What are your best and worst investments when it comes to reloading?

I think I have two “bests”: a Dillon 550 and a Dillon media separator.

I picked up the former at a pawn shop and the latter in a raffle. I didn’t know what I was missing out on with either of them.

What say ye?

Best is a Forster CO-AX press

Best-RCBS Rock Chucker

Worst-Lee Factory Crimp die

Best investment for me as well. I don’t feel like I gained any quality going from it to the Zero. The Zero is nice and far more efficient press but I’m not making any better ammo on it.

SAC modular sizing die. I really like this die and the fact you can size anything in the family with it to repeatable sizes.

Why no FCD? And was that for rifle or pistol ammo?

Best

Giruard case trimmer
Auto Trickler
Sartorious and A&D scales
Redding T7 press
Lee Auto Prime 2
VLD/Atip seating stems
LabRadar

Worst

Dillon 650
Any RCBS dies (I can’t stand them)
R17 powder
Buying any “second” bullets

Best: Lee Classic Turret for its versatility.
Worst: Anything to do with bullet trimming that Lee makes. Threw it in the trash and got a Frankford prep station.

If Lee were to actually develop a prep station that had as good or better features than the others at a lower cost, it would sell. The cheesy toy-like trimming tools don't "cut it".

Honorable mention: My RCBS stuff is all really old and still very good.

It was for pistol ammunition. For some stupid reason Hornady sells die sets with either a taper crimp or a roll crimp for cartridges that headspace on the case rim. Figured that out after buying a set of 45 acp dies at Academy. Seater has a roll crimp profile. Purchased a Lee FCD. Some people swear by them to use for a bulge buster to correct over flaring the case mouth. With jacketed bullets they probably work. I cast most of my own pistol bullets. The internal dimensions of the FCD swages cast. That manifests in leading the barrel at best, or key holing at worst. FCD is an abomination if you shoot cast. Got a taper crimp seater from Hornady and all is good. I have since purchased Hornady taper crimp die sets for .45 acp, 9mm, .40 S&W, and .380.

Best:
Rock Chucker, Dillon 550B, steel pins tumbler (plus the magnet), Hornady Lock-N-Load die bushings, Charge Master

Worst:
Hammer-type bullet puller

Best: RCBS Rockchucker. Been using it for 45 years and don't ever plan to replace it.

Best
Forester Co-Ax press
Auto Tricker on top of A&D laboratory scale
Giraud case trimmer
Giraud case annealer

Worst
Any Lee product. Their priming tool became un-usable in only 300 brass.

Kinetic bullet puller hammer. It was cold one day and I broke it. I went to collet pullers and immediately wondered what took me so long to get there.

I actually don't have any tools that I hate. Mostly just tools that I got better versions of.

As for the best:
1. 21st Century Innovations case holder that fits on the a driver. can't quite afford a giraurd so I use the WFT system.
2. RCBS automatic priming tool.

Both are the best because the tools they replaced start to hurt my hands, mostly from fatigue. I got good grip strength but I'm getting older.

I’m with Korean Redneck. I no longer have any reloading gear I hate. Way back when, I started with the basics. As I could afford new and better gear, I upgraded. I do have a few dies that are gathering dust - tried em, didn’t much like em.

Strange. I shoot almost exclusively cast bullets in pistols and run everything through a FCD.

FCD for me as well, but only on rimmed cases. Nothing but cast. Then again I only shoot on size and have never tried to slug my bore for a proper fit. I can see that becoming an issue at .002-.003” larger.

I also use a FCD on cast bullets - all 38/357. The 686 doesn’t much require the FCD on the reloads, but the Python does with 357. I guess the Python has tighter chambers.

Do you purchase them or cast yourself? If I remember correctly, you shoot some competition. My reason for asking that question is commercially produced cast is usually with a hard alloy. The hard alloy holds up better to shipping without getting dents. You can also load harder bullets that are groove diameter with good accuracy. When you start tailoring softer alloys to velocity for ideal expansion and weight retention they must be sized over groove diameter. With anything other than the thinnest cases, when the sleeve inside the FCD sizes the loaded case body, soft projectiles also get sized. You can remove the sleeve from the seating die and make it work but then what is the point?

Where has that been all my life?

Best:
Auto Trickler/A&D scale combo...I've had every version Adam has released.
SuperTrickler (I'm using this right now and I'm very happy with it, but I haven't sold my AutoTrickler v4 yet)
AMP annealer
Giraud Trimmer
Co-Ax
Wilson seating dies
21st Century hydro arbor press
Redding Micro top seaters
K&M neck turners/expanders

Worst:
Hornady LnL press single stage press...it was a primer mess from day one and those stupid sleeves get expensive
Kinetic hammer bullet puller
Forester Micro Seaters
K&M arbor press w/ force pack - it's not a bad press but it's a bigger PIA for different size dies
Bald Eagle arbor press...broke the handle for the height adjustment on day 3, press works fine though
Hornady Trimmer...it worked but time consuming and PIA to deal with
I've yet to find a primer seater that I like...the original Lee AutoPrime was my favorite thus far but it has too many weak points (I think I went through 3-4 of them before I just gave up) and the new ones trays are crap. I'm using an RCBS bench mount, but I don't like it.

As you can tell most of the stuff I've bought was done to make things go faster or more consistent/accurate. Example, I started with a chargemaster and it was good for what I was using for but compared to my current setup...it's not near as fast and it's not near as accurate.

The SAC modular die peaked my interest...but I like a set and forget approach so I'd have to buy one for every cartridge still and at the price point...I might as well have a die set for every cartridge. I'm starting to get like Chad...RCBS dies aren't crap but there are better options...Redding, Whidden, Wilson and Hornady all make better dies than RCBS. If I was still shooting competitively and putting the rounds down a tube I once was...I know I would've added the AMP seater and possibly an IDOD by now...maybe even a Primal Rights CPS, still not on board with the cost of the thing.

This thread reminds me I need to have a virtual garage sale

best;
rcbs chargemaster
Forester CO-AX press
Giraud trimmer
rcbs case prep station

worst;

nothing really

Best-Rock Chucker
Hornady collet bullet puller. It can be a pain to setup but once it's set, it just works. I looked at the hammers and knew better right from the start.

Worst-Lee auto bench primer, it started out good but went down hill quick

The vast majority of what I’ve loaded has been home cast, usually with some sort of wheel weight alloy. I got into powder coating a few years back and have shot a whole bunch of those bullets. I recently decided the time and effort of casting wasn’t worth it and have been purchasing bullets…. Or conning my old man into casting, and then I coat and size. I am currently in the middle of moving, changing jobs, starting a farming operation, and got a kid on the way, so I might break the molds out again soon.. that 3 cents a bullet might be what keeps me out of the poor house

Congrats to you and your wife on the upcoming child cowboy. casting played a key role in managing the costs of my shooting habit while my son was in college.

I sold or threw away anything I did not like. Doesn't mean I don't have mistakes to list.



Me too. I loaded some jacketed .45 AUTO last year but haven't touched anything but cast in a good while besides those. I use the LFCD on rifle and pistol. My experience is it either does nothing at all or helps. On an auto-advance turret and using pre-primed brass, it really doesn't add time.

Interesting read.

Best: Hornady locknload progressive press, their custom dies, die bushings, powder cop bushing; Frankford Arsenal case prep station, hand primer and wet tumbler; LED lighting on for my press to illuminate the loading plate and cartridge progress.
Worst: Hornady press priming tube setup --- gave up on that like Judd
Needed: make a decision on an automatic powder trickler/dispenser and an annealing tool (considering Burstfire).