Need some reloading advice.

[Criticalt]

Long story short, a friend of mine had the idea he was going to do some reloading. After buying a bunch of equipment, he decided he didnt even want to try.
All his equipment is brad new ad never used.
He recently gae it all to me.
Im going to gie it a try.
Im sure this is all crappy equipment but im gonna try. IfI enjoy it, I can buy the correct stuff.
First question.....is there aything you see here that is absolutely usless and should be replaced now?
Is this powder good?
Im going to reload 10mm, 357 mag and 38 special.
Annd.....
He bought dies for 308 Win, 45 colt and 45 ACP/AR/GAP.
Just wondering if anyone has dies for 10mm/40 cal or 357 mag/3 spl they will trade for the 308 win or the 45 ACP/AR/GAP?.....I can buy the but thought id ask. Ill keep the 45colt for now, I hae that caliber but dont shoot it alot.

 

[Criticalt]

Annnnnd
The 308 WIN dies are missing a piece, so theres that.
Yes, brand new but he managed to lose a piece.

 

[dsdmmat]

Annnnnd
The 308 WIN dies are missing a piece, so theres that.
Yes, brand new but he managed to lose a piece.
View attachment 68554
what piece is missing, RCBS rifle dies are normally only a 2 die set.

 

[kev74]

Everything there is top quality.

The only thing missing in the 308 dies is the shell holder, and I think RCBS makes you buy them separately.

You got a hell of a score there!

 

[MilesTeg]

It's a pretty complete setup and of good quality. It depends what your planning on reloading first if you need more gear or not. If you just reloading pistol your in good shape. If you want to do any rifle cases you still need a brass trimmer of some sort(that kit might have one in it). As far as the dies, RCBS uses standard cases with room for 3 dies. Not all sets require 3 dies so that one pictured is complete.

 

[MilesTeg]

I would also recommend watching a few videos. I think RCBS put out some complete beginner videos and ammosmith also. Do not use load recipes from video or random websites, but they are good for process information.

For components, they are as hotly debated as Ford vs. Chevy. So the best thing you can do is read 1 or 2 reloading manuals and pick a recipe and start from there for the component search. When you get to that point we can definitely point you to a few online sources. They key to making reloading economical is buying at scale. You can wait until black Friday and hit sales have your trusted components and buy in bulk.

 

[Target]

357 / 38 dies are cheap enough on Ebay.
The last two sets of Lee went for $ 18 & $15 .
They all work on different brands.
Lee's come with a shell holder. RCBS does not.

If the powder is sealed. it should be fine. If it smell odd ( vinegary I believe) it may be have spoiled.
Nothing wrong with Titegroup. It's a pistol powder.

YouTube vids will walk you through step by step.

 

[MilesTeg]

357 / 38 dies are cheap enough on Ebay.
The last two sets of Lee went for $ 18 & $15 .
They all work on different brands.
Lee's come with a shell holder. RCBS does not.

If the powder is sealed. it should be fine. If it smell odd ( vinegary I believe) it may be have spoiled.
Nothing wrong with Titegroup. It's a pistol powder.

YouTube vids will walk you through step by step.

If the powder is bad its great fertilizer in your garden.

 

[JohnD13]

Ehat's all good gear, put it to work.

 

[togmaster]

TiteGroup is a very fast powder has a low charge weight. You will barely see it in the calibers you mentioned. Be very careful you don't over charge your loads.

 

[Hillbilly77]

Long story short, a friend of mine had the idea he was going to do some reloading. After buying a bunch of equipment, he decided he didnt even want to try.
All his equipment is brad new ad never used.
He recently gae it all to me.
Im going to gie it a try.
Im sure this is all crappy equipment but im gonna try. IfI enjoy it, I can buy the correct stuff.
First question.....is there aything you see here that is absolutely usless and should be replaced now?
Is this powder good?
Im going to reload 10mm, 357 mag and 38 special.
Annd.....
He bought dies for 308 Win, 45 colt and 45 ACP/AR/GAP.
Just wondering if anyone has dies for 10mm/40 cal or 357 mag/3 spl they will trade for the 308 win or the 45 ACP/AR/GAP?.....I can buy the but thought id ask. Ill keep the 45colt for now, I hae that caliber but dont shoot it alot. View attachment 68553

The stuff you have there looks good.

