Good morning gentlemen.
I'd appreciate some input on your craft. As of right now I am just an avid shooter with about 50 lbs of brass but am hoping that in time I will have the know-how and equipment to load my own cartridges. What I hope to gain from this thread are links to instruction manuals, threads, and videos that can clearly and concisely teach me how to reload and help putting together a shopping list for this investment.
I have no doubt that this request has been made before and if you feel there is a thread that can answer the following adequately then send me the link and I will act accordingly. Also, this being my first post in this section, I made sure to read the stickies, rules, etc.. Believe me when I say I know that the questions I'm asking will lead to a difference of opinion, but I honestly would not post here if I felt that I was among people that couldn't hold a civil discussion. That said, I really doubt it will be an issue. Well, I came here to learn and hope to have a lively discussion. Let's start with what I've learned so far and what I think I'm looking for.
My dream setup is to have a reloading station that can handle pistol, rifle and 12 gauge shells. I'm hoping to find the balance between simple and efficient. Most importantly I'm going to want one that will thrive in a SHTF environment, specifically that the important pieces necessary to produce an effective, safe round without a power supply and that the equipment itself has a durable design with as few sensitive and breakable parts as possible. Portability isn't necessarily a must but certainly a bonus as is the ease in which I can purchase extra/replacement parts at a reasonable price.
I plan to load
.38 special +P
.357 mag
.9mm
.40 sw
.223 & 5.56
.308 & 7.62x51
.30-30
.12 gauge bird/buck in 2 3/4" and 3"
I imagine I'll have both a single-stage and a progressive press plus whatever it takes to load a shotshell. As of right now I have no idea what brand I'm interested in, though quite a few have said the RCBS rockchucker is a good start. I know I need dies, but I really don't know how they work in the press and what each one does. I know I need something trim cases and some specialty equipment more military brass, as well as lubricants for the dies. I haven't even gotten to bullets, powder and primers yet. Though I want to be able to make ammo without a power source should I have to, I'll also be looking at a few "luxury" items, such as tumblers, electronic scales and other little things like primer tubes and the like to make it easier, but all that's down the line.
In short, I have a long way to go. Before I even add anything to a cart I need to learn what it is I'm doing. In addition to figuring out what equipment to buy, I really need someone to point me to some videos that break it all down clearly. Thank you all for your time and patience, and thank you even more for the help.
I'd appreciate some input on your craft. As of right now I am just an avid shooter with about 50 lbs of brass but am hoping that in time I will have the know-how and equipment to load my own cartridges. What I hope to gain from this thread are links to instruction manuals, threads, and videos that can clearly and concisely teach me how to reload and help putting together a shopping list for this investment.
I have no doubt that this request has been made before and if you feel there is a thread that can answer the following adequately then send me the link and I will act accordingly. Also, this being my first post in this section, I made sure to read the stickies, rules, etc.. Believe me when I say I know that the questions I'm asking will lead to a difference of opinion, but I honestly would not post here if I felt that I was among people that couldn't hold a civil discussion. That said, I really doubt it will be an issue. Well, I came here to learn and hope to have a lively discussion. Let's start with what I've learned so far and what I think I'm looking for.
My dream setup is to have a reloading station that can handle pistol, rifle and 12 gauge shells. I'm hoping to find the balance between simple and efficient. Most importantly I'm going to want one that will thrive in a SHTF environment, specifically that the important pieces necessary to produce an effective, safe round without a power supply and that the equipment itself has a durable design with as few sensitive and breakable parts as possible. Portability isn't necessarily a must but certainly a bonus as is the ease in which I can purchase extra/replacement parts at a reasonable price.
I plan to load
.38 special +P
.357 mag
.9mm
.40 sw
.223 & 5.56
.308 & 7.62x51
.30-30
.12 gauge bird/buck in 2 3/4" and 3"
I imagine I'll have both a single-stage and a progressive press plus whatever it takes to load a shotshell. As of right now I have no idea what brand I'm interested in, though quite a few have said the RCBS rockchucker is a good start. I know I need dies, but I really don't know how they work in the press and what each one does. I know I need something trim cases and some specialty equipment more military brass, as well as lubricants for the dies. I haven't even gotten to bullets, powder and primers yet. Though I want to be able to make ammo without a power source should I have to, I'll also be looking at a few "luxury" items, such as tumblers, electronic scales and other little things like primer tubes and the like to make it easier, but all that's down the line.
In short, I have a long way to go. Before I even add anything to a cart I need to learn what it is I'm doing. In addition to figuring out what equipment to buy, I really need someone to point me to some videos that break it all down clearly. Thank you all for your time and patience, and thank you even more for the help.