Down the rabbit hole for a beginner

[longrange1]

id shoot those 5...the primer side will flatten out.

as far as a tumbler goes...if you havent bought one....id suggest this unit...

http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/reloading-products/package-kits/stm-complete-package.html

ive had mine for about 5yrs..it runs at least one day every weekend and some times both days.
just add 100 cases,yellow ajax,lemi shine,cold water and you to will be a range pimp.

as far as tool A vs tool B...you will find that yes you can get by will tool B and it works well but tool A works better or faster or easier or is more precise or more repeatable or speeds up loading times ECT.

do your self a favor and save money...get the Giraud.

dies...ive said this before...i do not like redding dies and will not buy them...forster dies are much better dies and cost way less.
i prefer whidden dies and they are less than the redding competition sets.

just remember as with most things you buy once it leaves the store its not worth anything.

[Kwikvette]

The rest of my goods arrived and I thought it was only fitting to put it all to good use.

To start, I seated primers using both the Forster Co-Ax as well as the Sinclair hand priming tool.

My thoughts on priming with the Forster; at first you'll need to play with the shell holder and setting it up so that the brass is centered above the priming tool. Once you get that down, just toss in a primer, slide the brass in, and press lightly. I learned that, the part seating the primer needs to be backed out just a bit otherwise you'll get bent rims.

Priming with the Sinclair tool was also effortless. I did have trouble a few times centering and seating the primer. I blame this on the brass though as I was using already processed brass with mixed headstamps.

When it came time to charging my rounds, I inspected each case to ensure all was well before dropping powder. This was done easily as I've got the RCBS Chargemaster Combo (awesome tool).

All was well until I saw this -



Even though this was already processed brass (wet tumbled twice), new reloaders out there, do your due diligence and inspect! I found this pin stuck in a manner that I couldn't get it out. I crushed the neck/shoulder of the case and moved on.

Per the Hornady 10th Edition, I set out to load 20 rounds with 22 grains of RL15 as well as another 20 rounds with 22.5 grains.

With projectiles in hand, I was ready to go. I followed the instructions of seating the die up until it touches the shell holder, then backed off. Well, I guess this applies to all dies except the Hornady because when I went to press a round this happened -



I made several bold adjustments by backing out only for a round to seat properly, then have its shoulder crushed yet again. It took a few tries but once I got it, it was smooth sailing from there. What'd I learn here? I should've bought a bullet puller! I'll salvage the powder and projectiles for when my bullet puller arrives, in the meantime they'll be set aside.

As for the loaded rounds? They're all between 2.2610 and 2.2615



I've learned a lot and I've got everyone here to thank. To think it was only a month ago that I considered reloading and you guys just had to go out and spend my money

[RestrictedColt]

Looks like you're using the larger pins that everyone says are better. I've had no problems with the FA pins.

That one with the stuck pin looks to have the flash hole off center. If so I'm betting it's GFL (Fiocchi) and would like to know, curiosity. They're the only ones that I find to have a huge percentage of off center holes. From the thousands of brass I've used of all brands I've found hundreds of off center GFLs and only a couple from the other brands. With most calibers I find the GFL to have more off than centered, but I have one caliber where they're all pretty good. I wanna say it's 30 carbine but not sure. Not a biggie for plinking ammo but I'd cull them if you're trying for precision as they can have a pretty noticeable effect.

[tonyjr]

Thanks
As for stuck pin - you can use the decapper pin to try to remove it .
Most of time , the case is scratched, so into scrap bucket .
Using the vibrator , I get above 50 % of cases withmedia inside flash hole .