Thinking of reloading is this any good

David N

Well-Known Member
I am shooting a Tikka .223 and thinking of starting to reload. never do it before so clueless. I have been offered this. Question other than the die sets being the wrong size is there anything useful in the collection. thanks
David
127666
 
Except for the Varget and the loading tray I don‘t see anything I would buy if I had the choice.
 
The powder VARGET is no good for you, you better send it to me ;)
Honestly if thats all you've got of it, don't make plans on getting any more soon in Europe as its not REACH, it was a craking powder, even it was poisoning us.
Canny go wrong with the deluxe die sets, they've got it all in one package. you have a trickler but I don't see a scale?
The Lee press is fit for purpose and does the job, as its single stage get some extra quick change bushings, saves a lot of fannying about.
 
Ok thanks, now need to get a value. I thought it was expensive at £200 but as stated know nothing about the quality or level of the gear.
 
Hmm I'd check al the dies are there in the 30/06 set, looks like a couple of casings in there. Deluxe sets include F/L sizer, neck sizer, bullet seater and crimper if my mind serves me well.
 
To be perfectly honest, I'd probably be looking at £100 there, the die sets if complete you could only get £20 top second hand each to sell. For £200 you can get a new setup and the dies. Powder, sizer (223), cases and primers you'll need extra and a way of cleaning you fired brass.
I do .308, 30/06 and .270 it evens out after you've loaded around a 100, not sure prices of 223, but you'll probably be looking at 1000+ before it becomes a cheaper round.
 
looking at what you get in a kit thought may be too expensive. no rush will keep my eyes peeled and see what else comes up.
 
You need to buy a #(*#(&($*$^@()*^% loading manual FIRST! I recommend the Lee.~Muir
enough stuff on manufacturers sites now, sierras load lists for thier pills is really good. I dont have a manual, havent had for years, too unpredictable in my opinion!
 
The manual is not for the load data; it is to ensure the novice reloader learns safe practices.
There again, you won't learn safe practices from a book, find someone, ask questions get hands on with a person that knows and learn to read pressure signs and other problems, a book cannot teach you these things. A loading manual is full of data you'll never use and powder thats no longer available (REACH compliant in the EU). The only real way to learn anything is from someone that has experiance, I've never seen a loading manual thats able to do any of this, and just full of irrelevant tosh, 95% of which you'll never need or use!
I've shown many how to reload over the years and still tell them to stay away from books. Get info on the loads you'll use, stick to them, show signs of pressure, too little pressure is as bad as over pressure, your unlikely to kill yourself unless your really stupid but you will damage your firearm.
Just my opinion and I've only be doing it for over fifty years :doh:
 
There again, you won't learn safe practices from a book
I'd dispute that, and endorse the view that reading and understanding a sensible manual (I'd agree that Lee is a good one) is by far the best way to start. Reloading is potentially a very dangerous practice, and a beginner will not come to any harm at all following a manual to the letter.

The only real way to learn anything is from someone that has experience

I think it is perfectly reasonable to supplement the suggested book-learning with instruction from someone both experienced and competent.

To any beginner, I would say that it is impossible to overemphasise the fact that 'experienced' and 'competent' are not the same thing - and reloading is an area of human endeavour in which that really, really matters.

Reading, understanding and working through a manual will give a beginner the ability to produce safe, accurate cartridges - and a base-line from which to start to judge the soundness of other, 'more experienced', reloaders' undoubtedly well-intentioned, if not always sound or safe advice.

I speak as one who has been reloading for only six years or so, and who can recall a fair amount of advice I was given which I am delighted that I had the confidence, based on book-learning, to (if I may put it so gently) treat with scepticism.
 
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I'd dispute that, and endorse the view that reading and understanding a sensible manual (I'd agree that Lee is a good one) is by far the best way to start. Reloading is potentially a very dangerous practice, and a beginner will not come to any harm at all following a manual to the letter.



I think it is perfectly reasonable to supplement the suggested book-learning with instruction from someone both experienced and competent.

To any beginner, I would say that it is impossible to overemphasise the fact that 'experienced' and 'competent' are not the same thing - and reloading is an area of human endeavour in which that really, really matters.

Reading, understanding and working through a manual will give a beginner the ability to produce safe, accurate cartridges - and a base-line from which to start to judge the soundness of other, 'more experienced', reloaders' undoubtedly well-intentioned, if not always sound or safe advice.

I speak as one who has been reloading for only six years or so, and who can recall a fair amount of advice I was given which I am delighted that I had the confidence, based on book-learning, to (if I may put it so gently) treat with scepticism.

Agree 100%. And, yes, experience and competence are quite different. Being mentored by someone who has been consistently dumb for decades is only recognisable if one has an alternative source of information: in this case, a manual.
 
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