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It has the scale, the powder measure/drop. I'll need dies, calipers, a case guage, I know that for sure. I'll be reloading .308 on this mainly. Also some case trays.

Down the road I'll get a tumbler, so thats covered. Is there anything else I am going to need aside from components to start with?

Some resizing lube, a powder funnel, primer pocket cleaner and, a neck chamfering reamer would be good to have.

None of these are expensive and they make life easier.

Lee also has an inexpensive case length trimmer setup. Highly recommended for keeping your bottle-neck cases trimmed to proper length.

mrbug wrote:Lee also has an inexpensive case length trimmer setup. Highly recommended for keeping your bottle-neck cases trimmed to proper length.

Last time I was in Cabela's they had a good deal on the Lyman Universal trimmer. It seems to be the best value if you're planning to eventually work with more than 2-3 calibers.

The various plastic ammo boxes at Cabela's, Academy, and Cheaper Than Dirt are great for large quantities, but save your trays/holders when you buy loaded ammo, too. They're still the best way to carry a few rounds when you're testing new loads.

Remember, lube the case not the neck and shoulders. I made that mistake when I first started reloading. The results weren't good.

I not sure about yours, I'm very new, stuff is still on the UPS truck, but as I looked over my order confirmation I noticed I forgot the darn shell holders. Oh well it want hurt to buy something local.

SC1903A3 wrote:Remember, lube the case not the neck and shoulders. I made that mistake when I first started reloading. The results weren't good.

Care to elaborate please?

cyphur wrote:

SC1903A3 wrote:Remember, lube the case not the neck and shoulders. I made that mistake when I first started reloading. The results weren't good.

Care to elaborate please?

Lube on the case neck and shoulders will cause the neck and shoulders to buckle. The buckling produces ripples in the brass that one can both see and feel.

For all my straight wall pistol loading I have carbide dies and don't have to worry about lube. When I load for my 270 Winchester that is a different story. Too much lube and you get the dimpling you are referring to while too little lube you end up with a stuck case. I have found that putting a small amount of lube between my thumb and forefinger allows me to do the job without using too much. I use a little nylon brush made for the purpose to put just a tiny bit of lube inside the neck. A run through brass tumbler after resizing cleans everything off (just check to make sure you don't have any tumbler media stuck in the flash hole afterwords)

I've read about folks throwing a bunch of rounds into a pizza box and spraying them, shaking them around, and then reloading. Is this practical for straight wall pistol rounds only?

If you have a carbide set of pistol dies you do not need to lube them at all. Bottle neck cases need the lube, i.e. 357 sig, and most rifle rounds.

I wasted half a box of 300 savage shell casings trying to figure out why the shoulders kept collapsing. It was a well learned lesson on what not to do.

mrbug wrote:If you have a carbide set of pistol dies you do not need to lube them at all. Bottle neck cases need the lube, i.e. 357 sig, and most rifle rounds.

I've mentioned that I will be reloading rifle ammunition on this press, so please keep it rifle-specific. I do appreciate the input though, don't get me wrong, so keep it coming :)


So, how does one lube a rifle casing?

Get a lube pad. Line up several cases with the necks and shoulders hanging off the side of the pad and role them with the flat of your hand. Tada

Missed the part about rifle specific. The brush with a little case lube on it for the case mouth is rifle specific, and the little bit of lube on my fingers is also rifle specific. I have tried the lube pad but liked using my fingers better. I get a good feel for how much lube I put on that way. A lot of this stuff is trial and error and personal taste. After you get in and do it a bit you will find your own way to handle your reloading. Some guys only resize the neck after shooting the brass in their rifle. Don't forget your case length guage and trim when the brass gets long. A chamfer and bevel tool also helps with your bullet seating. 58 grains of Hogdon 4831 under a 130 grain Speer Grand Slam Bullet dang near makes my 270 a tack driver and I would never trust factory ammo the way I do my reloads.