Rcbs or Redding reloading kits?

[Highland Lofts]

How are your laws on owning firearms? Tough like other countries over there?

 

[ALDA BERGR]

Yes. Rifles and shotguns maximum total of 6. No ar clones allowed.
Handguns have licences over a 5 year period, then you have to renew it.
And to be able to do that you have to show that you both have been training and competed regulary with that gun.

 

[Highland Lofts]

I wouldn't fit in over there, last time I checked I was a little over a hundred. Juat around forty handguns and will be picking up a Glock 23 next weekend.
I just recieved a huge supply of pistol ammo. I need a 40 caliber and a 357 Sig caliber handgun.

 

[JFrank]

Personally, I recommend against kits. Almost universally, the press itself is the only enduring piece from a kit which enjoys continued use as a reloader progresses. I know some Reloaders do continue to use the hand trimming tools, or trickle into a beam scale, but most reloaders, an overwhelming majority, learn their way through the process within 6 months and end up replacing almost every component from the kit. Buying twice is rarely less expensive than buying once. Frankly, many, many reloaders quickly realize their reloading volume can’t be sustained by a single stage press, and end up replacing that too.

Of the gear included in both kits, the RCBS kit is the better value - meaning more gear for less money, but as mentioned above, the extra gear only has value if you’re going to use it.

As an example - I started with a Lee kit 25 years ago. The only piece I still use is the press - which is ONLY used as a universal decapping press, and has not made ammunition for almost 20 of those 25 years.

I will Echo this post right here. Reloading for a rifle, a simple single stage press is a valuable tool that will last a lifetime, however unless you are forming wildcat cartridges a smaller version RCBS or Lee is fine.
Personally I love Wilson tools and quite frankly if Wilson doesn’t make it you probably don’t need is a saying I keep in the back of my mind.
A quality scale is paramount!
I would definitely recommend the best one you could afford. www.lewilson.com
Enjoy the journey, PM anytime
J

 

[berettaprofessor]

Personally, I recommend against kits. Almost universally, the press itself is the only enduring piece from a kit which enjoys continued use as a reloader progresses.

This^^^ The beam scale goes first, then the powder "thrower", then all the little pieces. You tend to keep the plastic funnel because it works for all calibers, and keep the single stage press for side uses. My first was a Lee Breech Lock kit. I still use the press for small numbers of rifle rounds and for decapping.

 

[Highland Lofts]

When it comes to funnels i prefer the lee funnel, i is smooth cone shaped on the bottom where the case goes.
The RCBS funnel is stepped where the case goes.

For hand trimmers I have a RCBS case trimmer that has the stepped collets that holds the cases. I adapted it over to except a cordless screw driver to power it. I really don't like it, but if you all reafy primmed the cases you cas still trim them in the RCBS trimmer.

I like the cam lock Lyman trimmers. I adapted one over so I can use the cordless screw driver and I have another that has the hand crank.

I also bought the Hornady Viborator Trickler. What a nice piece to have. It was less then $40 with free shipping.

 

[gifbohane]

I agree with Varmint and Berettta. I bought all the components separately and got what I wanted not what came in a kit. I knew that if I bought a kit too many of the parts would wind up in a corner until ...

RCBS is quality and when I feeling rich I buy Redding.

 

[Highland Lofts]

Redding is in Cortland New York, it is about twenty-five miles from where I was born & raised and about fifteen miles from where my brother and two dons live.
When I took my grandson back to New York to go squrrel hunting and muesum hopping the last week of September and first week of October we were going to stopp by a small gun shop in Cortland then head on up to the Gander Outdoors in Syracuse then to Franks Guns in Canasota then to Bass Pro in Utica on the way up to Old Forge for a day and the visit the Blue Mountain Adirondack forest muesum. So I called Redding about getting a tour for my grandson and was told we could stop by and they would give him a couple of stickers and a catalog.
So we didn't waste our time by stopping by their maufacturing plant.
I think I bought one used set of Redding dies and a smsll container of the small little balls of their dry neck lube.
They sell nice stuff but so does RCBS at a much more affordable price and there is a lot more of the RCBS products listed on ebay. I buy mostly used.

