Hi, I have myself a .308 ruger, and would just love to start reloading for it.

Only draw back is, I know ABSOLUTELY nothing about reloading.

Can some of you wonderful people from AR15.com guide me in the right direction on what to buy?

Can you tell me the basics of what I would need?

like, press, etc... please get into details...

Also, some brands of quality, but not too spendy presses, and whatever else i need for it.


thank you, all help very much appricated!


ps, if it makes a difference on what i need to buy, i would like to load some incindiary tracer ammo for my .308.

can the same thing reload .30 carbine, and .223?

what about handgun ammo???/

Floater, if you're serious about learning try the Reloading Forum listed in the Basics Section of the main Forums page.

Best Reloading Manual (especially for beginners) is the Lyman Reloading Manual.

You should always get several different reloading manuals.

Lyman, Sierra: are good ones.

Reloading Presses: There are 3 types: Progressive, Single Stage, Turret.
Progressive Presses will do several operations with each pull of the handle (prime a cartridge case, drop a measured amount of powder into a cartridge case, seat a Bullet.
Pros and Cons: These are good for reloading a large number of bullets, quickly. Bad points: they tend to not be as precise as it would be if you were using a single stage press. Also for the beginner these types of presses are NO GOOD because you really have to pay close attention to what is going on. Especially your powder charges. The last thing you need is a double charge of powder (too much powder) in your case.

Good Progressive Presses: Dillon. Forster Coaxial. Dillon is the most popular and has the most accessories. Dillon has removable tool heads, which is nice because you can have several tool heads already loaded with your dies fully adjusted and all you have to do is change tool heads in order to change calibers.
Get a Dillon if you want an excellent progressive press.

Single Stage Press: does one thing at a time.
Pros: cheaper, easier to control what is going on. Cons: Slower than a progressive press.
Really good Single Stage Press: RCBS Rock Chucker.

Turret Press: is a like a Single stage press except it has a rotating tool head, which greatly speeds up the process of reloading.

Hollywood Engineering makes a good Turret Press.

You will need a Scale and Powder Trickler.
RCBS makes a really good Scale and Powder Trickler that when combined will give you extremely small tolerances in your powder measurements. (Powder Pro)
Electronic Scales are the way to go. You can use a balance beam scale but it will be slower and less precise.
Also you will want a good powder trickler. Again and electronic trickler will give you the most consistant results.

Also you will need Dies, Reloading Blocks, Lube, a good priming tool. A bullet puller, a case trimmer, a pair of calipers (get a digital one) so you can measure case length.

What is really nice to have is a Stoney Point Bullet Comparitor. Also some Neck Turning Equipment.

You will need something to clean and deburr primer pockets.

A really good way to go is just to get the RCBS Basic Reloading Kit which has a Rock Chucker and other basic reloading tools included.

Dies: Get Carbide Dies whenever you can. Redding makes really good Dies.

General Rules to follow:
Always keep your reloading bench clean and organized.
Never have more than ONE container of powder open and on your reloading bench. Always pour the excess powder back into your container when you are done. Otherwise discard it.
Always keep meticulous notes.
Always wear safety goggles.
Always follow the data in the reloading manuals. NEVER exceed the maximum charges listed in your manuals.
NEVER "experiment". Leave that to the powder companies.
Never mix a Powder with another.
Dont have anything around that will distract you: Music, TV, mad wife, etc.
Dont Smoke or Drink while reloading.
Keep Guns Away from your reloading bench.