[ARCHIVED THREAD] - reloading kits (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 6/5/2014 12:34:51 PM EDT
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Quick question regarding reloading "kits", who prefers what and why. Basically looking between the RCBS kits vs Hornady kits. I like the progressive idea but cost being a factor, probably looking at the step by step type.
I know I could ask this in the tech forum, but this place is so full of assholes, I mean opinions...:) Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
| RCBS and Hornady both make good stuff. Honestly Lee and Lyman do as well. It's pretty mature technology, everyone has it down. I used stuff from all four of them. I'm hard pressed to find significant differences. If you go progressive, its Dillon all the way. Nobody comes close to them. |
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buy loaded ammo its cheaper in the long run.. In a way I totally agree with you. Reloaded ammo is cheaper by the round but I have dumped so much money into reloading components and equipment that I could have outright bought 50k rounds of brass cased 5.56 at current prices. You also have to invest large chunks of money at a time to get the best prices on things in reloading. Bullet orders of 5k+, powder/primer orders by the hazmat tag, 2k+ pieces of brass at a time. It all adds up. Then you have to do the work to make ammo. I am actually considering selling all of my reloading components and buying loaded ammo. I could then sell the brass to offset future ammo purchases. Actually, after adding up what I have in components I think I might just do that. Selling the primers and powder will suck though since I can't ship them 
ETA: OP I have a Dillon 550B and a Lee Classic Cast Single Stage press and don't see a need to upgrade at the round count I shoot per year. |
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Having used progressive for the last 25 years, and a single stage for 20 years before that, I could never, ever, go back to a single stage setup. Invest in the progressive setup or just buy your ammo. Unless you like to sit there and prime 50 rounds and then flare 50 rounds and then powder charge 50 rounds one at a time and then seat/crimp a bullet 50 rounds, you get the idea. Spend 3 days loading a 50 round box of bullets or 10 minutes.
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depends what you want to load and what you shoot.
progressive presses great for high volume loading and plinking. single stage presses are used for bench loads or loads that you want the highest accuracy possible. the reason is that most progressive presses that i know of have OAL (overall lengths) that move in consistency but in order to get the highest quality match loads then there are ALOT of variables. also i consider the Lee Pro 1000 great for pistols but not rifles. if you are good with tinkering and have patience you can get the Lee 1000 to run very well. i have the RCBS single stage rock chucker, dillon 550 and 650, and a lee pro 1000 once you start reloading it opens a new window of shooting that is part science and black magic. |
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depends what you want to load and what you shoot. progressive presses great for high volume loading and plinking. single stage presses are used for bench loads or loads that you want the highest accuracy possible. the reason is that most progressive presses that i know of have OAL (overall lengths) that move in consistency but in order to get the highest quality match loads then there are ALOT of variables. also i consider the Lee Pro 1000 great for pistols but not rifles. if you are good with tinkering and have patience you can get the Lee 1000 to run very well. i have the RCBS single stage rock chucker, dillon 550 and 650, and a lee pro 1000 once you start reloading it opens a new window of shooting that is part science and black magic. This is a really good point, unfortunately. I should have specified I keep things pretty simple, I only shoot 5.56 and 9mm, and I just plink, ahem, I mean train. So progressive would probably be best for me. Of course going single stage would open the world of precision shooting to me also.... Fuck, I'm just gonna buy another gun... Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Yeah, who that guy anyway? Does he know anything about ammo, or boolits? ;) Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Quoted:
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buy loaded ammo its cheaper in the long run.. Like you know anything.  Yeah, who that guy anyway? Does he know anything about ammo, or boolits? ;) Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile But to answer your question.. if it was ME.. RCBS. Or if I had wicked cash Forster. for single stage. then for progressive, either Hornady LnL with mods or Dillon. Main prob your going to have right now is finding powder. Brass bullets and primers are no prob. but powder is backordered at most places up to a year. |
