Need advice on reloading 308

[minxin]

I've never reloaded but I want to start. I just bought a savage 10 pc in 308 of course with a leupold 3.5-10 cds vx3 and Harris bipods. I was going to buy a lee 50th anniversary reloading kit and go from there. Any advice is helpful. such as if you would reccommend that kit, what powder, primers, bullets, dies etc. Im trying to keep cost as low as possible and want to shoot distances of 200-600 or so.

[ExtremeX]

For a single stage kit, you are better off starting out with the RCBS Rock Chucker package... yes it cost more, but press and all the extras are better quality. The scale, powder measure, and the priming too, all that stuff matters, and the RCBS press kit is better.

You just have to work up your own loads and see what shoots best for you, that’s the whole point of rolling your own custom ammo. Making and finding what shoots best in your rifle. One person’s pet load may not shoot the same in yours.

[Multra]

I would buy cheap stuff to see if you even like the hobby first.

[ExtremeX]

I still think buying a cheap scale can add to the frustration when reloading…

I have no problem with the lee press; it’s the rest of the stuff in the kit I don’t like.

A quality scale should be a cornerstone of anyone’s reloading equipment.

Plus if you buy cheap, and find out you do like it, you are going to wish you just went with better stuff in the first place, increasing your overall cost in the long run. Plus you won’t have any problems selling the RCBS kit if you really don’t like it.

[stand125]

You could pick up a LEE Classic Loader for $30.00 and if you use the recommended powder with the included dipper you are set ( meaning you can skip the scale for now ). You can only load brass that was shot thru your gun since it only neck sizes, but it makes excellent ammo and only cost $30.00 shipped. Look it up on Youtube and watch Mr LEE load a 30-06 round start to finish in under 40 seconds. I started with one in 45 ACP and really enjoyed learning the process the old fashion way. It is as simple as you can get and fun. you will move on guaranteed but it is a safe and cheap way to learn to reload.

[ExtremeX]

OP, do some research...

Google: lee vs rcbs scale
Also see what people have to say in regards to the kit comparisons.

This should get you started:

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f28/lee-rcbs-powder-scale-inaccuracy-68504/

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/51834-rcbs-505-vs-the-lee-safety-scale/

The scale is way too important of an item to skimp on... not just for accuracy, but also for safety. Playing around at max loads without an accurate scale can be a dangerous game.

I started with a cheap-o electronic Hornady scale, and boy does it suck at times. I have to constantly re-zero and double check, verify with check weights, and even then, I can add .2 gr to a case and it will still read zero… I load on a progressing and went to a RCBS beam scale…

[Colt562]

there is a bunch of threads like this and I even posted one when I first started to reloading, ill get a link for you later.

One thing that is very important is a scale. Get a good scale from the start, buy once cry once. I wish I had known this.

[Bill Steele]

Any of the kits will get you started. You generally get what you pay for, but even the basic Lee kit will get you going. Just realize, the more you spend up front, the less you will likely be replacing soon. Pickup a copy of Lyman's 49th and read it through before buying anything else.

I started over 4 decades ago with an RCBS Rock Chucker kit, I still use the press for rifle, works like new.

On the components, I recommend getting new Lapua brass right out of the gate. It will be consistent and last quite a few loadings if not abused. I recommend CCI primers, Hornaday 168gr AMAX bullets (out to 600 yds, longer ranges mean a different choice). I prefer IMR 4064, but Varget will likely work just as well for you.

You can get best pricing on components at Powder Valley and Graf and Sons.

Good luck, have fun.

[minxin]

Thanks for all the quick responses. I have read a lot that the lee kit the scale is about useless. I'm a firm believer in most cases you get what you pay for. I think ill go the rcbs kit. Any good sites to order off online without being killed in shipping? most my local stores have really bad prices.

[ExtremeX]

Thanks for all the quick responses. I have read a lot that the lee kit the scale is about useless. I'm a firm believer in most cases you get what you pay for. I think ill go the rcbs kit. Any good sites to order off online without being killed in shipping? most my local stores have really bad prices.

Just shop around for prices...

Just a heads up.... RCBS has a $50 rebate if you spend $300 in RCBS product. If you are under $300, make sure you add something RCBS to the cart to qualify.

Rebate Coupon Link

http://www.cabelas.com/assets/pdfs/rcbs_09.pdf

[stand125]

One of the best kits out there is the LEE Classic Turret press. It can be used as a single stage or an Auto indexing Turret press.

[Bill Steele]

Thanks for all the quick responses. I have read a lot that the lee kit the scale is about useless. I'm a firm believer in most cases you get what you pay for. I think ill go the rcbs kit. Any good sites to order off online without being killed in shipping? most my local stores have really bad prices.

I think Cabela's has the most frequent sales and sometimes you can combine it with a low/free shipping promo. Graf and Son's has $5 shipping on all items, but far fewer sales on presses. They are definitely the go-to retailer for odds and ends where shipping really starts eating away at the deal.

[Multra]

The cheap-o lee scale works fine for me (for now.) Would I trust it to load max load rounds? No. Do I trust it to load low-mid load rounds? Combined with a dipper, yes. The scale was $20 and I don't feel bad about buying it. Will I replace it in the future? Yep. And when I do I will hand it down to someone else who wants to pick up reloading so they can see if they enjoy the hobby enough to drop $100 on a scale.

[G38xOC]

I too want to stay in budget as a starter and got lee's 50th kit . I only had one year under my belt and have not upgrade any components yet , dont feel like i have to at this point cuz it gets the job done . btw , lee scale is that bad ? i havent noticed any big issues

[Bill Steele]

I too want to stay in budget as a starter and got lee's 50th kit . I only had one year under my belt and have not upgrade any components yet , dont feel like i have to at this point cuz it gets the job done . btw , lee scale is that bad ? i havent noticed any big issues

The one Lee scale I had worked fine. When I first got my RCBS 1010 and had a few issues, I used my cheapie Lee scale to double check it, it was very accurate, but a pain to use compared to other more expensive options like a Dillon Eliminator or an RCBS 505.