Suggestion on final reloading components.

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scythefwd

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Mar 13, 2008
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Manassas Park, VA
I already have a :
CH single stage press
Lyman D7 scale
Lee hand primer (I'll only be doing a couple hundred rounds a year.. that's all I get to shoot)
Harbor & Freight vibratory cleaner (will probably need to replace it as it gets used, but it will do for the very small amount I'll be loading to start with).
Calipers

I still need a:
Powder measure - suggestions
Case trimmer - Like the price of the Lee zip trim & pilots, but can be convinced in another direction.
Dies - looking at Lee carbide right now... From what I am seeing here, they'll do just fine. I already have some dies for my .30-06 and my .30-30, but the .30-30 needs a decapping/expansion pin. It isn't a lee, so I don't know where to get one. Scratch that, it's a lyman full length die - shouldn't be too hard to find an expander/decapper for it.

Do I need:
chamfer / deburring tool
pocket uniformer (not using milsurp ammo right now... some is lake city brass but it has been reloaded once already)

anything else?

I'm not including consumables in this list, I know about sizing lube, powder, bullets, primers, tumbling compounds, etc. Actually... that is just about every consumable. If I'm missing anything off that list... just say so. I want to go about this the right way... Like in wood shop, the people who make mistakes tend to be missing fingers and I would like to stay whole.
 
I use Lee for all of my calibers, carbide for all my pistols. Never had a problem with any of them
 
kostyanj - That is why I am going with them. My .30-06 die is a lee 2 die set with shell holder (not carbide). I'll be sticking with lee for the dies as I am not a competition shooter (not for under 200 rounds a year) and they work well enough. I already got a couple of free dies when I got the press, which is why I own the lyman one.

Anyone know if the complete decapping rod for .30 cal from lyman also comes with the retaining body? The decapper runs up through the center of the die... and his held into place by something that screws into the top of the die... both are missing on my set. I would prefer to replace that instead of ordering a whole new die... Why buy a new die to replace one when you can fix it for 1/3 the cost.
 
Scythefwd I have a junk Lyman 30-06 die with a serviceable expand/decap assembly,it should work in your 30-30 die.Let me know if you need it.
 
You would do well to have a Vernier Caliper and a Micrometer. The cheap electronic ones are usually off by about .002", so use known quantities to check their readings.

You can scrounge many reloading tools very cheaply. My father and uncles keep giving me stuff. Look on Craig's List.

Carbide dies are nice in pistol calibers, but they are fantastically expensive in rifle calibers. Carbide dies in rifle calibers still need lubrication on cases, just not as much. There are some pistol calibers that are almost a straight case (eg 9mm and .45 acp) and for which carbide dies are available, but they leave a sort of belt at the bottom of the case which I don't like, so I typically use Steel dies and lubricated cases for them.

I shoot a lot of cast bullets, which have external lubrication. The external lubrication is always getting where it's not supposed to be, including on the inside of the die. As it builds up, it frequently will cause a Seat die to seat bullets incrementally deeper. Especially with higher pressure pistol cartridges, this is dangerous. A Vernier Caliper is useful to determine when this is happening. When lube has built up enough to affect cartridge OAL by seating the bullet deeper, disassembly for cleaning is necessary, which will lose adjustment of seating depth and maybe crimp too. Dillon makes a neat pistol Seat die which allows disassembly without losing adjustments.

I have no experience with the Lee Zip Trim system, but I don't like what I see. I used a hand-powered Forster mini-lathe trimmer for many years, and it's a wonder I did not get Carpal Tunnel. The neatest of the mini-lathe trimmers is the RCBS: There's a trimmer head available that trims to length, as well as chamfers inside and out at the same time. Either get one that's powered or for hand-powered ones get one of the spuds that lets you attach a drill to it.
 
Nujudge - will take advice and only get steel dies. The digital is a hair off on the printed scale, but seems to be dead on for the digital part. It does appear to be about .002 off (the printed scale). I think I will be able to get my hands on a very high quality micrometer... My grandfather was a watch maker.

Doug B. PM me and we can work out the details. I'll take it.
 
You should love the Lee Precision Auto Prime - for powder I would recommend Lee Precision Powder Dippers or making your own dippers. I hate scales and dippers mean you only have to use the scale once in a while. Check 'em out.
 
