Reloading equipment

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this, but I couldn't find a reloading sub forum. I am looking at getting all the equipment I need to start reloading. I was thinking about going with a rock chucker. However, my uncle approached me about his equipment. He wants to sell it all. $400 takes it all. The dies will be worthless to me because I don't have any guns in those calibers, but I assume I could sell them. Anyhow, here's a list of what he has. Does this seem like a good deal or should I go with the rock chucker? He won't split the lot. Thanks.

For a very accurate loading press I like the Forster Co-Ax. For brass cleaning, I use a wet tumbler with SS pins that I bought cheap from Harbor Freight. I know some feel that it induces hardening but it cleans inside and out including flash holes. Whidden dies are great but I also have Forster. I use an RCBS electric scale and I finger pinch the final 0.1 of a grain. I've gotten good at knowing how many little powder grains to drop to get to where I need to be.

I say, especially if you can't use the dies, buy your own stuff.

I just found the reloading forum. Any way to move this, or should I repost thread?

Do yourself a favor and get a Mighty Armory Magnum universal decapping die.

https://www.mightyarmory.com/products/copy-of-the-magnum-100-universal-decapping-die-for-all-presses

Decapping your spent cases before cleaning and polishing helps to eliminate having to clean each primer pocket.

Also, an ultrasonic cleaner and some sonic brass cleaning solution will be a huge help in properly cleaning your brass.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/5...load-sonic-cleaner-2l-ultrasonic-case-cleaner

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...aner-ultrasonic-case-cleaning-solution-liquid

I used the corn cob media and tumbler but wasn't a fan...didn't get them all that clean and the media got stuck in flash and primer holes which took a while to get out. Got SS tumbler and would never go back.

I second the coax, and second getting your own stuff.

Personally, I wouldn't use a SS tumbler. I used to think they were a cool concept, but after really thinking about it, I decided against it. The pins are harder than the brass, therefore it can possibly slowly erode the walls of your brass, weakening them over time. I'll stick to sonic cleaning with solution only, then polishing in corn cob #2 media.

Media does get stuck in the flash holes, but it doesn't take very long with a straight pick to poke the media out and separate your cases.

Just a few tips....look for media at petsmart...it's reptile/lizard bedding. You get a large bag for pretty cheap. Mine was crushed walnut shells and works well....

I found my Redding T7 turret press on craigslist for $100 when I was just getting into things. I had no idea how good of a deal I had gotten until I started reloading. I love the fact that I can leave multiple caliber of dies in the press without having to switch out much.

The Oregonian said:

I used the corn cob media and tumbler but wasn't a fan...didn't get them all that clean and the media got stuck in flash and primer holes which took a while to get out. Got SS tumbler and would never go back.

I second the coax, and second getting your own stuff.

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Fill your vibratory with buckwheat groats. No dust and about 1/3 of the time it takes the corncob. The one who showed me uses a little bit of nu-finish car wax too.

I have heard the stainless pins will also start to peen the necks if you tumble them too long.

Buy your own.

Get some calipers so you can measure headspace. Of course that requires getting the headspace gauges.

Forster will hone out the neck on a die for your caliber if they carry your caliber for only $12. No run out on case necks.

Buy several brands of primers. Primers is the last thing I try in searching for best accuracy.

The Oregonian said:

I used the corn cob media and tumbler but wasn't a fan...didn't get them all that clean and the media got stuck in flash and primer holes which took a while to get out. Got SS tumbler and would never go back.

I second the coax, and second getting your own stuff.

Click to expand...

Same here on the tumbling. Nothing beats the wet tumbling with SS media.

Always remember it's better to keep the dies and buy a rifle to match them than it is to sell the dies...

Blackdirt Cowboy said:

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this, but I couldn't find a reloading sub forum. I am looking at getting all the equipment I need to start reloading. I was thinking about going with a rock chucker. However, my uncle approached me about his equipment. He wants to sell it all. $400 takes it all. The dies will be worthless to me because I don't have any guns in those calibers, but I assume I could sell them. Anyhow, here's a list of what he has. Does this seem like a good deal or should I go with the rock chucker? He won't split the lot. Thanks.

View attachment 113713

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It's a pretty good basic setup to start with but for precision you need a good powder scale to weigh each load.

If you're going to use a powder dropper at all, at a minimum you need to weigh one out of every 3-5 loads to ensure consistency.

Blackdirt Cowboy said:

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this, but I couldn't find a reloading sub forum. I am looking at getting all the equipment I need to start reloading. I was thinking about going with a rock chucker. However, my uncle approached me about his equipment. He wants to sell it all. $400 takes it all. The dies will be worthless to me because I don't have any guns in those calibers, but I assume I could sell them. Anyhow, here's a list of what he has. Does this seem like a good deal or should I go with the rock chucker? He won't split the lot. Thanks.

View attachment 113713

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For all the parts you are actually going to use, second hand price would be somewhere between $250 - $300. Maybe even cheaper.

For $400 you could by all the stuff you are actually going to use brand new.

WildRose said:

It's a pretty good basic setup to start with but for precision you need a good powder scale to weigh each load.

If you're going to use a powder dropper at all, at a minimum you need to weigh one out of every 3-5 loads to ensure consistency.

Click to expand...

I used to use a nice $100+ RCBS Uniflow powder thrower... Then it malfunctioned and stopped dropping consistently. So I stopped using it altogether. Now I just hand drop and weigh each charge over a digital scale for my pistol cartridges. For my rifles that use extruded powder, I use my Chargemaster 1500. But you can't use it for spherical ball powders, unless you dedicate it to one powder and only that one powder, because the tiny flakes will get in every crevice and are almost impossible to clean out.