Upgrading or just having fun?

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Peter M. Eick

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I have been on a campaign to upgrade or maybe you could say I am just buying more expensive toys. I was curious if anyone else went through this and when does it stop.

Lately I have been reading the Sinclair catalog and all of a sudden my reloading stuff (mostly RCBS) seems a bit crude in comparison. So first to go was the calipers and micrometers. Out with the old analog versions and in with Starrett digital's. Boy are they nice! Amazing how much better they feel in the hands. I am not sure I am any more accurate with them, but they are fun to use. Next I upgraded (?) my scale to a 1010 but I found that I am no better off then with my older Digital. They both seem to weight everything the same so I am thinking I should get one of those 0.02 grain precision ones I see in Handloader. I started picking up more MTM boxes and now lyman "m" dies for my expanders on my lead rounds.

Now I am looking at my RCBS powered trimmer and looking at the Guiard (sp?) units. They look slick! And I have to say the Lyman powered powder dispenser is looking nice compared to my older chargemaster.

I can see that the old Midway shooting rest while nice, does not compare to some of the ones in the Sinclair catalog. Maybe next order I will upgrade.

So is anyone else having this disease or is it just a byproduct of a lot of bonuses lately?
 
Peter,

Yeah, the Sinclair catalogs will leave you drooling and potentially lighter in the wallet.:eek: A little advice, if I may. When looking at all the fancy do-dads and neat gizmo's, ask yourself if the particular item will simply speed up or make an existing task easier, or will it give you a functionality that adds to the precision of your reloads. If you are into precision shooting, then competition dies should be your first purchase.

Don
 
Heck, that's one of the best parts of any hobby to me: acquiring the tools that make it better (easier, faster, more accurate, etc.) I agree with USSR, and would add that things should be in balance. If weighing powder to .02 gr improves accuracy (it certainly does not make it easier or faster!) less than something else that is not being done or even considered, then does it make sense to pursue it?

That's not to say there's not a level of satisfaction that comes from using the finest tools available, no matter how much (or little) they add to the process.

Andy
 
I freely admit I am not a real precision shooter, but I do enjoy the quality of nice tools. I know that I can do nearly as good with lesser grade tools as with top grade, but I find the satisfaction of not having to futz with the cheaper tool a lot more rewarding.

Thanks for the input, I was thinking I was getting a little overboard on some of the stuff. It is sure a lot of fun to use the gear though.
 
Put down the sinclair catalog and step away. LOL

I know what you mean. Some of that stuff sure looks tempting but I don't replace anything till it doesn't work anymore.
 
Upgrading

Hey Peter,
How does $20,000 worth of upgrades sound?
That during the 80's and 90's:scrutiny:

I'll stop soon.................................I think..............................maybe.
Maybe....................................I think.................................uh
when I die.
 
No, it doesn't stop. The only sane thing to do is call Sinclair and order one of everything. ;)

I figure I have a good start...I have their rifle rest, a Harrells measure, runout gauge, Giraud, Redding competition die sets, etc...

Doesn't make things any easier...it just ensures everything runs smooth. :) :)

Ed
 
Glad to hear I am not the only one. I will try and salve the urge tonight to get a new benchrest from Sinclair. I have fought it off 3 nights in a row, but tonight does not look good.

Sounds like we need a 12 step program for compulsive reloaders.
 
I cant stop it either. I bought new Hornady New Dimensions dies to replace my Lee's and now I'm drooling over the RCBS Competition seating die. I started out with a Lee kit for about $90 and figured I'm really going to save money doing this reloading thing....yeah right. I can't keep from buying reloading stuff...the Lyman DPS...not at all essential but man do I love it. I got the Sinclair catalog too and went off into La-la land. Then I started thinking...do I need a several hundred dollar neck turner when I can only shoot out to 100 yards...probably not. They do have a lot of nice, high-end products which someone once told me that unless you are shooting competitively and making money from it then there is no NEED to buy that stuff. I tend to agree but if I find a few $$$ here or there they always make their way into the hands of some reloading gear purveyor. If I win the lottery I'm going to have one heck of a nice reloading setup...in my own guest house so the wife doesn't complain about the house looking like an "ammunition factory" lol.
 
How about a "Cliff's Notes" version of what distinguishes Hornady's New Dimension?

I noticed the "New Dimension with Zip Spindle" dies are good for a box of bullets with the current promotion but couldn't find a description of what a "zip spindle" is, or how they differ from the Lee.
 
With the zip spindle you loosen the bolt holding the rod a little and then you can push/pull the expanding/decapping rod all the way in or out instead of screwing/unscrewing the entire length of the rod.

I bought them for the seating dies with the sleeve that secures and aligns the bullet before it begins seating the bullet. I figure more accurate seating and less stress with flat base vs. boat tail bullets is a good thing. With the free bullets the dies come out to $20ish so its not much to spend to experiment.
 
Think of the zip spindle as the same as the Lee collet spindle, except there are shallow threads cut in the spindle and inside of the collet. It means you can loosen the collet a little and screw the spindle in/out for fine adjustments, or loosen the collet a lot, and slide the spindle up and down for fast, coarse adjustments. The shallow threads also mean you don't have to be a gorilla to get the collet tight enough to keep the spindle from slipping. When you make the coarse adjustments, it makes a "zipper" sound.

I really like the Hornady seating dies, especially for lead bullets and pistol cartridges. It has the sliding sleeve for alignment, plus it can crimp while seating (no other sliding sleeve pistol die can do that), and it can be disassmbled for cleaning without messing up the seat or crimp settings. To top it off (literally), you can buy the optional micrometer adjuster screw, and have a micrometer die too.

Andy
 
Take up benchrest. Then you'll see how much reloading can cost.

For all my precision rifles, I use Redding match dies. You'll soon find it hard to live without micrometer seating dies. Gota buy that Harrell powder measure, etc, etc.
 
I called Sinclair the other day to order a bore guide and accompanying solvent port. Just a $35 purchase, no harm, right? And I have to keep that new .223 clean, right? The nice man says he'll send along a catalog. Sounds good, I say. Oooops.

Cut up the credit cards now......
 
The nice man says he'll send along a catalog. Sounds good, I say. Oooops.
Click to expand...

I didn't even ask for the catalog but now I'm stuck with it...cant throw it away...lol. I'm trying to work my way up to a single very good rifle and a really good reloading setup one piece of gear at a time.
 
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Hmm...maybe that's my problem.

I tend to go through the catalog with a sharpie in hand and circle everything I "need".

Sure makes the wifes job easy when xmas shopping. ;)

Ed
 
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