Well, I began my reloading startup today.

[JRSherman]

Hi JRSherman,

Not sure when/where you bought your RCBS Partner Kit, but RCBS had a rebate going on them you may or may not know about:

http://www.midwayusa.com/General.mvc/Index/rebates~rcbs_save10

So are you going to take the RCBS back and start with Lee?

Given than you want to start with 308, single stage should be fine and the least costly option as well. I have the Lee Classic Cast single stage, and it has done everything I've asked of it.

Good luck,

Alan

Yeah I Bass Pro'ed it. One of the hassles of hiding money from the wife is that it's usually cash and I can't internet purchase like I used to lol. Depending on the weather tomorrow I'll probably head back and grab the Lee kit and a set of Lee dies since they have shell holders to match.

Thanks for the encouraging words!

 

[weav199]

I've just started reloading and LOVE the LnL-AP! I have many calibers and really appreciate the bushings! I love to shoot as often as i can and have been saving brass for two years. Took hours just to separate it. I should have been doing this years ago!

 

[dennishoddy]

I've just started reloading and LOVE the LnL-AP! I have many calibers and really appreciate the bushings! I love to shoot as often as i can and have been saving brass for two years. Took hours just to separate it. I should have been doing this years ago!

I've been reloading since 1980.
Started the centerfire with a RCBS special, and added all of the accessories over the years.
Two years ago, bought the Hornady LNL-AP and love it.
I was a total fanatic about weighing each load, but after a couple thousand loads with the Hornady, and testing every 10th one, it never varied more than 1 tenth of a grain.
That 1 tenth is not going to cause any problems with accuracy unless your shooting at really long ranges.

 

[weav199]

Cool, thx for that bit! So you're saying when I load for accuracy in .308 or .300WSM, .223, a tenth could make a noticable difference?

 

[Shadowrider]

Cool, thx for that bit! So you're saying when I load for accuracy in .308 or .300WSM, .223, a tenth could make a noticable difference?

A tenth won't be a big deal in a large capacity case. It can make a difference in a small case like 9mm for instance.

I was just reading an interesting thread somewhere, maybe snipershide, can't remember.

The guy took 2 boxes of Federal Gold Medal Match .308 168SMK ammo and did some chrono testing. He took 1 box and pulled the bullet on each round one at a time, weighing the powder charge, recording the info and re-seating the bullet. (He put each round back together individually just like it was in the box.) He found as much as .4 grains variation in powder charge through the box. The chrono showed an extreme spread of 5 FPS which is mind blowing good.

The second box he pulled all the bullets and weighed the powder as a total for all 20 rounds. He then reassembled them by dividing the total weight of the powder divided by 20 and loaded that much powder in each round to get them all exactly the same. The chrono showed an ES of 4 FPS.

These ES numbers are astoundingly good. But then Federal GMM .308 ammo has always been thought to have some sort of juju going on with it. It's got a very long history of being the best off the shelf ammo in .308 accuracywise. If I ever get a load that consistent I'll consider it a great accomplishment, but with my luck it will only shoot so so in my rifle.

 

[streak]

congrats on getting going. I chose to start with a lee turret myself. So far everything has been great with it but its only barley broke 1000 rounds. Whatever you decide; good luck, be careful, and most of all ENJOY!

 

[JRSherman]

Well, I wasn't planning on going to Bass Pro and trading out today. I figured I'd just stay at home and reduce the chances of anything happening since I really didn't need to go anywhere. But Tulsa Tech decided I have school tonight, so I'll leave a few hours early and hit Bass Pro on the way.

 

[VIKING]

Well, I bought my first press when I was 18 years old..It was a RCBS jr. with a set of 30-30 dies. I also bought the speer manual with a set of Redding scales. I have since loaded for many different pistol rounds and probably at least 10 different rifle rounds...Oh..did I mention I am now 60 and still using the RCBS jr.? Everything still works the same and I've never regretted buying it..I have no idea how many rounds I have loaded but I buy my primers a 1000 at a time and I've done that several times in the past 42 years..I'm not saying anything bad about any other brand, all I'm saying is my opinion is the RCBS is really hard to beat..Good luck with whichever you decide and have fun. Its a wonderful hobby.......

 

[JRSherman]

I braved the jackwagons and speed demons today, went and traded out for the Lee and some other accessories, as well as another pack of .308 brass since they were out the other day.

With the set of dies I took back, I got a lot more equipment out of the trip than I came home with the other day, so I'll be content until I can afford a better setup, if I so choose.

Thanks for the opinions and help guys, I appreciate it and may need some more in the weeks to come!

 

[criticalbass]

congrats on getting going. I chose to start with a lee turret myself. So far everything has been great with it but its only barley broke 1000 rounds. Whatever you decide; good luck, be careful, and most of all ENJOY!

This is a real good way to go. CB