Reloading Products

[crossdraw]

What brand name products do you recommend for reloading. I am talking powder, bullets, primers, cases, etc?

I shoot Ruger NV in 45 cal. and am looking at a Dillon "Square Deal B" machine.

Also, any reloading manuals that you feel are better than the others?

Thanks for your comments and suggestions.

[Tensleep]

I think that the Square Deal is the best pistol caliber machine on the market.

I use TiteGroup powder, Federal primers and Beanie bullets.
My cases are mixed.

I like the Hodgdon manual.

YMMV

[Cyrille]

I use Hodgdon/IMR powders for my revolvers and my rifles, Black powder for my revolvers and rifles, Federal LP, Winchester LP/ Magnum for my revolvers and .45 caliber rifles CCI lg. rifle primers for my .45/70,  CCI small rifle primers for my .460. as for bullets I usually cast my own or buy Barnes Bullets for the .460 and .454 Casull I use Starline cases for all calibers. Manuals? In alphaphabetal order, not necessarily preferential order I have--- Lee Modern Reloading 2d edition, Hodgdon's Reloading Manual [in the magazine format], Lyman's 48th Reloading Handbook and Pistol and Revolver Handbook 3d Edition; and Speer's 13th and 14th Reloading Manuals for rifle & pistol. All of these manuals have good, solid reloading information for the various powders used in reloading.

[Singing Bear]

What brand name products do you recommend for reloading. I am talking powder, bullets, primers, cases, etc?
I shoot Ruger NV in 45 cal. and am looking at a Dillon "Square Deal B" machine.
Also, any reloading manuals that you feel are better than the others?
Thanks for your comments and suggestions.

Sometimes these reloading machines can get finicky about what you feed it.  Listen to the pards that use the particular machine you're thinking about.  For one reason or another, your machine might like Starline brass as opposed to Remington or Winchester.

As for manuals, kinda doesn't matter which one is best because I always recommend getting at least 2 so you can cross reference your loads.  Some manuals run "hot".   One should be by the manufacturer of the powder you plan on using, though.  That's always a good place to start.   

[crossdraw]

Thanks for the help 

[Camille Eonich]

I use a Dillon 650 and I love it.  With the low primer check and the charge check you have to try very hard to screw something up once you get everything in place and adjusted.  Also if you need to change callibers it takes about 10 minutes if you don't have to change out the shell plate in the case feeder.  It's quick and believe it or not the bullet tray does speed things up.  I love my Dillon 650.   


For primers I use Federal. (period)  I don't want to use springs that are heavy enough for CCI and Winchesters just every now and then release a bad batch and they don't go bang.  It sucks when you get to a big match and every shot that you take your mind is more on if your ammo is going to go off than what you are doing.


Powder is going to be determing by your load somewhat.  I use Red Dot because I worked up several  loads with the bullets that I wanted to use and the Red Dot has less standard deviation than the other rounds and at the same time shot good and straight through my guns.


When I buy new brass I buy Starline.  The price is good and the brass is good.  Winchester is expensive and I don't like the lines around the Federal brass.  They give me the heeby jeebys 'cause I'm afraid that they will come apart in my rifle leaving half a case in there to deal with.  The Dillon runs everything which is what you have after several matches and folks picking up brass for you.


Hmmm....got more than a few reloading manuals.  Don't know which ones off the top of my head.

[No Buk Chuck]

I have a square deal and a 550. The SD gets most of the work. You won't be sorry with that. Starline would be my choice. And like said federal primers are the only ones for me. Bullets are who ever is close to you. I am lucky we have a couple of local choices around here. So no shiping costs!!

[Jefro]

I use a Lee 4 hole classic turret press. I choose the Lee to start with cause I was a total green horn to reloading and I wanted to go slow to understand each phase. Now that I'm comfortable with it a Dillon 650 is on my wish list. I have a bunch of Magtech brass since that was the factory ammo I started with. For new brass and big matches I use Starline. Primers are Winchester and Federal, so far they have all gone bang. Powder is Titegroup. Bennie bullets 38sp 125gr. Manuals are Lee Modern, Lyman 48th, and Lyman Handgun. For shotshells I use a Mec 600jr 12ga., a Grabber is on my wish list. Remington STS shells, Remington primers, and TGT wads with 1oz shot. Clays powder. Lymans Shotshell manual. Just like CAS I wish I would have found about this sooner. Don't know if I'm saving any money cause now I shoot more. Heck I even went and practiced today. Uh Oh, did I say the P word.

    Jefro,   Relax-Enjoy

[Curley Cole]

Loader/dies: Lee 3 hole turret, 12ga LeeLoadAll

Primers: Winchester
Powder:
Clays
Unique
Bullseye
bullets:
BearCreek for 380, 9mm, 38/357, 45lc, 45acp, 44/40, 32/20
Brass:
Starline
Winchester
Manuals:
Richard Lee's Modern Reloading
Lyman
old Serria
Tumbler/bullet puller
Midway
Powder scale
RCBS
Powder measure:
Lee Auto Disk
Wads:
WAA12L Winchester
lead
conniescomponents.com
there is more stuff but can't think of it now...
curley

[Johnny McCrae]

      Press:    Lee 4-Hole Classic Turret
      Dies:      Lee .38 Special
      Powder:  Trail Boss
      Brass:     Winchester
      Primers:   Federal small pistol (prime off press with a RCBS hand priming tool)
      Bullets:    Moulton Lead 147 GR for my 1866, Moulton Lead 125 GR for my Pistols

My story is similar to Jefro's. Being new to reloading I wanted to learn and understand each phase thoroughly. Down the road I may purchase either a Dillon 650 or a Hornady Lock-n-Load AP press

[Reverend Sayer Prayers]

Dillon Super 1050 press for my cowboy rounds

Lee Classic Turret press for everything else

Moulton Lead Bullets http://www.moultonlead.com/ for my cowboy rounds

Meister bullets for my pocket pistol rounds

Hodgdon Clays powder for .38 Special with Federal primers

Hodgdon Universal powder for .40 S&W with Remington primers

Triple 7 for .32 S&W with Federal primers

IMR 4891 for .308 Winchester with CCI #34 primers.

[cpt dan blodgett]

I like the lyman series of manuals.  Also own Sierra and Lee, actaully 2 Lees.  One is vintage but has more 32 special data than any of my other manuals.

Started life on a Lyman T-mag expert kit.  Had to add a tumbler, case prep kit and some primer pocket cleaning tools and dies.

Still us it.  Somewhere along the line, bought the Lee manual and got their cheapie press free or just the other way around.  Use that press to prime.  When I started was shooting a lot of high power.  After sizing the cases, had to trim to length, chamfer/deburr, tumble to remove lube, make sure primer hole not clogged before priming, priming, charging, seating and crimping.

Did not make sense to use a truly progressive press as I would do the sizing, trimming, deburring in batches.  Then tumble, prime, charge seat crimp using the T-mag as manual progressive set up.

Had all my shooting been straight walled pistol caliber the dillon 550 would have been hard to beat.

Like hornandy new dimension dies as they have the sliding insert on their bullet seating dies (helps keep bullets properly aligned)
Also like lee dies for pistols.  Have a couple of lee factory crimp dies as well.

The truth probably is any of the stuff made today will work just fine.  Any of the manuals will work as well.   Lyman Manual generally has a lot of data for cast bullets in their basic manual.

From what I have all do a good job of explaining reloading basics as well.