SmallCaliberCentral

After several years away from the reloading bench I am in the process of getting back into it.

With the current CDN dollar and my lower personal finances it means I will be taking it one step at a time. The good news is that I learned a lot in my first journey into reloading as I went from a budget minded reloader (20-40 rounds per year) to a precision varmint reloader (<1000 rounds per year) so this time I plan to buy what I need the first time. (Rather than end up with 3 dies sets, two presses, 3 ways to trim brass, etc).


I have been looking at the RCBS Explorer kit as a jumping off point, (but one that should do me well right from the beginning).

One of the items that has me leaning towards this kit is that it comes with an electronic scale.

Includes 1,500-grain Digital Pocket Scale

I am wondering if this scale is of decent quality??

Back when I was reloading I had a RCBS Rangemaster 750 that I was very pleased with. However this item is different.


Any advice

I am not a digital scale guy so, I will let others weigh ( ) in on that.

What I will offer is this: I have never seen a reloading package that had me excited about the entire contents. As soon as you replace an item or two, the savings is gone. Over the years, my equipment has been bought, and sometimes sold, until I ended up where I was happy with each individual piece. Some of it is fairly new and some of it qualifies as 'vintage'. I started out with a Pacific Kit in 1980 or 1981. It was a pretty decent kit and it DID do what I needed it to do. At this point in time, I have NOTHING left from that original purchase with the exception of the included reloading manual. If I look at presses, measures, scales, and trimmers alone, it took six different companies to make me happy. That does include two presses and two measures for different applications. So, I guess I could have narrowed it down to four companies. My suggestion would be to really think about what you did and did not like about the equipment you had in the past. Use those preferences as a guide for the purchases you are considering now.

Have fun and be safe.

+1 for RAMOS. It took Forster, Redding, Lyman, Hornady, & Sinclair to make my reloading package so I'd like everything. Never saw a "package" that would make me happy. I can't say about RCBS, don't have one, but I've had 3 digital scales & my Lyman 2000 blows the others away. Just my old 2 pennies worth.
WALK TALL AND CARRY A BIG STICK
(OR A .45)
JD

Electronic scales and digital calipers are nice as a second check, but I feel a lot more at ease using the manual ones... MHO

Well I do know that buying a kit now versus what I really hope to end up with will have me duplicating several items and cost me extra money in the long run.

However to purchase right now my "ideal/dream collection" ...it would cost a couple thousand dollars.

For now I hope to get the basics that will enable me to reload my .223 this summer (RCBS Explorer kit and Lee Ultimate Rifle Die set, includes collet die) for under $500 CDN. I can develop a load to wring the best out of the factory tube and save a few shekels at the same time.

Eventually I hope to rebarrel with a premium tube (204 or 223 AI, not sure yet) & get serious about my reloading equipment; accumulate the Forster, Sinclair and Redding goodies on my wish list.

The upside to waiting is that I can possibly purchase some of my "upgrades" in used condition as they become available on forums and swaps.

Electronic scales and digital calipers are nice as a second check, but I feel a lot more at ease using the manual ones... MHO

Good reminder,
I think I will do a bit more research on this kit (I love the speed and convenince of a electronic scale) but plan on getting a beam scale as a backup or to double check

Surfclod, have no doubt, many of us here understand all too well what it is like to achieve goals while operating on a tight(ish) budget! If you know what particular press, scale, measure and trimmer you want, I would list them out in a 'WTB' ad on a handful of select sites. IMO, the press and scale should be inspected prior to purchase or bought from a trusted source. I honestly believe that the sites I spend time on do a remarkable job of policing themselves when it comes to buying and selling.
Along with this forum, here are a few that I know and trust:

http://www.saubier.com/
http://smallcaliberclub.com/
http://www.burntpowder.com/forum/index.php

Any chance that you have a friend or family member on the US side of the border that could be shipped to? May not be a big deal but, it may help.

If the kit comes with the RCBS 1500 scale, you can add the powder dispenser to it later, it just plugs into it. I really like my Chargemaster 1500 powder system. I have only had one Lee die and would not get another. I would save up for some Redding dies. Good luck on your venture. I would look for people getting out of shooting and selling everything at a great price, like estate sales.

RAMOS wrote: Any chance that you have a friend or family member on the US side of the border that could be shipped to? May not be a big deal but, it may help.

I had forgotten about that, thanks for the reminder. Have family in Oregon and WA so I might get them to order me a few items from Sinclair International and then bring them up this summer.

Sidewinderwa wrote:If the kit comes with the RCBS 1500 scale, you can add the powder dispenser to it later, it just plugs into it. I really like my Chargemaster 1500 powder system. I have only had one Lee die and would not get another. I would save up for some Redding dies. Good luck on your venture. I would look for people getting out of shooting and selling everything at a great price, like estate sells.

Unfortunately its not the 1500 scale used in conjunction with the Chargemaster system, at least not from the photos I have seen. If it were I would have jumped on it ASAP.

I have used Redding, Lee, Hornady, RCBS and Forster Dies all have their place. Eventually I hope to end up with Forster or Redding bushing dies but will decide on what I plan to rebarrel to and go from there. The Lee collet should be economical and help me get the most out of the factory barrel

Clod ,,,,,,, just like you i jumped back into reloading after 40 yr away from it looked at that kit and lots of others,,,,,
read what you said in your opening post about buying once , getting what you want to begin with,,,,, i agree,,,, i went with individual componets,,, got what i wanted,,,,,to begin with,,,,,,that being said ,,,,,, if one must look at kits,,,,,i say you gotta look at the Lee kits,,,,,next,,,, on the rcbs kit,,,,, i dont see the scale as a deal breaker but only you can weigh all the factors,,,,,happy shopping