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New to reloading

4K views 32 replies 17 participants last post by  gremlin1945 
#1 ·
I want to start reloading.Want to start with 7.62 nato and 8X57 mauser.What is everyones opinion on this setup?
Lee 50th Anniversary Reloading Press Kit.Later on maybe I'd like to go with 7.7 Jap,7.5 Swiss and 7.62X54R.
Thanks for an input.

Ed F.
 
#2 ·
When you buy that kit, you end up with the a less than wonderful scale. I recommend buying the press separately and then buying a decent scale which will run you (if you shop carefully like at Graf & Sons), about $60. There are 3 legs to this reloading stool: The Press, The Scale and You using the Reloading Book. You got these under control, you got a darn good reloading program ahead.

Pls email me and I will help you on picking out stuff for your reloading program. By the way: there is nothing wrong with Lee rifle dies so you will be well served by them. The Lee trimmer for brass is slow but it works very well indeed.
 
#4 ·
I use a Lee press, dies, trimmer but not their scale. I also use RCBS, press, dies, and their scale. Off hand I do not know what is in the kit and your link didn't work for me, but Lee makes good reloading equipement. The one thing I would get is a good scale, you always want to know how much powder is in the case. I really like the
 
#5 ·
gremlin,

the two best things I ever got for reloading were my Lee hand primer press, and the Hornady auto measuring scale/powder dispenser. I love LEE dies.

For bolt actions, neck sizing with a carbide die is super easy. The self dispensing scale is like half way to a progressive, expensive but for me it completely changed how much fun it was to reload.
 
#6 ·
As stated this thing about a great scale is supported by the gents who posted above.
Like anything, you can spend as much as you want to chasing high end units. A basic
beam balance scale (not Lee) is recommended. While I agree with Portholio that the digital
dispensing scales are great... I am not sure they are wonderful for a beginner. I got the RCBS
model and its great but, I got that 40 yrs after I started reloading. Granted they did not make them
back 40 yrs ago but I did not suffer those 40 yrs with a balance beam scale at all. A plain jane decent
digital scale (no dispenser) will cost you right around $100. Air currents and temperature can effect them but the old balance beam just weighs powder hell or high water.

Before you leap to the digital dispenser type scales, perhaps get into reloading a bit further before you spend that kind of money. If you buy press , scale and tools right, you can enter the reloading hobby fairly inexpensively and that reloading gear will last a life time.

As stated: not a thing wrong with Lee dies.
 
#8 ·
punch that in search box and get some reviews before you buy. Maybe board members will voice their views on this scale for you.

Midway USA will have reviews for that item as well. I will paste them for you here:

Todd of LINCOLN, NE
5 stars
Date Posted: 3/12/2012
From the time I put a case on the scale until the numbers stop changing it takes one second. The scale holds its reading steady and returns to zero. I checked it against a diamond scale and it is on the mark. My trickler sits next to the pan and is solid (after adding some sticky pads) (to the scale not the trickler). It doesn’t shut itself off while I answer the phone. I looked and I could not find MADE IN CHINA anywhere on the scale or box so im going to assume its made in NEBRASKA. Thanks Hornady!

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Colorado of New Castle, CO
2 stars
Date Posted: 3/6/2012
Scale was awesome for about 150 charges and then all of a sudden it starts wandering. Followed all the instructions, calibrate it and let the calibration weight sit on the scale. In 15 minutes, the 50gram weight is now 49.95 grams. My charges were wandering by up to 0.5 grains. Pretty dissapointed in the current electronic scale selection available for under $150.

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Jay of Idaho Falls, ID
1 stars
Date Posted: 3/5/2012
The new unit I received would not calibrate. I kept getting an ERROR message. Also, the design is poor, as there are only three legs and the scale wobbles if you press the buttons located near either edge of the unit. I returned the Hornady scale and bought RCBS.

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Donald Butts of Seneca, SC
5 stars
Date Posted: 3/2/2012
Recently bought this scale to improve my measure accuracy. Boy was I pleased. I have two other dig. scales and have not been satisfied. They would jump .1-.3 when weighing. Both were battery powered. I have used the Hornady L-n-L for 200 rounds and am extremely satisfied. The AC adapter makes it stable and also is very fast. Don't have to weight 10 seconds to stabilize.

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Shane Randol of ROANOKE, IN
1 stars
Date Posted: 3/2/2012
Unfortunately, mine is bad out of the box. ERROR when trying to calibrate. Guess I won't be using any time soon. 3rd defective firearm industry product in two weeks. Note to self, don't get rid of old beam scale. I'm sure this will be taken care of, just out for two weeks.

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TODD RIFE of OREM, UT
5 stars
Date Posted: 2/20/2012
This thing is Awesome! Well worth the extra $40 to upgrade from one of the many little ones there are on the market. Super accurate. Easy to use and doesn't take up too much space on the bench! money well spent!

