Beginners Reloading Kit
Introduction - Why the Beginners Reloading Kit?
Late in 2021 I spoke with a prominent, successful shooter who has won pretty much every TR and MR competition at Bisley at least once. He has over 30 years of reloading experience and is very interested in the technical aspects of precision shooting. You can see him and his chronograph on Stickledown whenever the weather is fair.
He suggested that I assemble and offer a Beginners Reloading Kit on my website, for new re-loaders as he thought the kits put together by the manufactures omitted some essential items and included others that were not actually all that useful.
I remarked that I had been working on building a list of the Redding S Die Bushings required to reload the most commonly available brass in the UK and was keen to share my research and that is when he stopped me dead in my tracks. “No, just basic Full Length Sizing Dies”. I downshifted to a lower gear as quickly as I could. This fellow then said, “A Beginner’s Reloading Kit, no bushing dies”. This article is aimed at TR Shooters using the 308 Winchester cartridge, but is applicable for a beginner starting out from scratch shooting any calibre.
Research confirms the need for a starter kit - Requirements
I then proceeded to painstakingly review the contents of most of the Reloading Kits offered by RCBS, Hornady, Redding and Lee. My fellow reloader was correct. I could not find a single kit from any manufacturer that could actually get a re-loader started. I also found quite a lot of ‘not so useful’ items lurking in kits as have others.
The large manufacturers know what they are doing. Surely, they would offer a kit that would get someone going in the right direction. Then it occurred to me. Who is the kit for? A hunter reloading 30 rounds a year? An F Open Shooter who does maybe 6,000 rounds a year through matched pair of rifles? A shooter putting 300 rounds a year through their Lee Enfield on Short Siberia? A Civilian Service Rifle Shooter needing 1,000 rounds in a hurry? The manufacturers offer one size fits all solutions, not individualized solutions for target shooting competition.
Each individual may have their own preferred process based on instruction they have received or advice from fellow shooters. I am not going to tell you exactly what you need, but my intent is to roughly go over the basic reloading process and give you some suggestions. Over time you will develop your own reloading process that is right for you. Experienced re-loaders often make changes to their process, based on new information, or the availability of new and better tools. The really experienced re-loaders spend time researching and testing small changes to their process and how they effect group size or scores. The important factor when you are starting from absolute scratch is to keep things as simple as possible.
The specific niche we are trying to fill is based on the following factors:
- A Target Rifle Competitor or enthusiast requiring a similar level of precision.
- Entry Level Re-loader with little experience.
- Future Proof setup. Kit can be upgraded slowly over time.
- Withstand scrutiny of friends and ‘Experts’.
The Beginners Reloading Kit must be able to perform the following functions:
- Cleaning Brass.
- Resizing Brass.
- Trimming Brass.
- Priming Brass.
- Safely Dispense a Accurate Powder Charges.
- Bullet Seating.
Reference Material
When starting out, it is important to have a source of reference material that describes the objectives of the loading process, lists powder charge data and provides key measurements. There are many good manuals available from various manufacturers that include product placement. Most of the manuals cover a multitude of calibres while you will only be interested in one or two. Sierra Bullets offer a good mobile phone app that lists load data for their bullets using several powders. In addition, some Rifle Clubs provide this data to their members.
If you have taken a course through a club offering Reloading Training, then you may have been provided with some reference material. Powder burning rates change over time, so it is important to keep your reference material up to date. For instance, a 1973 manual may list a much higher charge of a certain powder as a maximum load than a 2022 manual. Manuals from bullet manufacturers list only data for their bullets. Manuals from equipment manufacturers are written to sell equipment, but the data is what you are really looking for.
Cleaning Brass
You can load ‘dirty’ cases, but there are a few reasons not to. First, grit and powder residue will accumulate in your dies and cause scratches. These will be cosmetic at first, but could eventually lead to changes in die tolerance. Secondly, case inspection is much more easily accomplished with a clean case. You don’t really want to rechamber a ‘dirty’ case in your rifle. Experienced re-loaders try to eliminate as much dirt as possible as early in their loading process as they can.
