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Electricnic, I'm in the same boat, I went with Rockchucker Supreme after doing homework.. I have a Sierra manual and everything except the case trimmer. I think I am going to follow Tony's advise and get the Giraud trimmer, just need to figure out how to get that past the Mrs.
 
I keep any notes in my Sierra reloading book(s).
Either on the page I'm getting the info from or in the back of the book.

I figured Sierra went to the trouble of putting blank pages in the back of the book, and I paid for those pages, I might as well use them.

I don't deviate much from the published data anyway, so that's all I really need.
I don't keep up with how accurate one load is over another.
Maybe one day I will keep better records.

Too many times I have lost information stored on computers.
 
Electricnic, I'm in the same boat, I went with Rockchucker Supreme after doing homework.. I have a Sierra manual and everything except the case trimmer. I think I am going to follow Tony's advise and get the Giraud trimmer, just need to figure out how to get that past the Mrs.
I just got a Giraud and I simply never told her.
 
Electricnic,
I don't know what your intentions are other than those stated. As you have seen there are many ways to skin this cat, some way more expensive than others. If you have a boatload of money to spend then you can easily fill your workspace with gear and equipment that may leave you scratching your head later with "why do I have this?". I'm not going to tell you what you should do since I don't know your circumstance, BUT here's what I did. After reloading 45-70 with a Lee Classic reloader kit I had a small electronic scale. I also had a Lee Improved Measure Kit (the scoops), a powder funnel, Lee case cutter and lock stud, a Frankford bullet puller and a dial caliper left over from my race motor building days.
I bought: A Lee single stage press, Lee 308 Die set, Lee 308 case length gauge with threaded shell holder, a powder trickler, and finally a Hornady Headspace Comparator Kit.

That's it. That will get you going. You can (and will) add on as you go along but you will do it as it suits you. You can easily clean your sized/trimmed brass chucked into your drill with the threaded shell holder and locking stud using a denatured alcohol wetted paper towel. This removes the case lube and powder residue. Leaves them shiny.
Good Luck.
 
Here's another vote for a separate universal decapping die (I have the Lee, you don't need anything fancy for that job because the case doesn't touch the walls of the die). Its already been pointed out that decapping first allows you to clean out the pockets when tumbling the brass before sizing. A second benefit is that it's somewhat of a dirty step and done separately it will not have any way to contaminate your case lube when sizing. Also I've read that the decap pin in some sizing dies can cause the brass to shift off center and affect concentricity - possibly apocryphal but makes sense. I did find that the decapping pin on the Whidden die was fragile and got off center (might've been loose) and bent the center rod so I had to replace a few parts on an expensive die.

You don't need a loading block for .308 or .30-'06 they will fit in an empty .45ACP ammo box insert. Wish I'd known that before spending money on the nice bleacer-stacked ones.

Stuck case removers are nothing but a capped-head 1/4-20 machine screw, a washer and a socket, and a matching tap and drill.

I use a double-tray type sifter for stainless media you really don't need an expensive tumbler but I do shake each case (two at a time) to remove the media and then dump it back into the tumbler to rinse the soap. Lowe's and Home Depot sell pH neutral floor cleaning detergent (1-1/2 oz per load) and a 1/4 teaspoon of LemmiShine (citric acid) to brighten up the cases.

A few times I've had reason to stop a ladder before using up all the loads, and a collet-type bullet puller (Hornady works well, but the collet components were hard to find) will allow you to re-use the bullets. Anything with a ballistic tip or soft point is going to get destroyed in an inertial-type (hammer) bullet puller.

As an alternative to a progressive or turret press, a single stage press is much less expensive and seem to have a reputation for higher precision (there's less to move around when setting to within a few thousandths counts, you can see the plate on some turrets or progressives moving). I like the hornady lock-n-load bushings and collars that allow you to set a die, then remove it without changing the lock collar setting -- same benefit as setting it up on a turret plate you can swap out dies and different calibers and it will still be set where you adjusted it.

Speaking of lock collars, if you use Hornady you might want to get their wrench that fits the square-sided lock collars for the dies. They have a flat, stamped wrench that works very well and was worth a few dollars.

One of my dies is a Whidden with the click-adjust collar and that's fiddly but really fantastic for dialing in. You can literally count clicks and change the height of the sizing die predictably in a few clicks.