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Morgan Massens of Fallbrook, CA
5 stars
Date Posted: 2/9/2012
My first powder scale and it works great. I was a little nervous at first because it would not zero out properly, but I read the instructions and it turns out you need to let it warm up for a few minutes and then calibrate it. After that it is very accurate. Like all the others I disliked the fact that it only has three feet, so I made a couple extra of my own for stability.

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Jesse Martin of Florence, AL
5 stars
Date Posted: 1/30/2012
Awesome scale. Looks good and performs very well. Simple and easy to use.

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Jeff Railsback of Vancouver, wa
1 stars
Date Posted: 1/12/2012
Like a previous review said, the scale won't calibrate. I'm sure when it works properly it will do the job just fine. I'll update the review when Hornady fixes the scale or sends a new one.

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Derek Scammon of Honolulu, HI
5 stars
Date Posted: 1/11/2012
This scale seems like a good one to me. The calibration is simple and fast, and the consistency is good. The three feet do seem strange, but if you push straight down on the buttons instead of pushing perpendicular to the button, it doesn't wobble. The accuracy is as stated, within a tenth of a grain. I weighed the 50-gram cal weight and it was 771.6 grains seven times out of ten, and 771.5 the other three. As another reviewer stated, if you're shooting 1,000-yard benchrest this might not be quite accurate enough for you, but then again, if you're into that level of precision, you're not reading the reviews for this scale anyway... I would highly recommend this product to a friend.

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JAMES STEWART of Atchison, KS
5 stars
Date Posted: 1/10/2012
I bought this to replace my lee beam scale that I knocked off my bench and broke and this scale works great, is easy to use and makes my loading much faster by not having to wait for a beam to balance I told a friend of mine about it and he ordered one from midway to after he looked at mine.

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Joel Austin of Hickory, NC
4 stars
Date Posted: 12/2/2011
This thing is great! The only problem is if you leave it on for a couple of hrs. you will have to recalibrate. But all in all pretty accurate and for the money for an electronic scale you can't beat it.

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Wayne Jess of Jacksonville, FL
1 stars
Date Posted: 9/20/2011
Scale will not calibrate, they say they will fix, in the mean time no reloading for 2 weeks..I should have known better, comments on the internet pointed to this problem for quite a few people.

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Brian S of Dublin, CA
5 stars
Date Posted: 7/15/2011
Update to my original review since I can add/edit that. Sent my original scale to Hornady (they paid shipping) and about 2 weeks later I received a working scale that calibrates exactly as the directions state. Happy camper on both the product and manufacturer side. Hornady made it right and I'm a big fan of the scale. Pleasure to work with, at both the product and manufacturer level. Good job Hornady.

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S M of Sacramento, CA
3 stars
Date Posted: 6/28/2011
This is a good scale for the price. Weighing the same powder charge 10 times went from 22.9 to 23.1. Flat solid table, no static, wind, or anything else. Chargemaster 23.0 all ten times. Not quite as accurate as my Chargemaster, but close, and also half the price. Powder pan came with dents in it, that I had to lightly hammer to flatten. Also, like another reviewer stated, it only has three feet. Two in front and one in back. Every time you hit the buttons it tips a little...What were they thinking!?? Made a trip to ACE to fix that. Would be a good scale for blaster ammo, Hunting or brass/misc. Long range or bench rest guys might want to look elsewhere.

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Dick Leemon of Orlando, FL
5 stars
Date Posted: 6/13/2011
Loaded over 300 rounds of 8mm and 500 12 ga shotshells. No issues. The unit is within 0.1 grn, comparing against test weights and my old RCBS 502. I can finally weigh over 500 grns for my shot loads with my scale. Large LCD is good for my senior eyes. Goodbye beam scale...!!

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Sarah Kenworth of Daly, CA
5 stars
Date Posted: 6/9/2011
I love mine. After using a beam scale for years, I finally got an electronic scale. This unit matches readings with my Lyman 500 scale and my friend's Pact scale. Test weights check out within 0.1grain. I weigh bullets, powder, slugs, shot, even my jewels with this unit. Works great. . Get one now before they raise the price. Nice work Hornady!!

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Rod Nicolette of Fallston, MD
4 stars
Date Posted: 6/6/2011
Unlike the previous reviewer, mine seemed to work just fine. I followed the directions that came with the unit and all went well. The only thing I don't like is, the base has 3 feet instead of 4. I can't figure out why they designed it like that. The single foot is at the back of the scale. When you push buttons the scale rocks as a result. Weird design decision. If you use the clear plastic cover when zeroing and weighing things it works best. The scale seems pretty consistent and is within the rated tolerance. So far it seems worth the money. (just wish it had four feet)

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Jake Sonner of Miami, FL
5 stars
Date Posted: 6/6/2011
Mine works well for me. I can weigh with or without the pan, and get the same results. I compared this scale with my old RCBS 505. Every test checked out. I also weigh shot loads in this scale for my shotshells, and also no issues. This is Keeper....recommend.
 
