Reloaders, please fill in the following blank.......

[Mike6158]

I can and have given up all the stupid sh!t I've purchased for reloading over the decades. There are so many "tools" out there (not the people kind but there are a lot of those too) that are just gimmicks. They sit on the bench collecting dust and powder (when I somehow, inexplicably don't have a primer in the case when I charge it) and never get used. I'm not about to list any of them because, you know, opinions are like stuff and all that. One must be aware of other's feelings. Reloaders are a sensitive lot

Up until yesterday I'd have given up my Dillon XL650. I took the cover off, cleaned it up, and re-educated myself on how to make many rounds of pistol ammo in a short amount of time. I'll reload "generic" .223 for my AR with it but that's the only rifle that gets reloaded on the Dillon. All else is reloaded on the Forster. Unless I'm resizing brass for the .338 Edge. That's done on a Redding Ultramag.<--- see what I mean... freakin gear hoe

 

[C-130 Dude]

And I'll offer the opposite answer: My beam scale. I have a RCBS Chargemaster auto trickler, but with large extruded powders, I am never quite satisfied, especially during work up, where I want the charge to be perfect.

Nothing quite as constant as the same Ohaus/RCBS scale from the 1980s. I know my loads over decades are being compared by one constant -- that beam scale. It gets covered all the time, babied and never abused.

If I lost my beam scale, would I stop reloading? Probably not, but its the one piece of equipment from my RCBS starter kit from 1981 that I still use every session.

To be fair, for loading a batch of something already known, I might check the chargemaster once at the beginning and then knock out 50 rounds. I'm not crazy......

I miss my old Ohaus too. Like a good friend. Always there and always reliable. It got smashed when I moved long ago. Anyway...Even though I use my electronic powder dispenser for all my powder dispensing needs, I still double check it using another scale. If I'm feeling my ocd raging, I use my beam scale. If I'm feeling froggy, I use another brand electronic scale.

 

[wldcat]

Nothing!! I don't care if all my reloading gear and supplies was gone one day I would start over and do it again, reloading is my therapy hands down, I might only crank out 50 rounds in a 4 hour session but it's a lot cheaper then a marriage counselor

 

[C-130 Dude]

I can and have given up all the stupid sh!t I've purchased for reloading over the decades. There are so many "tools" out there (not the people kind but there are a lot of those too) that are just gimmicks. They sit on the bench collecting dust and powder (when I somehow, inexplicably don't have a primer in the case when I charge it) and never get used. I'm not about to list any of them because, you know, opinions are like stuff and all that. One must be aware of other's feelings. Reloaders are a sensitive lot

Up until yesterday I'd have given up my Dillon XL650. I took the cover off, cleaned it up, and re-educated myself on how to make many rounds of pistol ammo in a short amount of time. I'll reload "generic" .223 for my AR with it but that's the only rifle that gets reloaded on the Dillon. All else is reloaded on the Forster. Unless I'm resizing brass for the .338 Edge. That's done on a Redding Ultramag.<--- see what I mean... freakin gear hoe

I have started reloading, sold all of it, and rebought it all over again 3 times in my life. The only thing that's really changed is the color, amount, and brands of stuff out there. The only "new" things out there seem to electronic in nature. With a couple of exceptions. But your experience dictates what you think you need. And then you turn around and purchase them again. With luck, you don't make the same old mistakes again!

 

[C-130 Dude]

I can and have given up all the stupid sh!t I've purchased for reloading over the decades. There are so many "tools" out there (not the people kind but there are a lot of those too) that are just gimmicks. They sit on the bench collecting dust and powder (when I somehow, inexplicably don't have a primer in the case when I charge it) and never get used. I'm not about to list any of them because, you know, opinions are like stuff and all that. One must be aware of other's feelings. Reloaders are a sensitive lot

Up until yesterday I'd have given up my Dillon XL650. I took the cover off, cleaned it up, and re-educated myself on how to make many rounds of pistol ammo in a short amount of time. I'll reload "generic" .223 for my AR with it but that's the only rifle that gets reloaded on the Dillon. All else is reloaded on the Forster. Unless I'm resizing brass for the .338 Edge. That's done on a Redding Ultramag.<--- see what I mean... freakin gear hoe

I've never had a progressive press. Imagine that. Even after all these years. Who knows, I may break down and get one. One day. When I win the lottery.