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Quoted: But to answer your question.. if it was ME.. RCBS. Or if I had wicked cash Forster. for single stage. then for progressive, either Hornady LnL with mods or Dillon. Main prob your going to have right now is finding powder. Brass bullets and primers are no prob. but powder is backordered at most places up to a year. Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: buy loaded ammo its cheaper in the long run.. Like you know anything. Yeah, who that guy anyway? Does he know anything about ammo, or boolits? ;) Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile But to answer your question.. if it was ME.. RCBS. Or if I had wicked cash Forster. for single stage. then for progressive, either Hornady LnL with mods or Dillon. Main prob your going to have right now is finding powder. Brass bullets and primers are no prob. but powder is backordered at most places up to a year. |
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Having used progressive for the last 25 years, and a single stage for 20 years before that, I could never, ever, go back to a single stage setup. Invest in the progressive setup or just buy your ammo. Unless you like to sit there and prime 50 rounds and then flare 50 rounds and then powder charge 50 rounds one at a time and then seat/crimp a bullet 50 rounds, you get the idea. Spend 3 days loading a 50 round box of bullets or 10 minutes. 50 rounds in my RCBS single stage take 40 minutes. You're doing it worng. |
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But to answer your question.. if it was ME.. RCBS. Or if I had wicked cash Forster. for single stage. then for progressive, either Hornady LnL with mods or Dillon. Main prob your going to have right now is finding powder. Brass bullets and primers are no prob. but powder is backordered at most places up to a year. Quoted:
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buy loaded ammo its cheaper in the long run.. Like you know anything. Yeah, who that guy anyway? Does he know anything about ammo, or boolits? ;) Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile But to answer your question.. if it was ME.. RCBS. Or if I had wicked cash Forster. for single stage. then for progressive, either Hornady LnL with mods or Dillon. Main prob your going to have right now is finding powder. Brass bullets and primers are no prob. but powder is backordered at most places up to a year. Yeah, there is the powder problem to consider too! Thanks for your input Fat! Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Yeah, there is the powder problem to consider too! Thanks for your input Fat! Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile No prob.. and one last thing In reloading gear you get what you pay for.. if its cheap, there is a reason, run away! And the old adage buy once cry once. is what you want to do.. |
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RCBS probably has an edge due to customer service, otherwise it's almost impossible to separate the Hornady and RCBS kits on merit.
You'll need a pile of other tools, gadgets, and dies in addition to the kit. After a while, most of us have favorite tools for each job. |
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This is a really good point, unfortunately. I should have specified I keep things pretty simple, I only shoot 5.56 and 9mm, and I just plink, ahem, I mean train. So progressive would probably be best for me. Of course going single stage would open the world of precision shooting to me also.... Fuck, I'm just gonna buy another gun... Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Quoted:
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depends what you want to load and what you shoot. progressive presses great for high volume loading and plinking. single stage presses are used for bench loads or loads that you want the highest accuracy possible. the reason is that most progressive presses that i know of have OAL (overall lengths) that move in consistency but in order to get the highest quality match loads then there are ALOT of variables. also i consider the Lee Pro 1000 great for pistols but not rifles. if you are good with tinkering and have patience you can get the Lee 1000 to run very well. i have the RCBS single stage rock chucker, dillon 550 and 650, and a lee pro 1000 once you start reloading it opens a new window of shooting that is part science and black magic. This is a really good point, unfortunately. I should have specified I keep things pretty simple, I only shoot 5.56 and 9mm, and I just plink, ahem, I mean train. So progressive would probably be best for me. Of course going single stage would open the world of precision shooting to me also.... Fuck, I'm just gonna buy another gun... Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile I'm in the same boat...i load 9mm and 223/5.56 only. Word of advice...dillon dies are not all they are cracked up to be. i run an assortment of lee and rcbs dies on my dillon presses from trial and error. i started off with the dillon 550 so i can do both 9mm and 223/556 on the same machine. i bought different tool heads so i can swap calibers in 2 minutes. i then starting loading 77smk's so i went with a single stage for precision...you can even go with a cheap $30 lee single stage for that. At the same time you can prime and fill the case with powder on the dillon 550. from there i would then put the primed cases with powder on a loading block and finally seat the bullets on the single stage for precision rounds. from there i ended up getting a Lee Pro 1000 with case feeder for 9mm and used the dillon 550 only for 223/556 loads with 55grain bullets. i got offered a dillon 650 with case feeder for a steel so i got and it set it up for 9mm only. the lee pro 1000 is now used as a back up press...it was only $180 new with dies. right now i can load 223 for around 26 cents with Hodgdon H355 powder, wolf small magnum primers, and Hornady 55gr FMJBT in bulk pricing. this price also include getting my 223/556 brass being sent out to be cleaned, resized, and trimmed to spec at 3 cents per piece. Before this crazy shortage of powder i used to be able to get surplus military powder and reload it for 21 cents a round. 9mm is costing me around 9 cents using ramshot competition powder, 147gr plated bullets, and CCI #500 primers. it can be lower if i used wolf primers and lead bullets. PM anytime if you need anything about reloading. |
