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I've never reloaded, total noob... have no idea what to get, but I have a hunting rifle Ive been thinking of reloading for a while now to develop a load for a specific bullet I want to hunt with and hopefully improve the rifles precision at longer distances over factory ammo. This is a pet project bucket list idea per-se, based on sentimental value to honor my father and life long hunting partner, who recently passed away last year who I inherited the rifle from. He originally purchased this rifle to hunt Pronghorn with, between the two of us... we've taken 3 with this rifle. I was never that into Pronghorn but Ive decided since I'm just barely still "young" enough to collect preference points, I'm going to honor him with at least one more pronghorn hunt with this rifle and I want to maximize my odds. My personal experience with Pronghorn has never been less than 250yds... (roughly, pre laser range finder days) and I'm not getting the precision I want from factory ammo.

The problem today is... the ammo crunch is getting worse and now affecting reloading supplies... and I'm not seeing it getting better for a long time.
I wasn't ready yet to buy financially so I'm hoping to get a jump start on learning the brands for equipment and supplies to start looking for -if- something comes in stock id probably snatch it up on the spot... if all that makes sense. The only good news here is I do have time as I still have some preference points to collect. I figure let the conversation here run, and I will bookmark this thread for reference over time till I have everything I need.

My only interest in reloading is this one hunting round. I don't need a high volume production press I need a quality precision press I want to load an accurate precise load as possible. The only thing I do know is the exact bullet I want which Ive already bookmarked, a Nosler Partition 25-06 120g. Of course, that bullet is out of stock but I will pounce on it when I see it. Everything else is unknown to me.

Press, dies, scales, brass, powder, primers, chrono (Im guessing Id like to push this around 3100fps... guessing right now), anything else, tips/advice... Im all ears. I thank you in advance for your expertise and advice.


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I use only 110 Nosler Accubonds for my .25-06, so I can't help you. Wish you luck, though, I really like mine. I won't try to talk you out of that partition. Classic bullet in a classic caliber.
 
If you want to go top dollar...
I'll recommend a Forster Co-Ax press Its a very stable and consistent press
Consider an RCBS ChargeMaster for throwing precise powder charges (It can also act as your scale)
Redding or Forster Dies
LabRadar Chronograph

Mid range RCBS Rockchucker press
RCBS 5-10-0 scale
RCBS Uniflow powder measure
RCBS manual powder trickler to fine-tune your charge
RCBS dies

Least expensive but eminently useable Lee press, scale, dies and powder charger


And , of course, the first thing you should do is Get the Nosler loading manual;)
I am also a big fan of the Lyman reloading manual It gives a great overview on reloading and various propellants available

Good luck and have fun working up your load!
 
with guns and accuracy, speed often will not be the most accurate, find the load your gun likes, not all guns, but your gun.

Weigh each load individually, its not like you need 100 rounds off the press in 30 minutes. Consistancy is your best friend.

Nosler, back in the day, used to sell cosmetic blems in the front door. As they are a local company, a little phone work may find your bullet at surprising cost!
( I was getting .224 55gr, ziplock of about 250 for 7 bucks, granted a few years back but worth the inquiry)
 
When I started, I bought one piece at a time when I found a bargain. I still have that equipment and although I have a couple of Dillons now, I still use the RCBS Jr. Get a single-stage press and you can do everything you want to accomplish.
 
Try the 100 gr nosler Ballistic tips for your 25-06. Faster and Flatter ballistics with 50-51 grain imr 4350 is 3350 fps. ( work up a load ) and sight in at zero at 200 yards so you'll be 1.1 at 100 / zero at 200 / -5.6 at 300 / -16.4 at 400 / 3.7 at 500 yards,, Rcbs rock chucker press t dies/ is the way to go
 
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The rock chucker press is a hard one to beat for a solid consistent single stage.

I would also add a bullet comparator will be of use for you, it can measure the distance on the ogive of the projectile also measures shoulder bump back distance when resizing, this is important for extreme accuracy.
 
I understand that this is a personal quest and cost may not be an object, but consider that you are looking at spending a few hundred dollars on equipment you may never use again. Of course you can resell it, but I would recommend finding someone close to you who has the equipment and will let you load on it. You may have to buy a set of dies, but that would be it.
If you are in the Portland area I have an RCBS single-stage and a Dillon 550 as well as all the rest of the paraphernalia and you would be welcome to use it for a few sessions to get what you need. I don't have .25-06 dies, but everything else is available.
 
