Some information for those new to reloading or thinking about getting into reloading. While not complete it is a good start on our ideas of what is needed and some of our thoughts. this list id for Metallic cartridge reloading (Rifle/Pistol) Respectfully RiverRider, KC, Jeh7mmmag, and kmon1

Get at least 2 reloading manuals, Lee or lyman are both good for explaining reloading. I would say pick either of them and one from your favorite bullet manufacture.

Study the manuals on how to and what you will be doing. As far as data goes those with what is available online from various component manufactures should be enough to keep you out of trouble and finding good load information. If not post up questions when you have them.

If you can find a mentor that can show you the ropes for setup and loading even better. If not there are other sources. Lee, Sinclar, and others have some very good videos online showing the reloading process. If you are within driving distance of Cabelas in Fort Worth the Sunday reloading classes have been highly recommended.

As far as equipment there are many choices. You can get by with the cheapest equipment and darned little of it, but generally speaking you'll get what you pay for. With that in mind, if you're a hunter or plinker interested in reloading for hunting or plinking are *the focus* for you, buy the most economical equipment you think will suit you. If you think you might want to play around and experiment in search for the most accurate load you can build, spend more. There are many different perspectives on reloading, and each aspiring reloader's purposes and objectives justify an infinite number of approaches to the game and how much money should be invested in equipment.


Press - for someone starting out Single stage press is the way to go. The presses is where you will find more disagreements than any other equipment on which is best. Lets just say some are better than others but all the presses on the market today can be used to reload some great ammo. Pick one you like and can afford, because if you take care of it the press will probably outlast you. Much like a good rifle if you wear a press out reloading then you will have had a lot of good times and spent a lot of time with it.

Dies - all the manufactures make some great ones. Any case with a shoulder or taper will have to use steel dies with lubricant. Straight wall pistol cases can be sized with carbide dies. Carbide eliminates the need to lubricate cases and really speeds up the job of processing brass.

Full Length sizing dies you will want a set for each caliber you plan to reload for. Always use a FL resizing die for automatic, pump or leveraction rifles, and if reloading brass shot in a different firearm.

Neck sizing dies are great for accuracy loads and extend case life by working the brass less than a FL resizing die. the Collete type dies for neck sizing are very good and work the brass even less.

Bullet seating dies are used to seat the bullet and many have the ability to crimp or not depending on how you setup the die.

Crimp- Taper vs Roll

You will hear these terms thrown around, but it's important to understand the difference. A roll crimp is just what it sounds like- the mouth of the case is rolled into a crimping groove or cannelure in the projectile. It offers a very stable crimp but it works the mouth of your brass and can lead to splitting.

A taper crimp, on the other hand, squeezes the mouth of the case into the projectile evenly. It doesn't work the brass nearly as much and is the only crimp method that will work in most auto pistol calibers, since they headspace off the case mouth.

Crimping is necessary to keep the bullet from moving in the case during recoil.

factory crimp dies are great for crimping and easy to use.

CASE HOLDER - You will need one for your press to hold the shell in the press. If you use Lee dies the correct shell holder is included.

Case trimmers - are another necessary tool, as cartridges are fired and re-sized the brass will eventually stretch causing it to be too long which is not good as this can cause excessive pressures, cambering issues or both. Cases need to be trimmed to spec and if you are crimping the loads having them all the same length makes that a lot simpler.

When getting started, the Lee trimmer system works well and is inexpensive. It takes a little bit of time and elbow grease, but generally only trim every 3rd-4th loading.

PRIMING EQUIPMENT = the hand held ones are simple to use and do a great job. The Lee and RCBS versions are great.

POWDER SCALES - there are many good ones. Digital scales are very popular these days and a good one can speed up the loading process. The balance beam scale is still a good option, Learn how to use your scale and make sure it is calibrated before trusting it for weighing powder charges. Also air flow can make a difference so measuring powder is best done away from fans and AC vents.

When using a powder drop weigh every 4th or 5th charge. If you are loading for precision, you can drop your charge 1/2 grain light and finish it out with your powder tickler in the scale.

CALIPERS - either digital or dial are an necessity for measuring case length and loaded cartridge length. We are talking hundredths or even thousand of an inch to be accurate and safe.

POWDER FUNNEL - Have one. Have two. Have five. You can never have too many funnels!

