Posted: 10/6/2007 10:24:18 AM EDT
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What else do I need if I get the RCBS SMaster Kit? this is what i know of so far Tumbler Trimmer Sweager Dies Chargemaster when funds available This is for reloading for EIC matches |
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You'll need a set of dial calipers, a comparator and a chamber-all tool of some type so you can figure out seating depths for your long line ammo. I think the RCBS kits already come with a scale, right? For dies, I use Redding, Forster-Bonanza is good too. Get a good seating die, like the Forster Ultra Seater or the Redding Micrometer seater. Get a few books so you don't blow yourself up in the process. Unless you're using crimped LC brass, you can forgo the swager. Trimmers, the sky's the limit, I use a little Wilson hand crank thing 'cause when I was about ready to buy a Giraud, stuff hit the fan as usual and I had to spend what I had saved for other stuff. |
IMHO and experience there are two manufactures to consider that offer top of the line tools, dies and accessories and if ever (150 years from now) anything wears out you will get a FREE replacement, it's RCBS or Lyman A strong single stage press like the RCBS Rock Chucker or the Lyman Orange Crusher (Lyman changed it's color now but not it's quality) will handle anything you can possibly perform in all calibers under 50 BMG ammo. A case trimmer like Forester is my recommendation and a powder scale with a trickler from RCBS or Lyman will get the job done. When you want to increase your volume of "accurate" ammo, a Lyman 1200 powder measure/scale combo is the way to go! A life time primer seating tool that will always seat your primers to the bottom of your cases without hassle, force or breakage, is the RCBS bench mounted auto primer seating tool. It's fast, ultra sensitive in it's seating and uses your same shell holder as your RCBS/Lyman press. No need to buy shell holders for the press and additional shell holders for the priming tool! All RCBS and Lyman dies are very good for producing accurate ammo for use in high power. Hope this helps you selecting tools that you will never regret buying or using. Dave McGrath |
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The best purchase to make when reloading for accuracy is Precision Shooting's Reloading guide; this is a tutorial, not a data book, and gives you all the details on how to do it right. A data book is also good to have since the loads are pressure tested and make a better starting point than information you get from people off the web. Get together with an experienced reloader and have him show you the ropes; many steps are done by feel and others are better demonstrated than described. My favorite single-stage press is the Hornady Lock 'N Load - it's a strong O-frame design and the Lock 'N Load bushings make die changes very fast. It won't be wasted money if you decide to get a progressive later since nearly all competitors do their long-range loads single stage, even if they do their short-range ammunition on a progressive. I like the Hornady New Dimension sizing die because the elliptical expander works very well - no runout problems, so I can decap, size and expand in one step (many do this as three separate operations). Imperial sizing die wax is the best lube on the market, making the sizing fast and uniform (be sure to lube inside case necks to get uniform expansion). Since I shoot 3-4,000 rounds a year, I use a Gracey trimmer (would probably buy a Giraud now) and Gracey neck shaver. The Giraud carbide cutter makes the trimmer work much better. I set them up side by side and can produce 250-300 rounds of trimmed, chamfered and neck turned brass an hour. I uniform primer pockets using a Sinclair carbide tool and deburr flash holes with a RCBS tool, both chucked in a cordless drill - I use the uniformer to clean primer pockets because it does a better job of getting into the corners than a brush. Primer seating is very individual. I prefer the Sinclair tool since it has the best feel of anything on the market, but it costs $100. Any of the hand tools is superior to using your press which has far too much leverage. I don't like the auto-feed tools because an accident that sets off a primer could set off a very dangerous chain reaction (primers are high explosives)! The RCBS hand priming tool that uses APS strips is good once the spring that tensions the ram is replaced with a lighter one (I think the one I scrounged is for the AR-15 buffer retaining pin), otherwise you can't feel the primer seat. You can buy empty primer strips and refill them easily with the RCBS tool, so you're not limited to CCI primers. Instead of a powder measure, I use the PACT/RCBS PowderMaster/PowderPro dispenser and scale combination. I push a button to dispense a charge while I seat the bullet over the last charge; this is a fast as using a measure and gives me a charge weighed to +/- 0.1 gr every time. The downside of this scale is that the reading doesn't change until the weight varies by 0.4 gr; this makes manual trickling a pain since you have to bump the pan to get a new reading. I use the charge as measured to 600 and trickle for 800-1000. The original measure wasn't very fast, but the latest generation (beginning in mid-2003) dispenses in half the time. If you come across an old one it can be upgraded for ~$75. Today I'd get the RCBS ChargeMaster - it's faster yet. The Redding and Forster Competition Seaters are equally good, so get whichever you prefer. Either will have problems with heavily compressed loads although the Forster is more durable and less expensive, but you may want to get another seater to handle them. However, accuracy usually suffers when the powder is compressed, so this may be a non-issue for you. You'll also need some measuring equipment to set up your dies properly. A couple of dial calipers are handy, especially since you'll probably tie one up with a Stoney Point bullet comparator to measure seating depth. A Stoney Point OAL gauge is a great way to determine where the lands are so you can seat bullets to the right length. A Sinclair concentricity gauge is useful to measure runout, and is probably the easiest design to use. The RCBS Precision Micrometer is the best way to measure case length to size properly for your chamber, although a Stoney Point case length comparator on dial calipers is nearly as convenient. There will be some miscellaneous items you'll want as well. Reloading blocks help you keep operations organized and prevent powder spills. A collet-type bullet puller will let you recycle many of your mistakes. A primer tray is handy to get them all facing right way up. A powder funnel is necessary, and one that incorporates a 6" drop tube will let you get more powder in the case. A chronograph is very useful (I like the CED Millenium), especially in combination with good ballistics software package (Shooting Lab by RSI is head and shoulders beyond anything else available at a reasonable price); this is especially true for long-range load development (>600 yards). Of course, you'll need a supply of components (bullets, powder, primers), but those will depend on the caliber you're reloading and what you intend the loads to do. It's useful to have a selection of small quantities of bullets, primers and powders so you can experiment to find what your rifle likes. |
| You have gotten sound advice so far. Have you looked in the reloading forum? You can learn a lot here |
| Thanks everyone for the advice. I have scrounged the reloading forum for the last few months, though my whole reason to reload is to compete in CMP service rifle, and that's why I asked here. I've got a friend who has reloaded for years to show me the basics. Now I just have to sell my lathe to fund my bench |