Just started reloading

First off, HUGE shoutout to Rico903 - thank you times a million!

I just picked up a basic reloading set up (single stage hornady + analog hornady powder scale, etc) and am starting off by buying a 223 die set as well as a 300 BO die set.

I have a vibratory tumbler with walnut medium now but I'm already looking at stainless steel pins + wet tumbler as it seems that it's just miles better and is the eventual move everyone makes. So, with that, I have a few basic questions:

1) Should I just pony up the ~$160 now for a wet tumbler w/ SS pin media? Seems like it's where everyone ends up and wondering if I should just pull the trigger now since it's the end of the road for most anyway.

2) Should I get a Lock-N-Load powder measure now, or wait until I'm more experienced at the full reloading process? I'm actually concerned a *bit* that being a new reloader, the lower precision method of using the analog scale is inherently a bit more dangerous? Idk, I'm new to this, just an idea.

3) What are some good noob tips / tricks that you wish you had starting day one? Again, first pass will be 9mm 147gr subs, then 223, then 300 BO conversions from 223 brass.

Thanks all!

I am a single stage reloader, getting ready for a progressive.
My advice is to do everything manually and hand weigh each charge. This process makes you focus on the small stuff that could easily be overlooked. Once you're comfortable with the process, start making it more automated.
You already have a vibratory tumbler and walnut shell- go ahead and use it. Upgrade later if you want.
FWIW- Converting .223/5.56 to .300AAC is a major PITA considering how much less expensive already converted or factory brass has become in the past year. Do the math on set up costs and conversion time. Unless your old man is a television repair man and has an ultimate set of tools, you will be lucky to fully convert 25rds per hour.

Here is a link for 1000rds of fully prepped .300AAC brass for 11cpr
https://rockeybrass.com/collections...ake-city-processed-brass?variant=264182562860

When using stick powder, this little cheapo of a powder measure is pretty darn consistent. With fine, ball powders (H110 for me) it tends to leak out the side.
https://ads.midwayusa.com/product/5...RSrQ2i4RfoEhyPXQ7NzlVMJFsSpfD7sxoCXWUQAvD_BwE

I have had the walnut shell vibrating cleaner for 40 years and I don't see any difference in the stainless pin cleaners

squaregrouper said:

I am a single stage reloader, getting ready for a progressive.
My advice is to do everything manually and hand weigh each charge. This process makes you focus on the small stuff that could easily be overlooked. Once you're comfortable with the process, start making it more automated.
You already have a vibratory tumbler and walnut shell- go ahead and use it. Upgrade later if you want.
FWIW- Converting .223/5.56 to .300AAC is a major PITA considering how much less expensive already converted or factory brass has become in the past year. Do the math on set up costs and conversion time. Unless your old man is a television repair man and has an ultimate set of tools, you will be lucky to fully convert 25rds per hour.

Here is a link for 1000rds of fully prepped .300AAC brass for 11cpr
https://rockeybrass.com/collections...ake-city-processed-brass?variant=264182562860

Click to expand...

Not bad...yeah, the process looked pretty time consuming / arduous but I figure it'd be cheaper - I'm thinking that was incorrect seeing that price for 1000 prepped brass!

MindTheGAP said:

Not bad...yeah, the process looked pretty time consuming / arduous but I figure it'd be cheaper - I'm thinking that was incorrect seeing that price for 1000 prepped brass!

Click to expand...

The price for commercially prepped .300AAC brass has fallen through the floor in the past year or so.
25-30cpr, yeah- make them yourself. 11cpr- is it worth the time, effort and set-up costs?
I karma'ed my conversion equipment here on MDS.

You can get the Frankford Arsenal wet tumbler for $130 on Black Friday from Amazon or Cabelas. I like mine. The nice thing about it is that there's no dust. The brass does not come out dusty and there's no lead dust thrown into the air. It all washes down the drain. Not that it particularly matters for shooting, but it definitely gets the brass cleaner, like the case necks and primer pockets (if you choose to deprime first). I just use hot water and dish soap, no other additives.

The Lee plastic powder thrower is trash for stick powders in my experience. It varies 0.5-1gr for IMR4064 or Varget if I remember correctly. I use it for pistol powders (Bullseye, Titegroup, Titewad, and Longshot) and ball powder (like H110). It does leak a bit, but it meters those very well.

An analog scale isn't any less precise, especially if you have a decent scale like an Ohaus.

The only issue with an analog scale is that they tend to be slow, and you will get tired of waiting on it to settle. Maybe the better ones don't do that, but my old Lyman annoys me.