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No prob.. and one last thing In reloading gear you get what you pay for.. if its cheap, there is a reason, run away! And the old adage buy once cry once. is what you want to do.. Quoted:
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Yeah, there is the powder problem to consider too! Thanks for your input Fat! Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile No prob.. and one last thing In reloading gear you get what you pay for.. if its cheap, there is a reason, run away! And the old adage buy once cry once. is what you want to do.. There are some exceptions... Hard to fuck up a shell holder, and the Lee factory crimp dies are kinda nice. and +1 on LnL - those quick change bushings are F*@#%ng awesome - this from a guy who loads almost as many different rounds as he has guns... If I had to start over - I'd go full hornady on nearly everything. Dillon is nice, but I don;t think the cost is worth it just to have it painted blue 
And I know all too well the horrors of the powder shortage 
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There are some exceptions... Hard to fuck up a shell holder, and the Lee factory crimp dies are kinda nice. and +1 on LnL - those quick change bushings are F*@#%ng awesome - this from a guy who loads almost as many different rounds as he has guns... If I had to start over - I'd go full hornady on nearly everything. Dillon is nice, but I don;t think the cost is worth it just to have it painted blue Quoted:
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Yeah, there is the powder problem to consider too! Thanks for your input Fat! Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile No prob.. and one last thing In reloading gear you get what you pay for.. if its cheap, there is a reason, run away! And the old adage buy once cry once. is what you want to do.. There are some exceptions... Hard to fuck up a shell holder, and the Lee factory crimp dies are kinda nice. and +1 on LnL - those quick change bushings are F*@#%ng awesome - this from a guy who loads almost as many different rounds as he has guns... If I had to start over - I'd go full hornady on nearly everything. Dillon is nice, but I don;t think the cost is worth it just to have it painted blue ya got to check heights when mixing/matching shell holders to dies. Ive ran into a few times where a shell plate was too thick and you could not size the case back enough. |
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I guess I will look into Dillon and see how full my change jar will need to be... Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile then save up the $700 for a Mr Bullet Feeder in 9mm and .223 for it (thats the cost shipped for the .223 and 9 conversion).. You will wet your pants using it.. I got one in last week. and its fucking incredible. |
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Quoted: every press and model has it pros and cons. there is no perfect press IMO. that being said...stay away from Smart reloading products. i believe thats the brand name...it's colored orange i believe. Yeah, I haven't heard anything good about their stuff. |
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ya got to check heights when mixing/matching shell holders to dies. Ive ran into a few times where a shell plate was too thick and you could not size the case back enough. Quoted:
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Yeah, there is the powder problem to consider too! Thanks for your input Fat! Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile No prob.. and one last thing In reloading gear you get what you pay for.. if its cheap, there is a reason, run away! And the old adage buy once cry once. is what you want to do.. There are some exceptions... Hard to fuck up a shell holder, and the Lee factory crimp dies are kinda nice. and +1 on LnL - those quick change bushings are F*@#%ng awesome - this from a guy who loads almost as many different rounds as he has guns... If I had to start over - I'd go full hornady on nearly everything. Dillon is nice, but I don;t think the cost is worth it just to have it painted blue ya got to check heights when mixing/matching shell holders to dies. Ive ran into a few times where a shell plate was too thick and you could not size the case back enough. Hard, not impossible
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For a single stage setup that will be with you for a lifetime, get the RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme kit. I've got this one and really like it. It's kind of like a seed, though. It started sprouting things like Tumblers, and Bullet Pullers, and Dies, and, ..... |
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I've been saving brass, want to get into reloading. It sounds like not worth it for general shooting, may as well sell brass.
