New to reloading question

[dpowers311]

OK I did a search and can not find a thread on what was needed to reload. I saw it once but could be another forum.

My wife was at her dad's helping clean out his closet's and called and asked if I was interested in a RCBS Rock chucker press that has never been used and has been sitting on a shelf for 20+ years. She new I was wanting to get started and was going to purchase a kit.

So now I have a press. Will it be better to buy a "lee challenger" kit or piece together what I need?

I was thinking a turret kit that way I could start out with the single press but could progress to larger runs without any extra cost or just go with the single stage kit?

Any advice is appreciated.

Dave

 

[Rule3]

Well if you already have a free new RCBS press I would say you are off to a great start! Just go with that. RCBS is top of the line equipment.

I suggest going to the RCBS site and go to the top, click the links and you will get step by step videos which will give you an idea of what you need.

First thing to buy is a manual or two, I recommend the Speer and Lyman. Do not buy anything else until you have a good idea of what all is needed/involved

Up at the top, click guide to reloading and click all the topics.

RCBS - Precisioneered Shooting Products - Products

 

[Argonnakid]

Another good place to start is "The A B C's of Reloading" book. Lots of heplful tips and guidance.

 

[tappedandtagged]

The ABC's book is a must read. Then read a reloading manual.

As far as the Lee kit, I went that route and found myself replacing the scale and wanting to replace the powder measure. I wouldn't buy the Lee kit if I had a press already. I would piece together the rest. Get a good scale. The Lee saftey scale isn't exactly accurate.

 

[Titegroups]

If someone gave me a rcbs thats where Id start. Do a lot of reading and watch some youtube vids.

 

[couleeflyfisher]

If you have an RCBS RockChucker, especially the older ones, you have the best. Check in on eBay or wherever and pick up a Uniflow powder measure, small or large cylinder depending on pistol or rifle, any RCBS or Lyman scales. Lee is good stuff but is Economy grade, RCBS, Hornady, Pacific and Lyman are top quality, IMHO.

 

[Az Rick]

Do not sell the Rock Chucker, it was free. I would study and then get dies and reload some, see if it's for you. You'll be better prepared to decide what you want to move up to. Keep the Rock Chucker forever even if you do move on. It will always have a use which will become apparent when you become a Reloader.

Best, Rick

 

[Argonnakid]

One other thing that you need to get and no one talks about is Gift cards to a day spa for your wife. Your going to need to really pay attention if and when you do start reloading. Which means, NO honey can you come here for a minute's, can you go to the store for me, or I'll just sit here and talk with you about my day as you need to give your undivided attention to what your doing. The goal is to have no distractions while your reloading, one mistake can be The Last Mistake.

 

[Oscarflytyer]

Started 25 yrs ago with an RCBS kit. Rock Chucker (AWESOME press), 5-0-5 scale and powder measure, plus some extras. Was an outstanding purchase and what I still use to this day. No need for anything else. Have tried a few other brands/items, and keep going back to RCBS. Almost the only dies I will use, with some exceptions...

 

[cellllman]

I started on a Rock Chucker, it is a great press. Definitely read up on what you may need. Are you reloading rifle or handgun? one main difference is type of die. With handgun you do not need to lubricate the rounds if you have carbide dies. Find out what that means! However, with rifle you do have to lube and that is a whole other issue! You will not want to over buy until you are sure this is for you, but if you are like us you will love reloading. One thing I do recommend is a good (not expensive) digital scale to check your powder drops. I've tried a few beam scales and never had much luck with them. Let us know how it goes!

 

[hotrod150]

You have an RCBS press, that's a great start. Here's what else you need for handgun cartridges:
1) tumbler or vibrating case cleaner
2) case kicker for press (google it)
3) carbide die set with shell-holder
4) Lee autoprime tool or similar (with shellholder if required)
5) powder scale
6) powder measure
7) reloading manual(s)
You should be able to buy all that stuff for under $200- maybe well under. Check out midway, cabelas, etc for specials.
Don't worry about speed-- learn to do it right first. Take your time, double-check everything esp when it's time for powder charging.

 

[STCM(SW)]

As stated above, reloading is not a race. Slow & sure is better then fast & having a bad load that may cause harm.

 

[dpowers311]

Thanks for the advise. I will be loading .44 and 9mm. The .44 is the main load I want to get going. My son shots a single shot handi riffle and I shot a marlin 1894.

 

[tappedandtagged]

Thanks for the advise. I will be loading .44 and 9mm. The .44 is the main load I want to get going. My son shots a single shot handi riffle and I shot a marlin 1894.

I started reloading as well for my .44 magnum. Cheapest factory ammo I could find was around .85 a shot. I can load my own with Missouri bullets for just under .20 a shot. That means I can shoot four times as often!

 

[Hombre0321]

I have been reloading for way longer than I care to admit. Today I shoot competitivly with a Cartridge that must be handloaded for the 1,000 yard matches I compete at. Your RCBS Rockchucker is a fine place to start. In time you may very well decide to go the progressive route, but that should way down the road for you.

First you need to take it slow, learn the basic's and make the very best ammo you can. I would discourage you from buying the Lee kit. I personally am a big fan of Redding Dies and while most of my dies are custom made i do still use some redding dies in my case prep.

The .44 is a snap to reload and you will get the hang of it very quick. the 9MM as well as the .45 ACP both are a little different and case prep is very important in reloading these cases as they Headspace off of the case mouth. Read your manuals and all of that will come clear.

Good luck and welcome to the world of hand crafted ammo...

Roland

 

[coastie sai]

being "frugal" (dont confuse with cheap), i would agree with all of the above comments. you rcvd a free press, just add to it. I would like to ask the others why i havent seen mention DILLON press? arent they good??

 

[Argonnakid]

Dillion's are top dog, and top dollar, That being said, I do not own one. I like my Lee's. I tend to think of them as middle of the road. But as the op. has a chucker and is just getting into reloading, spending the money on a dillion might not be the best choice. He may decide that reloading is not his cup of tea. Or, he may decide to go all out. It's his choice.

 

[planojack]

There are 8 presses on my loading bench, but the most used is the RockChucker that I've had for 30 years. One of the 8 is a Dillon that I love. It is much used for the high volume loads, but as with all the progressives, the flexability is not there. Start slow and learn the basics. 50 years ago, I double charged a .45ACP in the second box I ever loaded. I didn't need to learn that lesson again. The Government Model held together, but I'll never forget the learning experience.

 

[koop]

I just got back into reloading myself. Got a Lee Classic 4-hole Turret press and kit. For the money I could not find anything better and I didn't want to spend the approx. $1000 required to go the Dillon 550 route (press, dies, etc., although I'd love to own one). So you might want to give this little Lee press a look; it's a very cool little press, seems very well made, and of all the turrets I've looked at does an amazingly efficient job at loading ammo pretty quickly AND reliably. Rockchuckers are also great, but the Lee allows me to do stuff faster so I like it a little better.

I also just got a Horizon Pro-50A electronic scale on Amazon for $45.99 shipped. It's accurate down to .02 grains and I'm actually quite impressed with how good it works. Of course, always back up everything you do with a good beam scale, but for convenience and good accuracy this scale is hard to beat. I'm actually surprised not more folks in the reloading community know about this little scale. For the money I've not found any other digital scale that comes even close; and I've scoured many reloading forums and read hundreds of posts and articles to research which scale to get. As far as I'm concerned this is a supreme deal for the money. Got it today, calibrated it, tared it. Everything appears to work flawlessly.