I recommend starting out with a simple dry tumbler and dry corncob media. The class of tumbler I am recommending is one large enough to 50 cases very efficiently and if pushed could process up to 200 in one go. An example of this is the Lyman Turbo Tumbler 1500. A rotary media separator is I think essential to help contain the mess. I am going to recommend the Lyman. Lyman is offering a tumbler with a separating function called ‘Auto Flo’, which eliminates the need for a media separator.
On the subject of tumbling media, in the olden days we would use untreated media and add ‘Flitz’ or a similar polish to it to make it more aggressive. After doing this for a while, you had a really big mess on your hands. If you are short of time, use a ‘Treated’ media. You can experiment with different dry media to achieve the perfect ‘look’ for your brass, but you cannot go wrong starting with simple corncob.
There is a lot of interest in ‘Wet’ case tumbling now. There are many advantages to wet tumbling, but I am not recommending it the beginner. Some people really get on with ultra-sonic cleaning, while others do not. You will always have a need for a dry tumbler, even if you upgrade your case cleaning process down the road, even if just to remove case lube.
Single Stage Press
Let us assume that the beginner will start out with a single stage reloading press. There are multi-station turret style presses available, but few compare to the accuracy offered by a single stage press. By accuracy, I am referring to the relation of the ram to the die station. To produce precision ammunition the die must line up consistently and concentrically with the press ram. This can be achieved in multi-station presses, but only very high cost. An example of this is the https://www.area419.com/product/the-zero-reloading-press/.
There are many variations in design of single stage presses including various means of floating dies or shell holders. A beginner should probably start out with a well made heavy O-frame type of simple design. These offer maximum rigidity. and are available from all of the major manufacturers. A good press will last several decades if regularly cleaned and lubricated, so look towards the top of the line when choosing.
Not all presses are of equal quality or manufactured to the same tolerances. For these reasons, I am going to recommend a Redding Big Boss or RCBS Rock Chucker. Both are extremely solid presses and are capable of producing ammunition with very little ‘run-out’. Both of these presses are capable of ‘On Press Priming’ with no additional purchases.
Full Length Sizing Die
The requirement dictates a regular Full Length 2 Die Set with Shell Holder. A basic full length sizing die performs three functions; push out the old primer, set the base body back to SAAMI standard, and size the case neck.
The basic Full Length Sizing Die will resize fired cases to SAAMI specifications so that they can be easily chambered again in the majority of rifles. Occasionally one encounters a rifle with an extremely tight chamber and will require a ‘Small Base’ Die, which is sized to below standard chamber dimensions. I am going to recommend both RCBS and Redding 2 Die sets. Redding dies are ‘prettier’ with a slightly nicer finish and a knurled Shell Holder. Spare parts for RCBS dies may be more readily available so if you break a de-capping pin, you may be able to get one locally at your dealer in a hurry. Even if you upgrade your dies at some point, you will always have a need for these basic dies down the road. When you start to lose sleep worrying about bullet run-out, then you can upgrade your seating die.
If a basic full length sizing die is set up to touch the shell holder on the downstroke of the press, it will push the case shoulder back to minimum SAAMI specification. If shot in a rifle with a larger chamber the case will expand to fill the chamber. The more a case has to expand when fired, the shorter the life of the case will be. It is for this reason that dies are adjustable in that they don’t have to be screwed all the way down to touch the shell holder. The basic idea is that a case should sized to chamber easily in the rifle it is to be shot in, and not any more.
Basic sizing dies shrink the case neck in the sizing process. This sets ‘neck tension’ and allows the sized case to grip a bullet. Basic dies are made to a ‘standard’ dimension that will work with cases from a wide variety of manufacturers. Some of these cases have quite thin necks so the dies have to be on the ‘tight’ side. In order to compensate for the possibility of sizing a neck too ‘tight’ when thick brass is used, the die has an ‘expander button’ installed in the de-capping pin. This button stretches the case mouth open slightly to ensure that a bullet can be seated.
Shell holders interface with the press ram and cartridge case head. They come in different sizes to accommodate different calibres. They are made to a ‘standard’ so different brands will interchange. Redding and RCBS both make good shell holders.
