newbie getting started in reloading

[hd0642]

ive been an avid shooter for 30+ years and have never reloaded but i just bought a new .308 remington and am considering reloading for it. im looking at a lee hand press and was wondering what kind of dies i should get for it, a 2 die or 3 die set? do i need to resize the length or just the neck?

ive never considered reloading for any of my pistols or other rifles because i just chew through way too much ammo but with this 700 its a pure bench shooter and i can justify loading for it. any reccomendations or advice will be appreciated

[supersonic]

LEE collet neck die set (for fire-formed cases that will only be used again in YOUR same rifle) & LEE Factory Crimp Die. 1/2 - 1/3 the price of everything else out there & I've never witnessed performance that gets any better with a bolt gun, unless you are a benchrest competitor and an extra c***hair means the difference between winning & losing. THEN, you'll have to spend about $300 on a competition micrometer set from Redding w/ TiNi bushings + case measurement tools (another $200-300) / meplat trimmer ($40-80) / case gauges & neck turning tool ($100-150) + more. I use all this stuff only for one caliber. But I also use LEE for a vast amount of my reloading, and have yet to be disappointed. My .02.:)

[stevenjay1]

If you are just getting started in reloading I would go with a reloading kit. It has almost everything you need except for a die set, shell holder, calipers and a reloading guide. This is really a small investment that will allow you turn out excellent reloads and learn the ins and outs of reloading. There is nice kit available at Midway USA.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=423081

BTW, I like Lee tools and use them often and lee has great customer service. I would also suggest that you start with a bench mounted press rather then a hand press. In my experience the hand press gets real old real fast. Though I do use a hand press if I'm at the range and reloading some of my odd ball calibers that I only have 20 or less cases for.

Good luck reloading; I find it a fun part of the hobby. Steve

[gunboat]

I agree about the bench mounted press -- Hand press is ok but best with smaller cases --- Lee press and dies are fine -- 2 die set capable of full length sizing is fine - you can back off the die slightly to just neck size -- I am not sure exactly what comes in the "kit" but you only "need" a means of depriming/priming, lube for sizing, something to chamfer case mouth, a means to measure powder, a funnel of sorts to pour the powder -- all this can be as simple or as complicated as you want -- I prefer a simple scale over the measures myself, though cup measures checked on the scale are fine. A decent vernier to check case length and overall length is handy --- the list continues -----

[EOD3]

I think Steve has the right idea. The little hand press is not going to make you happy. A beginners kit is the only way to go. There are kits available from Lee and RCBS that won't break the bank but will give you the tools you need. The RCBS kit comes with a Speer reloading manual that will give you the information you need to reload quality ammo without blowing the rifle into next week.

If you choose to go the "one piece at a time" route, you MUST have reloading data and a powder scale in addition to the press and dies.