.260Rem is too expensive, but don't know where to start with reloading

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Derek Zeanah

Derek Zeanah

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I let Zak and company teach me how to shoot at long range a few months ago, and ended up picking up a new rifle afterward. (I've got a review of the course coming, but it was such a "wow, the whole world is different now" kind of experience that it's taking longer than it should. Soon.)

Anyway, I'm sold on the .260 and I have one to feed, but prices for pre-loaded rounds are high enough to finally push me to start reloading.

I may end up loading .45 ACP in the future as well which would argue for a progressive, but in the short term I'd just like to be able to fine-tune loads for my rifle and work on doing everything right.

so the question is: what's the most simple setup I can buy for building really consistent loads? I'm happy to spend money for automation and digital doodads if necessary, but I'd like to avoid unnecessary expenses to start. I'll need a press, dies, reloading components, and some sort of scale, but beyond that I'm kind of lost (case trimming and resizing? Dunno nuthin.)

So, where's a reloading noob to start?
 
i would also suggest the kit that rc linked to. with the $50 rebate, it's the best bang for buck on a single stage kit. that equipment is capable of turning out some very consistent ammo.
 
While I have a RCBS Rockchucker Master kit, I recommend a Lee Anniversary kit for a fracton of the price.
 
But for a set of Calipers which you may already own that RCBS kit is what I would also suggest. If you're looking to make good quality rifle ammo there's no substitute for a good single stage press. You can go a little less expensive but no better in quality. You will quickly make up the price in ammo if you shoot enough and I'm guessing you will shoot enough since you are now into long range shooting...
 
i am not a fan of the challenger anniversary kit. i posted this just a day or two ago in a similar thread:

the Lee Challenger kit (with the addition of a manual and a caliper) will certainly get you started. however, if you think you'll stick with reloading i would suggest spending a little more to get some better equipment. the Challenger has an aluminum frame and i much prefer the cast iron frame of the Lee Classic Cast single stage. the scale works, but can be "sticky" and not very smooth at times. the Perfect Powder Measure will leak fine powders and isn't very consistent. the Lee hand primer is made of pot metal and a lot of folks break them eventually. i'm sure someone will say i'm just bashing Lee, but i'm not. it's a good kit to get you started if you're on a shoestring budget or if you just want to see if you'll like reloading. most serious reloaders would want to replace several items in that kit. the Lee Classic Cast is an excellent press and will last a long time.

i usually suggest the RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme Master kit. the rock chucker press is a classic that will last you a lifetime. the 505 scale has been regarded as one of the best beam scales for years. the uniflow measure throws consistently. the rcbs hand priming tool works great and doesn't require special shellholders. it also comes with a good manual. like Lee, RCBS has an excellent warranty policy. the kit is $320 minus a $50 rebate, so $270 plus shipping. that's insignificant when you consider that the equipment will last you a lifetime and will turn out thousands upon thousands of rounds.

if money's tight, go ahead with the Challenger kit, but i believe most folks who stick with reloading would eventually want to replace most of the major equipment in that kit.
Click to expand...

for most shooters, a $150 price difference is negligible when amoritized over the many years that the equipment will last. this is the kind of stuff you can pass on to your kids. when you add up the amount you'll spend on brass, bullets, primers, and powder, it's really insignificant.
 
+1 on the RCBS kit. Also get:

A couple of manuals (lyman plus Ser or Hor depending on bullet choice)
calipers
trimmer w/ pilots & chamfer/debur
flash hole debur tool
primer pocket uniformer
primer pocket cleaner
better lube (Hornady Unique is good; others here like Imperial)
Tumbler w/ means to separate media
Case polish (Dillon is good and so is Berry’s)
Means to measure fired case to set up die (case gauge w/ calibers, RCBS Mic, …)
Means to measure loaded rd to ojive (PTG makes a good tool)
Dies are kind of a personal preference thing along with primers, powder & bullets.

Good Luck!

Edit:
i am not a fan of the challenger anniversary kit.
Click to expand...