Start with a solid cast press. This will last a lifetime.

RCBS is a good start, change out the threaded insert to a Hornady Lock-n-Load so you can quick change dies and you don't have to adjust your dies every time.
I've found a liking for a Lee Breech Lock cast press, it was 1/2 the cost and used the same breechlock die bushings I had on hand.


If you don't want to roll that way, find some dies and come participate on reloading on my bench. Glad to help you run as many loaded rounds as you'd like to keep the memories alive. I will help you get everything exactly like you want, if you are dialing in a load or just making a generic. Bench is open.
 
I understand that this is a personal quest and cost may not be an object, but consider that you are looking at spending a few hundred dollars on equipment you may never use again. Of course you can resell it, but I would recommend finding someone close to you who has the equipment and will let you load on it. You may have to buy a set of dies, but that would be it.
If you are in the Portland area I have an RCBS single-stage and a Dillon 550 as well as all the rest of the paraphernalia and you would be welcome to use it for a few sessions to get what you need. I don't have .25-06 dies, but everything else is available.
Cost is somewhat of an object here Im not certain I need the best... but if I do this it will be something I use for the rest of my life with this rifle. The rifle has been a true hunting workhorse for my Dad and I, I still use it to hunt deer and even elk with it (hence my favoring the heavier 120g bullet I mentioned). I do have a friend that has reloading equipment, but my understanding is this isnt something I can just show up and get right first time around and ultimately want to be able to produce the load as needed.
 
If you want to go top dollar...
I'll recommend a Forster Co-Ax press Its a very stable and consistent press
Consider an RCBS ChargeMaster for throwing precise powder charges (It can also act as your scale)
Redding or Forster Dies
LabRadar Chronograph

Mid range RCBS Rockchucker press
RCBS 5-10-0 scale
RCBS Uniflow powder measure
RCBS manual powder trickler to fine-tune your charge
RCBS dies

Least expensive but eminently useable Lee press, scale, dies and powder charger


And , of course, the first thing you should do is Get the Nosler loading manual;)
I am also a big fan of the Lyman reloading manual It gives a great overview on reloading and various propellants available

Good luck and have fun working up your load!

If I buy a brands press do I have to stick with the same brands components (dies)?

This is a good list to start with, it sounds like Im looking for a single stage press. How importand is the expensive Chargemaster or can I achieve the same powder precision with just a simple scale?



 
I'd say the main part of loading for precision, that I've learned in my 10+ years of loading, is powder charges.

Getting powder charges exactly the same per round can truly make for a consistent round.

I'd say if you are after good results, an accurate powder dispensing machine is of utmost importance.

With that said, a chronograph is another very important piece of equipment. Without one, you have no way of knowing if you are loading consistently.

From there, I'd say measuring tools become key components. A good secondary scale to measure bullets and or cases. Good set of calibers. Comparator, OAL guage, even more precise if you want to like concentricity tools.

Presses can be good and bad. They do a simple task. Press things into things. Most name brands will suit you fine.

Dies can also be good and bad. The more you spend, tends to equate to better made, but that does not mean the less expensive ones will not get the job done.

In all, have fun and enjoy the process. Creating your own ammo can be very enjoyable and very rewarding.
 
If I buy a brands press do I have to stick with the same brands components (dies)?

This is a good list to start with, it sounds like Im looking for a single stage press. How importand is the expensive Chargemaster or can I achieve the same powder precision with just a simple scale?



Most dies work with most presses. They are usually all threaded the same.

A chargemaster is not required, but certainly makes things easier. You can do similar with a manual powder trickler and an accurate scale.
 
I do have a friend that has reloading equipment, but my understanding is this isnt something I can just show up and get right first time around and ultimately want to be able to produce the load as needed.

This is the better way to go. Your friend can show you how to reload and you can bounce questions off of him.

When I first started reloading 40 years ago, having an experienced mentor take the time to help me was priceless. I had a lot of "why?" questions and he patiently answered them. I'm sure I would have blown something up if it weren't for him.

