What's it going to take to set me up reloading 45-70?

[tcpip95]

Here's the situation. My wife and I sold our condo 3 years ago and bought a brand new 2020 43' fifth wheel and are full time RV'ing. I'm waiting for the real estate market to crash and burn down here in FL (again) and we will then buy a home. I'm planning on buying in about 2-3 years from now. Until then, I don't have the space to do any reloading.

Having said that, I know that I will eventually want to reload 45-70 and 30-06. I own many other calibers but have more ammo than I will shoot in two lifetimes of all of that (.380, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, 5.56, 7.62X39 and quite a bit of 30-06).

I know nothing about reloading as it pertains to what equipment I need to buy. So between now and the time that we buy a house I can start collecting the equipment I need, taking my time to look for good deals as they come my way.

I'm doing research on YouTube as well as Reloading 101 type stuff, so I'll check back in here with questions.

[Hatchdog]

First item to buy is a good loading manual. Tons of information in there for beginning reloaders. Next is a sturdy bench to use, loading 30/06 and 45-70 requires quite a bit of torque. Next up is a single stage press, there’s lots of them out there at many different price points. I recommend an RCBS Rock Chuckar but that is on the more expensive end of available presses. Of course dies and shell holders for both calibers. You will need a way to measure the powder charge, I recommend a powder scale but you could use the Lee brand dipper set or if you buy Lee dies and they will come with a dipper. But that limits you to only one charge which pretty much defeats the purpose of reloading which is to find the ideal load for your rifle. You can use the press to seat primers but a hand priming tool is very handy to use. You will need to lube the cases to resize them, I use the Hornady spray lube. Unlikely you will find a powder that works for both 30/06 and 45-70 but I don’t know for sure. I do know that many including myself back when I had a 45-70 like Hodgdon H4198. A billion years ago when I loaded 30/06 I used DuPont IMR 4350 but there’s so many more powders available today you may get a better recommendation.

The loading manual will tell you what to use for components but for these two calibers I suspect you will use Large Rifle primers, not magnum. Bullet choice is all over the map but these days inventories are very limited. I’m starting to see quite a bit of Hornady bullets in stores these days. Hardest item to find will be primers.

Good luck and enjoy.

[Rifletom]

A good set of dial calipers. A must. Hatch mentioning IMR 4350 is sound. IMR 4064 is another very good powder for the 30-06, as is H 4350.
Lyman manuals are real good to have, as they are not bullet specific; they use everyone's bullets. Its easy to get carried away buying odds and ends for handloading, just obtain what is needed to start. A good scale. Beam scales: Hornady Balance Beam or RCBS beam scales are good. Digital scales are fast, I just prefer a beam type as more reliable.
Ask away, you'll get a load of info to get you started.

[John E Davies]

If you want to reload as you travel, being in an RV full time really cramps your style, unless you have enough floor space to install a SOLID compact (36” or wider) bench. You can’t operate most of the normal presses on a flimsy surface, they must be bolted down hard. You can ballast the table additionally with bullets and other gear, but that won’t work when traveling. IMHO you have two options.

A classic Lee Loader in each caliber, a big mallet and any flat surface.
https://leeprecision.com/classic-lee-loader/

OR A Buchanon Precision hand held press..

5C4F8EF9-8F9D-4E83-9CD5-3CA27669832E.png (324.66 KiB) Viewed 1854 times

… https://buchananprecisionmachine.com/p ... ding-press

I have used both, the Lee Loader was my first ever tool and I quickly found that it was so very limited. But if all you need is for a few rounds to go Bang, it will work.

I bought the Buchanon press last year, it is truly a thing of great beauty, and very satisfying to own and use. I love the Lock N Load bushings, they allow quick changes of the various dies without having to thread them in and out twenty turns. I carry this press, a digital scale, a hand priming tool and a small assortment of bullets, primers and powders when traveling, it works great for small quantities. Not so much for hundreds of 9 mm rounds for range blasting. I only use it to load .327 Federal Mag and ..44 Mag. All other calibers get loaded at home on a RCBS Rock Chucker single stage press.

The Buchanon press operates completely differently from any other press, you hold it in front of your chest and press your hands toward each other, like praying very hard. If you have weak muscles like me, that will tire them out quickly and your chest can get sore.

Get a good book on reloading, to learn the basics and about ballistics and techniques.

https://www.amazon.com/ABCs-Reloading- ... 5279&psc=1

Reloading data is also necessary, you can get a copy of the excellent Lee roloading manual, or just download charts from the bullet or powder webpages.

Because you want to reload bottleneck cartridges, that headspace on the case neck, you also will need a case trimmer of some sort, and case lube (messy) and eventually more sophisticated tools to fine tune your loads. Straight walled cartridges are much easier to deal with, using carbide dies (no lube) with less fussing and testing. I have reloaded .223/ 5.56 and found that it is just too much work for me.

An alternative for when you are on the road full time is get a high quality PCP rifle and a high pressure (4500 psi) electric pump, and enjoy shooting those without having to reload rounds. Continue to buy factory ammo for your powder guns, and get all the reloading stuff when you settle down in Florida…. I don’t see any point in buying now and just storing all that dead weight in a trailer for three years.

John Davies
Spokane WA

[leverjc]

Good advice from all of the above. I would like to add one thing, the Lee hand press worked well for me when I was living in an RV. The biggest bottle neck cartridge I reloaded was 30-30 so I am not sure how that would work out for your 30-06 but would probably work if well lubed.

