SmallCaliberCentral

Hi, Im new here and have a queston. I want to start reloading for a few guns that I have. I think most reloading will be for the .204 and the .223. I have been all over reading up on equipment trying to figure out wich brand. So far I'm between Hornady's L&L and RCBS. I dont know if I want progresive or singel stage. I am sure I'll be reloading a lot more for the small cal's then say my 300WinMag. Also there seems to be a lot more die options out there I just want the best for the dollar spent. What are your thoughts ?

Thanks in advance!

i suggest you start with a single stage press and later on add a progressive. i started with the rcbs kit,its got everything you need except dies,powder primers. the rcbs rockchucker will last a few lifetimes. don't forget to get a few reloading manuals and read,read,read!

If you can spare the few extra bucks per set, go with the Redding dies. When it comes to die sets I prefer Redding and Lee. Redding is top notch, and Lee is known for holding tight tolerances in the "run of the mill" class dies. Just my choice though.

Check your local area for used reloading gear too. You could pick up an inexpensive single stage press for next to nothing and then upgrade to progressive later if you want. You'll appreciate having the single stage around forever.

Thanks larr and trent, for the info. It is much appreicated (cant spell). I might be abel to find a few extra $$'s if I convince the wife....I am not sure after buying a Kimber P V and a Zeiss 6.5-20x50.mildot. I may have to ask Santa O wait thats me!!!

WnMag: +1 on the Redding dies and equipment.

Be real nice to wifey, and maybe there will be a heavy box under the tree after all......

I'll second the opinion on Redding dies. I wish I would have bought all redding when I started. Also starting with a single stage press is a good idea in my opinion.

If the Redding dies aren't available (or optional), the Bonanza/Forester dies are very good too.

Jim

Go single stage. I prefer the Forster Co Ax (no shell holders needed). About as close to being an inline press as you can have, while still having plenty of leverage to size whatever you need to.

I am no Pro here, But I stated out with and still use a Lee Aniversary reloading setup, On sale at cabelas with scale trimmer powder drop and press for 79.99 about 8 years ago or so. Still available around 100.00 less dies. I also bought Nosler reloading manual and read it twicebefore getting started. I cant vouch for comparison to redding rcbs etc. I have used solely lee dies with it. I can tell you this. All my guns shoot better with my load workups from this system. Cheap maybe but it works for me. MY Ar shoots i the threes and 4s with all proper load workups. I Do not shoot benchrest but i am a Varmit hunter. I am confident I can kill a Coyote If I dont get the jitters, LOL, Another story!
For the average hunter the lee reloading system is all I will ever need, and a bargain. If i was a competitive benchresr shooter I would make my dies from blanks with the same reamer used on the barrel. How much extra coin ya wanna spend. Enjoy! PS. I still use Lee Die sets as well with excellent results!

I have gone through the gamut with presses. I am now using a Forster Co-Ax single stage press. As I weigh out every powder load for best accuracy, a progressive press does not work for me. Redding and Forster dies are my favorite dies as well. Better to pay a little more at the beginning than replacing them later on. Progressive presses are good if you are doing high volume shooting and absolute accuracy is not required. Hornady and Dillon presses are good progressive presses. The RCBS Rockchucker is a very good press, as is Redding for single stage presses.

I would strongly suggest a Forster Co-Ax as well,,,,especially if you ever have to deal with a 'stuck case'... The case holder jaws on the Forster provide a much better grip on the case than the slide in case holders that can sometimes fit loosely and rip off the cases rim...

While not wanting to get into a "Better Die" session, I can only say that my Forster Benchrest dies provide some very consistent rounds with very little, if any, run out problems and have produced some of my most accurate loads, without a lot of additional steps, other than basic case preparation...

I reload .223, .204, .308, 6.5-.308, 7mm WSM, .30-06, .45-70 and several pistol calibers mainly .45 ACP.

All of my rifle calibers arer seated with Redding Dies on a Co-Ax.

The first four I keep in larger quantities (I try to keep on hand a minimum of 500 of each.) for varmint and target shooting. I hate handling small cases multiple times. So I have a Dillon 650 set up with tooling blocks to De-cap, resize and cap rounds as fed by auto case feeder and auto prime system on 650. This minimizes processing time for the tedious part, while leaving seating job to precision dies. All charges are weighed to .1 grain on auto scale. One charge is seated while next is being weighed. I manually insert a lubed case in Dillon every four to five rounds or so.

Makes it fast!

Wow thanks for all this info, Ya i dont see any reason for me to buy a progressive press. Might have to wait till after the holidays, do some pricing around on the CO-AX.
Thanks for all the Great Help. I think I will get the RCBS first, Then Coax after I like the idea that Critter does.

Thanks again, Open for more options on the rest of the equipment!!!

Old Turtel are you using Bench Rest® Seater & Full Length Sizing Dies or like the Micometer Seater & Full length dies ?