Reloading Set-Up ? ? ?

[JJL]

I have been reloading Shotshells for about 25 yrs. and am thinking about getting into centerfire reloading as well. I really don't plan on saving that much money, and God knows that I won't save any time, but, I need a little versatility and wish to shoot a variety of loads that can't be found in nearby stores............hence, let's get reloading our own.

Here's my question.......

RCBS and Lyman both make kits that run about $250, another $25 for dies per set.

Is there any difference in quality between these manufacturers, in your opinion?

When I was 14 I screwed up and bought a cheap Lee shotshell reloader and wore it out in about a year. Went out and bought a MEC 600 the following spring, and still use it...........lesson learned.

I plan on reloading approximately 1000-1500 rounds per year. 4 different calibers.

Set me up...........

Thanks

JJL

[7th]

Re: Reloading Set-Up ? ? ?

I will say this, both Lyman and RCBS has good stuff and there press are great. I got the Lyman master kit about 20 years ago and I am still using everything that I got with it, the only edge RCBS has is it's warrenty. They will cover anything you can do to there stuff and no "Q's" about it.

That said, I would get the Lyman agien but would add a tumbler and hand primer to the set up and you are ready to load for the rest of your life.

I do only use RCBS die's and have about 25 sets of rifle die's and 4 sets of handgun die's.

I also load my shot shells with the Mec's but like you said you don't save any money by reloading. With rifle shells you just seem to shoot alot more by loading your own then getting them from the store.

that is my $.02

Frank.

PS. sorry about your new addiction

[hangunnr]

Re: Reloading Set-Up ? ? ?

Jim,

If you are interested I have a buddy selling off his Dillon gear. It will come with 5 or 6 complete die sets. It could be had for a decent price I'd imagine.

If you want to know more PM me a phone number and I'll fill you in on the details.

hangunnr

[AJ]

Re: Reloading Set-Up ? ? ?

I started out wiht a Lyman turret press namy moons ago. I switched to a RCBS Rockchucker and the quality of my reloads went way up. The turret press was introducing too much runout. The Rockchucker press is great and super strong. I have made 22-250 cases from 30-06 with a single stroke on a very sturdy bench and good lube of course.

As for rifle dies, I only use Redding. They are about the same price as the RCBS and I have found them to be better. I have used Lee, RCBS, Lyman, Bonanza, Redding, CH4D, and Dillon dies. Now, I use Dillon for handgun and Redding for rifle.

I have a Dillon 650 that I use for my volume loading. It is very fast, and allows me to load 100 rounds in the time it takes me to load a box of 20 on the single stage. The Dillon stuff is top of the line. Their progressive presses are great quality and their warranty is second to none.

[Reloader]

Re: Reloading Set-Up ? ? ?

I bought my RCBS equipment from Ebay.

When it arrived missing a few vital pieces (notably the large rifle primer cup for the automatic primer arm) I sent RCBS an email. They responded by sending me an entire new auto primer arm absolutely free no questions asked.

That kind of service gets my buisness every time.