If you were setting up your reloading shop from scratch.....

[Tuckerp229]

This is a question(s) for all you "way" experienced reloaders. If you were to start reloading all over knowing what you know from your reloading experience what items would you definitley include in your shop and why? For me, money is an issue and that is why I am asking the questions of you before I buy. I believe you that have gone before me can help me avoid the pitfalls through your own experience and save me from wasting money purchasing the wrong items. It is less expensive to buy right once than discover I have purchased the wrong brand/ item and be forced to buy again. I should say that my goal is for accurate hunting and respectable target practice results but not competition shooting.
Known Categories:
1. Trimmers: such as
Lee Zip trim, RCBS Trim Mate
2. Primmer pocket reamers, hand or motorized?
3. Flash hole deburring, hand or motorized
4. Neck turning, tools
5. Chamber length guages

Thanks in advance for your input.

[Autorim]

I will start in order. I have never owned or used any case trimmer but a Forster. It has always done it all for me. I recommend the primer pocket uniformers and flash hole deburring tools from Sinclair as well as their chamber length gauges.

http://www.sinclairintl.com/


I started learning about reloading in 1958 from a professional reloader and bullet caster. He also shot benchrest matches so he was a very technical loader.

I have been loading since about 1962 with my equipment and started with a .243. I have loaded and shot .22 Hornet, .222, .223, 22-250, .257 Roberts, 6.5x55, .270, 7mm-08, 7.62x39, .30 carbine, .308, 30-06, .338 mag, 38-55, 45/70, .38, .357, .41 mag, .44 mag,.45acp, .45 AR, .45 Colt and a few others. I list these because my loading experience is not from a lot of high volume loading, but by assembling and testing various bullets and powders with a variety of firearms. In addition to bench presses, I have a Dillon 550 for volume handgun ammo.

I have never turned a neck but I do carefully trim and measure rifle cases and pay attention to bullet seating depth in relation to the rifling leade. I highly recommend the Sinclair site and a Sinclair catalog for specialty items. Browse their site and catalog. Lots of neat stuff.

The Sinclair primer pocket uniformers can be easily chucked in a variable speed cordless drill. Their chamber length gauges are a simple plug that replaces the bullet in a shortened case. Chamber the case with the plug gauge, remove and measure. A good quality caliper and micrometer are very useful and IMHO essential
for careful and high quality reloading.

Good shooting.

Ken

[charles p]

Most of my stuff is RCBS.  I own two presses and recommend the same.  A strong one for sizing and one for seating.  I use a Lee primming tool and really like it.  You will need calipers for measuring.  A RCBS powder measure will drop a very uniform weight.  You will need a case trimmer.  If you are loading for a semi or pump rifle, get small base dies.  Sierra reloading software is nice.

[SM Bob]

Tuckerup229,
If I were to start right now I would go with Lee equipment. For what you want to do
a single stage press will work just fine. I would get a Challenger Breech Lock Single
Stage Press Kit. A kit will have most of the goodies that you will need to get
started. This will handle all of the full length resizing of your rifle rounds as
well as using the Lee factory crimp dies. They run $105. A reloading manual runs
from $20-$30. You will need one of these as well.


http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=121744


You might also want to get a Lee Hand Press. They are real handy for all of
your straight wall pistol ammo. You can sit down in your living room in front
of your TV and knock out a bunch of ammo no sweat! You will be surprised
what you can accomplish with the Hand Press. They run less than $30.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=410804



You will also need a tumbler and some media to clean your cases with. I have
had a Lyman 1200 like this one for over 20 years and have never had a problem
with it. Cost is less than $50.


http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=158440


Of course you will have to get dies for the calibers you want to load. Lee dies
are very reasonable and very well made. Definitely get carbide dies whenever
you can for your straight wall handgun ammo. A set of dies virtually never wears
out for the average re loader. Carbide pistol die sets and deluxe rifle sets run
about $25-$30 each. You will eventually need a case trimmer and a set of 6"
calipers. The case trimmer you can get from Lee and the calipers you can
get from Harbor Freight for real cheap. You will need a bench of some sort as
well. You can spend a lot more money on other brands and they are good too,
but in my opinion you get the most bang for your buck from Lee. I don't work
for them. I just like their products. I have been reloading for over 35 years with
equipment just like what I recommended and I have no regrets.

