New to reloading - which dies?

Hey all,
Wanting to get into reloading. Wanting to load for my 257 Weatherby and 300 WSM. Both rifles are hunting rifles and not going to be entered into competition. But, I'd like to reload for the pride of rolling my own.

Are 3 piece die sets needed? RCBS, Lee, and Redding all seem to make reloading die sets.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I already have a Redding "the Boss" reloading press.

Two-die sets are sufficient. I'd suggest Redding or Forster dies. Lee, RCBS, and all the rest are perfectly functional, but Redding and Forster are a cut above IMO.

After you've gained experience you MIGHT be interested in neck sizing and all that, but I'd suggest sticking with conventional FL sizing for a while. Keep the number of variables and distractions at a minimum until you know your way around.

Two piece die sets are just fine. Also make sure and get the best caliper you can afford. Hornady headspace gauge kit, and bullet comparators are also some tools to help tune your ammo to your specific chamber.

Thanks guys,
Ordering some Redding two die sets, shell holder, and will check out the calipers, headspace gauge kit, etc.

Are these the headspace gauge kit you referring to Fireman? https://www.midwayusa.com/product/479704...with-comparator

And, what is a good brand of caliper? Any to stay away from?

The Hornady comparator is what I use and severl others on here.

Starett and Mitutoyo are top notch. Deals can be found on Amazon and Ebay.

That's the ones.

I have a U.S. Made Starett dial caliper, buy they're not cheap.

Dial or digital calipers?

And, anything more affordable? These Starrett calipers (American made) are pricey!

I like an analog dial. Measuring that precise, I don't want to think about battery life or the temperature of the processor.

Read reviews on Midway USA for more affordable calipers. Those reviews tend to be reliable. And Midway does not censor bad reviews.

What about the Hornady dial calipers?

Those are usable. You don't have to have the very best to do good work, but Starretts sure are nice. Digital calipers are fine, too, and can be had for about 25 bucks. You're not likely to see these make an error that will make a detectable difference, but going top tier does instill a bit of extra confidence. Top quality tools definitely have a finer feel, but you can get by with less.

great choice but get their carbide sizing button, for each, these are very good. get digital calipers cheap, take the battery out when not in use.

don't read too much on here. its not that difficult

Fireman said it all great info

The only three piece sets I see have a crimp die added. A lot of dies like RCBS already crimp during the bullet seating stage.

He already said that he's not trying to enter any contests. He doesn't really need those tools to get great accuracy.

It is not only for tuning, it is for brass life. Setting the FL die to only bump shoulders .002"-.003" does not over-work brass. Aaaaaaaand, after brass has been formed to the chamber, bumped only .002", the same load that was on virgin brass will make more velocity.

You can set the die far enough out to not crimp.

Says the guy that asks questions on here, every day.

just so I can hear your pretty voice

Hornady headspace and bullet comparator are a must for consist hand loaded ammo great tools

Good info here. The headspace guage kit and bullet comparators are tools you will never regret purchasing. As for dies I own more Hornady than anything else and their locking rings are on the other brands of dies I own.

I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm simply saying that for his intent, he doesn't need those extra tools. I don't even use those. I know I could squeeze out a fraction more accuracy by buying those tools. The thing is; is the money worth it when I have loads that produce .1,.2,.3 moa in several rifles? I just don't want a new loader to be overwhelmed.

that's my thinking

I agree. Don't swamp the guy with a ton of stuff he doesn't need right now. Remember that many folks got by just fine with a Lee Loader for quite a while and loaded plentygood ammo. He's hunting, not competing. He can keep it simple as he likes and do well...and when he's done it a while may decide to delve into it a little more. Don't make the guy feel like he's wasting his time if he's not using benchreast quality equipment and techniques. It ain't so.

Yall don't give people enough credit. It is not rocket surgery to measure a case shoulder and set a FL die to bump .002". No different than I can teach a child how to hit targets 100 to 800 yards.

KRoyal had never hand loaded, we got his die to bunp shoulders .002 with my headspace gauge. My stepson (19 years old) purchased his own loading equipment. He will be bringing all of it by this week. I'm going to make him set his FL die .002" using my headspace gauge kit.

Screwing the die to the shell holder, and adding a 1/4 turn is kindergarten. I give adults enough credit to do better than that.

I wish someone would have taught me about using a headspace gauge as soon as I started loading. I figured it out fairly soon, but there was no point in skipping it at the on-set of loading my own ammo.

Can anyone recommend a good powder scale, funnel, and trickler?

RCBS 5-0-5

RCBS fullel with multiple inserts for various calibers.

Redding trickler

What about case trimmers? Forrester original? Redding? RCBS?

Any trimmer will work...some are just a lot nicer than others. This is one area where you can spend a ton of money---or not.

I'd suggest looking at Youtube video reviews of various systems and see what appeals to you.

this, I started about 50 years ago with the Forrester, it worked great. As I got older and arthritis and tendonitis hit, I was fortunate enough to have the $$ and bought a Giurard (spelling?) Its expensive but its the best for trimming lots of cases. The Forrester or RCBS will do you great for 20-40 cases, you will need a chamfer tool (inexpensive) to clean up the case mouth.

You tube will really help you learn the basics.

you wont save much $$ by reloading but you can squeeze a bit more accuracy out of you guns.

what rifles are you loading for?

Hornady is good and solid.

Forster lathe is what I used for years. It ain't fast, but it does do fine work. Followed by a chamfer/debur tool.

Then I stepped up to a Giraud, and wondered why I waited so long. But I need to trim thousands of cases per year. The lower volume shooter can't really justify it, it is expensive.

When you're going to sit down and process 20 cases, labor saving trimming equipment is just a luxury (and there's nothing at ALL wrong with that). When you sit down to process 500 cases, labor saving devices take on a high level of importance.

^^Fact.

I've timed it, the Giraud is 10X faster.

Manual lathe, 500 pieces of brass would be 500 minutes(8 hours 20 minutes). And I've done that in one day.

500 pieces on the Giraud, 50 minutes.

Holy cow! That Giraud sure is pricey, but probably absolutely amazing. Sticking with a Hornady Lock-n-load, RCBS Trim Pro 2, or a Forrester Classic.

Just got my press last year, so I'm a relative newbie as well. The Hornady OAL gauge should be bought now and the headspace comparator should be purchased before you start sizing cases that were shot in your rifle. You want to know how far off the lands, and you want to know how much you're bumping the shoulder on your brass if you're sizing stuff that was shot in your rifle. The $30 kit is nothing compared to the cost of overworking your brass and getting half the brass life you should be. You'll also get more velocity this way since you're not wasting energy forming brass.

You don't need expensive dies. Hornady are around $40 and they're plenty good enough.

I just got a Hornady trimmer, so I can't comment there. But it seems well-made and will do the job fine for a low-volume shooter.

I would also look at the world's finest trimmer and the Giraud tri-way if you're going to be loading just a single caliber. The Giraud tri-way trims, chamfers, and deburs all in one step, which would be really nice. About the same cost as the other manual trimmers, but only works on a single caliber. Depends on what your use scenario is as to whether it makes sense.

And I believed it, 50 cases in 10 minutes. Took my time though.

For a inexpensive case trimmer look at The Lee Case Length Gauge & Cutter and Lock Stud trimmer
I have used this for a small batch of case. I work's well.

This
and this

This one works well.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/628405/frankford-arsenal-platinum-series-case-prep-and-trim-center