Reloading equipment - Need advice

[xoutxkastx]

Nice start to your reloading, I'm starting this month also. Need to build a bench first also cool that your not in the garage.

Thank you. Hey check out 2x4 basics workbench on amazon. I used the calguns link to make my purchase. Its $70 for the kit plus 2x4. Or you can do a search on you tube for the $80 workbench. Both are good options.

secksie!

Thank you

Excellent job. I wish I had that much space.

Make sure to have the AC off when weighing powder charges. Any little movement will throw it off.

Will do thanks for the advise.

Looks great. And I see you didn't make the rookie mistake of forgetting about the TV. Good job.

Now get the LNL out of the box and load some rounds.

I need my monitor there to check out how to videos and forum threads for reloading and gun smithing. Gotta CYA or more money will come out of my pocket for f-ups.

My dies, bullets, lyman case prep, and a bunch of other goodies on the way. I'm still missing shell holder for 223 and 30 cal. Also need some powder. Planning to head to angeles for night shooting and buy 1 lb bottles of powder to check for a recipe by Remy 700 308 bolt and my DPMS AR will like. I'm planning to try RL-15 for 308 and H335 for my 223 loads. Any other suggestion you guys are using?

Thanks everybody and keep the advice coming. This helps a lot and other new people reading the thread thinking of reloading.

[damndave]

For shellholders, I got the Lee set. It has a shellholder pretty much every caliber.

If you get Lee dies, they come with a shellholder for that caliber.

[milotrain]

I'm planning to try RL-15 for 308 and H335 for my 223 loads. Any other suggestion you guys are using?

RL-15 is great but expensive and doesn't meter well.
4895 is a good (possibly the best) .308 powder but not a great .223 powder
8208 is a good (possibly the best) .223 powder but not a great .308 powder
All three of the above will work just fine in both .223 and .308, buy what ever is cheapest unless you are going for extreme accuracy (and you are likely not as you are just starting out reloading).

8208 will meter the best out of a powder thrower.

Milo's famous (not really) reloading tricks stolen from other people (mostly):
1. Pam is cleaner and cheaper than sizing lube, it's as good if not better than comercial lube.
2. Use a universal deprimer, this lets you tumble after depriming so you clean the primer pocket a bit, and it survives offset flash holes of cheap range brass better than your expensive small base resizing die.
3. Tumble with a cap full of NuFinish and your brass will be shiny!
4. Mount the chamfer deburr tool in a drill press and set it's RPM as low as it will go. Cheap case prep station.
5. As there is a very clear break between case prep and reloading, do your priming with a hand primer inside and on the sofa while watching TV.
6. Stroke the base of all your brass with a sharpie so at the range you know the brass is yours.
7. If you are going to shoot 3k a year get a Giraud Power Trimmer. It costs $300 but you will have an anniversary party for when you bought it when you see how easy trimming and chamfering has become.
8. Get a good digital scale when you want to go for accurate ammo. Use this to weigh your cases and sort them by weight and headstamp. Case volume can be a bigger variable than powder weight.
9. Buy your stuff annually from Powdervalley save on bulk shipping and HAZ by doing this.

The .308 and the .223 have been done to death. If you want accuracy machines out of them you buy the barrel that everyone shoots and you load what has been proven to be more accurate than anything else. No load development needed.

.223 in an AR that's: WOA, Compass Lake, Northern Competition barrel with a 1:7 twist [wilson, Kreiger, etc]; a Nosler, Hornady or SMK 77gr HPBT bullet seated to mag length; LC, WCC, Winchester, Lapua brass; Tula, Remington 7.5, or CCI BR4 primers, and 8208, RL-15, Varget, or 335 powder

.308 for the M1 was always: IMR 4895 with a Sierra 168 loaded to 2.80 oal (while this will work well for the Rem 700, there might be better loads)

[xoutxkastx]

For shellholders, I got the Lee set. It has a shellholder pretty much every caliber.

If you get Lee dies, they come with a shellholder for that caliber.

I ended up with redding. UPS truck just dropped off some goodies

RL-15 is great but expensive and doesn't meter well.
4895 is a good (possibly the best) .308 powder but not a great .223 powder
8208 is a good (possibly the best) .223 powder but not a great .308 powder
All three of the above will work just fine in both .223 and .308, buy what ever is cheapest unless you are going for extreme accuracy (and you are likely not as you are just starting out reloading).

8208 will meter the best out of a powder thrower.

Milo's famous (not really) reloading tricks stolen from other people (mostly):
1. Pam is cleaner and cheaper than sizing lube, it's as good if not better than comercial lube.
2. Use a universal deprimer, this lets you tumble after depriming so you clean the primer pocket a bit, and it survives offset flash holes of cheap range brass better than your expensive small base resizing die.
3. Tumble with a cap full of NuFinish and your brass will be shiny!
4. Mount the chamfer deburr tool in a drill press and set it's RPM as low as it will go. Cheap case prep station.
5. As there is a very clear break between case prep and reloading, do your priming with a hand primer inside and on the sofa while watching TV.
6. Stroke the base of all your brass with a sharpie so at the range you know the brass is yours.
7. If you are going to shoot 3k a year get a Giraud Power Trimmer. It costs $300 but you will have an anniversary party for when you bought it when you see how easy trimming and chamfering has become.
8. Get a good digital scale when you want to go for accurate ammo. Use this to weigh your cases and sort them by weight and headstamp. Case volume can be a bigger variable than powder weight.
9. Buy your stuff annually from Powdervalley save on bulk shipping and HAZ by doing this.

The .308 and the .223 have been done to death. If you want accuracy machines out of them you buy the barrel that everyone shoots and you load what has been proven to be more accurate than anything else. No load development needed.

.223 in an AR that's: WOA, Compass Lake, Northern Competition barrel with a 1:7 twist [wilson, Kreiger, etc]; a Nosler, Hornady or SMK 77gr HPBT bullet seated to mag length; LC, WCC, Winchester, Lapua brass; Tula, Remington 7.5, or CCI BR4 primers, and 8208, RL-15, Varget, or 335 powder

.308 for the M1 was always: IMR 4895 with a Sierra 168 loaded to 2.80 oal (while this will work well for the Rem 700, there might be better loads)

Thank you milotrain. I will research the powders you suggested. Great tip on buying supplies annually. I plan to do that once I have my recipe down on my bolt and AR.

I have a Remy 700 in 308 that I can hit metal out to 600 with factory ammo. I only had a chance to punch paper out to 200. I'm more concerned with accuracy on my 308.

My DPMS rifle is more for blasting ammo out to 200 yards max is what I intend it to do. I do have another AR being built right now. The heart of the AR is a 16" middy 1-7 twist from Black Hole Weaponry.

This is what my remy did at 200 yards. I think I got lucky on this grouping.

[milotrain]

If you are working paper at 200, steel at 600 and not benchresting, and you don't care too much about the .223 then I'd buy 4895 and load both with that.