For me it was THE kit that I could afford, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to reload. Glad I worked hard and have been able to get some better toys since then. For the op’s purpose I agree the Lee kit is not the answer. Over the years I’ve upgraded and the only piece of the kit I still use is the press (handy to have an extra to correct a screw up during loading) and the scale (everyone hates them, but it is way more sensitive than my rcbs 10-10 and works just fine if I’m in the mood to get charges really tight). The Lee kit serves a purpose, this just isn't it. :)
 
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Well the CHEAPEST stuff you can buy is rarely the stuff you SHOULD buy! If you buy the cheapest pot metal press you can find (Dillon should have the brand loyalty that the junk pot metal press maker seems to have!) it will wear out quickly and then you will need to spend even MORE money to buy the quality that you should have bought to begin with. Quality is remembered LONG after price is forgotten!

RCBS makes the Rockchucker kit and my Rockchucker is nearly 40 years old and works as good as new. RCBS also has a LIFETIME warranty they stand behind. The Dillon 550B progressive can be used as a single stage press, although it can't do case forming or bullet swaging and other fun things like the RCBS or other quality iron presses can. Dillon has a lifetime warranty they stand behind too.

Before buying anything however, I recommend you go to your local library and get the following: Lee MODERN RELOADING 2nd ed (ignore all the BS about the Lee pot metal presses and the so-called two year warranty, both worthless in my experience), Lyman #49 (new) or #48 (old) and DBI METALLIC CARTRIDGE RELOADING 3ed ed. All use Lyman data, but look at reloading completely differently. Since the DBI MCR 3rd ed does NOT sell anything, they tell you what is good and what is junk.

What ever tools you buy, buy quality, you will never regret it.
 
"wow, the whole world is different now" kind of experience
Click to expand...
I had that revelation when I first shot a Benchrest gun tutored by someone who knew what they were doing.

I am with rcmodel on this one. Go with a simple RCBS starter kit.

Get a pair of dial calipers. Harbor Freight ones are cheap and work very well. Naturally you can spend as much as you want on calipers, micrometers etc.

Get some kind of setup to see how far you are pushing the shoulder back. That can be cheap and simple to exotic and pricey. The RCBS Case Mic is a popular way, but I do not see one in .260. Would a .308 one work? Anyone?

I use home made gauges mostly. Same way I did it for my Bench gun, but someone else made that gauge.

You'll need a trimmer. I have a Wilson, which is great for precision, and a Forster, which is very good, and an RCBS, which does a fine job. I would rate them in that order.

You may want some sort of concentricity gauge. I like the Sinclair or the RCBS. I have a Neco, and it works, but if Sinclair had made theirs back then, I would have bought it instead.
 
Lee Classic Turret Press I hate to differ from RC on this but I feel you get alot more bang for your buck. Also if you buy the Lee dies the shell holders come with them.
 
Derek Z you know this is the beginning of the end don't you?:evil: You will want ever and ever tighter groups and this will cost more and more dollars.:D I agree that a quality single stage press is a must for the .260 and reliable control over reloaded rounds. I also started with a Lee press and they are really good for what they cost. I now use a Rock Chucker and a RCBS turret for most of my reloading needs. Mainly because the price on them both when purchased at different times being they were used was a deal I could not pass up. There are many great presses out there and the debate could (and probably will) span pages.:) I would definitely start with a set of Lee dies. You will not feel bad when you scratch up the sizer or break the decapping pin. Also easy to get a stuck round out of and I am sure that most reloaders have stuck at least ONE brass in their die as they learned.;) Then if and when you want to get something like a micrometer seater a second set will be a good addition. There are a boat load of accessories you can purchase along the way in due time as needed. First get a couple BOOKS on reloading and go through them about three times. Then if you know a reloader, go ask him to run you through loading a single rifle round of some caliber, it does not matter which one at this point as you want to see what the steps/procedures are from start to finish up close and personal. Then do your buying and have the mentor show you how to set up your purchases. This is the step that helped me the absolute most I assure you. I learned reloading from my grandfather back in the early 70's and it was worth 1000 hours of internet answers and Youtube videos for sure that afternoon. A bunch of practice and the sky is the limit as far as quality reloaded ammo goes. I try to balance out the quality with reasonable amounts of production so at least I can shoot a bunch whenever I like. Also buy the components ahead to avoid supply stoppages so you CAN reload when you want, after deciding what works best for your firearm that is. You are about to join a really special fraternity that will embrace you and help you unconditionally for the most part.:cool:
 
