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Yes .308 diam. Your Reloading manual has all these specs. Have you looked at the One Book/ One Caliber rellloading manuals for one specific caliber? I really like these manuals because you can cross reference information. As example my 30/06 manual has loading data from Hornady, Nosler, Sierra, Speer, Lyman, Barnes and RCBS bullets. Plus Hodgdon, Accurate, Alliant, IMR, Scot, Winchester and Vihtavuori powders. I have one for every caliber I reload for.
 
yes i am ordering the one from loadbooks usa for 223 to start with, then when i start getting into the other calibers i will get one of those for each of them too
 
ok, so im gonna tell ya what others have told ya before,, because it could be life and death or at least serious injury if procedures and checks are not followed.


1. get your self a reloading manual ... like Amazon.com: Hornady Reloading Handbook 7th Edition (0090255992373): Steve Johnson: Books


or Amazon.com: Lyman Reloading Handbook, 49th Edition (0011516960498): Books

or other brands... i like the lyman the best. out of the 3 i have





2. although you getting a progressive press...... for the first 100 rounds treat it like a single stage press. a progressive press is a nice thing, but for the novice it can get you into trouble quick. ( i like the addition of the powder cop die..) I only say this because it would be to your benefit to learn what each Stage (die) does, individually, and why you use one type of die say a (crimper) on semi auto's and not on a bolt action. learning how each step is important for the safety of your firearms , yourself and others.



3. digital scales are nice,, but can give false readings, due to magnetic fields, improper level, and fukushima. (ok maybe not fukushima yet), it would be most proper to have a balance scale, that is easy to zero, and dosent give false results when it gets tired (no battery)

4 not sure if this cabelas bullet puller , is a hammer type,, if so i dont like them at all. i got the hornady puller, but its crap too, lame handle breaks off to easy, i hear the forester is a good one.


5." little confusing trying to figure this all out like the
order of things and such. do i tumble the shells before or after i size and
decap them?"


others answered this well, Tumble first, get the cases nice and clean (assuming they were dirty to begin with) (if you tumble without a spent primer in the case, your tumbling media has a tendancy to get stuck in the flash hole. ) makes for more work getting it back out.

after tumble, lube (necked cases)/ resize / deprime...... then measure each case.... if your within your limits go to next step, if to long, trim, debur/dechamfer, measure again.

now your case should be ready..... to be sure before you resize a lot of em check them in your rifles chamber. do they go in easy? does the bolt close all the way easily ....
if not you might need to adjust the headspace on your resizing die.


now your case is ready... for Primer / powder / bullet seating , and final inspection.
there are a lot of little setps that need to be checked.(and are somtimes easily forgoten about durring all that will happen with your progressive press process) be sure to take proper steps. .. is your primer seeted to proper depth. (stickin out is bad, to far in is bad, but not as bad as stickin out) (bullet seating detph) etc......


I did not see any EYE PROTECTION on that list.


not sure where your gettting your brass from but be warned that millitary NATO crimped brass is thicker.. and therefore has less internal space.. therefore needs less powder ... on average (with my .308 loads, about 1grain less powder) also you will need another tool to get the Crimp out of nato crimped brass.



these links have excellent info but be warned some of the people on the "Hide" are well...... .........

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http://www.powdervalleyinc.com/ also a good supplier,
 
yeah i have added a few more things to my list of things to get:
rcbs case slick for lubing the cases
hornady 1 shot dry lube for lubing the press
lee 223 crimp die for loading rounds for my AR
forster deburring tool base w/ forster inside outside deburrer
lyman flashhole uniformer
hornady primer pocket cleaner w/ reamer bits for nato ammo (i will start with all my 223's first and get used to them though)
hornady cam-lock bullet puller w/ collets
hornady lnl bench scale
rcbs powder trickler
lnl powder measure rifle micrometer metering insert (ill get this when i start getting into more loads after the 223
dillon 223 case gauge
223 reloading guide

i should have the press on monday and tomorrow i am ordering most of the stuff for case prep, and then in another week or so i will be ordering the rest so i still have quite a while to do some research and reading before i actually start reloading
 
Blitz-

Welcome to the world of reloading. Your posts are a testament to the old adage that the Press will often be the cheapest portion of your investment.

Be patient and follow the suggestions that several have offered. They're great.