If you use a powder measure, it may be acceptable to weight every tenth charge or so after you have it dialed in, rather than weighing each charge. This would keep things safe but the small variation may affect accuracy, depending on what you're loading. Pistols rounds would be fine charged this way.

I think my wet tumbler is light-years better than my vibratory cleaner. I deprime with a universal decapping die and then tumble. Even the primer pockets are clean.

ken792 said:

You can get the Frankford Arsenal wet tumbler for $130 on Black Friday from Amazon or Cabelas. I like mine. The nice thing about it is that there's no dust. The brass does not come out dusty and there's no lead dust thrown into the air. It all washes down the drain. Not that it particularly matters for shooting, but it definitely gets the brass cleaner, like the case necks and primer pockets (if you choose to deprime first). I just use hot water and dish soap, no other additives.

The Lee plastic powder thrower is trash for stick powders in my experience. It varies 0.5-1gr for IMR4064 or Varget if I remember correctly. I use it for pistol powders (Bullseye, Titegroup, Titewad, and Longshot) and ball powder (like H110). It does leak a bit, but it meters those very well.

An analog scale isn't any less precise, especially if you have a decent scale like an Ohaus.

Click to expand...

The one I have is this one:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012766224/hornady-balance-beam-powder-scale

But the slightly older model.

As far as the tumbler, I've been looking at either the Franklin or the Hornady (the larger one) and using water / dish soap / lemi-shine, and it seems that depriming first is only relevant when you use wet tumbling since it cleans the pockets as well.

I will go against the grain about the wet tumblers. I believe they make the brass "too clean", ie the neck(where the bullet is gripping) is bare brass. In many cases I've seen that can cause inconsistent neck tension and resulting accuracy. Again, just my opinion.

Plus its a pain in the azz to heat the brass or wait a day for it to dry.

Powder dispenser- I've had 3 and ended up with the chargemaster 1500 (electronic powder dispenser and scale). I started with the Hornady, then went to a tuned beam scale for precision stuff which was very time consuming. Its better to buy once and cry once IMO....reloading unless you're on a progressive is time consuming.

Tips and tricks.... spend the money upfront on things to make reloading faster and more precise. Buy converted 300blk brass already, not worth your time to convert yourself. Buy good dies and micro seating die if you are reloading for multiple firearms.

Speed3 said:

I will go against the grain about the wet tumblers. I believe they make the brass "too clean", ie the neck(where the bullet is gripping) is bare brass. In many cases I've seen that can cause inconsistent neck tension and resulting accuracy. Again, just my opinion.

Plus its a pain in the azz to heat the brass or wait a day for it to dry.

Powder dispenser- I've had 3 and ended up with the chargemaster 1500 (electronic powder dispenser and scale). I started with the Hornady, then went to a tuned beam scale for precision stuff which was very time consuming. Its better to buy once and cry once IMO....reloading unless you're on a progressive is time consuming.

Tips and tricks.... spend the money upfront on things to make reloading faster and more precise. Buy converted 300blk brass already, not worth your time to convert yourself. Buy good dies and micro seating die if you are reloading for multiple firearms.

Click to expand...

Got it, that confirms I'll want a nicer scale before going full tilt at this.

That said, interesting to hear that take on wet vs dry. I've read something similar though the issue described was a bit different, same cause - bare, exposed brass making feeding difficult sometimes. I'm going to at least do my first 500 .223 with the dry media and my first 100 9mm's but the progressive bit...it's at least a few months down the line, though it's the eventual goal since I expect the speed increase gained will make a world of difference. I'm trying to make my scale for this based on "I'm comfortable enough with the single stage method that it's becoming tedious" and then I'll buy the progressive.

MindTheGAP said:

First off, HUGE shoutout to Rico903 - thank you times a million!

I just picked up a basic reloading set up (single stage hornady + analog hornady powder scale, etc) and am starting off by buying a 223 die set as well as a 300 BO die set.

I have a vibratory tumbler with walnut medium now but I'm already looking at stainless steel pins + wet tumbler as it seems that it's just miles better and is the eventual move everyone makes. So, with that, I have a few basic questions:

1) Should I just pony up the ~$160 now for a wet tumbler w/ SS pin media? Seems like it's where everyone ends up and wondering if I should just pull the trigger now since it's the end of the road for most anyway.

2) Should I get a Lock-N-Load powder measure now, or wait until I'm more experienced at the full reloading process? I'm actually concerned a *bit* that being a new reloader, the lower precision method of using the analog scale is inherently a bit more dangerous? Idk, I'm new to this, just an idea.

3) What are some good noob tips / tricks that you wish you had starting day one? Again, first pass will be 9mm 147gr subs, then 223, then 300 BO conversions from 223 brass.

Thanks all!

Click to expand...

