Equipment question for a new guy.

[jtf3635]

-What is the tool/tools you've purchased and never used or found useless?

-What's the tool/tools that you wished that you would've purchased earlier in your reloading journey?

I apologize if this has been covered multiple times before.

 

[sedancowboy]

to the first question I have X-dies and have never used them. Also I have long since stopped using powder measures. The new powder scales and Super Tricklers have made them obsolete. I no longer prime using a press and my current press, a Rebel has no provision to do so.

"Buy once cry once" is a good motto. I now only buy quality tools and equipment. If you use a RCBS bench mounted primer you will never go back to a hand primer. Your hands will thank me latter. Buy the best measuring tools you can afford. If you can't measure it accurately then you are lost to start with. Calipers are fine for COAL but for precision you need mics. Use a cheap press to deprime with and your main press will last a lifetime. The carbon from the depriming is very abrasive and will wear your press ram out.

 

[ARlife4me]

I bought 2 Hornady trimmers that I wish I never bought! Price was the reason for purchase.
I'm on the fence about high-speed electric trimmers as not liking the price. The Lyman case trim express has filled the gap and has worked well .

 

[QuietTexan]

What are you goals here?

I don't want to tell you I regret my V4 Autotrickler and wished I had put the money towards a Prometheus, because it all you want to do is ring steel or shoot animals out to a few hundred yards you can do that with a Lee Loader and a positive attitude.

Mainly what you pay for past a certain point is more speed at the same quality. You could go your entire shooting career with an Ohas manual balance, a Rock Chucker, and some Lee dies and never want for anything, shooting just as good of loads as guys who spent 10X money, just maybe not as many rounds as them.

Direct answers:

-What is the tool/tools you've purchased and never used or found useless?

Cheap measuring tools are about the only thing I'll call useless. I got some Mitu digital calipers and have never looked back. No more dead battery in the cheap digital calipers every time I grabbed them.

A better bench. I'm rebuilding mine, again, because it never seems stable enough. Even before a scale, a rock solid bench to put it on is a must. My new bench will weight something like 300# when I'm done with it, will be on anti-vibe machine levelers, and have multiple Inline Fab plates routed into the top.

There are some things I don't use often, but still don't regret because the one time I needed them they really bailed me out and probably saved me multiples of what they cost chasing problems - 21st Century concentricity gauge falls into this category. The Hornady equivalent I regret because I didn't understand at the time just how terrible their instrumentation was - I was expecting functional and received useless.

-What's the tool/tools that you wished that you would've purchased earlier in your reloading journey?

Mitu digital calipers. A&D scale and V4 AutoTrickler (yes even though I wish I had a Prometheus now). My own reamers/gauges.

I very much so like my Primal Rights CPS primer. I need it because I physically cannot run a hand primer with how bad my hands are these days. Maybe a hand click primer would be a better combination for you in that it's less expensive and maybe more accurate because of feel and whatnot like some people claim, but I can't do that it's a moot point to me. A 21st Century priming tool is probably awesome, guys rave about them, but I can't use it.

 

[jtf3635]

My overall goal for these questions are to collect equipment which has the ability to grow with me as my knowledge/experience increases in time. I'm currently starting with reloading .223/5.56 for 1200m and in on 1MOA sized targets . I've also sparked an interest in 6mm arc.

 

[ARlife4me]

The arc could get you that distance more easily than 5.56 will. 22creed or 22-250 variations would be a better option for 1200m

 

[Mark37082]

I gave this some thought and I use just about every tool that I have purchased. The Wilson 50 cal trimmer is probably the least used tool I have for reloading. I bought it for trimming SW500 brass. There is only so much your wrist and elbows can take shooting these hand cannons.
I started with Lee and RCBS dies, but have upgraded to Redding and Forester over time. There always seems to be something that I would like to try. Such is life living in the reloading and rifle rabbit hole.

 

[del2les]

My overall goal for these questions are to collect equipment which has the ability to grow with me as my knowledge/experience increases in time. I'm currently starting with reloading .223/5.56 for 1200m and in on 1MOA sized targets . I've also sparked an interest in 6mm arc.

For a long time, we have started new and young LR shooters with that very cartridge with fast twists and everything from 75-88gr bullets. Personally, I cannot count the 1,000's of .224 bullets I have fired on the 1,000 yd line on 10" gongs and various targets like F class and other. It is a great way to learn wind reading, and a way to have LR shooting fun without breaking the bank, burning out larger bore barrels and without heavy recoil or muzzle blast.

As for your initial op questions, I cannot think of any tool or item I have bought for reloading, bullet making, etc that I have not used or regretted. Items I wish I had bought sooner, I guess that would have been a progressive shot shell press instead of the years I spent with the old MEC 600's and Sizemasters.

 

[jtf3635]

The arc could get you that distance more easily than 5.56 will. 22creed or 22-250 variations would be a better option for 1200m

I've never been the type of guy that follows the easy road. If the possibility exist, I want to find it in my skill set. My current job allows me to gain experience from those around me and increase my knowledge as long as I ask the right questions.

 

[memtb]

-What is the tool/tools you've purchased and never used or found useless?

-What's the tool/tools that you wished that you would've purchased earlier in your reloading journey?

I apologize if this has been covered multiple times before.

Following……I'm wondering also! memtb

 

[ARlife4me]

I've never been the type of guy that follows the easy road. If the possibility exist, I want to find it in my skill set. My current job allows me to gain experience from those around me and increase my knowledge as long as I ask the right questions.

If someone can hit a target with a 300bo at 1k, then 1200 is possible for sure. Shoot going east as it will get there faster.

 

[rogerstv]

Best move I made is from a basic RCBS to a L.E. Wilson case trimmer. Noticeable difference with repeatable results. Seems the RCBS would not trim to same length each and every time.

Bushing sizing dies for shoulder bump and micrometer seating dies. Will likely need a full length sizing die for certain times. The bushing will give you more brass life as you are only bumping the shoulder on fire formed brass. Brass from another firearm will likely require a full length size before fire forming. Then you shoulder bump.

I moved from the RCBS beam scale to the basic RCBS digital scale then to their Chargemaster Lite. The Chargemaster is filling the pan while I'm seating the bullet. Pretty nice.

Quality caliper. I stay away from digital. Personal preference.

Hornady head space and bullet comparators.

Some basics are a bullet puller, powder trickler, tumbler. I believe Panhandle Precision videos provide great information which is easy to understand.

 

[just_jon]

Hornady neck trim tool
Hornady concentricity gauge
RCBS case trimmer

 

[jtf3635]

Hornady neck trim tool
Hornady concentricity gauge
RCBS case trimmer

Which is the best decision to buy and which is the worst?