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Old October 5, 2013, 01:38 PM   #1
Kimbercommander
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Join Date: September 23, 2013
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New to reloading.

I have long been a buyer of factory ammo but with my new found lust for accuracy and a untimely injury i have a need to start reloading. I will be reloading for a .300 win mag. Any kind of advice will be welcome. I shoot a Kimber M8400 LA Police Tactical with a custom stock. Trigger has been adjusted down to just under 2 pounds. I hunt big game in Oregon and I have really started to get into Long Range target shooting as well. I have had very good groups with Hornady custom ammo which i have been using for break in ammo. However I am confident i could shrink my groups with a proper load made just for that weapon. It has a 1:10 RH twist with a 26" heavy contour barrel. Im hoping to be somewhere in the 190-210gr bullet weight. Not sure about powerder type or primer but Im hoping to reuse my Hornady brass i have already.
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Old October 5, 2013, 02:10 PM   #2
mikld
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Yep, save all your brass, it's like shiny dimes. I'd suggest a copy of "The ABCs of Reloading" to see what all it takes to reload and what type of equipment to use for your reloading needs. Don't buy into that stuff about saving money, it ain't never worked for me, but I can/do get superior ammo! Reloading isn't rocket science but you must pay attention to what you're doing at all times, and it is a fun worthwhile, satisfying hobby...

I started low budget with a Lee Loader, a pound of power, some CCI primers (I could only afford 100 at a time), some generic bullets, and of course my yellar hammer in '69 have enjoyed every minute of reloading since.
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Old October 5, 2013, 02:38 PM   #3
Kimbercommander
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Im looking into a Rockchucker press. it comes with a kit for reloading. then i was planning on just piecing together whatever else i needed.
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Old October 5, 2013, 04:28 PM   #4
JimDandy
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Well "save money" is a relative term. You can make better for cheaper than you would pay for it. So while most of us still end up putting the same money into ammunition, we get more and better bang for the buck.

Looking at one place for representative options:

Rockchucker for 289

Vs

Hornady LNL Classic for 319

Press wise, I like the Hornady press better, because of the LNL Bushing system, especially on a Single stage. But the rest of the kit is almost universally better for the Rockchucker. The scale is far and away better. A 5-0-5 RCBS scale is so far and away better than a GS-1500 electronic, it's not even funny.

On a line by line...

Press- Advantage Hornady
Scale- BIG Advantage RCBS
Powder Measure- minor Advantage Hornady

The hornady powder measure is full sized. You'd probably eventually want a stand instead of a bench edge mount.

Lubricating system. Minor advantage RCBS. Most people will prefer the lube pad over a spray lube. Of course, most of us chuck either system in preference to Imperial, Unique, and so on paste/wax types.

Loading blocks are a wash.
Chamfer tools are a wash.
The Hand Primers are a wash.
Rebate: The Hornady kit will give you 500 bullets from a fairly limited list one basic but not popular bullet per caliber really, but still 500 bullets! The RCBS kit will give you a cash back rebate of less value than 500 bullets, but it can be used on bullets you want, OR something else.


Finally, the Hornady kit has a Funnel and a Powder trickler. The cost of these two items isn't equal to the difference between a GS-1500 and an RCBS 5-0-5 however.

Basically whichever kit you buy, you'll be replacing/adding stuff right off the bat. If you get the Hornady kit, I'd get a better scale. The RCBS 5-0-5. If you get the RCBS kit, You'll want to get a funnel, trickler, and probably eventually a full size powder thrower and stand.

Regardless of which kit you get you'll want:

A die set for 300 Win-Mag (and whatever else you load)
A shell holder for 300 Win Mag.
A tub of Imperial/Unique/Lee Sizing Paste etc.


Edit to Add, if I skip the kit and just pick and choose parts, I'm at about $400 already, and half of it is back ordered-

Last edited by JimDandy; October 5, 2013 at 04:37 PM.
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Old October 5, 2013, 08:07 PM   #5
serf 'rett
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RCBS comes with powder funnel.

I got the RCBS kit and the Hornady bushing kit - best of both colors.
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Old October 6, 2013, 10:53 AM   #6
Wag
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Echoing most of the above. I prefer RCBS equipment over anything else I've used.

True, you may save a little money but you'll get to shoot more and still break even. Which is always a good thing! And far better ammo. If you're a bit anal retentive and you like to experiment on ammo, you'll actually enjoy it a great deal, almost as much as or more than shooting the ammo you made!

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Old October 6, 2013, 10:19 PM   #7
bt380
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Came across a post on another forum that is an interesting way to shop for powder. With all the brands of powder and bullets, it makes it easier to know if the powder you are looking at will work for your caliber. It is Lyman limited and only shows 380, 9, 40. The author said he/she will add the information from their other manuals to the spreadsheet. Not sure if it will be posted????
Load Data Powder vs Bullets: http://www.thefirearmsforum.com/showthread.php?t=129422
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