New to Reloading - Made Purchase Sat 2/25

[dpatterson]

I found, what I think was a great find in the local classifieds. All in all I Paid $300 for the whole lot. It did have some items that I will not use but I figure I can see or trade those items to get what I need.

Anyway, I wanted to post a total list and some pics. Oh, BTW I broke my first DeCaper Pin. LT im buying a set of 5 Pins to replace the one in your 9mm Die.

- RCBS Rock Chucker Press
- MEC 650 Progressive 20 Gauge
- MEC 600 Jr. Mark5 12 Gauge
- RBCS Die Sets: 22-250, 30-06, 30-30, .45ACP, 44MAG, and 270
- Lyman Die Set: 38/357MAG
- RCBS Burring Tool
- RCBS 5-10 Reloading Scale
- RCBS Uniflow Powder Scale
- Lee Auto Primer
- Lyman Turbo 1200 Tumbler
- Lyman Universal Case Trimmer
- 100's of 12 and 20 Gauge Wads and Hulls
- 100's of .45, 30-06, 38Spl, 357Mag, 30-30 Brass
- 400 Winchester Primers
- 5'x3'x5' Workbench (in pics below)






Heres one of my little reloading buddy!


As you can see I am like a little kid... I am ready to start loading but an shooting a .357SIG Caliber so I am looking into those die sets. If anyone reloads 357SIG please let me know what you are using...

Daniel

[Tom]

Looks good.
A couple of suggestions/observations:

Call RCBS before you buy any decapping pins. I broke one on a set of X-Dies, called them and they sent a set for no charge. I even offered to pay as it was my fault. Nope, they wouldn't take a cent. Good folks.

The one-size-fits-all RCBS reloading tray is not the best in terms of case support. Check out Midway and get the wood/composite Frankford trays that match the cases you are reloading. They provide for a much better fit and less wobble.

Get an impact bullet puller. At some point you will need it.

The case neck lubricator that uses mica works great too. Needed when reloading cases that are not belled prior to bullet seating, as in most rifle cases.
Additionally:
I see that you have a set of 270 dies. If you intend to reload this caliber and you use nickel cases you might consider a 22 degree chamfer. It saved many a case when I was helping my neighbor get ready for his Africa trip last year.

I don't see a case lube pad listed or pictured. The RCBS kit works fine for this purpose. I have been using the same one for nearly ten years with the orginal bottle of lube. I did turn the pad over about a year ago though as it gets embedded with stuff over time.

I use Lee dies for 357 SIG, and I recently got the crimping die which saved lots of grief.
In a nutshell:
Check case length, trim to minimums, lube cases before resizing, seat bullets separately from crimping, use published loads, any old .355 bullet should work fine, try some light bullets (i.e. 88 gr HP & 95 gr FMJ) for some fun shooting, and enjoy.

I am sure others will jump in here to help fill in the gaps. As you start to reload you will find that there is always something else that will make the process go quicker or better. You are off to a great start though.

Go slowly, double check everything, especially powder in the cases, and keep good records of all loads and their results. It will save lots of time later on when you cannot remember what that tack driving load was.

Good Luck.

Kind Regards,

Tom

[BobCat]

Congratulations, you will have a lot of fun, and get to shoot a lot more for the same money. I think you got a real deal - the Rockchucker press by itself is worth $150-$200 anyway. They don't last very long - mine is only 35 years old, so be careful, your grandchildren might wear it out.

You can use a sponge for a case lub pad, or actually buy one from RCBS.

I never liked priming on the press - the hand priming tool is the way to go, and you get to handle / examine the brass one more step, looking for cracks.

You mentioned primers. Not trying to insult your intelligence, but remember pistol and rifle primers have different hardness cups, aren't interchangeable.

Tom is right, Lee pistol dies are very good - even though Lee stuff is generally less expensive than RCBS etc., their dies work just fine.

Have fun!

Regards,
Andrew

[longtooth]

Good pics. I knew you would do it.

[dpatterson]

Thanks for the tips... I have been searching the net for several items that I need.... not coming up with a lot.


Daniel

[Amy]

I never liked priming on the press - the hand priming tool is the way to go, and you get to handle / examine the brass one more step, looking for cracks.

I load 1000 rounds of 06 at a time, and I love priming on the press. I take out the die plate and the powder measure on one of my RCBS Pro2000's and zip zip, prime 1000 cases in no time. I don't load 06 on a progressive though, I would never trust a powder measure with my rifle rounds, especailly with extruded powder.

a.