Henry Rifle Forums

Thoughts? Anybody have one?

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/102285/l ... ing-system

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That's a lot of $ for it.

RanchRoper wrote:Thoughts? Anybody have one?

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/102285/l ... ing-system

over the years I've used several Lyman items listed as being in that kit .... all have worked as advertised .... good to see you are considering reloading once again

Just about all of the major reloading equipment manufacturers have starter kits available. That Lyman set looks way too expensive even though it does include quite a few items. Check out the RCBS rock chucker supreme starter kit. I like the fact that it comes with a balance beam scale as opposed to a digital. Hornady also has a great bargain with their Classic kit.
No matter which kit or which brand you decide to go with, understand there will definitely be certain tools in the kit that you will eventually upgrade because they are not suiting your needs.

Mags wrote:.
That's a lot of $ for it.

RanchRoper wrote:Thoughts? Anybody have one?

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/102285/l ... ing-system

Canadian $ but maybe you are right.

1 item in the Lyman kit is a grenade when "armed" - the bullet puller. Many have had a very loud experience with it.

Here is the RCBS lineup to compare:

https://www.midwayusa.com/s?userSearchQ ... PerPage=48

I looked at several. Really like the Dillon square deal B but lots of extras to buy. Tumbler for brass, scale etc.

For me the ideal kit includes what I need for 1 caliber: 45 Colt. I am not about the tools and gear so much. Not my thing. But I have mountains of 1 time shot brass now. Talking several thousand casings.
Also like the multi function. I cannot see myself taking hours to do 50 rounds.

wingnut wrote:1 item in the Lyman kit is a grenade when "armed" - the bullet puller. Many have had a very loud experience with it.

Here is the RCBS lineup to compare:

https://www.midwayusa.com/s?userSearchQ ... PerPage=48

Turret deluxe looks good....

I slowly acquired everything I needed, used for the major items and dies, for around $500. Lots of times I scored overstock items on eBay brand new or very lightly used by new reloaders who quit. Much of my bench is RCBS, with some Lyman items in the mix. They are good product. The package at Cabelas looks complete, but I'd opt for a simpler kit when Cabelas runs a sale, and add things as needed.

I began with one caliber and one single-stage press, adding another single-stage later. Never went in for a tumbler but picked up a cheap ultrasonic cleaner for my brass.

Interesting to hear about the inertial bullet puller. I'd certainly used mine a bunch without any bangs. What is likely to make it do that? Any particular calibers or loading more dangerous than others?

RR, a lot of people bash the Lee reloading equipment, but
I've had good service out of mine for near 10 yrs. now.
I bought a 4-hole turret, and for especially pistol calibers it is great.
I'm no competition shooter that needs a 1000 rds every week.
It works great, heck I load everything on it rifle and pistol.
You can even run it like a single stag.

But operating it like it is designed I can safely load 50-60 rounds in an hour of any handgun caliber.
And that is not even being in a hurry.

I have two presses both are Lee, one is a single stage and the other being the turret.
Have dies that are Lee, RCBS, Lyman, and CHD.
Hope this helps a little.

RP

RR
I load 45 colt single stage because the shell plates on the Square deal can break out if you dont use the spray lube on the cleaned brass. This adds an extra step to loading on the auto press I dont care for. So if I do load 45 colt on the Square deal I have a set of 45 colt carbide dies I presize with before I load them on the auto press. I can load 100 rounds in an evening without to much trouble. I have a rock chucker single stage press.

I can't EVER see me pulling apart a loaded round...so no need for a puller.

I will keep looking at kits, thanks for the info.

RR-

Pick up 2 seater dies. The stems/plugs are the only difference, 1 for round nose and 1 for semi-wadcutter. Using the wrong 1 will deform the bullet's nose.

Examples:
https://www.midwayusa.com/s?userSearchQ ... PerPage=48

RanchRoper wrote:I can't EVER see me pulling apart a loaded round...so no need for a puller.

I will keep looking at kits, thanks for the info.

