Want to start reloading...help me tweak my list

[Lost Sheep]

(like that stupid Lee safe powder scale!).

Is this scale that bad?

The scale has certain drawbacks but inaccuracy is not one of them.

It only weighs up to 100 grains. Fine for powders, but if you want to weigh the heavier bullets you might be out of that range.

Most better scales have jewel bearings for the knife-edge. It appears to me that the Lee's fulcrum point is just the same metal the body of the scale is made of. (Someone can correct me if my vision has betrayed me.)

The most irritating thing about the Lee Safety Scale is the fine weight for the tenths of grain measurement. If you don't know how to read a vernier scale it will be a trial. If you do, it is still a trial unless you have a very delicate touch with your fingers and have the scale at eye level in strong light.

But if you cannot afford more than $60 for a scale (and cannot find a used one in good condition), the $25 price tag is undeniably attractive. And, as has been said before, it is as accurate as any of the others, even up to 6 times the price.

Lost Sheep

 

[tnaz123]

go with the Pro powder measure , hit C/L for a used RCBS scale before getting the Lee

hit C/L for a used RCBS scale before getting the Lee

What/Who is C/L?

Thanks for the info

 

[Lost Sheep]

hit C/L for a used RCBS scale before getting the Lee

What/Who is C/L?

Thanks for the info

C/L = Craig's List

also, see "fleabay" = E-Bay. I was just idly cruising E-Bay and found a few things.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DILLON-PREC...877?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a77c2fdfd

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RCBS-5-10-P...300?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f1af911dc

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RCBS-JR-3-R...273?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4606ed7de1

http://www.ebay.com/itm/190713942540?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ohaus-Preci...020?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item337ad0b404

Most of the scales are around (current bid) half the price of a new one and look like they are in brand-new condition. The last on is an Ohaus 10-10 and has 4 hours left on the auction. $70 for a scale I saw in a store recently for $180. (But I bought in 1975 for I don't remember, but nowhere near $180. I nearly dropped my cookies when I saw THAT price.)

Good luck

Lost Sheep

 

[tnaz123]

Thanks Lost Sheep, Craigs List did not register??? I've been checking e-ba.

 

[holdencm9]

Thanks to everyone for your replies and advice.

Based on what I have been told here, and read elsewhere, I went ahead and ordered a Lee Classic Turret Press Kit from Kempf. It includes the press, the dies for .45, the auto-disk powder measure (which I upgraded to pro) and the safety prime system.

Along with 6 ammo storage boxes and shipping, and with the pro upgrade it all came to $240. Not bad since it includes the dies.

Now it sounds like a scale, caliper, primer pocket cleaner, book (one textbook kind of like ABC's of reloading and one manual like speer) and bullet puller are next up to be ordered, along with the powder/bullets/primer of course.

Down the road some case-conditioning tools are probably in order as well as a tumbler. Some people talked about Hornady OneShot for rudimentary cleaning, how many times can I re-use brass using this method before I should really buy a tumbler and do a thorough cleaning? Will it quickly become a function/safety issue or is it more of an aesthetic thing?

Thanks again all.

 

[wraith56]

I don't use HOS, but i did reload 38 spc brass about 3 times before I got a tumbler to clean it. No problems.

I don't know how smooth the primer feed is on that turret press as I only use a single stage. for me the RCBS hand priming tool is my most valued reloading tool, eliminates fingering of primers when loading multiples of 10. (which is almost never, but the fingering is less and priming is now the fastest part.)

 

[Lost Sheep]

I don't use HOS, but i did reload 38 spc brass about 3 times before I got a tumbler to clean it. No problems.

I don't know how smooth the primer feed is on that turret press as I only use a single stage. for me the RCBS hand priming tool is my most valued reloading tool, eliminates fingering of primers when loading multiples of 10. (which is almost never, but the fingering is less and priming is now the fastest part.)

I loaded for 30 years without a tumber, just cleaning my brass with a soft cloth of all grit. It worked admirably. My brass is prettier now, but shoots just the same.

Filling the primer tube was never very fast for me. That is one reason I like the Lee Safety Prime device. It DOES require a gentle touch and must be adjusted to be in the EXACT right position, but is very reliable until the last two primers (at which point there is not enough weight behind them to be sure of feeding). The best part is that you can SEE the primer in the cup before you move on. That, and the fact that primers in the round tray are less prone to a chain detonation than primers stacked atop one another. Rare, but it happens.

Do you use one of those trays that fill the primer tube or do you fill them by the "pickup up in the end of the primer tube" like I used to?

Lost Sheep

 

[dickttx]

I was out of reloading from about the mid 70's till a couple of years ago.
When I started again I was absolutely amazed at the complete OBSESSION with case cleaning.

 

[holdencm9]

I was out of reloading from about the mid 70's till a couple of years ago.
When I started again I was absolutely amazed at the complete OBSESSION with case cleaning.

So you never did any kind of cleaning of the brass? Was that for pistol AND rifle or just pistol?

I imagine part of it is vanity. I must admit I went ahead and cleaned the brass I had saved up in excited anticipation of my first reloaded batch. I don't have a tumbler so I just did the dish soap/vinegar/water mix and must admit, they do come out pretty shiny. Not "like-new" appearance, but definitely better than they looked before!

It was time-consuming though, and I imagine the novelty of shiny brass will wear off after a few times....so it is good to know I can go a few reloads (or several) without cleaning the brass each time.

 

[dickttx]

Mostly rifle, some pistol, but neither in great volume. Just wiped them off before running them through the sizer.
Then it was kind of the mark of a reloader that you had discolored brass instead of shiney new.
Don't get me wrong, I now worry about cob or walnut, time, size of media, etc.
However, in working up handgun loads 10 or so at a time I often just run them right back thru the loader as soon as I get back.

 

[popper]

Forget the PP cleaner. I have a uniformer I just use on rifle. Wash them in a pan with water, lemishine and soap. Just shake the pan often and wait for them to get clean enough. Rinse and dry, good to go. I clean before and after sizing, to get the junk off range pick up and then to get the PP cleaner. I'm more interested in clean inside, not shiny outside. I don't trim either, as the cases usually just get shorter.

 

[holdencm9]

I'm more interested in clean inside, not shiny outside.

See, I've heard some people say the opposite too. That they don't care if the inside is all grimy, because the next load through would just blow it all out, and leave a fresh layer of grime in its wake. There must be some truth to that or else those people who reload the same brass dozens of times without cleaning it would start to see reduced case capacities, no?

This whole reloading business really is an art and science (and hobby) unto itself isn't it? Lots of varying methods and opinions on everything, but I am learning a lot, thanks everyone!

 

[the count]

All I can tell you is this: Once bitten by the reloading virus, there is no end to the stuff you will be buying.

Just a short except of the stuff I got over the last couple years: various die sets in each caliber, powder cop die, powder lock out die, bullet feeder die, powder scales, case lubes, case sprays, reamers, deburrers, primer pocket cleaners, case trimmer etc etc the list just goes on and on.

PS Love this hobby!

 

[holdencm9]

All I can tell you is this: Once bitten by the reloading virus, there is no end to the stuff you will be buying.

Well at least my wife can't complain I am out shooting all the time anymore. Instead I will just be in the next room over reloading all the time!

And at least with reloading I can say "see honey, it helps me save money in the long run...."

 

[Nevmavrick]

I used to reload so I could shoot
Now...I shoot so I can reload.
Gene