Note for SnapShot----

ANY scale can give false readings, even the balance scales. Regardless of the choice, a set of Check Weights (not coins, bullets, or dried bunny doo doo) but honest to goodness Check Weights. It's hard to argue that a scale is giving false readings if checked with these weights. Especially if a group of check weights equaling your desired load (check weight can be combined in .5 gr increments) show the scale to be giving an accurate reading.

I am using a digital scale that is part of my RCBS Powder Dispenser. To reduce a lot of variations, I turned it on when I bought it and left it on. It's been on continuosly Since last Summer. Calibrate it at the start of a session and it's been flawless.

Lots of Bench Rest Shooters are starting to use the RCBS Chargemaster Combo to dispense and measure for their loads at the range. They build power supplies using 8 D-Cell Batteries and they power the units for about a year of practice and match shooting. The latest "convert" was Rick Graham who holds NBRSA record for Unlimited 5-10-200 Aggregate with a .199". Rick shoots one of those funny looking "Rail Guns".
 
hornady cam-lock bullet puller w/ collets , thats the one i got, ITS JUNK, i think i pulled 3 bullets apart with it before it broke on me, the handle is made out of soft almunium and the die is rock hard, now ok it was probally my fault for using the handle to unscrew it from the press, but it broke really easy......... i hear forester makes a similar one, and is more rugged and cheaper?. i have yet to research it.


as deadshot said the RCBS Chargemaster is a great digital, i was just trying to pressure you to go slow and easy, and its easy to rush, and for the beginner its better to go slow, learning to crawl before you go for a 20k run. maybe i was to harsh on digitals but im kinda old fashioned that way. realize that different powders will perform better or worse in a powder measure, do to the shape and size of the powder itself. for example, Varget powder(what i use currently for my rifle) is kinda long and cylindracal, and when i feel my powder measure cut one or 2 of those grains in half, it uasually comes out .05 to .1 grains heavier, than if it didnt have to cut some of the grains in half.



lyman flashhole uniformer, this guy is cool, but unless your loading match ammo and trying to get sub moa performance, i wouldnt worry about it to much on your .223, (but i dont know what your doing with all that ammo, so maybe its worth the extra time to you) it will help dont get me wrong i have one for my .308 stuff, but its kinda a PITA when your thinking about flash hole deburing like 500 or 1000 rounds. good thing is only needs to be done once.



as for your lube.... rcbs case slick for lubing the cases i love this stuff ( need a case lube pad to go with it tho)

and the hornady one shot stuff, i bought some, due to the great reviews i had seen, and one time worked great, the next time i had a stuck case....... others swear by this stuff. im on the fence about it.

im not sure about using both at the same time.......how they would act.

with all lubes... be carefull not to use to much, or to little, just like the 3 bears. (dont dent your case from to much, and dont rip yoru cases apart. )

THATS ONE TOOL im not sure i saw on your list... A STUCK CASE REMOVER FOR THE BRAND OF DIES YOUR USING.


rcbs powder trickler ... your really only gonna need this if you start single loading and weighing all of your loads individually.
 
oh i forgot to say also that i am switching out the rcbs ar dies and getting a lee 2 die set and then the crimper die seperately but the 2 die set comes with a stuck case remover..

thanks again for all the replies!
 
and yeah it looks like the cost of accessories is just about gonna double the cost of the press, but hey in the long run i will be saving money. between me and my roomates we probably go through about 1000 rounds + or - a few a month of various calibers.
plus 500 free bullets for the press and 100 for the trimmer will make up for some of the money i will be dumping in initially so that is a definate plus.

i wont be in to much of a hurry when i first get it but it would be nice to kick out a hundred rounds in an evening, but that is only after i get everything set how i want it and i am happy with the loads i am making.
at first i will just be trying to work up a load that works so i will just be making about 10 rounds of various grains and taking them out to the range to test out (like stated in the ladder method on the powderin thread in snipers hide)
until i get my load figured out i will just bring a handful of factory ammo so i have something to plink with while i am there also
 
hornady cam-lock bullet puller w/ collets , thats the one i got, ITS JUNK, i think i pulled 3 bullets apart with it before it broke on me, the handle is made out of soft almunium and the die is rock hard, now ok it was probally my fault for using the handle to unscrew it from the press, but it broke really easy......... i hear forester makes a similar one, and is more rugged and cheaper?. i have yet to research it.