Primers do flip once in 2000 maybe. Just have to have a plan. Same with a stuck case in the sizing die.

I think the plan is to scrap anything that doesn't look right or won't go bang.

Call me chicken s***....

I have the new Lyman turret press, and really like it. You may want to think about this kit instead, and then just add whatever else you need.

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/110918/l ... oading-kit

You can probably find it cheaper than Cabela's, if you do some looking.

I found a Hornady Classic Lock-n-Load kit on GB for about half of regular retail (New Old Stock), which is a very basic collection of the pieces and parts you need to get started.
Loading just one caliber, the turret-type press is sort of overkill, especially when you look at the bushing system that allows you to swap a different die into the press in about 5 seconds.

One thing that Lyman kit includes, which is a pretty expensive component, is a trimmer, which almost never comes into play with straight-walled pistol cartridges. With your 45 Colt, by the time they need trimming, they will likely have been reloaded enough times that throwing them away is the next step.

I quickly began looking for a combination scale/dispenser like the RCBS Chargemaster Lite, but that's just me. I want to SEE it, but I don't really want to measure/meter it. This thing is pretty quick, quite and accurate.
https://www.amazon.com/RCBS-Scales-Char ... pons&psc=1

They go on sale fairly often (in the States, anyway) and this or something similar pop up on Ebay in very lightly used condition as well.

I scoured YouTube for demos on tumbling, and settled in on wet tumbling, with a rock tumbler from Harbor Freight, but Amazon has them, too.
https://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Electric ... 150&sr=8-6
Again, personal preference on "how to tumble."

I also de-prime the cartridges prior to tumbling to the primer pockets get scrubbed in the tumbling process, but that was a simple universal Lee die that handles all calibers.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/13654 ... apping-die

The handheld primer tool that came with my Hornady kit was junk, so I ended up with the Frankford Arsenal version, which is built like a tank.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/58248 ... iming-tool

For me, this has been a classic case of "it's the journey, not the destination." Its great to finally be into the process and figuring out workflow and what's fastest, etc., but it took WEEKs to figure out just the basic gear. Yet, that's part of the fun of it, as you end up with exactly what works for you.

For dies, just make sure they're finished with carbide or equivalent so you don't have to worry about lubes. That's the other plus of working with pistol loads. I got these for both my 357 and 45 Colt and they're all I ever see myself needing for those basic calibers.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/10111 ... -4-die-set

The one thing that Lyman kit has that's next on my list is an electric case prep tool that will debur and chamfer the cases, but, again, personal preference.

I have that Lyman bullet puller and I don't see, either, how it would go Bang if used as instructed, but I'm sure there's a great story out there!

And, don't forget to figure out your work-station!

Hope this helps. It's was easiest for me to separate out the key parts of the process (decapping/tumbling, powder/primer handling, case processing) and figure out what would work best.

Thanks.

I am leaning towards reloading. After much thought there is 1 thing that is certain: the less moving parts for me the better. I am not a mechanical type guy. No tinkering or messing around adjusting things all the time for me. Not my thing.
The RCB deluxe turret looks appealing to me. Heavy duty, set it up for my 1 caliber and leave it alone. That would be my kind of setup. The Dillon looks like lots of moving parts and finicky adjustments.

Simple is best for me.

I guess that long post from me argues in favor of hand-picking the components that would work best for you and "build your own kit."

OP, you **will** need a bullet puller of some kind, it's inevitable. You can get the kinetic (ie. hammer-type) or a collet-type, but you will need one along the way. Sooner or later, you will have a round that turns out wrong, for whatever reason. It could just be that you seated a bullet deeper than you want, and need to pull it back some so you can re-seat it. And then what will you do? It's not like you can just chuck them in the trash for the garbage man to dispose of. You will want to break those loads down, at the very least to render them harmless, and to save what you can to reuse later. I have been using the kinetic type for many, many years and have pulled hundreds of bullets without issue. There's really no way a round can detonate while using one, as the primer is not struck in any way.