I still use my RCBS that is over 35 years old to load metallic rifle. A simple, yet strong single stage is a worthwhile investment. Redding and Forster's Co-Ax are also good
I prefer a balance beam - the RCBS 5-10(if you can find one), or the heavier duty 10-10 from Ohaus is an excellent scale

I had some Lee equipment - I found the fit and tolerances a little too loose the and build material to be "cheap" - YMMV

If this is for long distance, you may want to look at the RCBS Competition dies with the micrometer seating die, a neck sizing die is also good to have. Another excellent die is Redding, as well as Forster

What else, besides those things mentioned above? A reloading area and bench - and a way to keep your scale away from the vibrations of the bench - I have pegboard on the wall and a shelf at eye height from my stool where the scale sits. For rifle I weigh every charge, as stick powders tend to not always drop consistently, even from the Uniflow powder measure (you really do not want little plastic dippers for this)

Allow more space than you think you'll need (just like a safe), "stuff" accumulates quickly enough. my bench is made from a Gorilla rack shelving system with two 4' sections set side by side giving me 8'. The top is made from 3/4" plywood, doubled up, glued and screwed together and screwed to the metal racking - VERY strong and stable
 
308 case gauge should work OK, does for 243. Consider US case prep or just washing the cases. Possum hollow trimmer is good and inexpensive, but my brass doesn't get any longer. RCBS makes good stuff, so +1 on the kit. Don't use 1-shot lube. Buy powder, primers and bullets in bulk. For long range shooting, you may want to look at the fancier size and seating die, as well as neck turning.
 
I started with a single stage, the Lee Anniversary Kit, because I wasn't sure if I'd want to reload or not. I then bought a Rockchucker, which I still own and occasionally use.

If the OP's budget is limited, then I'd wholeheartedly agree with the RCBS kit that includes a Rockchucker. IF the OP is sure that he wants to pursue reloading, particularly if he wants to be able to load handgun ammo, then I"d suggest the Dillon 550.

I wasted a lot of time with a Loadmaster, which was the progressive I went to after using the Rockchucker for a few months. I later wised up and bought a Dillon 650...which I wish I'd bought instead of the Loadmaster. Live and learn! :)
 
If you don't mind spending the $$$ ... go ahead and buy the Forster CoAx press.... if you are into long range ... then you are going to want as much precision as you can get ... that is something the Forster can provide. You won't be able to buy a more precise press... it and a "good" set of dies...

If you need "more" capacity... then look at the Dillon 650 with one of John Whidden's floating heads that provides the "idea" of the Forster in a progressive press...
 
I would reccomend the RCBS Rockchucker kit if you can fit it in the budget. When I was looking at reloading equipment years ago I checked out Lee. To me the Lee stuff looked "flimsy" compared to the other makers offerings. I prefer cast iron over cast aluminum. The RCBS 505 scale is highly regarded and I think it is a much better scale. I went with RCBS. A lot of people reccomend the Harbor Freight digital calipers. I prefer a good dial caliper. I have had too many bad experiences with HF electric type tools. Usually RCBS kits come with the Speer manual. The Speer manual is pretty good as far as procedures go. A lot of good info. Lyman's reloading book is very good too.
 
