I WANT TO START RELOADING ??

[triggerhappydarran 0]

HI to all.

 

i have a winchester .243 and use it for fox, i want to start reloading my own ammo and have no idea where to start.

i use winchester .243 ballistic silver tip. 55gr at the moment and like these rounds so want to load similar.

 

any suggestions where to buy the equipment?

what equipment do i need?

how much will all this cost?

is it really worth doing? cost wise?

is it as comlpicated as they make out?

ia there anyone out there teaching or showing people how to do it?

 

any replies would be great, thanks

[Jkm 1]

I'm not from round your way but from having home loads myself you could make a home load nearly identical to what your using and if you get it right it will be much more accurate and will be so much cheaper in the long run don't need to spend that much on loading gear because you won't be loading that much

[dave1372 83]

 

any suggestions where to buy the equipment?

what equipment do i need?

how much will all this cost?

is it really worth doing? cost wise?

is it as comlpicated as they make out?

ia there anyone out there teaching or showing people how to do it?

 

any replies would be great, thanks

 

I have not long just started out myself so hopefully this will help :

 

Where To Buy: If you are buying online try having a look at Reloading Solutions or Midway Uk

 

Have alook on youtube.....loads of videos on reloading you will learn loads

Equipment & Cost:

 

This is the list/comments/prices I got from the guy I used :

 

 

 

• Dies. Normally recommend and stock Lee collet dies for thoses reoalding only there own cases for re-use in their own rifle. These dies neck-size only and give excellent accuracy and case life. If you are going with a single stage press I’d recommend replacing the die lock rings with Hornady ones. These give a positive lock, repeatable die settings and save time. Dies are £28.00, lock rings are £4.50 each. I appreciate this makes a Lee die set almost as expensive as RCBS etc. It is a good combination though.

 

• Single Stage Press. Obviously an RCBS RockChucker (Cast Iron) is best. But they are slow and expensive. The Lee Challenger Breech Lock looks a good idea. It’s about £67.00. To be honest I’d personally go for the Lee Turret and forget the auto index. We sell the Lee three hole turrets with manual index for £85.00. All the dies are in at once and once set stay set. This option means you don’t need better lock rings, because you’re not constantly changing dies.

 

• Powder dispenser. If you’re going to use one I’d recommend the RCBS Uniflow or Lyman 55 – both are about £84.00. remember you’ll also need a stand, which adds £20-25.00. See late info re Lee, personally I wouldn’t!

 

• Powder Scales. Any good scale by RCBS, Lyman etc is OK. We sell Frankford Arsenal electronic for £37.00 or so and they seem fine. We usually sell Lyman in manual scales and they are £43.00. I really don’t rate the Lee safety scale or Lee’s powder measure and wouldn’t sell or use them. It’s a personal opinion based on 30 years use of reloading equipment and is provided as food for thought only. It’s for this reason that I don’t like kits / packages….You can end up with a lot of stuff that’s not what you would have bought if you’d seen the alternatives.

 

• Primer pocker cleaner. RCBS really nice but doesn’t do any more than the Lee, which costs very much less £15 or £3 – you decide!

 

• Powder funnel. All are OK and most under £5.00

 

• Ammo boxes. 50 or 100 capacity – MTM or Frankford. Makes little difference we have several in stock at £3.00 to £14.00.

 

• Primer Tool. Wouldn’t look past the Lee auto-prime II. Not very well made, but worth keep buying more as they work better than anything else. I have a customer who goes through 3 A year, by his own admission he’s a clumsy idiot and recognises most people get five years plus out of the tool.

 

• Powder trickler. Not essential. Usually under £15.00 unless you go Redding, all are OK.

 

• Digital Vernier. In stock for less than £30. we have Trojan at the moment. They are engineering standard and we use them in the workshop.

 

• Case Lube – not necessary unless you are full length sizing. Not expensive. Pad £9 – Lube £5.50 if you decide to go that route.

 

• Bullets. Various 0.224 Ballistic tip / soft point between £17 and £30 per 100. expanding entered on certificate

 

• Primers – Standard £33 per 1000, Match £42 per 1000, smaller quantities are slightly more. **These can only be sold on production of a valid certificate under the VCR Act.

 

One last thing – case trimmer. This is important to maintain accuracy. No need to spend more than the Lee Holder, cutter, lock stud and pilot, which is about £15-20 all in

 

Good luck!

[flytie 1]

Good advice above, but i would suggest you buy some reloading books first. I got the Lee Reloading Manual with the second hand Anniversary kit I bought. I bought the Hornady manual because I wanted to reload their bullets and the Lyman book in a car boot sale. Then read learn and inwardly digest.

 

If you can find a local mentor to run you through the basics it would be great. I did and had quite a few lessons and help in getting reasonable kit. Don't be put off Lee kit, people will always want to sell you more expensive stuff, but I doubt if your accuracy will need anything better than Lee, unless you are competition shooting. Even then Lee reloading kit has produced quite a few world record groups in its time, not something the nay sayers ever tell you!

 

I have noticed a big jump in my accuracy, it's taken me a while, adjusting seating depths and powder loads but my last group was of five shots @.371".

 

Given that primers are £40.00ish/thousand, bullets @ say £35.00/100, 1kg powder @ £75.00 and if you reuse brass 10 times, it just makes shooting much more affordable. Granted you have to offset the £250 or more that your outfit will cost you, but with my last lot of RWS 140gn's costing me £1. a go, it makes financial sense. You should increase your accuracy too.

 

ft

[triggerhappydarran 0]

alot to digest and thanks for the time and effort to all that have replied, i think i will go down the beg borrow steal some books on the subject first as i am not very knowledgable about the different types of rounds and such, i think my brain goes to lock down when all those numbers and info is put in.

 

i will put a post on here to see if there is someone willing to show me the how's do's dont's on home loading as i learn quiker and retain more when shown.

 

but will appreciate more replies if anyone has anything alse to add.

 

FEW MORE QUESTIONS FOR YOU ALL.

1.ARE THERE KITS WHICH CONTAIN ALL YOU NEED TO RELOAD?

2.HOW DO YOU KNOW WHICH PRESS TO USE TO MAKE THE LOADS?

 

thanks again.very informative

[dave1372 83]

FEW MORE QUESTIONS FOR YOU ALL.

1.ARE THERE KITS WHICH CONTAIN ALL YOU NEED TO RELOAD?

2.HOW DO YOU KNOW WHICH PRESS TO USE TO MAKE THE LOADS?

 

 

1. Yes. I think if you are on a limited budget the kits are a good idea, but you will most likley want to upgrade some bits like the scales to digital scales in the future etc, so I thought I would spend a little extra in the first place. It is kinda like buying a gun....you can spend as little or as much as you budget will allow.

2. I went for the non-indexing (ie it doesn't turn to the next position automatically) turret press more or less for convenience so that I don't have to keep removing the dies and resetting the seating depth as I thinkyou would need to with the single stage press (someone please correct me if I am wrong?). But I imagine the single stage press would do perfectly well.

 

If you PM me your details I will post you a copy of acomputer program I have that I have just been given that you can input details of the calibre, bullet type, powder you are using and it will not only tell you the optimum loads to try but you can then tell it at what distances you intend to zero and it will do trajectory table for you and MOA scope adjustment for you!

[kips 0]

hi where are you living