A good set of basic dies will produce competitive ammunition for TR and CSR. For MR and F Class where a higher degree of accuracy is required, it may be desirable to invest in a bushing die system compatible with your brass neck thickness, but for basic TR using ordinary brass cartridge cases this is not necessary.
In the die discussion, I should touch upon case lubrication. Case lube pads are the most popular method of lubricating cases. I recommend using a spray on lubricant such as Hornady One-Shot, Dillon Case Lube, or your own blend of Lanolin and Isopropyl Alcohol to cases placed on an old baking sheet. You then let the alcohol evaporate sufficiently to let the lubricant do its job. It is good practise to have a tin of Imperial Die Wax around. If you ever do anything tricky (like making 577/450 Martini Brass out of 24 Gauge Shot Shells for a friend), or want to quickly lube just a case or two in a hurry, this is the substance you use. Generally a single tin lasts most of a lifetime.
You will eventually require a device called a ‘Stuck Case Remover’. When you don’t properly lubricate a case before resizing, or when you don’t let the lubricant dry properly before you size, or when you swap from one lube type to another, you can end up with a ‘Stuck Case’. The case remover kits consist of a drill, tap, collet and hex screw. The removal process results in the destruction of the ‘stuck case’, but is very gentle on the die. These kits are inexpensive so you should have one handy.
Trimming Brass
Each time a cartridge case is fired, the pressure causes the brass to flow from thicker to thinner areas of the case. This process usually forces some of the material from the case shoulder forward, eventually lengthening the case. This is completely normal, and will vary with load intensity. If a case gets too long, there could be some interference with the throat when a round is chambered. In addition, regular full length sizing dies with neck expander buttons can also stretch brass. It is for this reason it is good practise to measure your cases after they are full length sized. Reloading Manuals often state the maximum allowable case length and recommend a ‘Trim To Length’, which is usually a few thousands of an inch shorter than the maximum allowable length.
There are manual case trimmers available from most of the major manufacturers. Most resemble miniature lathes where either the case is spun and pushed against a stationary cutter, or case remains stationary and the cutter is spun and pushed against the case. Some of these trimmers can be upgraded to use some kind of drill to turn the case or the cutting head. Most cutters leave a flat surface on the edge of the case neck. Ultimately you would want to remove any burrs left by the cutting process by using a Deburring Tool. This tool also leaves a slight chamfer on the case mouth which, although not absolutely necessary when using boat tail bullets, does help with seating. The Deburring Tool can also be used to remove the small nicks that case mouths often pick up through the loading process.
Cases are best managed in batches. Several cases from a batch should be checked for length after resizing. If any are approaching the maximum length the whole batch should be trimmed together. Batches should be checked regularly, but will not necessarily require trimming each time.
Priming Brass
If you are using GGG or other military cartridge casings, you will need to remove the crimp from the primer pocket before you attempt to seat a new primer. There are two styles of tool that are made to perform this function; the on press and the benchtop types. It is worthwhile cleaning primer pockets before priming. There are many, many reasons to do so, but essentially you are increasing the reliability and constancy of your ammunition. A quick turn of a primer pocket uniforming tool is a great way to perform this operation. There are brushes available for this purpose, but I am going to recommend very light turn with a carbide tool that will uniform the pocket as well. I sell many Lyman and RCBS Tools that do this, and recommend them. Redding makes a tool that has a replaceable cutter, a power drill adapter and a nice handle that is a few pounds more expensive than the RCBS and Lyman. They are all good. The F Class community is against using these tools as they feel it is too easy to ‘damage’ the primer pocket by cutting it out of square. I am recommending these tools to perform a light cleaning operation and not to remove brass aggressively. If you are going to ‘Wet Tumble’, you can most likely leave your primer pockets alone as the pins will clean them quite thorougly.
Primers are traditionally handled in a Flip Tray. This is a simple tray made of plastic or non-ferrous metal with fine concentric circles at the bottom. The primers are carefully poured out of their factory packaging into the tray and the tray is then shaken gently until all of the primers face the same way up. Once the primers are facing the same way they can be picked up more easily by hand, or pressed into a primer feed tube to be used with another tool.
