Which kit and manuals would you all recommend for a beginner
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Best kit for a beginner?
- Thread starter pltspreader
- Start date
Most people will probably say a Single stage press, I went with a Lyman T-Mag and a year later bought a Dillon. Regardless of which press you choose, finding someone to show you the process is the most important step.
You are on the right track already by saying manuals. One will not tell you everything.
I have a Dillon. I would not start there by no means. Great equipment but not a starter.
I started with a Rock Chucker(after years of Lee handloader). I have never been disappointed with the RC. What do you plan on loading first?
I learned by reading several manuals and by doing.
+3 on the RC.
Being a Rock Chucker owner for - ooh - maybe a week now, I'd agree with the above.
It obviously depends on what you intend to reload, long-term, but one thing I didn't appreciate (and I'm thinking of another 'Adventures in Reloading' post with the expanded story) is that at some point, you're likely to want to resize rifle brass. What nobody seems to say out loud is that resizing rifle brass sometimes needs a really strong press.
I have a Hornady Lock-n-Load press which is really sweet to do everything else on, but it's an aluminum frame and I was always concerned that a really tough case might lead to a problem.
The Rock Chucker was more than up to the task of resizing some 7.62x51 brass that I'm pretty sure came out of a machine gun (cases seem to be both more expanded from firing, and the brass is harder)
A single stage press also allows you to concentrate on fundamentals and it'll help you avoid some of the early mistakes I made. And a good single stage will always be useful.
On Manuals, I have a hardback copy of the Lyman 51st Ed, and I use Hodgdon Reloading Center to cross-check what Lyman has been telling me. Hornady have an on-line reloading resource too.
It obviously depends on what you intend to reload, long-term, but one thing I didn't appreciate (and I'm thinking of another 'Adventures in Reloading' post with the expanded story) is that at some point, you're likely to want to resize rifle brass. What nobody seems to say out loud is that resizing rifle brass sometimes needs a really strong press.
I have a Hornady Lock-n-Load press which is really sweet to do everything else on, but it's an aluminum frame and I was always concerned that a really tough case might lead to a problem.
The Rock Chucker was more than up to the task of resizing some 7.62x51 brass that I'm pretty sure came out of a machine gun (cases seem to be both more expanded from firing, and the brass is harder)
A single stage press also allows you to concentrate on fundamentals and it'll help you avoid some of the early mistakes I made. And a good single stage will always be useful.
On Manuals, I have a hardback copy of the Lyman 51st Ed, and I use Hodgdon Reloading Center to cross-check what Lyman has been telling me. Hornady have an on-line reloading resource too.
280ai 7 mag 300prc 7.62x39 270 308 are my main goals