The lee zip trim works great, or you can get just the holder and chuck it up in a drill and do the job really easy, and after you are thru trimming you can inside and outside chamfer the case with out removing it from the holder, cuts the case prep time a bunch.
 
Just picked up a Lyman #55 powder measure for 35 off of flea bay. As long as the seller comes through, all I need left is :

Case trimmer, looking to hand held lee
Caliber pilots for trimmer, also lee
Powder trickler - looking at the rcbs one for about 15 dollars
pocket uniformer / primer reamer
shell holders as not all dies come with the correct ones. The one for my .30-06 should work for my .308 win right? If so I only need to get the holders for my handgun calibers.
dies - Might be getting a .308 from the old man... leaving only pistol calibers to acquire and maybe a 7.62x39 if I get spunky.


Right now I have a scale, chamfer/deburring tool, powder measure, hand primer with shell holders, and press. Most everything else is really cheap to get so a trip to greentop might be in order :) I'll get out of there for less than 60 bucks... not counting components. I have 40 + brass of everything I shoot (some of it still needs emptying though).
 
pocket uniformer / primer reamer
Click to expand...

I believe these are two different tools.

See this thread -

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=523546

Depending on whether you are trying to remove a military crimp or guarantee primers seat "below flush", you may want one or both of these.

I understand the uniformers do not cut the sides, just the bottom, and usually have a generous stop shoulder.
 
Give the Possum Hollow case trimmers a look. I have a Lee Zip trim for my rifle calibers that I reload, it works but it is kind of a pain plus it is very cheep. Mine left burrs on the necks of my .223s that took too much time to trim off. The Possum Hollow is faster and cuts the necks nice and clean. Check Midway.com for the Possum Hollow trimmers.
 
dmazur - I know they aren't the same... I'll need both. The uniformer because I will be using different sources of brass, and the reamer because I have some milsurp brass for my garand. Good old lake city stuff.

243winxb - I understand the numbers are different, but the holder for the -06 stays with that die, the base for the .30-30 stays with that die, and the .308 will either come with one that will stay with the die or share the .30-06 holder. The number is irrelevant as long as it is the correct base. Thanks for bringing that to my attention though, it will be something I keep in mind. I'll replace the lee when it wears out with something more sturdy... but for how much I shoot that may be a while. I don't expect to load more than a few hundred rounds a year.

Slinger, I don't plan on the ziptrim, just doing it all by hand. I'll look at the possum hollow trimmer.
 
Got the case pilots, trimmer, reamer, a funnel, collet puller, collet, and I think that's it today.

My original price estimate for setting this up was around 250-275... lets see how I did.

Press - $0
.30-06 dies - $0
.30-30 dies -$0
expander ball/ decapper for .30-30 - $2
Lyman D7 (old steel or cast iron version) - $52 --correction, aluminium, it's not magnetic but it's definately metal instead of "high impact styrene" (as the website says they are now)
Lyman #55 powder measure - $35
Lee Trimmer/Lee -06 and .308 pilots/lyman reamer/lee uniformer/rcbs collet puller/ .30 cal collet, powder funnel - $71
Lee Auto Prime / universal shell holder kit (for auto prime) - $31
Calipers - $18 (I think)
chamfer/deburring tool (lee) - $4
.30-30 trimmer pilot - $6
vibratory cleaner, harbor and freight - $45 if I remember correctly.
Total = 254

I think I have a setup that will last me (except that I need to get a .308 die... coming for free) and isn't bottom of the line. I still need to pickup my .30-30 pilot, which I will do when I order my powder next month (8 lbs of H4895). That is all hardware needed (I'll be trickling out of a spent casing, no need for a fancy trickler for now) to go with 3 calibers. I could have done it cheaper, but not much and kept near the same level of quality.

Is there anything missing that I should be looking at? I will be using my chambers as a case gauge, so I don't need those. Consumables not included.
 
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Got the powder measure a couple of days ago. It looks great. I haven't actually used it though... I don't get my consumables till next month. Gotta play nice or the finance department will take the toys :)
 
Did I miss manuals on your list? How about safety glasses? You will also need a good notebook to keep records in as to what each load is/was and how well/poor it worked. A good solid bench with good lighting in a room with no distractions would be great too. :)
 
Bullseye, got a manual, will be getting a speer one as well. Maybe a lyman... I haven't put hands on either to evaluate which one I want yet. Glasses are taken care of .... I wear them to shoot with.
 
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