This will be a series in reloading. The first installment will be the equipment and tools that are imperative.

Reloading Press: Yes, this is obvious but there are several options out there. There are single stage presses, progressive and turret styles. What press you get is entirely up to you.

Powder dispenser: As with presses, there are many brands and types of powder dispensers. There are electronic and manual powder dispensers. There’s quite a few with a scale already built in as well.

Scale: As mentioned above, there are powder dispensers with scales attached, lab grade scales and manual beam type scales. Choose your budget and desire.

Dies: Along with all the other components, there are a vast variety of dies. A whole blog post is necessary about the different types of dies. With that said, I prefer full length sizing dies.

Brass: Choose your caliber, buy what you can in today’s world.

Primers: There are small rifle, large rifle, and magnum primers.

Powder: Pistol and rifle powder is not the same, use caution and look at a reloading book or a trusted online load data website.

Projectiles: Different grain bullets for differ applications are available from all manufacturers.

Headspace Comparator: This measures your brass from your chamber and lets you know how much to push your shoulder back to fit in your chamber, not your buddies who have the same caliber. Each chamber is different. This is the most important measuring tool you need.

There are a plethora of tools you can use, but we can dive deeper into each one later.

When reloading, remember to take your time and to always start below the max load and to work up higher depending on how your firearm handles the ammunition. Keep in mind that there is a learning curve to setting up some of the steps, and it is more than likely you’ll ruin a few cases in the progress.  

Next post we’ll dig into setting up your dies in the machine to start reloading.