I guess back when I first started reloading all I thought I needed was a few things to get started. If I had only wanted to reload say a straight walled handgun cartridge like a .357 mag I could of got off cheep by just getting a Lee hand loader. Sense I wanted to reload all the cartages I shot a Lee hand loader would not do, so I bought the normal stuff everyone else bought for reloading. RCBS press Dies for each cal. Press shell holders for each cal. A little dandy powder dispenser One bushing for the powder dispenser A set of Redding balance scales, (sense there were no digital scales back then) Lube pad and lube A Sierra reloading manual Well not many people back then helped people get started in reloading and many would not even give much advice as to what was needed so I had to learn the hard way. A lot of the stuff I found out as I got going, and some things I found to be a help even though not really required. The stuff I should of got with the initial set up. Lee hand primer and shell holders for each cal. Different powder bushings for each powder load. An adjustable RCBS powder dispenser for the rifle cartages. Case trimmers Primer pocket reamers Flash hole deburing. Deburring tool for trimmed cases Powder funnel Powder trickler Inside neck lube brush A good set of hex wrenches A good stiff and sturdy reloading bench A good set of hand calipers Case tray for holding the cases in The things over the years I have found to make life in reloading a little easer. A cheep paint brush to dist off and sweep up the workbench. A bore light, (Small cheep flexible flash light) Note pad and ink pin Small 3-inch steel machinist ruler Good digital calipers Small shop wet/dry vac Digital scales Small set of vice grips and pliers Small screwdriver set Medium sifter and Small 1 gal plastic bucket Workbench light Trashcan for the bench Small and large storage bens and drawers Shop rags/old towels or both There are a lot of other stuff one can get to make reloading life easer, but what I am showing here is that this hobby can nickel and dime you to death. There is always something new that we all drool over in the reloading community and some times we do get it but most times we just dream. opaww
"Plastic Storage Boxes" that is what I waste my money on. The 50 round boxes are $2.50 each and the 100 round boxes are $5 each, from BiMart, WalMart, or any other MartMart. For Cowboy Action Shooting I load .38 Special cases with 125 grain lead flat nose bullets for the two Ruger New Vaquero's. I load .38 cases with 147 grain Moulton Lead bullets for the Marlin 1894 and Henry Big Boy lever guns. Need a few plastic storage boxes for each. For the Bersa I load .380 cases with 95 grain lead round nose bullets from SNS Casting. Need a few plastic storage boxes for them. For the Rock Island Armory 1911 I load .45 cases with 230 grain lead round nose and 200 grain semi-wadcutters. Need a few plastic storage boxes for them. For the Springfield Armory XD(M) 4.5 9mm, and Kahr CW9 9mm I load 115 grain lead round nose bullets from SNS Casting. Need a few plastic storage boxes for them. Plus plastic storage boxes for once, twice, thrice fired brass of each cal that ain't been cleaned yet.
opaww, I nickle and dime it also. Been reloading since 77. Started with an RCBS Rockchucker Jr. and still use it. Not as much now. Started with: Rockchucker press, .270 Winch. dies, .44 mag dies, RCBS powder scale, RCBS powder measure for both rifle and pistol, funnel, powder tricler, case lube stuff, primer pocket reamer. LEE case trimmers worked well enough, so I still used them on everything I load. A year later I got a Lyman sizer and luber for pistol bullets. I only loaed .38 spl, .357, and .44 mag alot. So I got bullet molds for those in wadcutter and semi-wadcutter. Used mostly wheelweights and dug up bullets for casting new stuff. Also F in law gave me some 50 lb. bricks of lead from the pipleline pump station where he worked. Still have plenty. Have the LEE electric pot and it has alot of miles on it. Don't cast as much anymore. Still do inn spurts, mostly .38 spl for plinking. Everything else gets jacketed stuff now. Have dies for .38/.357, .41 mag, .44 mag. .45 auto in pistol cals. Thinking aobut getting a .40 also. Don't shoot much of anything else. Have dies for .221 Fireball pistol/rifle, .222 Rem, .223 Rem, .243 Winch. .270 Winch. .300 Savage, .30-06, .30 carbine, and .30-30 in rifles Thinking about adding 7mm-08 and .308. Have the dies. Sometimes have the guns, sometimes not. I stumbled on a really nice Lyman scale and collet bullet puller at a pawn shop a few months ago. Puller had dies for .22 and .30 cal. Got all of it for 15 bucks out the door. Gotta get more dies for the puller now cause I have some .270 cal stuff I need to pull some .30 cals out of some .30-06s that a friend gave me. He had them in storage in a hot locker for 20 years. The powder was caked up, but the brass was good and the bullets worked just fine when I loaded them again. Nickle and dime it.
RCBS Rockchucker Jr is the press I got also and still use it. As of now I reload. 9mm .38spl./.357mag 40S&W .45 auto .303 brit. (for my son) .223/5.56 .308 I plan on reloading sometime in the near future .380auto 7.62x54r
I hate spending $ on new ammo. So I try to get stuff that people bring into the gunshows. Unless I am told that it was reloaded or looks like it was realoade, i won't buy it. All those people that bought high priced ammo during the great ammo shortage a couple of years ago are having to sell it for less now. That could change soon. Hope it doesn't.