And the Whidden dies come with one of their one-piece comparator heads to put on your digital caliper - best way to see that you're bumping back the shoulder the amount you want for your bolt gun or gas gun. The RCBS case micrometers are appealing (I have them for .308 and .223) but the attachments for the caliper work just as well (and you can buy them individually from Whidden, still adds up to less than the Hornady body and separate bushings, but won't do base-to-ogive bullet seating measurements for that you need the RCBS gadget or the Hornady comparator setup).

Micrometer accessories are very useful for (1) the bullet seating die if you use different bullet weights or types (target and hunting for instance) so you can reset the seating depth to a known position, and (2) the powder-thrower (maybe its just me but I was chasing my tail trying to adjust the regular piston with a lock nut).

My approach was that it would take me a few years of experience before I worry about the finer points like turning necks and controlling the neck tension with a bushing die - the regular sizing dies are just fine for me (for now) but that's just because I'm a 100-200 yard plinker and don't have any F-class aspirations.
 
Universal hand de-primer and Universal priming tool.
If you really like red, you would love a Forster Coax press with a couple of additions they are wonderful. This is my setup for charging and seating 6.5 Creedmoor.



Table Office equipment Office supplies Audio equipment Gas
 
I learned on my Dad’s knee back in the early 60’s so I am biased toward the Green stuff when it comes to reloading. I believe I’ve had my Rockchucker over 40 years.
But I also have Redding, Forster, and Dillon reloading dies and equipment that have served well for many years.
 
You know, I’ve been looking at Redding a lot lately.
The new die set for the M1A is impressive.
The Made in USA Quality factor is very impressive.
It’s been 20 years or more since I bought any RCBS stuff and I was disappointed to discover that the Rockchucker is now made in China.
Thinking of setting up a separate press for the new rifle being it is the first semi auto rifle I’ve ever loaded for.

 
Discussion starter · #50 · (Edited)
Welp, I finally pulled the trigger (pun intended) on most of this equipment (a few things added/replaced with bits from feedback here) and it'll be here this week. Got an 8 lb jug of StaBall 6.5, bullets, primers, and a bazillion other widgets. If you don't hear from me in a week, check the ER.
 
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So, what did you decide on? Since you started this thread I went with Rockchucker Supreme, Frankford Arsenal SS pin tumbler (with magnet), RCBS Precision Mic Gauge, RCBS primer pocket swager, small base dies, lube pad, RCBS Automatic priming tool, RCBS Matchmaster scale, Giraud trimmer and a good caliper micrometer.
 
Discussion starter · #55 ·
Checking ER. Looking forward to a photo of your loading station. Whatta Hobby!
still in process, but most of the stuff is here. All I've done so far is "brass laundry" since I'm still waiting on primers and pills. I have some organization to do too - install more shelves, get that bed frame refinished and out of my way...
Wheel Tire Motor vehicle Automotive design Engineering
 
Hope that's not all the space you have alotted for reloading as you will expand. Been there done that. started as a small bench style reloading station and now have an 8' by 10' room and it still isn't large enough. Boys and their toys.
 
Discussion starter · #58 ·
Hope that's not all the space you have alotted for reloading as you will expand.
That’s all I’ve got to work with for now. I had to build this bench into my garage as it was, and we still park two cars, a full-size fridge (not shown), a 5’ long toolbench, bikes, extra wood for other projects (my wife builds stuff too), camping junk, gardening junk…

Here’s the “final” reloading bench. Once primers get here I’ll have the initial output of something. I’ll try to get enough made that I can post up a target on Sunday.
Table Desk Shelving Tom-tom drum Idiophone
 
That’s all I’ve got to work with for now. I had to build this bench into my garage as it was, and we still park two cars, a full-size fridge (not shown), a 5’ long toolbench, bikes, extra wood for other projects (my wife builds stuff too), camping junk, gardening junk…

Here’s the “final” reloading bench. Once primers get here I’ll have the initial output of something. I’ll try to get enough made that I can post up a target on Sunday.
View attachment 514893
I like the heater cable tape to the line. I put one down are drain spout every winter . can you mix saw dust and powder together ??
 
Nice bench top. How thick and where did you get it? Did you cut to size?
 
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