My wife surprised the mess out of me this Christmas with a RCBS Rock Chucker Kit. It came in a big ol' box, and it's got a ton of stuff in it. Problem is, I don't know where to go from here. I know I am gonna need primers, bullets, powder, brass, and dies. But, what do I need to get, and where do I get it? I hate to be a complete noob, but I honestly have no clue of where to go from here. Any help would be much appreciated. Oh, looking to load .45 ACP and .40 S&W to start...
Ok, Now What?
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Don't be in a rush to buy a bunch of supplies. Spend some quality time with a good loading manual first. I think you might have a Speer manual with that kit, but if no manual, get one those and read up on the process. (I like the Lee manual for its good overview of the reloading process.)
I'm not in the Jackson area, so I'll let other folks chime in on where to buy supplies locally. Once you start loading a lot, you might start buying off the internet, but the shipping and fees can kill you unless you're ordering big quantities. There's a thing called a Hazmat fee (around $25 from most vendors) that they charge for shipping the powder and/or primers. To name a few reputable online vendors ...
Powder Valley (www.powdervalleyinc.com)
Wideners (www.wideners.com)
MidwayUSA (www.midwayusa.com)
There are lots more, but that's a good start.
But really, I'd advise you to take your time, decide what bullet weights you'd like to shoot, and then start asking questions here like "what's the best powder for loading target loads for 40 cal using 180 grain jacketed bullets" and you'll get plenty of great knowledge from people on this forum who've already been there and done that.
Hey, congrats on your new gear, and welcome to the reloaders club!
I'm not in the Jackson area, so I'll let other folks chime in on where to buy supplies locally. Once you start loading a lot, you might start buying off the internet, but the shipping and fees can kill you unless you're ordering big quantities. There's a thing called a Hazmat fee (around $25 from most vendors) that they charge for shipping the powder and/or primers. To name a few reputable online vendors ...
Powder Valley (www.powdervalleyinc.com)
Wideners (www.wideners.com)
MidwayUSA (www.midwayusa.com)
There are lots more, but that's a good start.
But really, I'd advise you to take your time, decide what bullet weights you'd like to shoot, and then start asking questions here like "what's the best powder for loading target loads for 40 cal using 180 grain jacketed bullets" and you'll get plenty of great knowledge from people on this forum who've already been there and done that.
Hey, congrats on your new gear, and welcome to the reloaders club!
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Lyman Manual. ABC's of Reloading is helpful, too. Read'em twice and ask some questions. Wouldn't buy another thing until then.
Something I left out -- if you can get together with somebody that already does reloading -- well if a picture's worth a thousand words, then doing it alongside somebody that knows how to do it is worth a hundred thousand words. Maybe somebody in your area will volunteer to give you a demo of their setup? That would be a great way to get started.
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Shoot me a pm with your shipping addy,I have a old hornady 2 book manual with guide I will give you for the cost of shipping. Older edition but well worth it.
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I am in Byram and have several manuals you are welcome to borrow! A good mentor will save you a ton of headaches ..... I am sure we have a couple members on here from Brandon that would not mind talking with you about it ... if not, I can try to assist ...
Dies: check on Hornady dies. They are excellent quality and they were running a special where you can get "free" bullets with purchase. You buy the dies, print a form online, send in the info with a check for $6.95, and you get 100 bullets. I got 100 .243's and 100 .45 jhp's.
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What he said.smoffett said:
Wear clear shooting glasses to protect your eyes in the event of a primer discharging on the press. Also, look in every casing before you seat every bullet, or something BAD will happen. :affraid:
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8,626 Posts
All good info here. I'm new to reloading and spent over a year reading books and message boards before buying a press. That was a huge help.
While doing my research, I gathered up brass and other supplies that I'd eventually need. That seemed to keep me occupied while I learned.
While doing my research, I gathered up brass and other supplies that I'd eventually need. That seemed to keep me occupied while I learned.
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read a lot, and read some more. find someone who can coach you. its like riding a bike. once you have it, you always have it. just gotta be careful and load with your concentration on what your doing.
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You definitely need a few good reloading manuals. Nobody has mentioned the Lee manual, but I like it (Modern Reloading, 2nd Ed. by Richard Lee). It has in-depth discussions of many reloading topics and a lot of load data too. The only bad thing about it is it's slanted toward lee reloading equipment. Not that I'm saying there's anything wrong with Lee loading equipment (I have a bunch of it), but there are a lot of other good equipment manufacturers. Good luck, go slow, and have fun with your new hobby.
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Find a MENTOR!!! .... a responsbile one!
G
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·Stay away from maximum and "experimental" loads until you have a good working knowledge of the reloading game and then "go slow"
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Probably the easiest thing to get started reloading - at least as far as the physical mechanics of it - is rimmed, straight-walled pistol ammo like .38 Special, .357 mag., and .44 mag. I'm a novice reloader myself and .38 and .357 are the only things I've loaded so far.wtfovr said:
Haven't decided yet if I want to move on to semi-auto pistol ammo or rifle ammo next. I'm itching to work up some really accurate hunting loads for my rifles, though.
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