I regarded the RCBS Rock Chucker because could switch handle position. However, I remember reading that Hornady dies could be swapped without re-adjusting, though I think could buy them for any press. It's quite intimidating, and since I only shoot common calibers: 9mm, .223/5.556, .30-30, .30-06, it does seem better off to keep buying loaded ammo. With ammunition costs rising, I'd like to hedge on that now. |
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RCBS and Hornady both make good stuff. Honestly Lee and Lyman do as well. It's pretty mature technology, everyone has it down. I used stuff from all four of them. I'm hard pressed to find significant differences. If you go progressive, its Dillon all the way. Nobody comes close to them. I’ve used Lee since the mid 80’s. Why? Because makes a great product for the price the return on investment is much shorter. RCBS, Hornady, Lyman, Lee, and Dillon all make a great product they all have their pros and con’s. But for the price of a Dillon (about $440 without dies) you can by two Lee Pro 1000 with dies ($178 each) and single stage ($29). |
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I've been saving brass, want to get into reloading. It sounds like not worth it for general shooting, may as well sell brass. I regarded the RCBS Rock Chucker because could switch handle position. However, I remember reading that Hornady dies could be swapped without re-adjusting, though I think could buy them for any press. It's quite intimidating, and since I only shoot common calibers: 9mm, .223/5.556, .30-30, .30-06, it does seem better off to keep buying loaded ammo. With ammunition costs rising, I'd like to hedge on that now. I don't know how you got the impression that reloading is not worthwhile for "general shooting". The intimidating part I do understand, and we have a fix for that here, we more or less specialize in getting new reloaders up to speed from the noob that almost knows which end point forward, to his first shot with safe and effective ammunition he loaded himself. The only time I buy factory ammunition is when I buy a firearm for which I don't have dies. I load everything else, partly because I can save money, I can shoot more, and I can load hunting ammunition with the components I want to use, and I can load piles of match ammunition that I can't afford to buy. Right now we're looking at a scarcity of shotgun and handgun powders, but everything else has pretty well broken loose. Most of us only get caught short once, then we make certain we have enough supplies to keep shooting through the next interruption. |
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Quoted: Having used progressive for the last 25 years, and a single stage for 20 years before that, I could never, ever, go back to a single stage setup. Invest in the progressive setup or just buy your ammo. Unless you like to sit there and prime 50 rounds and then flare 50 rounds and then powder charge 50 rounds one at a time and then seat/crimp a bullet 50 rounds, you get the idea. Spend 3 days loading a 50 round box of bullets or 10 minutes. You're either extremely incapable with your press or full of it. |
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Quoted: And the LnL, used Dillon in the past, but the certainly aren't shy about their stuff are they! Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile  Some of what you get in the RCBS kit. Rockchucker on right, scale mounted at eye level. Using a Hornady powder measure in this pic and loading 357. Couple of Dillons (blue presses) in their stored position. http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/263380_Everything_You_Wanted_to_Know_About_Reloading_But_Was_Afraid_to_Ask.html Some light reading. Hardest part of reloading is taking the first step and learning the process. But if you can read and follow instructions, it's an enjoyable hobby. See sig line. |