Best/Worst Reloading Investments

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).

71Rcode as far as annealers go, I have and recommend the Ugly Annealer. As far as torch based I don’t know that there’s anything better on the market. Of course Amp is the way to go but I’ve yet to justify it to myself.

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.

[/quote]

Yup. This is one of those old discussions. Some love it. Others hate it. There are better approaches for loading projectiles sized a little over actual groove diameter. In addition to having either a taper or roll profile in the top of the die, it also has a sleeve that uniformly sizes the case body of the loaded cartridge. Sizing the body of loaded ammunition is only necessary if your dies are incorrectly set up and are creating a buckle or bulge in the case. If you load over size bullets, they get sized too. Some prefer to smooth out the bulges till they will function rather than adjusting dies until the cause of the bulge is eliminated, particularly when sorting mixed brass may be required. Uniformly sizing the body of loaded cartridges with tapered cases like 9mm or 40 S&W removes the taper. I wonder why Lee is the only one that takes that approach?

Also, as far as scales. I have the RCBS MatchMaster. It is a good tool that can bet set up to run very fast and accurate. Unfortunately it’s unnecessarily complicated and you to have a secret decoder ring (book) to operate it.

When I bought it I was set to buy the Autotrickler setup but they were on back order with no specific delivery date available. If they were both available today I would buy the Autotrickler. If don’t mind the complication, the Matchmaster is worth the savings.

Both of these and a couple of other more expensive ones are way faster and more accurate than anything else on the market in the lower price range.

Best:
Franklin Arsenal hand priming kit
Chargemaster with insert
Lee Collet die

Worst:
don't own any of that any more

Thanks WP. I'll check it out!

I moment ago ordered the Hornady Powder Dispenser Pro from Precisonreloading.com for $314 with their $8 flat shipping rate coupon. Hoping this spring some more Precision to my high velocity bottle neck cartridge loading results... I probably end up using for all my rifle cartridge loading.

Best:
MEC Marksman Press
RCBS RC Supreme
RCBS RC Jr.
RCBS Competition Seating Dies
RCBS Bench Mounted Primer Seater
Kinetic hammer bullet puller*
Hornady Compactor & Bushings
F.A.R.T. tumbler
Mighty Armory de-priming die
MTM Hinged (2-piece) Ammo Boxes*

In-the-middle:
Inline-Fab base plates*

Worst:
RCBS Neck Turner
RCBS Hand Primer
Lee Hand Primer
Lyman Die sets*
MTM Fixed Hinge (1-piece) Ammo Boxes

*Notes:
1) I have a collet bullet puller, but for me the hammer puller is essential. If I over seated a bullet during die adjustment I can back it out a tad & then re-seat. Sometimes I only have a few bullets to pull so the hammer does it quick & easy without damage.
2) Ammo boxes that won’t stay opened on their own have to go!
3) Inline-Fab base plates work great but are over priced with shipping for a bent piece of metal.
4) Lyman dies are lousy & their customer service sucks.

I probably don't really belong in this thread due to my skillset and failing memory now but I do have one item I really like.
Not for anthing close to BR quality or even best possible attainable quality by any means.
But good enough and real fast for me is a possum hollow case trimmer in a cordless hand drill.
I had to learn the feel of it but once i learned that feel I could trim a boatload of .223 cases really fast with it that were plenty close enough on uniform range of case length.

I can't recall now what was the worst, but there were a few things along the way that qualified.
The worst I ever encountered a really long time ago was not by me but some cat running .45 acp out of a Dillon at an indoor shooting range in downtown Ft. Worth.
They were selling it and I bought about 10 boxes. Damn things would not go into battery on my Glock 21. Inspection showed that they were roll crimping the hell out of that ammo. I got my money back and learned about taper crimping in the process.

Worst? Wasn't that much but NOE bullet sizers don't work for me. Nor the nose sizers. Best and most $ is STM tumbler.

Best: RCBS Chargemaster Litte makes the process much faster. Hornady collet bullet puller is better than the anger-inducing than the kinetic puller. The semi-auto primer system for my Rock Chucker Supreme also speeds up the process. Hornady micrometer attachment keeps me from having to buy expensive dies.

