Reloading Setup

[John MH]

I was inclined to go with Hornady dies, because Hornady ammo is the slickest ammo for my IMBEL FAL, where extraction of 7.62x51 brass is a pain to say the least. .308 is much better and of that Hornady makes it pretty easy. I might be wrong to assume their factory ammo uses precisely the same dimensions that would be produced by their reloading dies, but it seems like my best shot. - No guarantee that Hornady .308 dies will produce reloaded ammo to the exact same dimensions are their factory stuff, Hornady Dies are not a particularly go choice for the precision reloader, I don't know anyone who uses them.

Yes I appreciate the Wilson is one of the slower case trimming alternatives, but AFAIK it's one of the most accurate. Accuracy was my main driving force when deciding what I needed. Initially I'm going to be anal about everything, but I guess as I get better at it, I can switch to a cheaper/faster alternative if it doesn't effect the accuracy. - I wouldn't bother about accuracy with a IMBEL FAL it won't know whether the cases have been trimmed or not.

[Alpha1]

I have had several trimmers over the years I now use a LeWilson to trim all my cases. I also use there neck dies and seating dies.Its the best trimmer on the market as far as I am concerned. But be aware you need a separate case holder for each calibre you reload for. Common calibers like .308. 6.5x55 for example are catered for but they don't do case holders for every calibre.
You also need a Arbor press if you use their neck and seating dies. If you are going for precision ammo from day one I would go for Forster dies. But to be honest unless you are shooting F class or Benchrest I would just buy a Lee die set the one with the sizing die seater and neck die plus you get a shell holder thrown in. But at the end of the day its up to you. What sort of rifle are you going to re load for and what distances do you expect to shoot over.

[HALODIN]

Yes we're definitely not short of opinions..!

I was leaning towards the Forster dies originally, but the Hornady dies have the sliding sleeves as well and I'm sure they'll be OK. If I end up buying some extra .308 dies later so be it.

The jury's out on the tumbler, I'll give this some thought tonight, as I'd like to get the order in over the next day or so. I'l look at the hand primer and the powder thrower you mentioned later as well.

I already have digital calipers, so at least that's one thing off my list. I like the sound of the Hornady powder measure stand, they way you've described it makes perfect sense to me. I'll take a look tonight.

Thanks for the advice!

Similar thoughts to John really, in particular the items below. But note - you could go round in circles based on opinions; you will always get many different preferences and styles, hence reiterating the advice to start simple and refine things later as you learn what suits *you*:

Trimming: There are so many ways to do this, each with their own merits (and consequently supporters). There is the Wilson, Giraud, Gracey, WFT, Lee, Dillon, and others. I've used lathe-style plus the Lee, Gracey and Dillon. The Lee does a brilliant job for absolutely peanuts, and is a great place to start (as well as being optionally powered).

Cleaning: I also like Stainless tumbling, but use a giant vibratory for bulk duties. The new 'Extreme' tumblers look to offer some benefits over the Thumlers for stainless processing.

Dies: The Forster Ultra micrometer seater is as good as they for this type of press, and Redding competition dies are in a similar league, all with sliding sleeves for alignment. Forster bushing bump is another useful die if you like neck sizing.

Powder Measure: I would prefer an RCBS 'competition' measure to the one included with the kit, and this is one possible reason to buy separate items instead of a kit. A top quality hand primer, such as a Sinclair, might be another reason. An alternative powder funnel would be another - the 'Forster Blue Ribbon Powder Funnel with Long Drop Tube'.

I didn't notice calipers in your list.

Powder Measure Stand: A powder measure stand might not be absolutely necessary - you can mount the measure on a press using the 'offset plate'. If you do want a stand, the Hornady quick-release system works great for powder measures. Unscrewing long threads while holding a measure full of powder in order to empty it is a pain, and discourages returning the powder to the bottle where it belongs between sessions. The Hornady system uses a bayonet fitting.

Lube: I've always liked Imperial dry lube for neck sizing, but I've never used the balls. Wax is equally or more popular though. For FL sizing I make my own spray lube, so my lube pad and RCBS lube sit idle.

..

[HALODIN]

It doesn't surprise me, Mrs HALODIN's silver comes out with a shine that rivals the briefcase in pulp fiction.

I'll take a read of the book 20series kindly gave me, I'm sure there's a mountain of information in it.