#9 ·
Ed,
Here is a place that has good prices on Lee items. I have used them with good results.... It is just one of several that are out there.
http://fsreloading.com/home.php?
 
#10 ·
The RCBS electronic scale (or better yet, the combo scale & powder dispenser) is the one all other manufacturers are trying to equal, and the one that a lot of folks wish they would have bought. I got mine last year & wish I would have gotten the combo years ago.

All scales wil wander a little, but are most stable when turned on and left about 30-60 min to warm up and stabilize. My RCBS maintains zero quite nicely, nevertheless I re calibrate it every 100 or so loads measured & also check random samples of charged cases to ensure maximum uniformity.

Always keep in mind that zero can wander if there are ambient air currents (when the A/C or heat kicks on) and also, just because the kitchen table seems solid, it's a good idea to check it for level and avoid leaning on any work surface where your scale is in use.
 
#13 · (Edited)
The 50th Anniversary Reloadiing Kit from Lee is a good choice. The Lee Safety Powder Scale is not the best, but it works well once you take the time to learn how to use it properly. It can be a little tedious in it's set up, and switching from one charge weight to another. But it works. I used one for years with good results.
Air currents, like when your AC kicks on, can effect a balance beam scale also. Probably more so than a digital.
Two other additions I would look at would be the Lee handpress and the Lee Powder Measure Kit. I use both for general loading. Can completly load a cartridge with the Lee Hand Press alone.
The Lee kit does not come with a loading manual. Do you have one? You can get loadiing data for your particular calibers online from most powder manufactures. But you really need at least two good manuals to cross referrence data.
You will have many questions when you begin. The guys here don't mind helping.
Have fun. Be safe.
 
#14 ·
#15 ·
I do not like the kits. They have sorta what you need, but you can get a better setup if you buy the pieces one at a time after getting some reviews/advice on each piece. Also, keep an eye on the refurbished area of the LEE web site, they often have bargain items that have been rebuilt to new standards yet cost much less. You may want to avoid any of the lee aluminum based presses and go for a steel one. The aluminum ones have a reputation for wearing out after a while, I do not have personal experience with that as I bought a steel one. My steel one has made several thousand rounds over the past year and a half or so with no issues; this includes forcing brass into the dies to reshape it (caliber change, making brass for one gun from another type, using easily 3-4 times the force that would be used normally).

the big thing about the kits is that you will end up replacing the stuff over time. Best to just get what you wanted the first go?

Also, go get your primers NOW. The press can wait. The powder can wait. The dies can wait. Between now and the middle of next year, primers are likely to be scarce if you are in the USA or otherwise affected by the ammo panic of election year.
 
#16 ·
dittos on what all of the other posters said.. I'm relatively new to reloading(since 1996), but I credit my electronic scale to keeping me out of trouble on those cartridges which can be over/double charged.I do have a manual scale, but I've never used it.

As Milprileb said, they are susceptible to variations.At one time my son was living quite close to a radio tower, and his scale wouldn't work until he moved !!!! Took us quite a while to figure that one out !!
Anyone ever hear of a Farraday cage?

I'm also going to do my pitch for casting your own bullets here.To my way of thinking one doesn't make sense without the other given current bullet prices...My .02
 
#23 ·
I started out with a Lee turret press and still use it.I also use my Dillon RL-550B for loading.It will take you some time to acquire reloading equipment over the years.Invest in a quality dial caliper I have a Mitutoyo which is a well made one.Also buy some cartridge gages of whatever caliber you shoot they allow a check of the loaded rounds before hand.Reloading manuals are needed and you will find the newer ones are more conservative as than the older ones.Good luck and enjoy your reloading.
 
#24 ·
#25 ·
I avoid Lee, with a very small number of exceptions. (Their powder dipper kit is very handy at times.)

Do yourself a favor and start with RCBS. You'll buy their gear eventually; might as well just start out with it. Nobody ever questions RCBS quality and for good reason.

Rock Chucker Supreme Master Reloading Kit:

 
#32 ·
I'm also trying to get into reloading for a few of the "cheap" military rifles I got. (Yeah $100 rifle. And then a gunsmith check. And then you have to get reloading equipment. And then hazmat shipping fees.) Anyways when you say affordable or cheap what are we talking about here? Are we saying $300? Or are we saying $1,200?
 
#33 ·
Me myself ,I'm around $200 now with the latest purchase of a Lee Zip trimmer,2 xtra quick releases for dies and a few other items.All I need now is powder,bullets and primers.Then it's class time.BTW I'm starting with 7.62X51 for my "soft steel" Spanish 1916.
 
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