Help me get into re-loading :P

I know its hard to get primers and powder etc... all I'm trying to do is reload for my .270 right now. I'm just curious what's a good simple reloading set up for my 270. Thanks!

 

i use a lee challenger kit, it is inexpensive and complete, comes with almost everything you need to get going, i just replaced the balance scale with a digital scale.
and make sure you have a really sturdy bench to bolt it to.
everyone does it different and will tell you to buy different stuff i just got into it a few months ago i just listened to what people said and picked things here and there that i thought would work for me. i was jut excited that i could get a kit as complete as that for such a good price.
btw it was the breechlock challenger kit and i got it from Amazon, but cabelas is a good source as well

 

I have the lee turret press. I'm going for quantity with out shelling $$$ on a dillon.
Works good. I could do 100's of pistol in an hour and maybe 100 .223 in an hour.
The turret press is good because you can set your dies and not have to change it out. Buy new turrets for each caliber.
Cabelas has good deals on them.

 

I'm a fan of the RCBS Rockchucker Supreme single stage press. It's more sturdy than anything lee makes and you will keep a quality single stage around forever, even if you upgrade to a progressive. I do like Lee dies for my non-match calibers since they're cheap and usually well made. Get a quality manual scale like the RCBS 511 to verify your powder throws. For 270, you really don't need a powder thrower though - you can easily hand dip & weigh 60 loads an hour if you have a quality scale.

 

RCBC rockchucker is a great press, You can buy the "master supreme" kit with the press, powder measure, scale, and afew other odds and ends for around 400$. and it will last you forever!

 

My opinion, start with a full kit by a reputable company (RCBS, Lyman, Hornady, etc).

Just my two cents: I was lucky enough to have been raised handloading and was then given all of my Dad's equipment and supplies. The initial up front costs can be huge, but just purchase what you need to start out, and as you learn more, then purchase that little extras along the way.

Any press will work so starting with a single stage would be best for a beginner. I do have to say that an automatic powder charger really speeds things up, but starting with a balance beam (don't recall the exact word for it) scale would be best since you will learn to take your time and properly focus on your charges (this is the most crucial step in handloading since this is where things can go really wrong under charging/over charging).

As you already stated, it may be difficult to find the supplies that you need. Where I live it is impossible to find powder and primers. Rifle wise, .270 WIN is what I primarily handload. My favorite load for it is H4831SC with a Federal primer and Speer 130 grain BT bullet. But guess what? I haven't been able to find that powder, primer, nor bullet since December. Therefore, if the stocks are low in your area, good luck being able to work up a good load if you don't have the necessary supplies.

 

i also use the rock chucker, for the .270 you will also need a trimmer of some sort because the cases are going to need to trimmed every time. Lee makes a hand held trimmer but it sucks in a bad way even chucked in drill. Also going to need a case polisher, makes resizing alot easier when the cases are clean, then after resize throw them back in for a few minutes to get the case lube off. In all reality the .270 is dirt cheap to buy and dont really see anyone shooting it that much to justify reloading for it. You will have to load a ton to pay yourself back for all the equipment. But if you must start with ebay and buy what you can used. Get you a copy of the ABC's of reloading too while your at it.

 

I use a Dillion XL650 for .223. Unfortunately rifle dies are on an ~8 week back order.

Prices on bullets are going way up, but they're not quite as hard to find as they were ~6 months ago.

 

RCBS Rock Chuckers ain't what they used to be. They've been made in China for a while now so if you can buy an older used one as they will outlive most of us. For the money the Lee Classic Cast is a great single-stage press. I wouldn't buy much for reloading from Lee but that press is one of the best values in reloading.

 

I would suggest a single stage press, and a couple reloading manuals.

Of course you also need all the other tools and stuff. The internet is your friend.

 

Thanks for all the advice guys, my roommate and I ended up going in 50/50 on a used Dillon super 1050 (850.00 bucks). It ended up working out good for both of us since between the two of us were going to reload 13 different calibers.

 

Make sure you order your dies now, they're going to take a while.