[tcpip95]

Thanks all. For now I'm going to shoot factory ammo (just ordered 5 x 20rds of S&B 405gr but will start saving the brass from Day 1. I don't see myself trying to reload while we're living in the RV and traveling. Too much of a PITA.

I think all of you recommended single stage presses. What about if I come across a used progressive press (i.e. Dillon 550) at a decent price? Knowing what you all know now, would you have gone straight to a progressive machine?

[Hatchdog]

, would you have gone straight to a progressive machine?

Absolutely not!

Full disclosure, I have never used a progressive press but I do use a Lee turret press. The difference is the Dillon completes every step of loading with each pull of the handle. That’s a lot of stuff going on at the same time. With the Lee turret you load one cartridge at a time start to finish. Much easier to keep track of what’s happening. There are some on here that use the Dillon with great success. It’s designed to load large quantities of ammo such as some will shoot in handguns or AR type rifles.

Regardless, you are best to start with a single stage press that is easy to slow down and both see and feel every movement. There’s a lot of “feel” involved with reloading which is a good check system. You’re going along and then something doesn’t feel right. Easy to stop and take a look for a problem.

Particularly with the two calibers you mentioned using a single stage is a good direction to go. Unless you’re shooting a Grarand it’s unlikely you will shoot large quantities of these calibers.

[BigAl52]

I use a progressive press for pistol ammo only and I only go up to 357. The press will handle the 44 mag and the 45 Colt but they recommend using a spray lube to help with the sizing as it can be hard on the shell plates. The spray lube adds an extra step in the loading process and I just go ahead and use the single stage for those calibers. Ive had mine for quite a while its a Dillon Square deal. I use a single stage rock chucker for all the other loading I do. I do however totally agree with Hatch no way would I start with a progressive. Everyone in my opinion should learn how to load with a single stage. I kind of corealate that to driving a manual vs and automatic in a car. I think everyone needs to know how to drive a stick shift. I dont shoot many bottleneck calibers and straight wall cases are easier to load for. Those bottleneck cases involve trimming the case so that your oal isnt to long. There is some trimming on straight walls and I have had to do it to 45-70 brass. Trimming cases is the worst job in reloading. I have come across some items for myself though that now make that job not to bad.

[Oldbrass]

I started years ago with the LEE challenger kit. An excellent single stage set up... I'm still using it after thousands of rifle and pistol rounds. LEE sells a portable press stand, that and a reloading manual your set.. Be advised there's a primer shortage

[John E Davies]

I have had a Rock Chucker for decades. I eventually got a Lee Turret press a few years ago, like Hatchdog. I liked being able to churn out many rounds of 9 mm but I decided that the quality of the loads was not good enough, especially the .223 rifle ammo. I sold it and went back to my single stage. I agree that you should learn to drive a stick before you buy that automatic one…..

Also, I am a huge fan of the Lee die sets, they are fairly high quality and very affordable. Their other equipment, not so much. Too many engineering and production shortcuts IMHO.

John Davies
Spokane WA

[tcpip95]

Ok, y’all make a strong case for single stage. That’s the kind of real world practical guidance that I’m looking for. Many thanks, and please keep it coming.

[JEBar]

we travel in our camper about 6 months a year and went through the process of trying to figure out how to reload while on the road .... you might find this thread to be worth a look ====> http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... ss#p131356

[tcpip95]

So after a full day of reading, and watching YouTube, I’m impressed with the Hornady Lock ‘n Load single stage setup, still doing my homework.

I’ve ordered the 8th Edition of the Hornady Cartridge Reloading Handbook. It’s 3 revisions behind but I’m sure it will have correct information on 121 and 143 year old cartridges.

[tcpip95]

I’m also looking at the Lyman and Frankford models as well.

[tcpip95]

And especially like the Rock Chucker supreme

[tcpip95]

Short list is Hornady vs Rock Chucker Supreme.

[tcpip95]

Well, I think I've settled on the RCBS successor to the Rock Chucker - the RCBS Rebel Master. Watched a six-hour video on it that was quite informative. I'll be looking for deals on it going forward.

[John E Davies]

Well, I think I've settled on the RCBS successor to the Rock Chucker - the RCBS Rebel Master. Watched a six-hour video on it that was quite informative. I'll be looking for deals on it going forward.

You can add the wonderful Hornady Lock-N-Load bushings to any standard threaded press. I assume that includes the new Rebel, but you should verify that.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012999418

And old eyes really appreciate a good light, like this:

https://kmssquared.com/rl_uni.html

John Davies
Spokane WA

[JEBar]

Well, I think I've settled on the RCBS successor to the Rock Chucker - the RCBS Rebel Master. Watched a six-hour video on it that was quite informative. I'll be looking for deals on it going forward.

you can't go wrong with RCBS

[tcpip95]

As far as reloading while RVing, I've come up with this idea. Bora Portamate Speedhorses


They are totally collapsible and I can store them in the toolbox of my trunk.






If need be I could use 3 of them close together for support.

My question now becomes, roughly how many square feet of space minimum will I require to reload?

I would use 2x6"s (on-side) as my table top (instead of plywood as shown in photo). By using 2x6's I can store them easier than a sheet of plywood, also the horses would fold up and store in my toolbox in the bed of my truck.