my supplies for reloading and if I have a question or two that keeps me there chatting for a while then that would be even better.


Tim

I will let you know how my first real reloading session goes with the Turret press. and sorry for being so long winded.

[Shoney]

Lookin’ good Tim

Q1.The neck sizing die does just that, and that alone. There is no sizing to the case below the neck. This is fine if the cases are those fired in your weapon. Cases from other sources may or may not function in your weapon. Neck sizing does have a problem, after repeated sizing (varies in number of times) the neck may separate from the case, lodging it firmly in your chamber. You will need the services of a gunsmith to remove it. That is why I dont neck size. I take my full length die and adjust it so it just touches the shoulder then 1/32nd turn more.

Q2. Search this forum and others for threads on seating depth, seating into the lands, and similar subjects.

Be safe!