Best Piece of Reloading Equipment that stepped up your reloading precision

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Loading mostly bulk pistol ammo on Dillons these days, I have saved a lot of time and aggravation with Hornady seating dies + Microjust spindle. Less expensive than the Redding dies I use for target rifle ammo.
Adjusting seating by screwing the whole Dillon die in and out got real old.
 
I don't usually refer to precision when loading for handguns, but two keys to my loading better ammo and enjoying it more have been the:
1. Lyman M-die Expander - stopped shaving and kept bullets in place between stations on my Hornady LNL AP
2. Redding Competition Seating die - took the tedium out to adjusting, measuring, adjusting, and measuring again to get to the desired OAL
 
I don't usually refer to precision when loading for handguns, but two keys to my loading better ammo and enjoying it more have been the:
1. Lyman M-die Expander - stopped shaving and kept bullets in place between stations on my Hornady LNL AP
2. Redding Competition Seating die - took the tedium out to adjusting, measuring, adjusting, and measuring again to get to the desired OAL
Agreed.
 
In the light of the way this thread is going, my LNL made reloading more enjoyable, taking most of the tedium out of it, as well as the WFT trimmers under power that made rifle brass trimming so much easier. A good powder measure makes things much easier as well.

But they don't make ammo better.

I agree, and I would have said as much. I love my ProJector, it's true, and it's helped me streamline much of my handloading process, but, in light of the OP's question I picked the M-die because it solves a good number of problems I was having... problems that were ruining brass and bullets. Walk mentioned a press-mounted trimmer... now, if I ever stepped up to that, that might snuggle up to the M-die in importance... but like a progressive press, it only streamlines the process.
 
For me there are 4. 1- RCBS ChargeMster 1500
2- GemPro 250 for fine tuned loads
3- Redding Competition Seating Die
4 Redding Competition Shellholders a set of 5 different deck heights
That's for 308 caliber benchrest shooting
 
Chargemaster Lite instead of Lyman manual electronic scale for loading rifle
Franklin Armory Case Prep/trimmer
Hornady Collet Bullet puller
 
A couple of things that helped me make better ammo were competition seating dies and a concentricity gauge. My ammo shot pretty well with standard seating dies by exercising a little care but the competition die made it easier.

Tools that made loading faster or more enjoyable were the RCBS Chargemaster and my Giraud case trimmer.
 
AND scale with the autotrickler - precise powder drops perfect for OCW or ladder testing and amazing consistency - be prepared to break the bank on this one
Mighty Armory Decapping die - original pin still in it 2 years later!
 
Loading mostly bulk pistol ammo on Dillons these days, I have saved a lot of time and aggravation with Hornady seating dies + Microjust spindle. Less expensive than the Redding dies I use for target rifle ammo.
Adjusting seating by screwing the whole Dillon die in and out got real old.

YES YES YES! Micrometer seating dies rock! No guessing! raise it up seat your bullet measure and you know exactly how much to turn it down! I wont buy a seating die without a Micrometer any more. Hornady (at least the one I have is hard to read) Redding is better but pricey, I found the Forster Micrometer seating die to be the easiest to read! My eyes are getting older!
 
I bought a RCBS case neck expander die with plugs for each of the calibers I load, 25, 27. 30 and 33. Even though I anneal my case necks I found the tool very useful to get the exact neck tension I want. One turn of the stem runs the plug into the case neck about .035 so by using one turn or two turns I can reduce the case neck tension for the particular batch of cases I am loading. Each plug is the exact diameter of the bullet. I find this tool really useful.
 
I don't usually refer to precision when loading for handguns, but two keys to my loading better ammo and enjoying it more have been the:
1. Lyman M-die Expander - stopped shaving and kept bullets in place between stations on my Hornady LNL AP
2. Redding Competition Seating die - took the tedium out to adjusting, measuring, adjusting, and measuring again to get to the desired OAL

I discovered the "M-die" factor this year when I bought RCBS's new tube rifle bullet feeders which include one....."M" is not just for handguns tho they are indispensable for loading lead bullets. I have one in .308 and .223 now and wonder how I ever got along without.....no more tipped bullets on a progressive's merry-go-round.

