Getting a press, what else do I need

[kermit315]

Hey guys,

I am getting an RCBS JR3 press for free from a member of another site. I have about 400 pieces of brass in 9mm that I would like to cut my reloading teeth on after I get back from my boat det. Other than primers, powder and bullets, what tools do I need to go along with the press? Can anybody recommend a set of dies to use with this press and a good book to start reading?

Thanks,

Jamie

[NRAhighpowershooter]

You still need a scale and powder funnel and a set of calipers and a RCBS Carbide die set in 9mm.. The Sierra Bullets Relaoding manual would be good reading as well.... oh.... a wood loading block or 2 to hold the brass....

[jandmtv]

a tumbler and corn cob media to clean the fired brass so you can reload them, also a hand held priming tool would make your life a lot easier. Lee makes one thats like $15 that works pretty well, but the RCBS hand held priming tool is easier on your wrist if you are going to do large quantities. That one costs about $35. I would also recommend the Lee powder measure. its cheap, and very accurate! Good luck!

[sunborder]

You do NOT need a tumbler & media in order to reload. Cleaning the brass is VERY MUCH an optional stage, unless you are trying to load high-end benchrest or similar high-tolerance ammo. A lot of people like to tumble, and that's fine, but NOBODY should be suggesting that as a necessity for a starting reloader. If you want to, because you like bright, shiny brass, go ahead, but it is a needless expense if you are just getting into the game. Once you understand things a bit better, you may decide you want to, but don't spend the money on it unless YOU feel the need for it. If you do decide to tumble, make sure you do it outside to minimize the lead strypnate dust getting all over your home/work area. That's the #1 cause of lead poisoning among reloaders and bullet casters.

As for other necessary tools? You should buy a 2nd reloading manual. The Lee one is cheap if you don't mind the advertisements for the company products. A scale is a must, but powder dispenser is also a luxury. You can use dippers, so long as you weigh the charges at first (until you get the hang of it). This is time consuming, but good practice at first. If you go this route, a powder trickler is nice, but not at all necessary. A bullet puller is handy if you make mistakes, but not necessary. Basic tools: Press, dies, scale, some form of powder dispenser (spoon & trickler, scoops, mechanical, etc), calipers/micrometer, at least one manual, though two is probably better. Anything else is a luxury.

[Razgrizo]

Since you mention lead poisoning, this may sound stupid but is there such thing of non-lead/non-toxic powder for reloading? The thing that is keeping me away from reloading is lead poisoning...

[Fjold]

Since you mention lead poisoning, this may sound stupid but is there such thing of non-lead/non-toxic powder for reloading? The thing that is keeping me away from reloading is lead poisoning...

Use jacketed bullets so that you don't have to handle the lead. The gun powder doesn't have lead in it. It's either nitro-cellulose or a nitro-cellulose/nitro-glycerine mix with graphite added to slow down the burn rate. The grey that comes off on your fingers from unburnt gunpowder is the graphite.

When I'm loading lead bullets I use a latex glove on the hand that I handle bullets with but loading jacketed bullets it's not a worry.

[Razgrizo]

Use jacketed bullets so that you don't have to handle the lead. The gun powder doesn't have lead in it. It's either nitro-cellulose or a nitro-cellulose/nitro-glycerine mix with graphite added to slow down the burn rate. The grey that comes off on your fingers from unburnt gunpowder is the graphite.

When I'm loading lead bullets I use a latex glove on the hand that I handle bullets with but loading jacketed bullets it's not a worry.

Whoa, didn't know that one. Thanks for the tip!

[ar15barrels]

Use jacketed bullets so that you don't have to handle the lead.

Your skin does not absorb lead through contact.
You just don't want to be loading lead bullets and eating from the same hand without washing first as you would be ingesting lead that way.

[kermit315]

Thanks for the help guys. So, if I were to go to barnes and noble today, what book would be a good one to pick up to get my feet wet.

[Calhunter380]

If I could only have one reloading manual it would be the Lee book. He comes off a little conceited about his products but his data is totally unbiased and has more loads for more weights than any other manual I own. If you are planning on only reloading for 9mm then the LoadBooks, One book One Caliber manual is probably the way to go for load data. They contain loads from all the major bullet and powder companies.

Calhunter380

[Turbinator]

There is an amazing amount of FREE reloading information available out there today. Any powder manufacturer will send you load data for free, or provide booklets at local stores at no charge. You can go online and find load data for free as well at various web sites.

What I do is cross check the data against 2 or 3 sources to ensure that I'm not using bogus data - for example, if I pull a recipe off the 'net, I'll cross check it with the many free reloading booklets I've gotten from powder makers.

I also happen to have a real Speer manual for reloading, of course that cost money, but if you were on a budget there are no cost ways of obtaining accurate and useful load data.

Turby