You may find that you're not interested in reloading. It may or may not give you a better product for the cost. If so, find out before you buy all the gear. Or you may find that reloading 60 rounds of ammo is enough to accomplish what you need. But if it does interest you, after you've cranked out a few rounds and better understand the process, you will better understand what equipment you want.

My big game hunting time is winding down. I have enough hunting ammo loaded to last me for the rest of my time. So my needs have changed and now all my reloading efforts go to plinking or rat shooting.
 
I'd say the main part of loading for precision, that I've learned in my 10+ years of loading, is powder charges.

Getting powder charges exactly the same per round can truly make for a consistent round.

I'd say if you are after good results, an accurate powder dispensing machine is of utmost importance.

With that said, a chronograph is another very important piece of equipment. Without one, you have no way of knowing if you are loading consistently.

This was my understanding, I recently borrowed a friends chronograph and measured the factory loads Ive been using and saw the spread (though I have no other metric to compare it with to know how extreme it is), and just how much less velocity I was getting from its advertised value. My thought was the most difficult thing in mass producing production ammo would be to dispense exact powder loads.


A chargemaster is not required, but certainly makes things easier. You can do similar with a manual powder trickler and an accurate scale.
Everything depends on the cost. A quick search showed the chargemaster at 469, ouch. But I dont know what level of quality scale I need yet in the first place.
 
Medical grade scales are anywhere from 100-800 and tend to be pretty repeatable. Hornady just came out with a new bench scale that looks pretty decent for the price. Having a good manual balance beam scale to verify things doesn't hurt either.
 
"names" mean nothing if the nut behind the scale doesn't do their due dilligence.
You can get a Dillon scale for $170ish, I run a Hornady powder drop, about $230. You could also go with a beam scale.

I use almost exclusively Lee brand dies, my quality control means even cheap dies, on a cheap press will load sub MOA rounds that shoot great and have low SD's and low ES'.

You really could get started for under $200. I get knocked sometimes for saying it but you don't have to spend $500+ just to reload. I have loaded thousands on a $125 press and lee dies.
 
If I buy a brands press do I have to stick with the same brands components (dies)?

This is a good list to start with, it sounds like Im looking for a single stage press. How importand is the expensive Chargemaster or can I achieve the same powder precision with just a simple scale?



Generally speaking, you can use Lee dies on a Forster press and vice versa, Dies and presses are pretty standardized. You can even mix dies if you like as in an RCBS sizing die with a Redding seating die etc. Lee dies are very good IMHO and significantly cheaper than most, if not all of the other brands
The Chargemaster is around $350+ if you find a sale. You can match or exceed the Chargemaster's precision with a manual scale and powder trickler , but it is way more time consuming. If you were to go that way I recommend you buy a higher end scale.

FYI only: I think the only setup that has proprietary dies is the Dillon Square Deal B press, but since that is a system for pistol ammo only, it doesn't matter here
 
Just because you only have plans to reload one caliber does not mean that you should not buy good quality tools and supplies. After all, what you stated is that you are looking for precision in your ammo. While factory ammo is usually good you are correct in assuming that it can be improved upon.
Apparently you are looking at Nosler bullets as that seems to be where you are getting your first information.
My personal experience with Nosler products is that they work best when pushed near maximum in the load charts. Otherwise, they seem to wander around where other brands often demonstrate an accuracy node at more than one speed.
I would suggest that you search some of the reloading sites to see if you can find what you need without limiting yourself to one brand. Sierra makes excelent hunting bullets as does Berger.
As far as the equipment goes, In single stage presses, I would suggest looking at RCBS. They make good presses that should last for decades. There are others that have the same claim, but their cast aluminum frames often break, then even though they have a warranty that will cover it, you will still be down while you send the old press into the factory and they ship a new one to you.
As far as the powder, primers and other expendables go, right now you will have to take what you can get while you can get it, so make a shopping list for powders that will work for the cartridge and haunt the local sporting goods stores until you find one on your list. The same goes for primers and bullets. There are websites that will allow you to put your name on a list for products as they come in, but when they send you a message that the item is avaliable, jump on it right away because it will likely be all gone by the end of the day.
When you buy bullets in the brand and weight you want, buy enough at one time to allow for testing. It is not uncomon to use up a half of a box of bullets to find the load that your rifle likes. Then when the weather and tempreture change the load may not work as well as when you did your testing and you may need to start all over.
 

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