SmallCaliberCentral

I have a friend who is going to let me "borrow" his reloading equipment which is still in the box never opened. I have no idea what he has in the box, but I hope to find out shortly. I have never reloaded anything in my life, but I do have another friend who has offered to assist me as I start.

My question to the group is what do I need to reload my .204? I know this is a broad and open question. Please keep it to the basics.

What dies should I have? I know I will have to purchase these.

What type of powder is the best for my loads?

My Remington likes both 32 grain and 39 grain bullets. What brass should I buy?

Sorry to have this so open ended, but just want to get some ideas. I respect your opinions since most of you have quite a vast experience in this area. Thanks in advance.

Bob

Let's see, this is your money so I don't mind spending a little. Honestly your short list should look something like this:

Full Length sizing die
REDDING Competition seating die w/ micrometer top
Primer pocket uniformer
Inside & outside flash hole deburring tool
Chamfer/deburring tool
Case trimmer w/ 20 cal. pilot
Calipers
Scale
Loading Block
Funnel
Priming Tool (you could use the press)
Case lube
Brass tumbler
RELOADING Manual

OOPS- Forgot the shell holders (one for the press and one for the trimmer)

That should get you started. Buy quality components the first time and you won't be replacing all your equipment as you get the bug. Ask questions, lots of questions. There is a lot of talent on this site. The moderators are a good place to start.

Irish, Skipper got you off to good start , The reloading manuel he suggested isn't just for reloading data , a good one like Hornaday , Sierra or nosler will have some good step by step instruction on the basics of reloading , and primer info , powder burn rates , resizing , Etc. You can never have to many books to go to for data also , When I get ready to load for a specific caliber thet I don't have any loads for I like to look up the data in more than one book and get kind of a starting point by averaging the data from say two or three books because you will see big differences from one book to another .

Have Fun !!!!! Start low and work up slowly !!!! If in doubt please ask !!!

Spend any time you can with an experienced, competent re-loader and pick their brain. Most likely they'll be glad to help.

Benchmark and H-4895 with CCI BR4 primers are a good place to start.
Have fun and be safe.

You have already received some good information. I will add another view. I recommend Forster and Redding dies. Make sure that your powder funnel is small enough as some are made for 22 and larger. I recommend going to Sinclairintl.com and getting a Satern aluminum powder funnel, best $11.20 you will spend on one. It fits snuggly on the case and is hands free. While at that site, check out the Sinclair flash hole deburring tool #DB-1850. It is small enough for the 20 cal.

It is expensive but I wish I had bought the RCBS Chargemaster dispenser / scale combo long ago. It makes the toughest and most time consuming part of reloading easy and is accurate. I recommend using a spray on case lube, like Hornady One Shot instead of the messy lube pad.

Get multiple reloading manuals as they describe the reloading process and have different pictures to explain the processes in different ways. The new Nosler reloading manual has the 204 in it. I would recommend starting with H4895, BL-C(2) or Benchmark powder, in that order. I have had good luck with Remington 7 1/2 primers. Unless you are going to reload large volumes, I would recommend a single stage reloading press, such as the Forster Co-Ax reloading press or the RCBS Rock Chucker.

Irish welcome to the forum, All the guye gave you some pretty good advice here. It will help if you got some one to get you started with your reloading. I don't think you can have to menay reloading manuals on hand. Think safety at the bench, and there are no dumb questions when it comes to reloading. Have fun with it and let us know how things come along for ya.

Irish: All good advice, but I'll give one more tip based on over 35 years of reloading that will eliminate mess and excessive time.

Use Imperial Sizing Wax for your cases, and Imperial Dry Neck Lube when neck sizing only. The wax goes on with your fingers, wipes right off with a rag or paper towel. No mess, no sprays (gag), and not the gloppy junk that RCBS sells as case lube. You could lube a 60-ton ship's crane with that crap. Getting it OFF your cases after sizing creates more work than changing a tire.

Imperial is available at Sinclair's and Midway, probably other mail order houses, and is used by more experienced reloaders than any other lube. Just my .02.

+1 for the Satern .20 funnel and RCBS Chargemaster......

I`ve found a lot of really good information in the ABC of reloading by Bill Chevalier.Definately worth a read.

you mentioned you wanted just the basics, ive got half inch groups with just a lee aniversary kit which has scales, press, powder thrower, one of the best priming tools avalible, neck deburrer, primer hole cleaner, case trimmer, case lube and a powder funnel.

and i aslo bought a rcbs full length sizing die set
All up that cost me $300nz which is about $200us i think. I still use every think in the kit apart from the scales which i used for a while but arnt ideal.

the only other thing i use is a rcbs case trimmer, because lee dont do a 20cal trimmer