Cost of Handloading Equipment

[Avalanche123]

Can anyone give me a ball park figure as to how much it costs to get into hand loading equipment? I was thinking of middle of the road stuff, not necessarily top end or bottom of the pile equipment.
Thanks!

[brotherjack]

Two good options:

1. RCBS RockChucker kit - about $250 south of the border.

2. Lee Anniversary kit - about $80 south of the border.


I did option number 2 (with the addition of a RCBS powder trickler), and it has worked out fine for me. I load maybe 200 rounds a month in the non-hunting season. No quality issues or complaints.

[Avalanche123]

Brother Jack, Where south of the border did you get it? Any issues with customs?

With our canadian $$ being so good, it makes good sense to do this!
Thanks,

[WiserFool]

Avalanche,

Don't jump into a kit too quickly. They are a good deal but you can end up with a fair number of accessories that may or may not be top priority for a beginner. I'd check out the wholesale sports website as a benchmark for new prices in Canada.

To just get started, you will need:

Reloading Manual
Press
Dies
Scale
Powder Measure
Case Mouth Chamfer tool
Loading Block
Lubricant
Brass, Primers, Powder, Bullets

Buy the loading manual first, like tomorrow. Read it and digest some of the info you can find on various websites, although you should shy away from the actual loads on the web until you have enough experience to recognize a dangeruous load.

RCBS and Redding are top of the line equipment, Hornady, Lyman, Pacific, etc are middle of the road, and Lee owns the bargain market. I'd consider top of the line scale and powder measure, as some of the others can get you into a mix up if your powder measuring is inconsistant, especially with a large grained powder like IMR 4350. If you are a "load for hunting" or "save some money" guy, even Lee stuff may be worth considering until you decide if you like it or not.

Often, if you look around, you can find someone who has quite a bit of reloading equipment but has lost interest or is not as into hunting/shooting in their latter years. These opportunities often produce a great deal in buying the whole lot used. A freind just picked up a whole set of reloading gear in exchange for some labour to build a shed for an older fellow.

Hope this helps a bit.

[Dogbite]

My advice is to hold off for awhile, with the US$ falling at the current rate, ($1.08) the economists say that they expect the CDN$ to plateau somewhat higher. How much is higher, no one knows, but there will be some bargains around.

[brotherjack]

Originally Posted by Avalanche123

Brother Jack, Where south of the border did you get it? Any issues with customs?

With our canadian $$ being so good, it makes good sense to do this!
Thanks,

I got mine at Black Sheep sporting goods in Coeur D'Alene Idaho, but I was down in person to pick it up. No problems with customs.

My understanding is that reloading EQUIPMENT is just fine (presses, dies, etc). Reloading COMPONENTS are a big no-no (brass, powder, bullets, etc).

Some people will tell you otherwise, but I had a long talk with the appropriate authorities in the U.S., and they said no components were legal without export permits (big pain), but that equipment was OK.

[Avalanche123]

Thanks for the replies. I am not going to jump into this too quickly. I do have some experience with reloading as I use to reload with a friend years ago and always liked it. Now that I own a 45-70, it seems to make sense to get into it.
Thanks all!

[Downwindtracker]

Everyone is going to say RCBS. But that isn't quite so. They all make decent equipment. Before Lee came out with the Classic press,I used a Challenger.The Challenger does work,but the Lee Factory Crimp die is tough on the toggle linkages.I wanted something better,so I asked on the net. One fellow was looking for a really accurately made press,he bought a Hornady,a Lyman and a RCBS. Of the ones he bought the most accurate was the Lymans. But he felt it was more a question of luck of the draw then paint colour.Those who have used both perfer the Lee Classic over the RCBS Rockchucker.

For a Kit:
Press: Lee Classic
Scale: Ohaus 5-0-5,RCBS,I think Hornady,Lymans and Redding sell it,too
Powder Measure: Lee Perfect,the only one that does extruded powder well
Priming: Lee Auto Prime
Powder trickler:RCBS,not Hornady
Triming,I use the Lee system,it cuts square and is cheap,but I'm sure there is a good lathe type.

For dies,I have had best luck with Lee and Redding.

You will need a caliper, dial or electronic.$20 buys either now-a-days.
Loading block,drill some holes in a piece of 2x4

It a hobby in it's self,besides allowing you to shoot something besides a 30-06.