Bad Luck with RCBS??

I apologize if this comes off as a hijack, but I was on the verge of pulling the trigger on the RCBS kit. I don’t know very much about reloading at all, and it’s something my wife is actually pushing for.

What kit would you guys recommend for an absolute beginner reloading rifle and pistol rounds?
Hornady progressive re loader. Worth every penny and easy to use.
 
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Yes but my way is always the most correct.
Also the rcbs case trimmer takes too long if your doing a lot of reloads. For 50 or less it works otherwise go with the trimmer that I mentioned. I can trim 100+ cases in less than 5 minute. And if using the Hornady progressive can load start to finish 100 units in less than 15 minute all quality checked with gauges and final weight verification at the end too.
 
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Get a “go no go “ gauge also. Very helpful. When doing a lot of re loads.
What go no go are you talking about? Primer pocket go/no go?

Clarification for the newbies, you don't need a head space go /no go gauge :)
 
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You can add a shoulder bump gauge for your mic.

Didn't think about it, one up side to whidden dies are they come with the correct bump gauge
 
What go no go are you talking about? Primer pocket go/no go?

Clarification for the newbies, you don't need a head space go /no go gauge :)
Yes. Head space gauge. After you resize the case. Drop it in the gauge and it’ll show you how much needs to be trimmed off or if it’s too fat it won’t seat all the way, so just run it through the resizing die again. It’s just a quick way to verify length and if the resizing die resized it to correct width. I usually use this gauge after I’ve trimmed and resized all my cases. If any are off then I either trim again or resize. Super easy step to do. A lot better to find out now if they are too fat or too long before loading them up and trying to chamber it and it not going into full battery due to too fat of a cartridge. This is the kind of quality control I do so i know each and every round will work. The best thing about reloading in the QC is completely in your hand and you can go mild to wild on it. Some will say my QC is too much but at least I know what I’m shooting will work!!! PM me if you have any questions I’d be glad to help a fellow reloader.D2AE748A-14B5-4AF2-ACFA-32CAA93596FC.png
 
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ok i see what you are up to, terminology difference- a head space go no go gauge is a tool used when setting the head space on your rifle more or less you move the barrel in and out till the chamber is in the right spot relative to your bolt. they call them go/ no go gauges because the GO gauge is the min chamber length and the no go is the maximum. example is if the gun can close on a no go gauge its unsafe.
good video on how they work. Setting head space is beyond the scope of this site. but this video is useful if you get a old gun and want to check it. I advise always having a qualified smith check out your gun for head space matters.

headspace.jpg


Yes the head space gauge is very important! especially on ar15 type rifles. you dont bump it back and she wont close or you get a big bruise from the forward assist. Ask me about a coyote hunt i was on where i fraked it up and i was closed and i hit it hard, still didnt close, could not open the bolt. blah blah!

i use the whidden bump gauge for the same purpose. depending on the rifle i measure a fired case and adjust my resizer to give the desired bump.

for bolt guns its pretty accepted that .0015 bump is good to go. You can do more or do less and the world will not end. I personally on my precision rigs do .001 to .0005 To test it take the firing pin out so you have no resistance and resize with no bump. you should feel a bit of force to close. now bring it in .0005 and you should feel a bit less. Do this till its in the right spot. The idea is to feel some resistance(slight is the word) but not a LOT. On a hunting gun a bit more bump is prob a good idea since failure to chamber or taking to much time to chamber can cost you your game or your life. THIS IS IMPORTANT when you are done check your fired case aganst your now resized case and make sure you did not bump to far back. More then about .003 and you did something wrong.

on a ar15 you need a LOT more .003 to .005 is a good place to start. You have so much less force to close the bolt that going less will end you up in a failure.

Remember the target game is not the hunting game. You give up very slight things to make sure your gun goes boom.

loaded cartridge gauges are a thing of the past. between the wheeler method and the hornady OAL guage there is no reason on earth not to know where your bullet needs to be seated. Never jam a hunting gun the bullet can pop out and foul your gun up.

case length i just check with my micrometer. My cases get fired a lot and i have a rotation so i keep track of how much they grow.

I am always looking for new ways to make better reloads. In the 1k yard game the more variables you take out the better:) i am still trying to shoot a clean round and make HighMaster so i have ways to go
 
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as long as we are making a mess of this thread. here is the wheeler method.
 
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Sounds like R2R needS to record a Reloading Podcast for Newb’s including my self. I have no idea what is being said in this thread. Aeon has Explained it to me a hand full off times and I’m still lost lol.

@Aeon you up for it???
 
Sounds like R2R needS to record a Reloading Podcast for Newb’s including my self. I have no idea what is being said in this thread. Aeon has Explained it to me a hand full off times and I’m still lost lol.

@Aeon you up for it???

My head is spinning too, but I’m trying to retain as much as I can. I’ll buy the gear, books, and refer to this site and YouTube university for more education.
 
as long as we are making a mess of this thread. here is the wheeler method.


love this! I am going to attempt the wheeler method for the first time along with a similar method where you insert by hand and use the feel of a cleaning rod to push it back out.

I am curious if i will get the same / similar results.
 
when i use the horndady OAL gauge i have to do 3 to 5 measurements and average them out. Its sort of like check weights in that what ever number you pick is ok. since you will be moving the bullet in and out in load development. As long as you are accurate in measuring your loaded rounds.

ill take 20 rounds that are identical even if its identically off over 20 rounds that average out to perfect
 
If you guys DO end up doing a Podcast with them.. I'd HIGHLY recommend doing a Video of it as well, and even have illustrations on hand to demonstrate certain concepts being explained. Videos related to reloading questions all have real high view numbers. And if you guys could pull one off that makes it all real easy to understand you have the potential to get some great view numbers.

Could be a great way to "cross-polinate" and pull-in more people into knowing about your podcast series. Somebody searching for reloading help hits that video... then gets curious to check out the others.
 
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:joy:
My head is spinning too, but I’m trying to retain as much as I can. I’ll buy the gear, books, and refer to this site and YouTube university for more education.

OR....You buy a nice rifle and BUY a lifetime of fine ammo... :joy: ...I know, I know...:angery:
 

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