Most seasoned reloaders prime ‘off press’ with either a hand priming tool or a bench mounted tool. I am going to assume that our beginner will start out priming ‘on press’ very carefully and safely, and will only need a very basic primer flip tray to start out with.
Dispensing an Accurate Powder Charge
Powder handling is a difficult topic to cover. I will start off by saying that there is no obvious single best practise to follow. You need to determine which method is comfortable for you, based on the volume you are loading and taking into account the accuracy level you require.
One possible route to go down is to use an electronic powder dispenser with integrated scale. The drawback of this option is that lower priced units are not accurate enough for all levels of shooter.
A second possible route is to use a mechanical beam balance to weigh final charges. The mechanical beam balance is both inexpensive and accurate. The process is slower, but can be optimized by using a powder measure to throw a slightly underweight charge and topping it up using a powder trickler. This is probably the best route to start out with, especially if you are using powder charges near the maximum recommended load.
If you get on with beam balances, then get a good mechanical scale from Redding or RCBS. If you find them fiddly, then you could go for an electronic scale. Not all of these are created equally however, and you may find that a beam balance is more accurate. With the understanding of the relation between extreme velocity spread (E/S) and group size at 1,000 yards we now have, you will want accuracy.
Once you have somehow managed to get the perfect charge into the pan of the scale you are using, you will need to get it into the cartridge case. The case will sit in a loading block. These are available from all manufacturers in different sizes. Some are universal and fit most calibres. Personally, I make my own, which are superior, out of ply or solid wood. I make them with 60 holes and not 50. This is so I can move a charged case to a different ‘row’, and also helps me organize ‘testing’.
You will use a powder funnel to help get your powder into your cartridge case. They are available from all of the major manufacturers.
Bullet Seating
With the beginner kit, you will be seating bullets with the die supplied in your basic die set. You can seat to overall cartridge length, which will be outlined in your manual or other reference data. You will adjust your die and measure the OAL with a set of calipers. They don’t have to be expensive, just reliable. They don’t have to be digital, although digital calipers are nice. For years I used a simple Dillon brand that were not digital and was quite satisfied. It was only after many visits to my gunsmith that I upgraded to a set of Mitutoyo digital calipers, which I use in my metal work shop as well.
You will also need some ammo boxes to put your carefully loaded ammunition in. Don’t forget to label the boxes. It is good practise to keep a log listing the date, load, primer type, seating depth, and case usage count.
Later, when you are comfortable with your process and your load, you can start ‘tuning’ by testing different bullet seating depths for use in a specific rifle.
Beginners Reloading Kit - Basic Equipment Checklist
In the section below I will list some of the tools and equipment I have mentioned thus far and provide links to stock that I have managed to obtain. With the current shortages, it has taken months to put this humble collection together.
Single Stage Press and Basic Dies
This is a kit offered directly by Redding which includes a top of the line press, nice dies and a nice shell holder. This kit is less expensive than similar components of lesser quality offered by other brands.
Redding Big Boss II Reloading Press Kit with 308 Winchester Dies 97155
Case Cleaning
Case Tumbler and Media Lyman Turbo Tumbler 1200 Auto Flo 7631632 and Lyman Turbo Tumbler Media Corncob Plus 2Kg
Resizing Brass
Lube (Either lube pad, Hornady One Shot or Home Made) Redding Case Lube Kit 12012
Trimming Brass
Redding Case Trimming Lathe 14000 or RCBS Trim Pro 2 Manual Case Trim Kit 90366
Redding Deburring Tool 09000 or L E Wilson Deburring Tool
Measuring
Digital Calipers 6 Inch 150mm +/-0.01mm Accuracy
Primer Seating
Done on Press
Primer Flip Tray Primer Flip Tray
Primer Crimp removal if using GGG or similar military cases RCBS Primer Pocket Swager Tool -2 or Primer Pocket Swager Benchtop Tool 9474
Dispensing and Charging Weighing
Electronic Dispenser RCBS ChargeMaster Link 98944 or RCBS ChargeMaster Supreme 98943
Powder Measure Redding Model 3 Powder Measure 03000 and Redding No.2 Powder and Bullet Scale 02000 and Redding Powder Trickler 05000
Powder Funnel Redding Powder Funnel 13000
Loading Block Lyman Custom Fit .485 Loading Block
Ammo Box Medium Ammo Box 50 Rounds
Upgrades for Accuracy
One of the first upgrades most re-loaders make to their process is move to off-press priming. There are many tools available from the humble RCBS Hand Priming Tool 90200 to the Primal Rights Competition Primer Seater. Some of these automatically feed primers from a tube or tray, while others have no feed mechanism and require primers to be placed in the tool individually. Some of these tools allow seating by feel while others utilise an adjustable hard stop. The tools with the hard stop, such as the Primal Rights are used with very consistent cases, with uniform primer pocket depth.
