SmallCaliberCentral

I'm gonna start reloading my 204 after i get every thing i need to start. What are the must haves/needs? I'm new at reloading and i'm only gonna be reloading my 204 so i have no idea what i'm doing yet. So any info helps.Thanks
I already have a RCBS junior press coming thanks to a member on here, So thats a start.

First acquisition should be a couple of current manuals.... the older ones don't generally carry .204 information as to charge weights, etc...

While you can 're-invent the wheel' without them, the learning curve and the safety factors are much more pronounced...

I would strongly suggest getting a Lee Second Edition Reloading manual, as it not only tends to give you the what to do, but the why to do, as well as a background on the development of the reloading process....By the time you've read it a couple of times, you will have a really good idea of what you are doing....what equipment you need and why you need it.

I've been reloading for several years and I picked it up to get updated information as to specs and learned quite a bit from it..

I am new as well, in addition to the press you will need a priming tool, dies (sizing and setting), case lube, caliper (i prefer digital), reloading manual, powder scale, powder charger, powder funnel, and components. I would also recommend getting a primer brush and case lube pad. Eventually you will need a case trimmer as well. I bought a hornady lock n load package that came with almost everything, and just bought a used forster case trimmer off of ebay. I would recommend buying and reading "The ABCs of Reloading." I found it very helpful. Best of luck.

In addition to all that stuff above.

Make sure the powder funnel fits .17 & .20 caliber. Many powder measures don't come with .20 caliber capability, so if you buy one of these measures it's still necessary to dump the powder into a funnel atop the cases. I hate having part of the charge land on the floor!

Get a .20 caliber flash hole uniforming tool. The standard uniformers usually won't fit down the neck. You'll want to deburr the flash holes, especially on Winchester cases. You may want a Sinclair primer pocket uniformer, a little end mill that cuts the bottom of the primer pockets to a uniform depth and makes them flat. Buy the power tool adapter also. After firing this tool will remove most carbon from the pocket.

Use a bullet comparator, even the inexpensive hex nut type for measuring seating depth. In conjunction, use a seating depth gauge, the Sinclair setup works.

I also use the RCBS hand priming tool for strip primers, it seems to be more positive and trouble free than priming on the press. Buy a bag or two of any color strips for small rifle primers and push them in with a clean finger, or splurge on the primer strip loading tool. Generally, I use Remington 7 1/2 BR primers as they are available and designed for high pressure loads.

There is a host of free load data on the Hodgdon website for Hodgdon, IMR and Winchester powders.

Above all else, check each case by eye for powder before seating a bullet. Maintain a bench with only the can of powder you are using at the time, and be sure to return any excess from a measure to the can immediately. I recommend keeping all visitors away from the loading area, any distraction can cause errors.

Thanks for the help guys! Any more info/suggestions on what i need when i start reloading?Thanks