LOADING BLOCKS - you will want these to hold your cases keeping things organized while you work.

CASE LUBE - the spray ones are good and easy to use but are only one of several options. Cases stuck in reloading dies are a pain to remove.

CASE PREP - you will need at least a camafer/reamer tool for cleaning up cases.

TUMBLER - for cleaning up the brass, another good route for that can be found in the hints sticky thread.

Bench Accessories-

Keep it clean and organized! A cluttered bench is a recipe for disaster! I keep two paper trays on my bench for processing brass, one for before, one for after. This cuts down on the confusion. A good set of blocks is a must, and it allows you to visually check your powder charges. When setting up your bench, be sure to leave plenty of room on the "weak" side of your press. This will give you a place to set your brass bins and ammo trays.

At some point you will most likely acquire other tools of the craft. Bullet pullers....


Mostly have fun and above all be safe. Do not exceed max published loads.

Excellent post

X2, I was thinking about doing this too. There are too many questions about the same thing posted.

X3! Also don't forget to use common sense when considering costs. If you only reload for your hunting rifles, you don't need a $300+ bench-rest powder measure. If you only load for a few common calibers, the Lee case-length gauge\trimmer is the way to go as it's near impossible to screw up whereas the adjustable case trimmers can work their way out of adjustment and cause some funky problems if you don't catch it quickly, plus they're cheap. Only keep one can of powder on the bench at one time and ALWAYS dump your powder hopper back into the can when you're done loading. Failing to heed this advice cost me about $30.00 worth of powder a few years ago when I dumped a near-full hopper of AA 2520 back into the wrong can (Win. 760) and had to to throw it all out. The way I figured it out was when it overflowed out of the can and I realized I'd dumped into the wrong container. Always keep primers in their original sleeve and do the same as the above powder rule-most primers look amazingly similar when mixed up and a magnum primer in a max load calling for a standard primer can ruin your day.
I love reloading and have been doing it for almost ten years now. It has taught me more about shooting and ballistics than I thought I'd ever need to know, but it also teaches me daily that I've still got a lot to learn.

As kmon mentioned, BULLET PULLERS. There are several different ones on the market and like presses, there are a million differing opinions on which is best. It's a personal preference thing. Whichever you prefer..collet type press mounted, kinetic, etc. HAVE ONE FOR WHATEVER CALIBER YOU ARE LOADING FOR. You WILL eventually have to disassemble a round or two here and there because of seating depth, wrong powder charge thrown, etc. It's a convenience that will save you money, time and be a safety benefit as well. Think of it as a good eraser on the end of a pencil.

Excellent job Guys, And a well needed post.

good job guys. this should be pinned so it stays on top for the new guys.l I remember asking the same questions a couple years ago and watching the information pour in. I am reloading because of this section of this forum. thanks.

Great start kmon1,

Here are some other things that I have found to be helpful for making good quality ammo.

Cheap and absolutely a must have is a headspace gauge, to make sure the brass is not resized too much (or too little), and this is an inexpensive piece of kit that really helps realize the advantage of handloading.

Ideally, the datum line on the shoulder should be set back 0.0015"

Hornady Headspace Gauge

Here is how to use it:

How to Use Headspace Gauge video

The Sierra Manual is my number 1 go to choice for reloading manuals. Hornady is good too.

Glen Zediker's Handloading for Competition is the definitive book on for detailed instructions on turning out top quality handloads.
Zediker's Handloading for Competition

For quality control on the final product coming off the press, a concentricity gauge is very helpful.

Sinclair Concentricity Gage

Dies - Forster or Redding for the best results.

Press - RCBS Rockchucker's work well, regardless of whether they are Gen I, II, III, or IV, and often can be found dirt cheap at garage sales or Craigs' list.

Priming tool - the handheld Sinclair is a good choice. Sinclair Priming Tool

Trimmer and Powder Dispenser - if you are going to shoot more than a couple of hundred rounds a year, the Giraud trimmer and RCBS Chargemaster are worth every penny of the many hours of your life saved.

Giraud Trimmer
RCBS Chargemaster

For wringing the most out of loads, a primer pocket uniformer does help some:

Primer Pocket Uniformer

Also, find someone with a chronograph, they are very helpful for evaluating the consistency of loads.