Worst: RCBS crimp remover die. I still have to drill out the pockets to keep from destroying primers.

I don't think I have dealt with bulged cases and I don't load 40 S&W. I do build 9X19 but rarely and I usually use plated for those although I do have one mold.

On the topic of removing crimps, best investment was the Dillon Super Swage. So quick compared to cutting it out. Worst investment was the RCBS crimp swaging dies. They worked well enough to swage the crimp, but I always had to slam the handle to pop the case off the die. Just not a smooth and enjoyable experience.

Other best investments include a Dillon 750 with case feeder and bullet feeder. Bulk reloading got so much easier.

Best:

Giraud trimmer
RCBS Rockchucker presses
Forster dies - their sizing die reduced runout to 0.001” with careful setup with the neck expander still in, which Redding dies mostly would not. The ability to use their neck expander saves having to fool with a mandrel. Like the seating dies too.
Starrett calipers
Peterson and Lapua brass
Collet bullet puller
AMP annealer (after trying two other brands that use propane torches)

Worst

Redding bushing dies
Neck turning tools - huge waste of time, buying better brass is the better answer

Interesting.

I don't like Forester dies.

And have not had a problem with Redding bushing dies.

Worst decision from a financial point of view: start to reload

Now that once you start there is now way back..,

Worst: Lee hand priming tool, Lee FCD, Lyman hand case prep tool, Kinect bullet puller
Best: hornady AP, FA bullet puller, Chad’s powder, RCBS rock chucker, FA hand priming tool, FA bullet seater die

Redding bushing sizing dies neck expander would not consistently produce low runout for me, so I had to use a mandrel to finish the case.

Forster dies use a different shape neck expander that is capable of low runout so I do not have to fool with a mandrel.

I do still use one Redding non-bushing sizing die, which consistently produces low runout results with Redding's neck expander, but overall Forster's neck expander has worked well and better for me than Redding. RCBS dies are only used for one cartridge not offered by either Forster or Redding. I do use Redding dies for pistol.

Another good investment, Inline Fabrication press stands.

I swage them then cut them.

Dillon 550 & RCBS chargemaster lite are the best by far.

I hate my Hornady trimmer - it doesn't stay where it's set for more than a handful of rounds.

Sounds like I need to get a giraud trimmer

Not even a close call, do it.

Good info to know or at minimum be aware of...historically, I mainly use bushing dies on brass that has been neck turned and therefore no need for an expander.

p07 - at minimum look into the Henderson trimmer...it and the Giraud seem to be the top of the heap. I've not looked deep but I don't believe it requires on going pilots for all the cartridges...that would be the only negative to the Giraud and the AMP annealer (although last I bought the AMP pilots were 1/2 the cost of the Giraud)

Best:
Lee classic turret press. Probably got close to 100,000 rounds on it now and it just keeps working and working and I keep hoping it breaks to try something else but it doesn't

Lee factory crimp dies. When loading a bunch of rounds for competition, I want them to fit in the gun and they always do when they go through a Lee factory crimp die. Yes I only load cast that I cast myself

Casting equipment. It's a pain in the [censored] and I hate doing it, but I do like being able to have bullets for what I shoot and being able to shoot even some rifles for not a lot of money. Even slugs

Worst:

Lee loadmaster, there was nothing good about that damn press

Dylan square deal. I've loaded on a 550 and they are great, but I had nothing but issues with the square deal. It would sometimes throw light charges, sometimes flip primers upside down, and if you ran into a crimp primer pocket you didn't see it would sometimes break the damn center bolt on the shell plate. That same piece of brass on the turret press gets loaded with no issue. You could clean that square deal and get everything working right and it would be just fine for a few hundred rounds and then throw primers upside down again etc. The turret press might be a hell of a lot slower but it's simply throw the dies in it and go




One quick note on the Lee factory crimp. I don't really love it for revolvers, I have had bullet tumbling issues and bad accuracy when using them in a couple of different revolvers. But in Auto loaders it's never been a problem and that's where 99% of my reloading is done

Dillion best/Lee worst

Yeah I looked up the price of the Giraud. Nearly $600. I just don't reload nearly enough to justify that. The Henderson is a little more affordable, but I don't know anything about it.