I have a Forster Collet puller and it works great. It uses a top screw to compress the collet and grip the bullet. A couple of notes on its use. I find that it has to be securely locked in the press with it's locknut. It comes with a nut that takes a 1-1/8" wrench. this is bigger than most wrenches that one wants on their bench so I tossed the supplied locknut and replaced it with a Dillon Locknut (same with all my other dies). This way I can use the bench wrench that is supplied in Dillon's Tool kit. One wrench for all dies, regardless of type and mfr.

The collet doesn't always want to release the pulled bullet everytime so I have found that after loosening the screw, I just give it a rap on tom with my brass hammer that I use for gun disassembly/assembly work. It doesn't take much but keep something handy like this as you'll need it.

I also lube the top of the collet and inside of the screw with some anti-sieze. Seems to make the operation easier than with just oil.

I like the tool. I toss my "boo-boo's" in a coffee container and when it's about half full I pull bullets and recycle the components. This tool was far less hassle than the "Whack-a-Mole" pullers that always take a couple of whacks to do the job. If you segregate loads, and are sure of the powder type, you can even recycle that without any threat of cross contamination as the hammer types can do if the rubber cushion traps any granules.
 
I have a Lee crimp die on the last stage of my 550. The size and seat dies are RCBS. I have loaded identical lots of 223 using crimp and no crimp. I have tried this experiment several times and found no crimp to shoot tighter groups. All of my 223 is not crimped and it is fired in AR rifles! The RCBS sizer die squeezes the neck down enough to firmly grip the bullets. I have loaded like this many thousands of rounds over many years with no problems. You should be able to take the loaded round and try and push the bullet deeper in the case. The bullet should hold firm and not move deeper in the case. The base of the seating die will crimp the case a bit and I adjust this to a minimum. I had a problem with 30 carbine bullets years ago that would push into the case. This problem was with only one type of brass. Solved the problem with a new sizer die. I use no crimp on my 308 and 30/06 loads. No problems shooting them in a semi auto.

The RCBS lube pad work OK. Several years ago I switched to the spray on lube because it much easier to clean off. I remove the lube on sized cases or loaded ammo by laying them out on a towel and misting them with a spray bottle of water. Fold over the towel and wipe them off. Done The case lube pad stuff I end up wiping one case at a time.
 
Twenty years reloading. Master class long range rifle. shoot bullseye pistol and action pistol. Reloading is like shooting- fun and dangerous. Get some help if possible. Find a generous soul to guide and teach you. I have two dillons, a single stage and a LnL AP. The LnL with the Powder Cop and charge thru expander(PTX) works well but requires a focused and serious operator. There is some very good advice directed your way so far. Study, Go slow and ask many questions. If you get in a hurry bad things can happen. Make sure you always full length size for semi autos. Bolt gun guys sometimes only neck size. My favorite case lube by far is Imperial Die Wax. Small amount applied with fingers to each case as you put them into the machine. Hornady and other relabel and sell it also. It comes in a small container about the size of a pellet tin. It will last a very long time, it does not make a mess like spray on types and lubes better than any other. Case lube is personal and not a big deal. Safety is most important.
If you have any questions, send me a PM and I will respond with phone numbers.
 
got my new press today, was wondering i cant seem to find it anywhere.
is it supposed to come with part#6 (primer housing tube)
i was just wondering because mine didnt and it seems like it should have
 
sent hornady a message, they were very quik to get back to me and the parts are on there way.

They should be all over this mistake. A buyer picks a "red" machine over "blue, green and the other red", only to recieve an incomplete kit. I expect that in time you will be happy with the L n L.
So far, I am pleased with the engineering, fit, finish and accuracy of the "red" machine. My "blue" presses will stay. I hate changing calibers. Keep us updated.
 
got all the stuff for my primer feed assembly yesterday from hornady, i am very happy with them i sent them a message on tuesday saying it was missing so they didnt waste any time getting it to me.
i also received most of the other stuff yesterday for reloading such as the tumbler trimmer 223 dies and so on, now i am just waiting for my scale, primer pocket cleaner and reamer and powder cop die and i will be ready to go.
but for now i have plenty to do while i am waiting for the other items with tumbling, resizing and de-priming
i am starting to get excited!!
and hey if i dont find it worth it for me to reload i will just go ahead and trade the press for another AR or revolver
 

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