How many rounds do you plan on reloading not the different calibers.
a few hundred or thousands? How much are you willing to spend, have
a budget?

1. Dry tumbling works good for the time being, a little dusty, throw a dryer
sheet (used) in the tumbler, walnut shells (lizard litter) works the best.
Wet tumbling gives that brass the "bling" look, there have been some
issues with the inside of the case mouth being too clean, increasing the
force needed to remove the expander button back out through the mouth.
Do you really need one now or use that $$ to buy other stuff you don't
have now and need. If so buy it, have an old Lil Tumbler, and one built from
6" PVC drain pipe, fittings, some steel rod, pillar bearings, add a motor, does
more than the others, BIGDAWG on ar15.com has some plans, pictures. As
far as drying some use food dehydrators (some now called brass dryers) in
the summer get a black tarp throw it down and let the "sun" do the work. Oh
some use the "kitchen oven" but don't turn it up past warm, you don't want to
"cook" the brass.

2. Powder measures... Hornady is fine, again here we have a range of options
Redding makes some great measures, then Harrell's make awesome measures
but $$$, RCBS Uniflows work good, Lyman 55 also.
Scales.. some like digital others like old school (beam) and some don't have
the patience to wait for the beam scale to settle. Beam scales, if you can pick
up an old Ohaus 10-10, RCBS 10-10, Lyman M5 (basically the same) made in USA
get it, then have it "tuned" by Scott Parker, you may want another scale as it
takes some time to get your tuned scale back but worth it. Digital scales they
have their pros and cons, and how much you want to spend on a good accurate
scale. Buy some check weights... Never had a problem with a good analog scale
(beam), use a check weight to verify, the only dangerous thing is the person
operating it, not focused, a bunch of different powders on the bench, in a hurry...

3. Manuals, can't have enough of them, read, read and then read more, youtube videos.
Safety wise.. focus..no distractions, if in doubt start over, don't know if the powder
charge is correct, dump it, start over, don't second guess yourself, it's not a marathon
to see how many you can do in this amount of time.Only one powder on the bench at a
time and it's the one your using Starting with 9mm remember it headspaces on the case
mouth so advice taper crimp, not roll crimp same with 45acp,
As time goes on and you have more needs, your reloading the amount of equipment /
tools grows exponentially..different calibers, want to reload more instead of a few
hundred, it's thousands..

welcome to the reloading world...

-Rock

I have a used thumler's tumbler, will tumble wet or dry, 12 lb capacity for sale. Model ar12. Retail is $200. I'd like to get $95. It needs a new belt, midway sells them for $5.

What everyone else said. Let me add:

I've been using the Lyman balance beam scale that I bought in 1966 - it's just as accurate now as it was then. If you put some 30W motor oil in the recess where the pendulum lives it will dampen the scale swinging movement and speed up your measurements. I have a Lock and Load, but still weigh every fifth load.

I have a rule of thumb: If I don't have the time to reload and my desired ammo is cheaper than what I can do it for, I'll buy it. If I want a special purpose or precision round, I'll load it.

Reloading is almost as good as beer for refreshing the soul. But don't ever mix the two.

Speed3 said:

I will go against the grain about the wet tumblers. I believe they make the brass "too clean", ie the neck(where the bullet is gripping) is bare brass. In many cases I've seen that can cause inconsistent neck tension and resulting accuracy. Again, just my opinion.

Plus its a pain in the azz to heat the brass or wait a day for it to dry.

Powder dispenser- I've had 3 and ended up with the chargemaster 1500 (electronic powder dispenser and scale). I started with the Hornady, then went to a tuned beam scale for precision stuff which was very time consuming. Its better to buy once and cry once IMO....reloading unless you're on a progressive is time consuming.

Tips and tricks.... spend the money upfront on things to make reloading faster and more precise. Buy converted 300blk brass already, not worth your time to convert yourself. Buy good dies and micro seating die if you are reloading for multiple firearms.

Click to expand...

MindTheGAP said:

Got it, that confirms I'll want a nicer scale before going full tilt at this.

That said, interesting to hear that take on wet vs dry. I've read something similar though the issue described was a bit different, same cause - bare, exposed brass making feeding difficult sometimes. I'm going to at least do my first 500 .223 with the dry media and my first 100 9mm's but the progressive bit...it's at least a few months down the line, though it's the eventual goal since I expect the speed increase gained will make a world of difference. I'm trying to make my scale for this based on "I'm comfortable enough with the single stage method that it's becoming tedious" and then I'll buy the progressive.

Click to expand...

I can vouch for the Chargemaster 1500. Wait for it to go on sale then buy it. Back in April I picked one up from Midway for 320 shipped and a $100 mail in rebate. 220 for a Chargemaster 1500 is well worth it.