 

[ALDA BERGR]

Actually, i have been looking for a used kit. Hard to find here in Sweden
though. Maybe i should get a used from you guys..but i dont know about us export laws. Might not be possible without a company..

 

[fotheringill]

I disagree with Varminterror. I would get a kit. Either one will do. It will be a good bet that many of the various components will be replaced within a year or two except for the press itself and maybe the scale. You need to operate with the equipment until YOU decide what you want to replace piece by piece, like the torpedo camphering tool that was my first item to leave the hand loading bench.

 

[rfwobbly]

• A web site called Ultimate Reloader did a side-by-side comparison. He's very thorough and very fair in his critiques. You may wish to watch.


• Are you OCD about cleanliness ? The Redding has a much cleaner system. It controls and routes the spent primer and all the trash that comes out with it much better. You can route the spend primer tube into a sealed container and not need to touch or breath the waste. This could be extremely important if you have small children in your home.

 

[stillquietvoice]

• A web site called Ultimate Reloader did a side-by-side comparison. He's very thorough and very fair in his critiques. You may wish to watch.


• Are you OCD about cleanliness ? The Redding has a much cleaner system. It controls and routes the spent primer and all the trash that comes out with it much better. You can route the spend primer tube into a sealed container and not need to touch or breath the waste. This could be extremely important if you have small children in your home.

My auto 4x4 has a tube where the primers ate routed into a plastic container that's threaded. The container holds about 400 primers.

I'd get a kit too you might want to replace items later, but it took me a while before I had all that I needed. My second and third pieces were a balance beam scale and a set of calipers. I still don't have a trimmer or case cleaner.

 

[Varminterror]

It will be a good bet that many of the various components will be replaced within a year or two

This is the problem with kits. One or two useful components, and mostly junk which won’t survive the relatively short learning curve. Buying equipment twice is rarely cheaper than buying once.

 

[Waterboy3313]

Personally, I recommend against kits. Almost universally, the press itself is the only enduring piece from a kit which enjoys continued use as a reloader progresses.

I agree with this. I started reloading in October of this year with a kit. I have since bought two separate scales and just received my Hornady LNL auto charge setup. The only thing I use that came in my kit is the press and funnel.

 

[Blue68f100]

I started with a RCBS JR kit in the early 70's. I only have a few items left form it. I gave the press, powder, dies, dispenser and scales to a neighbor that was helping me out, mid 2003. I taught him to hand load on it. He was only doing revolver rounds and the Jr press was perfect for that. I had already replaced most everything in the kit. except those 3 main items. The spent primer catcher on the RCBS stinks. I replaced it with a Redding Boss II.

 

[fotheringill]

I understand buy once and bleed once BUT the real question is the information you are relying on when purchasing the "best" components based on personal recommendations and reviews and videos, etc. I waited a year or so before I started to know what I was doing and then replaced as I was going on. When I started, I wouldn't even know what to look for in a powder funnel. I used the one (universal design) plastic through and through for a while and replaced it with the Satern with a bushing at the bottom. I could just as easily started with an Alien or Area 51 of whatever at three times the price that the Satern handles well for me BUT each to his/her own. I won't even get into "You have to get the Wilson case trimmer" recommendation I got from the get go and actually purchased it.

 

[Jim Watson]

Hard to find much junk in the RCBS kit.
I still use my Uniflo powder measure for single stage loading, and a balance beam scale is adequate for setting a volumetric measure.
I would assume their hand priming tool is as good as my (discontinued) Lee.
I would not get much use out of the grease pad, though.

 

[GW Staar]

I agree, except that I like the lube pad too.....the only part I had to replace though as I wore it out. Lanolin spray lube is great for some sizing, and Imperial for some, but the lube pad is the most lubricating of the lot.....the only thing that sized my blinged 7.62 LC machine gun brass with out stretching or sticking brass. I would say that for progressive reloading it is a bottle neck......lanolin spray lube is much easier and adequate for most uses.