 

[P7M13]

If I had to give up all my presses and go back to a Lee Loader, I would still reload.

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

easy one.....H-4350, the "mother's milk" of just about everything, from .243-416 and everything in between...best move I ever made cleaning 40 different powders off my bench for 3 these days..V-133, Varget & H-4350..

 

[Mike6158]

I have started reloading, sold all of it, and rebought it all over again 3 times in my life. The only thing that's really changed is the color, amount, and brands of stuff out there. The only "new" things out there seem to electronic in nature. With a couple of exceptions. But your experience dictates what you think you need. And then you turn around and purchase them again. With luck, you don't make the same old mistakes again!

The last thing I bought that I didn't need was about a year ago when I "upgraded" my Chargemaster to the newer gee whiz, there's an app for that, version. It's in the box. I gave it to my son. It lasted on the bench for exactly one case. It's slow and my old one works every time (unless I need to use a spoon to pull out a tenth over drop). All of the stuff I bought was for me to be able to conquer long range reloading. I've been watching Eric Cortina's videos and applying his methods to my reloading and it's making a difference. He's won 2 F-class championships lately so I figure he knows a little about how to reload for consistency.

 

[Mike6158]

I've never had a progressive press. Imagine that. Even after all these years. Who knows, I may break down and get one. One day. When I win the lottery.

Honestly, I wouldn't. Unless you need 500 rounds of 9mm a week to practice for a competition... even then... it might be cheaper to buy them *it's not...

If I didn't already own my Dillon I'd just reload my pistol ammo on my single stage press.

 

[C-130 Dude]

The last thing I bought that I didn't need was about a year ago when I "upgraded" my Chargemaster to the newer gee whiz, there's an app for that, version. It's in the box. I gave it to my son. It lasted on the bench for exactly one case. It's slow and my old one works every time (unless I need to use a spoon to pull out a tenth over drop). All of the stuff I bought was for me to be able to conquer long range reloading. I've been watching Eric Cortina's videos and applying his methods to my reloading and it's making a difference. He's won 2 F-class championships lately so I figure he knows a little about how to reload for consistency.

Yeah. I watch Eric's stuff too. But he gets sponsor money. His annealing, seater, and priming tools cost more than I make in 12 months. But that's what is required to shoot at the caliber he's at. All this should tell us "regular " guys something. We can only do our best with what we can afford. That and hope to win the lottery!

 

[Mike6158]

Yeah. I watch Eric's stuff too. But he gets sponsor money. His annealing, seater, and priming tools cost more than I make in 12 months. But that's what is required to shoot at the caliber he's at. All this should tell us "regular " guys something. We can only do our best with what we can afford. That and hope to win the lottery!

I don't have any of that stuff and I don't really want it. His Dillon has an automatic widget on it. I don't have or need that. If I was or intended to try to get to his level it would take a few years decades to save up the cash to buy what he has and by then something else would have come along lol

It's his process for finding seating depth and the concept of nodes and how to load, prep brass, and seat bullets to find the nodes that I like. I can do that with the stuff I have. The two stop chasing the lands videos are gold...

 

[C-130 Dude]

I don't have any of that stuff and I don't really want it. His Dillon has an automatic widget on it. I don't have or need that. If I was or intended to try to get to his level it would take a few years decades to save up the cash to buy what he has and by then something else would have come along lol

It's his process for finding seating depth and the concept of nodes and how to load, prep brass, and seat bullets to find the nodes that I like. I can do that with the stuff I have. The two stop chasing the lands videos are gold...

I do use a tuner of his though. Would I like his equipment? Sure. But that's not likely to happen. I will take what tibits I can from his and others videos. Its all good!

 

[john k]

I do use a tuner of his though. Would I like his equipment? Sure. But that's not likely to happen. I will take what tibits I can from his and others videos. Its all good!

Was the tuner a good investment?

 

[lancetkenyon]

Supertrickler. Amazing piece of technology.