Competition seaters are nice too.... I use RCBS's there too (Gold Medal series seaters) You get the mic, and a convenient hole above the die plate to drop your bullets....no more blood blisters from slow hands not getting the hell out of the way in time........but then you all aren't quick-hands-challenged like me..;)

Sage, I've seen those neck expanders, but never bought one.....wasn't sure what they were used for.
 
I discovered the "M-die" factor this year when I bought RCBS's new tube rifle bullet feeders which include one....."M" is not just for handguns tho they are indispensable for loading lead bullets. I have one in .308 and .223 now and wonder how I ever got along without.....no more tipped bullets on a progressive's merry-go-round.

Competition seaters are nice too.... I use RCBS's there too (Gold Medal series seaters) You get the mic, and a convenient hole above the die plate to drop your bullets....no more blood blisters from slow hands not getting the hell out of the way in time........but then you all aren't quick-hands-challenged like me..;)

Sage, I've seen those neck expanders, but never bought one.....wasn't sure what they were used for.
Please tell me more maybe a link to a product?
 
For me it was the advent of the Internet and these web based forums!

I began and learned way back before any of this was available. All there was were friends, periodical magazines and books. There is just so much more information available to any reloader today that there is no excuse for not knowing or not being able to find an answer.

Take the subject of just presses for one. There is probably more information on the web about each and every press available that no one should be uninformed or misinformed about buying a press. Same thing with gun powders, show me any one current powder that there is little to no information out there. Heck there is even a whole web site dedicated to Cast Boolits for those so inclined.

My experience and gained knowledge are my biggest assets to my reloading so I guess I am the Tool. I will also admit that my thinking has been proven wrong on more than one occasion and I even learned from that!
 
kmw1954.....so true.....we made many more mistakes in those days...yet most of us are still alive!:)

That said, today's problem is that new reloaders might not read those most important loading manuals except maybe to get load data. So "loading manuals" especially the front part is extremely important to good safe even accurate reloading.

The DomFather's requested link. RCBS Tube Rifle Bullet Feeders

Comes with an "M die"-like neck expander that I put in the station before the powder drop, and a Mr. Bullet Feeder style (similar but different also using ball bearings) bullet feed die in the station after powder drop. The next station has my Gold Medal Seater....and the last station a Lee crimper only to straighten the "M die" effect....sorta like a taper crimp.

If one must have a electric collator, the RCBS instructions say to buy a Dillon one.;)
I just use this Lee-inspired Collator made from a plastic funnel.
 
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My next major purchase will be an A&D FX120i, followed as soon as can be arranged by an Auto Trickler v.3. May even sell a rifle to fund the purchase.
 
Redding Competition Seating die - took the tedium out to adjusting, measuring, adjusting, and measuring again to get to the desired OAL

I'll second the 45 acp Redding Competition seater, but for a different reason. I had all kinds of trouble seating cast bullets in mixed headstamp brass with RCBS dies. A Lee FCD cured most of the problems, but I still had an occasional non-plunker. After I started using the Redding I replaced the FCD with my old RCBS seater with the plug removed as a dedicated crimp die. The precision of the Redding seats the bullets 100% straight and I can't remember the last time I had to reject a round.

And yes, adjusting the OAL is a breeze.
 
Maybe didn't make the ammo any more accurate but I think the money I spent on a WFT sure made trimming less of a hassle and I like my LNL progressive.

Progressive lets me load quicker and spend more time shooting which hopefully;)
will make me a better shot.
 
Manson or jgs reamers
Cut rifle barrels.
Whidden custom dies
Powder trickler
Custom bullets.


Shootin small ain't cheap
 
The precision of the Redding seats the bullets 100% straight and I can't remember the last time I had to reject a round.
That is why I originally went with the Competition Seating die. I liked the extended sleeve...but I already had that with the Hornady Seater...but the whole concept of the Seater Plug floating on a "column of air" was enough to push me over the edge.

I've purposely placed coated bullets askew in a case mouth just to see how straight the die would seat them...never a shaved bullet or a budged case.

I sort of went over board in loading .38Spl, I also got the Redding Dual Ring Carbide Resizing die
 
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