A very useful device is a comparator. A simple form of this device can be fitted onto your caliper and used to measure the distance from the base of the case to the bullet ogive. For people tuning a rifle by changing bullet seating depth, it is a necessity.
Another logical upgrade is to a Redding Competition Bullet Seater 308 Winchester 55155. These dies have a sleeve or other internal support that keeps the bullet aligned and centred while it is being seated in the case. Most of the dies at this level have a quick micrometer depth adjustment, which can be very useful if you are seating at different depths for different rifles or using different bullet types quite often.
Reloaders working with high quality brass such as Lapua or Peterson 308 Winchester Match , and those that neck turn cases often use a ‘Bushing’ Die. These can be obtained in Redding Type S Full Length Bushing Sizing Die 308 Winchester 77155 or Redding Type S Neck Sizing Die 308 Winchester 71155 variants. The die utilizes a Die Bushing than can be changed as required. The bushing size is dependent on the case neck thickness, which can vary by manufacturer or lot. The bushing is sized to provide the correct amount of neck tension to hold the bullet for consistent combustion. Sizing the brass this way theoretically contributes to longer case life.
For those getting into F Class, there are some attractive advanced die sets available that combine Type S Dies with Competition Seating Dies in one box. This saves money. An example can be found here.
There are Expanding Mandrel Sizing Dies available that open the case neck to a specific dimension. This is an alternative way to control neck tension. The case is sized using a regular die without an expander ball installed, then ran through the expander die to set the neck tension. The possible advantages of this method to help in overcoming concentricity issues with brass with inconsistent neck thicknesses as well as ‘straightening’ run-out in the case neck area. An example of this is the Lyman Neck Expanding M Die, although it was designed to flare case mouths for loading lead bullets, it can be set up to only form the neck and not add the flare.
There are Concentricity Gauges available as well, to measure run-out of loaded ammunition. Excessive run-out will not help with V Counts, especially at long range.
There are also Case Neck Gauges available to check cartridge cases. A case is placed in a jig and the tool measures the thickness of the neck while the case is rotated slowly. Any wide variations in thickness can indicate a poorly made batch of cases, and will increase run-out. F Class Shooters check this sort of thing, as well as use top quality brass in the first place.
There are powder scales available, adapted from scientific scales that are capable of measuring powder to incredibly fine increments. The are sometimes used by F Class and MR Shooters to have to manage small group sizes at long range.
The list is basically endless. What you need is based completely on the level of precision you require. It is safe to say that with a good process, basic equipment can produce ammunition that will group the V Bull on the TR Target.
Costs
Starting from scratch is not inexpensive. The only thing I am going to suggest is to take advantage of the Redding Big Boss II kit that includes dies and a shell holder.
Add it to your cart and go down the check list and add some of the suggested products until you are happy. Print out your cart and show it to your friends, coach, mentor or someone you trust. Review it with them. Make the changes you want to your cart. When you are finished, please let me know and I will calculate a discount based on the cart contents and my current stock and replacement costs. I will notify you if something in the cart does not seem to belong or seems to be missing. I can also provide advice should you wish.
Please start with a good reloading reference and read it before buying anything. Make a draft reloading process plan and check it. You can also go through Basic Reloading 308 Winchester for TR Training Part I for a more detailed explanation of how this equipment performs.
Good Luck and Good Shooting
Brian Page
www.bisleyvshop.co.uk