If you are able, find a website devoted to the particular caliber that you are working on. At the 6.8SPC Forum, practically every question and issue related to that round has been addressed. Search the archives to find the answer to the question you have there.

Excellent info and thanks for posting! I have most of the equipment needed to get started, was my fathers. Ive already purchased and read 2 manuals. Just trying to figure out where to set up and then try to find someone local to help me get my feet wet, not sure I feel 100% confident in myself to just jump in.

You guys are awesome. This was very helpful. I've been wanting to learn to reload for a few years now but have never had the time, money and room to pursue it. This post has answered some very basic questions I've had for a while. Thanks again guys...

What about the number one issue. SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY

Remember there is a diffence between Reloading and Handloading,the more you study the more you'll get out of reloading

A couple of thoughts to add; Be safe when handling and charging powders, and, most importantly, BE CONSISTENT. Make sure all brass is trimmed and prepped the same, bullets and primers are seated the same depth, and keep to the same brand brass for each batch (some may disagree, but I've always done better with matching brass versus a mixed bag). Consistency will really help you achieve great accuracy.

Agreed. Take Lake City vs Remington. You are supposed to reduce loads for Lake City by a certain percent because the brass is so much thicker if you want the same poi.

Great Brass. I love that stuff. It's easier just to use the same brand of brass...and if you use lake city, try to keep the years close together if not the same.

Good info, been wanting to get into reloading and this was very helpful. Just gotta figure out how much all this is gonna cost now!

Remember, you won't save any money...but you will shoot a lot more for the same price...Also..read the front of the Lyman Manual several times so you can really get an idea about what
you are doing....If you are in a Gun Club and know some of the
members that reload talk with them, may be able to help you
setup, plus lots of us have something we can part with cheaper
than new prices..DD

Do you recommend a kit that has everything needed to get started?

well I am new to this and and a good friend I met up with in Savannah, Tx. gave me some pointers and told me to call him anytime I have any questions. Great guy.

A kit is a good way to get started, you will over time add to and replace parts of a starter kit but mostly that will be for speed or ease of use or both, excepting things that are not included in mopst kits like tumblers and Caliapers. I still load a lot of ammo with the basic Lee Challanger press that I bought over 20 years ago. it still works and still loads ammo that shoots better than I do which on a good day ain't bad. Last Kit I recomended was the Lee Anaversary Kit. RCHS, Lyman, and Hornady all make good starter kits.







Getting a good mentor is always the way to go if you can find one. Aking questions here doesn't hurt, and provided good feedback sometimes, but hands on demonstration/explaination is much better.

It's common sense, but don't get in a hurry when you're loading. And don't load when stress or distractions/interruptions are likely to be numerous. You need to be able to keep 100% of your full attention to what you're doing.

Most of the mistakes I've made came from doing small batches for working up a new load (5-10 rounds per charge weight) and getting in a hurry. Usually due to mismanagement of my time and wanting to get in a range trip to test them out before loading up a bunch. Luckily, they were both light charge or no charge mistakes, but twice I've had a bullet stick in a pistol barrel when working up a new load.

Which brings up another safety tip for new guys: If something doesn't sound right, check the barrel before firing that next shot!! I haven't done it myself, but I've seen some pictures of what happens when you fire another round into a barrel that already has a bullet stuck in it.

I figure if my mistakes were light charge, they could have just as easily been heavy or overcharge. I do try to stick with powders that won't let me double charge a case, but that's no guarantee of not getting enough extra in there to tear up a gun or get hurt. I just went ahead and abandoned the mission on both those trips because i knew why it had happened (rushing to get done and out the door) and i didn't want to push my luck that the next one i fired could have been that overcharge.

Things seem a lot less tedious when the load development's over with and it's down to just doing mass quantities of the exact same thing. But you still don't want to get complacent, or get in a hurry.

This is a good topic, and glad to see it pinned to the top. Kmon 1 and you other guys who thought of it done good!
I learn new and helpful stuff all the time on this forum.

How often would you reuse the same brass for reloading?

I have heard of people keeping spreadsheets to track but they don't really explain how many resizes you can do before the walls of the casing are too thin and unsafe to reuse.

It really depends on a few different factors. There is no "X" amount of times.

What factors wold I be looking for, I don't reload +p or +p+ loads.

Are you looking for just tips on pistol rounds?