                                          Robert

[Graybeard]

If I were starting over from scratch today I'd own much of the same I do now after many years of pruning away but there are things I'd do differently.

I'd likely buy all Hornady dies unless they just didn't make what I wanted. As far as presses are concerned either the Hornady or RCBS Rock Chucker I see that as a toss up. I'd stay with the Lee Auto Prime to prime all my brass. I use nothing else and would not if starting over again.

I'd definitely have the RCBS Case Prep Center for deburring and chamfering cases as well as cleaning primer pockets. That's one of the best investments I ever made.

I began with the Forster trimmer and still have it but have retired it. I now use the RCBS powered trimmer and it is much faster and easier to use when doing large numbers of cases but takes up a HUGE footprint on your bench. I'd really like to give the Hornady and Lyman powered units a try to see how they compare. They are smaller and might be just as good.

I measure not weight most powder charges and use several of the RCBS Uniflow measures for the job. I guess I'd not change from them for that job as they work fine.

I've picked up a Lyman DPS 1200 powder dispenser scale but it came minus instructions and so far Lyman has not responded to my requests to provide some. I'm beginning to regret buying it as I have no clue how to use it and it's just taking up bench space at the moment. If I had it to do over I'd buy the RCBS unit instead as I'm sure I could get instructions from them if I needed it.

I have a really old RCBS brand digital scale that has served me well over the years. I'd never go back to a balance beam. IT was made by PACT and I'm sure those with that name would be as good.

I'd not get a case gauge  and never have had one but do have an RCBS dial caliper and it works fine after all these years. A digital one might be handier. I have a micrometer also but seldom use it really and feel you can get by fine without one.

I'd definitely get another Hornady collet bullet puller it is for my money the best and easiest to use of them all. A hammer type is handy at times but is a real pain if you have many to pull but handy if you have only one or two. You will eventually have to have one of some sort.

A stuck case remover is a handy thing to have and sooner or later you will stick a case and wish you had one if you don't. Mine is Hornady brand.

I have much better benches than I have even now. The one that is offered by the reloaders association in plan form is a good one and if I had my druthers I'd have at least two of them professional made by a cabinet maker for me. I might however have them made a full 8' long rather than the shorter length in the plans. If room is available a third would be nice. I have three benches now and don't have enough room.

[5alarm435]

Hello Graybeard.

Here are some instructions for your DPS 1200.

http://pdf.textfiles.com/manuals/FIREARMS/lyman_digitalpowderscale.pdf

Alex.

[Graybeard]

Thanks Alex it sure doesn't look like Lyman was ever gonna come thru for me.

[ButlerFord45]

I currently have Lee, Redding, RCBS and Dillon presses on the bench and I like them all.  My everyday go-to press is the old Rock Chucker, it is smoother and easier to operate than any of the others.  With a little practice with it's nuances, there is no better press, just more expensive or more complicated.
Case cleaning: a coffee can w/lid, hot soapy water and agitation cannot be bettered for clean cases.
Case prep, I have to agree with Graybeard.  Expensive initially but makes light the drudgery work of reloading
Powder Measure:  RCBS digital scale/despenser.  It is a few dollars more than the Lyman but the quality of support/service you get from the two company's is well worth the small amount of $ difference.  You can see an example of this in this thread! 
If you insist on a manual measure, I can't help much, I've only used RCBS and LEE, I threw the Lee away.
Scale: Here is where GB and I disagree, I'll never reload without a balance beam scale and checkweights.  Doesn't have to be fancy, just accurate.  I even check the weights from the digital every-so-often.
Dies, I don't know, I've used LEE, RCBS, Hornady and Redding.  I'd give the Redding a slight edge but normally look for RCBS.
Case trimming and neck turning: Unless you're shooting benchrest or a lot of heavy charges, you can shoot a LONG time and never see the difference.  Yes, I do trim but shot a lot of good targets before I started.
Caliper:  Handy but not necessary if you take the time to set a good dummy load for YOUR chamber.
If you don't have EXCELLENT ammunition at this point, THEN start looking at the additional tools.

BF