I wish you the best of luck in your new endeavor. I also highly recommend you visit this site. They have a great, and active, reloading community and are more than willing to help out anyone, regardless of their level of experience...:evil:
 
The Lee presses are great tools I have a Pro1000(my first Lee tool), Load Master, Clasice Cast BL, & a Hand Press BL. The hand press is a great idea & is very simple in what it is but isn't my favorit tool. I also have the RCBS Partnor & while there is things I don't luke about it there is no short comings in it. All of my presses load just as good of ammo as the other as long as I do my part. Some presses seem to fit the job better to my style tho. I have loaded 30-06 & 243 on the Pro1000 which was the way I liked it at first but decided I liked it better on the SS. I prefer the Lee dies over the RCBS & haven't tried any others.

Some disinformation is in this thread. The Lee presses are not built from pot metal. He must have had that press fall on his dog.or something. Maybe he just has no idea what he is talking about. There is times that stuff can be over built. New metal alloy can be both stronger & lighter. Just think of the crap Glock got over the plastic gun. Even after proveing it they still get crap from unknowaged people. Lee has second to none custumer service just be prepaired for them to try to teach & help you fix the problem before they start giving you parts. Some people just refuse to learn.
 
Frankly none of the major makers out there in retail reloading are making junk. All are making quality presses and all at different price points. Some offer more value than others for dollers spent.

This even encludes Lee BTW.

There was no copy and paste involved or used in this message.
 
Derek Zeanah said:
...what's the most simple setup I can buy for building really consistent loads?....I'd like to avoid unnecessary expenses to start.
Click to expand...

Lost Sheep has a really good post here that talks about what you "need" and what you don't, as well as breaking down the options available. For your situation his option #3 "Assemble a kit piece-by-piece with the components you expect you will never outgrow, but only the minimum pieces absolutely necessary and expanding as you find need for each additional piece, slowly, and as money and knowledge allows" sounds most appropriate.
 
If I had it to do again, today, I'd probably START with that RCBS kit, simply because the price difference isn't that high and the equipment is generally better.

That said, I started reloading about 8 years ago using the Lee Challenger kit and I'm still going strong with virtually all of that equipment. I've ADDED equipment that it didn't come with, and I bought a Redding scale when I lost the little pan that goes with the Lee scale (which I later found, and now I use both), but all my Lee equipment is still in use and it has loaded around 10,000 rounds of ammo total.

If you're really strapped for cash, the Lee kit will get you started just fine.

I will note though that the Lee kit does not come with a reloading manual, while the RCBS kit does. Thats a necessity and runs $25-30 depending on which one you get, so that certainly is something to factor in.
 
I had a Lee Aniversary it that servrd me well for the last 10 years. I did update the linkage but loaded thousands of rounds for 308, 260, 22-250 and 6br and with the Lee collet dies my Savage M12 in 260 with a LW Supernatch barrel produces sub 1/2" groups.
I bought the kit for budgetary reasons(kids to raise and bills to pay) ubderstanding going in you get what you pay for but I have zero complaints with Lee. I also load 9mm and 6.5 Grendel on a Classic Turret press.
 
Derek Zeanah said:
I let Zak and company teach me how to shoot at long range a few months ago, and ended up picking up a new rifle afterward. (I've got a review of the course coming, but it was such a "wow, the whole world is different now" kind of experience that it's taking longer than it should. Soon.)

Anyway, I'm sold on the .260 and I have one to feed, but prices for pre-loaded rounds are high enough to finally push me to start reloading.

I may end up loading .45 ACP in the future as well which would argue for a progressive, but in the short term I'd just like to be able to fine-tune loads for my rifle and work on doing everything right.

so the question is: what's the most simple setup I can buy for building really consistent loads? I'm happy to spend money for automation and digital doodads if necessary, but I'd like to avoid unnecessary expenses to start. I'll need a press, dies, reloading components, and some sort of scale, but beyond that I'm kind of lost (case trimming and resizing? Dunno nuthin.)

So, where's a reloading noob to start?
Click to expand...
You need only do two things:

1) Get a good reloading manual and read it (Lyman 49th is a superb one, but most any will do)
2) Buy your equipment remembering that you get what you pay for. High quality used equipment beats low quality new equipment time after time, day in, day out.
 
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