At this point I'd be better off financially finding someone with a giraud and paying them for trimming whenever I need it, which at most might be once a year.

I'm still new to this and don't have a lot - just the basics pretty much. But I don't know what I don't know. I like my Coax though. And my Lee universal decapper! Everything else, while not blowing my socks off, simply does what I expected. Oh, I learned I don't care to wet tumble, so that equipment is a waste. Well, I guess I can at least tumble some rocks to make hippy necklaces to sell on Etsy. For $5 more I'll spritz the leather necklace with Patchouli oil.

Still haven't decided on the Giraud vs Henderson trimmer. And maybe I'll upgrade my Chargemaster 1500 though I don't have an issue with it.

possum hollow case trimmer - didn't know he was still in business. Works great for 30/30 but haven't done any in yrs.

My best reloading investment is my second wife. My worst reloading investment was my first wife.

Shot shell loading anything. Many years back I decided to start loading shot shells so I could shoot steel shot from my older waterfowl hunting guns. Can it be done? Yes, most certainly so. The only problem is the massive bulk of all of the components you have to keep on hand. The up side is the quality of ammo is better than anything I've ever been able to buy off the shelf at any price. I still have 5,000 fiocchi high brass primed new in the box hulls that are taking up WAY to much space. One day I am going to gather everything in a pile and sell it cheap.

hahaha I LOVE this!!!!!!!!

I don't always use one but his bore guides are good.

Red neck, I feel the same way he does. Remember the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears? The bear said “Someone is sleeping in my bed and they are still there.” That got me filing for divorce.

hahah u boys are funny!!! I guess I'm one of the lucky bastards.

Best
Rock Chucker
Beam scale
1 caliber one book

Worst
Jury is out I either don’t remember or have t disliked too much.

Best:
Forster Co-Ax, but the RCBS Rockchucker is an epic conventional press. So is the Redding T-7 in a turret.
Lee Hand-prime tool. I have probably primed tens of thousands of cases with it over the past 20 years. The tray lid is wearing out and fits loose -- the only negative.
A decent caliper is critical. I use mine for all sorts of things besides handloading.
About two-thirds of my dies are Lee and two-thirds of my molds. They've never let me down. The Lee Production Poit is a workhorse too, but can be temperamental.
Good old RCBS 10-10 beam scale.
Lee dipper set. Amazing how consistent these can be.
Thumler's Tumbler for case cleaning.
Hornady One-shot for case lube.
Lee push-through sizing dies and Liquid Alox.

Not-so-best:
Anything to do with case trimming. I hate it.
Progressive loaders. I don't shoot enough volume to remember how to keep these fed and tweaked. I am sure I would change my tune if I were shooting IPSC, that sort of thing.
RCBS (or Lyman) Lubrisizers. I have and use one, but what a mess.

I should have bought a pickup bed level full of primers in 2018.

You and me both.

Best: RCBS Hand priming tool

Worst: RCBS Chargemaster Story goes my now ex wife bought one for me one year for Christmas. I used it for about 1 month just to familiarize myself with it. It was nice and all but I load for mostly hunting, not target shooting so it was kind of over-kill for my needs, and a little too slow when I needed to make 100 rounds of 6.8SPC for a hog hunt... So, I put it back in it's original box, packaged everything back up, taped off the box to keep dust out of it and put it up on the top shelf of my reloading cabinet where it sat safely, untouched, for 4 years.. I recently took it down and opened it up as I was going to give it to my nephew for him to use as he is wanting to get into loading... Display is jacked. It will power up then the screen fades out after about 10 seconds.. Useless, expensive, barely used CHINA made garbage.. If sitting on a shelf in a temperature controlled environment killed it.. how long would it have lasted had I continued to use it?