The Lee book did mention it but I got most of the detail from said mate when he did a short course at our club.
BTW re cleaning have you considered using stainless steel media? I gave some used brass to another mate to clean and they came back like new inside and out. If I'd had a small enough spoon I would quite happily have eaten out of them.

[HALODIN]

I appreciate that, but as it's the best ammo for my FAL, it's worth a go. You pays your money and you takes your chances...

I'm not looking for high precision with the FAL, but my next .308 (variation pending) is the one I'm thinking about.

No guarantee that Hornady .308 dies will produce reloaded ammo to the exact same dimensions are their factory stuff, Hornady Dies are not a particularly go choice for the precision reloader, I don't know anyone who uses them.

- I wouldn't bother about accuracy with a IMBEL FAL it won't know whether the cases have been trimmed or not.

[HALODIN]

Assuming I go for this case trimmer, I'll buy some extra case holders, thanks for the heads up.

The aim of reloading is to have cheap .44 and .303 ammo. Produce cheap .308 'Hornady-esque` ammo that extracts nicely from my FAL and reduce the MOA on my M14 to .75 moa or better. When my variation comes through, I plan to buy an AI AT308 and I guess this is when I start to see the subtle differences when reloading over greater distances, I guess up to 800-900 yards.

I have had several trimmers over the years I now use a LeWilson to trim all my cases. I also use there neck dies and seating dies.Its the best trimmer on the market as far as I am concerned. But be aware you need a separate case holder for each calibre you reload for. Common calibers like .308. 6.5x55 for example are catered for but they don't do case holders for every calibre.
You also need a Arbor press if you use their neck and seating dies. If you are going for precision ammo from day one I would go for Forster dies. But to be honest unless you are shooting F class or Benchrest I would just buy a Lee die set the one with the sizing die seater and neck die plus you get a shell holder thrown in. But at the end of the day its up to you. What sort of rifle are you going to re load for and what distances do you expect to shoot over.

[Alpha1]

If you are reloading for .44 .303 and cheap .308 then the kit you are proposing to buy is way over the top. Forget the LeWilson trimmer you could buy a basic set up that will cover what you want for the price of the LeWilson trimer alone. Don't take this the wrong way but it sounds to me like you have got to much money my friend. The amount of money you are proposing to spend on a first set up is madness.
You said earlier that you are a analyst. You would not be a laboratory analyst by any chance would you. May be in the Chemical industry the reason I ask is I am surrounded by these guys and I have to beat them into submission every day as to not go to the fine end of a fart in every thing they do. In my opinion your wish list is way way over the top. But its your money my friend but I could trim that list down and have enough money left over to buy another rifle.

[HALODIN]

Perhaps I should have said cheap[er] .308. I accept your point when considering the .44, .303 and the FAL (.308), however the M14 and the AI AT308 is where I want to produce a quality round. I want to know how good both rifles are.

What can I say, I've always had expensive taste and I've never minded paying extra for quality tools, it can make a boring job an absolute pleasure.

I didn't do very well in chemistry, I was too busy setting fire to gas taps, playing with potassium and connecting Bunsen burners to cold water taps. I'm an IT Analyst/Engineer/DBA by trade, but I agree sometimes it's a good idea to step back and admire your work. I've asked Reloading Solutions for a quote for most of it, once I see the final cost no doubt somethings will be substituted or perhaps even knocked off the list altogether, we'll see but thanks for your concern.

If you are reloading for .44 .303 and cheap .308 then the kit you are proposing to buy is way over the top. Forget the LeWilson trimmer you could buy a basic set up that will cover what you want for the price of the LeWilson trimer alone. Don't take this the wrong way but it sounds to me like you have got to much money my friend. The amount of money you are proposing to spend on a first set up is madness.
You said earlier that you are a analyst. You would not be a laboratory analyst by any chance would you. May be in the Chemical industry the reason I ask is I am surrounded by these guys and I have to beat them into submission every day as to not go to the fine end of a fart in every thing they do. In my opinion your wish list is way way over the top. But its your money my friend but I could trim that list down and have enough money left over to buy another rifle.

[Dombo63]

You might be surprised how good your 303 is as well. Mine produced significantly tighter groups with HPS target ammo (174gn SMKs in HXP brass) than with privi or S&B, and that's with only me shooting it.

[dromia]

Hornady dies are really first class and the bullet seater is excellent, giving negligible run out, they will not disappoint.

When you get round to loading for a rifle that needs very fine tuning of the boolit/bullet seating depth then it will be time to get the Forster micro adjust seating die.