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well i am ordering my first reloading press tomorrow to get started doing my own reloading,
for now i am gonna get a ap press because i will be doing alot of .223's and 40's to start with
and later i will get a single stage for rifle cartridges

this is what i am ordering to start with (gonna start with .223's):::::::

hornady lnl ap press with ez eject

hornady m2 tumbler
hornady cam-lock case trimmer
223 shell plate
RCBS AR series small base 2 die set
hornady powder cop checker die

and this
cabelas case care kit (Comes with a chamferring/deburring tool,
a large and small primer pocket cleaner, three different sized
brushes for case necks, and an aluminum handle)

is there anything i am missing here to get started on this caliber?
also this is a 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?

any tips or anything else i should know would be wonderful..
 
Get a good book for reloading and read it front to back. http://www.google.com/#q=abc+of+rel...c.r_pw.&fp=f64e59b69b47ae6f&biw=1899&bih=1015
I use a lot of range brass for reloading 223. Lots of the brass is military and have crimped primer pockets. I would recommend getting a swager for dealing with military primer pockets if you will be using range brass. I use the Dillon swager. Super Swage 600 parts: Case Preparation Equipment
I would also recommend getting a bullet puller....something like this, <broken link removed> Place an ear plug in the bottom of the puller to prevent damaging the bullets.
I would also recommend getting some case gages. Dillon Rifle Case Gages: Reloading Machine Accessories
Case lube is also needed for rifle brass. I use it for pistol brass as well.

Congratulations on getting started on reloading. It is very fun, rewarding, and addicting.
 
alright thanks i will put those things in my list, i am just ordering the press for now and the other stuff next weekend so i have time to add more stuff that i need incase i am missing something..
 
I would recommend you get the single stage first if you have never reloaded. It is helpful to go through all the steps a few times before going to a progressive press. Things move fast there.

I did not see mention of a scale. A good scale is an absolute. If you are ordering online, get some extra adapters for the dies to fit in the Hornady press. Also order some extra pawls that turn the turret on the Hornady. There is a good chance you will damage them in your early sessions. Might as well have them on hand so you won't be down for a few days.

You will need a method of lubing the cases. Don't forget to lube the throat of the case.

On the AP press, you can tumble the cases, then decap and prime as part of the trip around the turret. It does not hurt to decap them and clean the primer pockets every 2 or 3 times you reload. Then reload as normal, you just won't be kicking the old primer out.

Good Luck! Always watch that power cop.
 
Looks like a nice set up you are starting. It looks like you have the major stuff. Dial calibers, corn cob media and polish, loading scale and case lube. What type of 223 rifle are you trying to load for? Like plinking ammo out of a 16 inch AR carbine or accuracy loads for a longer or heavy barrel AR? Range salvage brass is great for plinker rounds but not for sub minute groups. I have found Winchester to be the best for reloading math grade ammo. Other than Lapua. Which is way too expensive.
 
tumble,size and deprime,then MEASURE for probable trimming.Then you are ready to prime,add powder and seat the bullet.It's almost easier to do the sizing/depriming on a single stage.
I'd start with pistol rounds,so much easier..no trimming generally,and no lubing if using carbide dies.Rifle cases MUST BE LUBED.
I like to keep it simple so I go with easy to meter powders like W748 for .223.
with bottle-necked cases like .223 ,you canot just run them thru the press without measuring them,if a case is long it will not open up correctly in the chamber,resulting in high pressure in the chamber.
the 1st thing u'll run into is that very little brass is as long as the book says it's supposed to be.I"ve run into it a dozen times.too short is way better than too long.
New brass if u go that way should be sized and measured before loading,imho.Most agree with this that i've talked to.

have fun and above all go slow and be safe.
 
i am just starting making plinking rounds for my AR dpms orcle 16", later i will go with a single stage for more accurate rounds for target and hunting
 
Looks like a nice set up you are starting. It looks like you have the major stuff. Dial calibers, corn cob media and polish, loading scale and case lube. What type of 223 rifle are you trying to load for? Like plinking ammo out of a 16 inch AR carbine or accuracy loads for a longer or heavy barrel AR? Range salvage brass is great for plinker rounds but not for sub minute groups. I have found Winchester to be the best for reloading math grade ammo. Other than Lapua. Which is way too expensive.

There is nothing wrong with range salvage brass. I use range brass all the time sorted out by head stamp and get sub MOA groups without a problem out of my AR. I use mostly LC brass sorted out by date batches. They work fantastic for precision loading. Why wouldnt you be able to get sub MOA out of range brass?
 
For the 223 every time I have experimented with two identical loads except brass the Winchester would shoot considerably tighter groups than date sorted LC. Not even close? I have done the same with crimp and no crimp and found no crimp to shoot better? I shoot competition and will use what ever will work the best. I get a lot of information from fellow competitors about Bullets and powder combination s that they use. Most of my fellow competitors use Winchester brass. For bullets about 20% use Hornady A-Max and 75% Sierra Match Kings. I have to go with what works.
 
Why wouldnt you be able to get sub MOA out of range brass?
Variations in case wall thickness, neck thickness and primer pocket depth and size are common in range or salvaged military brass. Winchester brass is very consistent in all those dimensions and this has a dramatic effect on accuracy. I used to make .243 brass out of salvaged .308 and I have since dumped it all for 'real' Winchester brass.
 
Im just saying.....I get sub MOA out of my LC sorted by date code brass. Im not the only one who does. I do not disagree that Winchester is great brass. If you are competition shooting or just want it sure spend the money to get the winchester but there is nothing wrong with range brass that is properly prepped. I constantly get .65 to .75 ten shot groups out of my range brass.
 
I agree with the .223 range brass. I previously used salvaged military .223 with no problems (and excellent accuracy) in a Ruger but the .308 really varied in thickness and overall length. My .243 is an older Mauser with a tight chamber and sometimes the salvaged brass would chamber tightly even with FL resizing. I am looking at a used H & R Ultra in .223 and I am sure the range .223 will be just fine in it.
 
ok so i redid my list of the rest of the stuff to get for reloading::::
hornady m2 tumbler
hornady cam-lock case trimmer
cabelas case care kit
hornady powder cop checker die
cabelas bullet puller
hornady lnl loading scale
case lube
corn cob media and polish

223 shell plate
RCBS AR series small base 2 die set
dillon 223 case gauge

most likely i will order the rest of it next weekend besides the 223 stuff
my roomate already has a few calipers so i am not gonna worry about getting one of those at the moment.
i also wanted to ask if anyone has any experience with the lnl bench scale? there isnt to much on reviews for it because it just came out..
 
yeah i already checked out brass mans, thanks for the link. i have somewheres around 6,000 rounds of brass for the 223 a few thousand 9mm's and a few hundred of most of the other calibers i will be reloading.
all i really need after the stuff on the list is primers and heads, wich i am hoping since i am forking out about a grand on the press and all the accessories that my roomate will pick up all that stuff
 
another dumb question i have, can i use any 30 cal (308 diameter) bullets to reload my 30-06, 300wm and 30-30?
i know with the 30-30 i only want to go with flat noses but i just wanted to make sure they are all the same (.30 cal 308 diameter) for all 3 of those rifles

sorry for the stupid question....
 

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