I like Titegroup and I use it a lot. If you use the Titegroup, be very careful with it. It’s a fast-burning powder and a little bit goes a long way.
When using Titegroup in .38 Special, the difference between min and max loads is only 3 or 4 tenths of a grain of powder. The margin of error on your average scale is 1/10 grain. You just need to exercise due caution because an overcharge would be easy to do and can cause damage and/or injury.

I like it for .38 Spl but there are better powders out there for .357 Mag.
I have no experience with 10mm.

The digital scale is ok, but be careful with it, read the instructions, and recalibrate it every time you use it.
I had the same one and it eventually crapped out and I couldn’t trust it so I tossed it.
I’m not saying yours is no good, I’m just saying pay attention and be careful with it.

 

[Hillbilly77]

Annnnnd
The 308 WIN dies are missing a piece, so theres that.
Yes, brand new but he managed to lose a piece.
View attachment 68554

Rifle die sets are only 2 pieces.
You're good to go.

 

[Tintalieau]

here is one of the 1st places i looked to learn about reloading. good start, basic info you need, getting "Modern reloading" by Richard lee will break down a lot of the process too.
RCBS Introduction to reloading

 

[Hillbilly77]

Everything there is top quality.

The only thing missing in the 308 dies is the shell holder, and I think RCBS makes you buy them separately.

You got a hell of a score there!

There are some shell holders in the bottom of the pic so he might even be good there, too.
Lucky.

 

[Robin]

All good stuff there Crit!!!!!
Robin

 

[wizrd]

If you don't have a set of check weights for the balance scale - buy a set. And check scale calibration every time you use it. And go back & read post # 6 from Miles Teg - about NOT getting load recipes from random web sites, good advice there!

 

[Mosinitis]

RCBS uses the same die boxes with 2-die or 3-die sets. Crimp die for most rifle calibers is not needed, it's not included in 2-die sets.
I don't know how much you paid to say it's a good deal, but you got good equipment.

 

[thegatman]

Make sure you lube the rifle cases in case the die is not carbide before resizing. Watch the company videos not some fly by night reloader. Watch your loads and visually check each one.
See if you can pick up some Unique powder. More forgiving.

 

[Criticalt]

RCBS uses the same die boxes with 2-die or 3-die sets. Crimp die for most rifle calibers is not needed, it's not included in 2-die sets.
I don't know how much you paid to say it's a good deal, but you got good equipment.

He gave it to me
He just wants me to reload him some ammo.

 

[Criticalt]

357 / 38 dies are cheap enough on Ebay.
The last two sets of Lee went for $ 18 & $15 .
They all work on different brands.
Lee's come with a shell holder. RCBS does not.

If the powder is sealed. it should be fine. If it smell odd ( vinegary I believe) it may be have spoiled.
Nothing wrong with Titegroup. It's a pistol powder.

YouTube vids will walk you through step by step.

This was all bought in the last year.
The powder is sealed.

 

[Deplorable Me]

That is a really nice find there. I've been using RCBS for about 20 years now.

If you use the ultrasonic cleaner, make sure the brass is dry, dry, dry when you reload. Your life depends upon it. My brass sits about 3 months drying and then some when I'm bulk processing brass. I generally use a tumbler with corn cob or walnut media. I de-prime and size then bulk ultrasonic clean the primer pockets. If I need brass in a hurry I manually clean the pockets. But moisture in a load will go K-BOOM. Yes, I clean my brass two ways. Ultrasonic cleaning is good if you do a lot of brass but plan on drying time, I could personally live with my dry vibratory tumbler.

Grab yourself a fair quality electronic scale, it really sped up my reloading. Get a 120 volt one, screw batteries.

I'm assuming there's a powder meter dispenser and trickler in the box?

Get a good dial caliper, men read dial calipers, pansies use electronic digital calipers.

I highly recommend a Nosler, Speer or Hornady reloading manual as a bible for a beginner. You can even go back an edition to save a buck or two as long as you don't have one of the funky new calibers, super stubby magnums.

