Anyone suggest a .223 reloading kit?
As the title says, I'm looking at reloading .223 pretty much exclusively for now, I've never reloaded before so I'm probably just going to do a single stage simple and cheap setup to begin with.
I know there are such things as 'kits' that basically come with everything you need for a certain caliber (dyes etc).
So does anyone know of a .223 kit thats cheap I could start with?
Originally Posted By Gr4vitas:
As the title says, I'm looking at reloading .223 pretty much exclusively for now, I've never reloaded before so I'm probably just going to do a single stage simple and cheap setup to begin with.
I know there are such things as 'kits' that basically come with everything you need for a certain caliber (dyes etc).
So does anyone know of a .223 kit thats cheap I could start with?
FWIW
For a Turret Kit
KEMP'S is about the best deal going.
If your going to focus on a single stage only then Check out Midway and others for a Rock Chucker kit. The Lee is a much better deal.
If you looking for least expensive, look at the lee anniversary kit, I started out with one and still use it.
There's some things that you will end up replacing though, #1 is the dechamfer too, lee one sucks.
Press - good, I really liked the breech lock feature, no need to adjust your dies every time.
powder measure - good
scale - good, but you may end up replacing it
lee trimmers, work OK for low volume
lee die sets - good
The other lee kit comes with the hand primer, I've never used it, so I can't comment but others seem to like it. I prime on the press.
got a lee anniversary breech lock myself to start reloading 223 all you need is dies case length gauge a loading tray and tumbler to go with it.
The chamfer and deburring tool does suck so does the scale. I get like a 0.2 grain variation of i have the thing being weighed near the front or back of pan.
am getting a better chamfer probably hornaday and most likely a frankford arsenal electronic scale.
Just an easy way to see a listing, not an endorsement of any particular brands.
http://www.midwayusa.com/find?&sortby=1&itemsperpage=20&newcategorydimensionid=11522
Since most of the prices are below $400 USD, I wouldn't think that any of these sets are expensive considering the value of the tools and scales involved.
You really can't go wrong with any of the more complete kits.
Note that these kits do not come caliber specific to .223, and that different kits may not come with a trimmer.
It looks like the Lyman kit is the most complete, but you can always start with one of the others and add the last items you want.
If anything, getting the most complete kits will serve to reduce the frustration of getting started only to find you have more things to hunt down before you can finish any work.
The powder throwers and scales offered are all good enough for a starting point, but having all the other details will insure you can actually finish brass preparation without more shopping.
I started with the RCBS Rock chucker supreme kit (on sale at midwayusa.com now) and have not had to replace any of the components, for the most part only added components like a trimmer, dial calipers, powder measure upgrades, loading manuals, powder funnels and additional loading blocks for working with higher volumes. The powder measure is good quality and upgradable if you want to make it better down the road, the scale is accurate, and the hand prime tool works great.
IMHO You get what you pay for with reloading equipment and the american made RCBS products will last a lifetime (and maybe your children's) if properly taken care of. Also having the need to replace key items like the scale will end up costing more than buying quality the first time, buy once, cry once.
No kit has everything.
Go up to Reloading Tools and Equipment and look for the list of needed equipment.
Go to Links to find venders to buy from and compair prices.