For cleaning, dry media has worked well for years. If you are going to be cleaning a large amount of brass that is the only practical method. If one is worried about dust just run the thing in the garage. That’s where I clean my brass because I don’t want to hear the noise. While wet cleaning may make the brass look pretty I can’t justify the time involved for my needs. Only you can say what your time is worth.

When I started reloading everyone said get a single stage and learn the process, even though you will end up with a progressive. My thoughts were why spend money on something that is going to not be used shortly. I bought a Dillon 550 and haven’t regretted it one bit. When you buy good tools, you won’t be looking back and saying why did I waste my money on x when I should have bought y in the first place. Again, it all comes down to what your time is worth to you.

"Analog" scales are more accurate, as long as carefully zeroed . But sloooooow . Get a cheap digital , and use the old school scale to frequently verify it .

And in the eternal debate with no resolution , I come down on the single stage side .

Scrounger said:

For cleaning, dry media has worked well for years. If you are going to be cleaning a large amount of brass that is the only practical method. If one is worried about dust just run the thing in the garage. That’s where I clean my brass because I don’t want to hear the noise. While wet cleaning may make the brass look pretty I can’t justify the time involved for my needs. Only you can say what your time is worth.

When I started reloading everyone said get a single stage and learn the process, even though you will end up with a progressive. My thoughts were why spend money on something that is going to not be used shortly. I bought a Dillon 550 and haven’t regretted it one bit. When you buy good tools, you won’t be looking back and saying why did I waste my money on x when I should have bought y in the first place. Again, it all comes down to what your time is worth to you.

Click to expand...

I'm another one that advocates for dry tumbling. People obsess about shiny brass, but it does zilch for making it more accurate, and may actually make it slightly less accurate. Your brass doesn't need to be sparkling clean, in fact in many cases that will increase your neck tension too much when you resize (if you use a die with an expander) and throw off your concentricity.

If the aesthetic of shiny brass is important to you, add a couple of cut up dryer sheets and a squirt of Lemon shine (or other cleaner of your choice as long as it isn't ammonia based like Brasso) to your lizard litter and I promise you, your brass will be plenty shiny out of your dry tumbler.

The only positive reason I see for wet tumbling is to get your primer pockets cleaned out without having to use a tool, however if accuracy is what you're striving for, the cons of excessive neck tension out weigh the pros of saving time manually cleaning the primer pocket (if you even do that...arguably the accuracy gains are probably too minuscule for anyone but the most skilled shooters to notice).

In re: progressive vs. single stage...I'm a single stage guy myself. I'm a Forster CoAx user, and while it takes longer (a lot longer) to make my ammo I enjoy the process. That press is almost as expensive as a Dillon 550. My point I guess is that I agree...you're going to spend money getting a decent press anyway eventually.

If you invest the money in a Dillon, use good dies, and a sound process, I'm sure the ammo you'll produce will be more accurate than you are.

I've been on the fence about getting a Dillon...better to buy more components or to buy another press....???

Major03 said:

I'm another one that advocates for dry tumbling. People obsess about shiny brass, but it does zilch for making it more accurate, and may actually make it slightly less accurate. Your brass doesn't need to be sparkling clean, in fact in many cases that will increase your neck tension too much when you resize (if you use a die with an expander) and throw off your concentricity.

If the aesthetic of shiny brass is important to you, add a couple of cut up dryer sheets and a squirt of Lemon shine (or other cleaner of your choice as long as it isn't ammonia based like Brasso) to your lizard litter and I promise you, your brass will be plenty shiny out of your dry tumbler.

The only positive reason I see for wet tumbling is to get your primer pockets cleaned out without having to use a tool, however if accuracy is what you're striving for, the cons of excessive neck tension out weigh the pros of saving time manually cleaning the primer pocket (if you even do that...arguably the accuracy gains are probably too minuscule for anyone but the most skilled shooters to notice).

In re: progressive vs. single stage...I'm a single stage guy myself. I'm a Forster CoAx user, and while it takes longer (a lot longer) to make my ammo I enjoy the process. That press is almost as expensive as a Dillon 550. My point I guess is that I agree...you're going to spend money getting a decent press anyway eventually.

If you invest the money in a Dillon, use good dies, and a sound process, I'm sure the ammo you'll produce will be more accurate than you are.

I've been on the fence about getting a Dillon...better to buy more components or to buy another press....???

Click to expand...

It also depends on what you are going for. If you want one ragged hole at a kilometer, use a single stage. If you are chugging out thousands of rounds for plinking, then a progressive is the way to go. I loaded up 1000 9mm this weekend in just a couple of hours.