Sooner or later you're going to need a case trimmer for your necked cases. Going to need a case lube pad/lube for bottle neck cases too.

For gas guns, only reload the necked brass 4x maximum.

For 9mm, .357, .45, .40; if brass is too long, I throw mine out. Not worth setting up to trim.

RCBS has great customer service:

Step by Step Reloading | RCBS

Learn how to reload your firearm-step by step.

www.rcbs.com

 

[Deplorable Me]

PS: Ball powder meters best, flake powder is a pain in the ass. Cylindrical powder some where in between.

 

[Deplorable Me]

Videos-footerlink

Hunt Shoot Accessories

www.rcbs.com

 

[Criticalt]

That is a really nice find there. I've been using RCBS for about 20 years now.

If you use the ultrasonic cleaner, make sure the brass is dry, dry, dry when you reload. Your life depends upon it. My brass sits about 3 months drying and then some when I'm bulk processing brass. I generally use a tumbler with corn cob or walnut media. I de-prime and size then bulk ultrasonic clean the primer pockets. If I need brass in a hurry I manually clean the pockets. But moisture in a load will go K-BOOM. Yes, I clean my brass two ways. Ultrasonic cleaning is good if you do a lot of brass but plan on drying time, I could personally live with my dry vibratory tumbler.

Grab yourself a fair quality electronic scale, it really sped up my reloading. Get a 120 volt one, screw batteries.

I'm assuming there's a powder meter dispenser and trickler in the box?

Get a good dial caliper, men read dial calipers, pansies use electronic digital calipers.

I highly recommend a Nosler, Speer or Hornady reloading manual as a bible for a beginner. You can even go back an edition to save a buck or two as long as you don't have one of the funky new calibers, super stubby magnums.

Sooner or later you're going to need a case trimmer for your necked cases. Going to need a case lube pad/lube for bottle neck cases too.

For gas guns, only reload the necked brass 4x maximum.

For 9mm, .357, .45, .40; if brass is too long, I throw mine out. Not worth setting up to trim.

RCBS has great customer service:

Step by Step Reloading | RCBS

Learn how to reload your firearm-step by step.

www.rcbs.com

I do have the newest Nosler book, it came with.

 

[RooftopKorean]

Lucky you! That's a sweet score there. I just dropped about $800 in reloading equipment.

 

[JamieZ]

Hodgdon Reloading Data Center – The Brand Thats True

www.hodgdonreloading.com

Has starting weights and max weights for Hodgons, IMR and winchester powders

Its all I ever use,,,choose your caliber, choose weight of the bullet, then choose the powder you want to use. I always make sure the powder I choose is stable temperature wise. You can check that by going to Hodgons main website and choosing Extreme powders from the smokeless powder section. Extreme Powders are not temperature sensitive,,,they are good for warm and cold ambient outside temps

 

[kemo357]

Hell of a freebie score!

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

Send me your friends phone number. I don't have any friends like this.

 

[meketrefe]

It all looks good to me. RCBS makes top quality reloading equipment.
The rock chucker is a very popular quality single stage press and will outlast you and your grandchildren.
If there is something more useful or not it depends on how you reload but will not know until you start reloading
and figure out what works best for you and what not.
Everyone should know how to use the analog scale but most likely will end up using the electronic one a lot just
because of convenience.
Eventually you will want some sort of mechanized system for brass preparation but again it depends on how
much volume you have.
Congrats and have fun!

 

[tony]

Looks like you have a good friend indeed. I would get another reloading manual and read, read, and read some more about reloading. It is an act that needs your undivided attention with absolutely NO distractions. No reason to vary from what the books show, it has pretty much been figured out for you... When reloading for hi-power rifle you are working with very high pressures in the 50,000+ PSI range when everything is working properly. If done right and the rifle is right everything plays well together. A mis-step can have extremely serious, or even deathly consequences.

Remember, no distractions...

I've been reloading since 1967 and (knocking on my head) have had no incidences, none. I started reloading for a .308 when I was 14/15. Lucky, probably. Pay attention to what you are doing and you'll be fine, save a lot of money, and have fun...