Reloading basics…reloading 101…reloading how-to…whatever you want to call it, we get into the basic components you need to start your reloading adventure.
Jason started down this path in 2015 and has shared his successes and failures with the team many times. He’s also shared the joy he gets when his mad scientist skill land him a load his gun loves.
In this video we walk down the things you NEED to start reloading:
1st, get a copy of “The ABCs of Reloading” and read through it…twice.
No I’m not joking…do you want to blow up your gun?
You also need a good reloading manual and the Lee Reloading manual is a good one to have.
This will have some basic reloading 101 type info, but it also has a bunch of reloading recipes
2nd, we need clean cases. Jason uses a vibratory tumbler much like this one
For large batches, he uses a Frankford Arsenal Wet Tumbler found here
The importance of cleaning your cases is two-fold in Jason’s mind. One, you can more easily inspect the brass for damage to see if you need to throw the brass away. And two, it prevents dirt and other debris from getting into your reloading dies which increases the life of your reloading dies.
CLEAN YOUR BRASS
In conjunction with cleaning your brass…you need to separate the media from the brass and for that Jason uses a Frankford Arsenal Wet/Dry Media separator
However…to be honest, when he started he used a 5 gallon bucket and a strainer from a thrift store.
3rd thing is a press. Jason uses aLee Breech Lock which is an O-Frame single stage press. It’s a cheap press and kit (when it’s in stock) and includes a powder measure, a powder scale, a trimming option, a priming tool, a powder funnel and some simple case prep tools
Again, it’s a tough market right now, but for under $150 you can have a decent reloading setup. There’s some upgrades he’d recommend, like a better powder scale and trimming setup if you’re going to reload rifle. But for sub-$150…you’re doing pretty good.
Next thing you need are dies. This is like the Chevy/Dodge/Ford debate. You ask any reloader what dies to use and you’ll probably get different answers. Jason has a majority of Lee dies which are some of the cheapest on the market, but they work well for him. He also uses RCBS for some one off wildcat rounds he shoots. However, he secretly wants to swap all his dies for Redding brand as he sees them at the top tier for a majority of reloaders…just his opinion…he’s probably wrong, but what’s the worst that’ll happen? Some YouTube viewer gets angry and challenges him?
Really the only other thing is a good set of calipers
These ensure you have the right overall length for your bullet. They can also be used to measure brass length when trimming brass…plus a bunch of other uses.
Phew…hopefully that’s it
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Music by: @Barren Gates