Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Press/accessories for the low volume, KISS reloader

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Low volume: under 500 rounds/year

My KISS (keep it simple, stupid)method: deprime, neck size with Lee collets, prime, powder, seat bullet

What would you buy for someone like myself who loads so little, and has a fairly simple reload method?

Lee cast loader? Other items?

Spend my money!

Weather you load a little or a lot, you still need stuff. You will need to FL resize at some point like every other NK sized case so you will need a FL die. Calipers, scale, concentricity gauge, case trimmer, loading blocks, a few reloading books specific to the bullets you will use, chamfer and de-burr tools for case prep..... etc. I suggest you look and see what comes in a kit and then read some reloading books BEFORE you do anything.

Don't know your budget or how soon you need your stuff, but I like to buy mix and match good quality stuff at gun shows for pennies on the dollar. You can spend a lot of money on die sets..but the Lee Deluxe 3 die set has an FL sizer, Collet die, Dead Length Seating die, shellholder, that produce great ammo. In my opinion the L. E. Wilson is the only case trimmer, around 25-30 bucks at gunshows, but the caseholders do add up if you have a lot of different calibers. More on this later. Buy a dial caliper new at Harbor Freight. If you look at used presses, be diligent checking frame wear and alignment, they wear faster than people realize, from spent primer dust. Forster devotes a whole paragraph to this in their instructions. Powder dispensing? I don't care for priming in the press, so I go with the el cheapo Lee lemon squeezer. I will be trashed for saying this, but if you read and follow the instructions, to the letter, on the Lee plastic dippers, you will be hard pressed to exceed the uniform results with anything but the best dispensers. I will be trashed for saying this too, if you don't care to get a concentricity gauge, you can get a pretty fair idea how straight your ammo is with your Wilson trimmer. Insert the assembled round into the holder, rotate the holder slowly with the tip of the round in very close proximity to the pilot hole on the cutter. The human eye is capable in good light of discerning down to around .002". If your runout is much more than that, it will be readily apparent. You don't really need to know that runout number, you need only to correct the problem. I like the K I S S principle, look at the good ammo we can turn out with a Lee handloader at the dining room table when the thermometer drops to the point where it takes a half a cord of wood to bring the shop up to above freezing.

My mistake. I should have been more clear.

I've been reloading for about 15 years, and plenty experience. Just moved and no longer live next to my neighbor whom I reloaded with. We used RCBS everything, and I am now looking to set up my own reload table.

Love the idea of mixing and matching to make a nice set-up.

Lee Loaders for the cartridges you load for are fun to have. They really come in handy for decapping, especially when working with once fired milsurp brass. Plus, it is fun to smack stuff with a rubber mallet.

There must be a joke or some wink wink here that I’m missing, in regards to Lee reload equip.

Why not just go back to something you are familiar with like the RCBS "everything" statement?


I thought KISS meant keep it simple stupid, or does it mean change everything up? I'm also wondering why you want to neck size only? Like someone else said, you will eventually need to FL or PFL size your brass, so why not just PFL size and be done with it? That's keeping it simple, stupid... I wouldn't think you load for competition, so why only neck size? Do you think you can't produce accurate ammo by other means of sizing your brass? My suggestion is to buy the RCBS Rock chucker supreme master reloading kit with the Rock chucker press and rock on. Buy some easy to find RCBS FL reloading dies (even wally world sells RCBS reloading dies), a couple other essential items that don't come in the RCBS kit and you are set.

Lee Collet = no lube, no mess. Easey peasy.

Brass from gun X only gets shot in gun X. I get nice, custom to that chamber brass.

I do think neck sizing makes better (more accurate) ammo than FL sizing every time. YMMV

When I've reloaded collet sized brass enough times that they get hard to chamber, I pitch and start over with virgin brass.

Brass is cheap. Lee collets are cheap. Just my take.

But to your point - yes the RCBS stuff is what I know, but in the past, I've been guilty of forgetting to look away from my path and see if anything else is out there. That was mostly the point of this thread - is there a best direction out there for someone like myself. Low volume, neck size, shoot, neck size, shoot, etc.

If I remember correctly, you can neck-size-only with the Lee Loader.

Interesting. I'll need to read on that. I def want the FL sizing option.

I like my Forster Coax press. The design is really neat and flexible.

It only sizes the neck.

Can’t recommend a Forster Co-ax more strongly. Just a pleasure to own and operate. Redding FL 2 die set. Buy the optional micrometer seating stem that swaps out with the standard seater. Unlike the competition sliding stem unit, you can safely compress loads when needed. Hornady comparator and also their headspace set to measure shoulder bump. Lee universal decapping die. Sinclair expanding mandrel die for the caliber you’re reloading for to set a uniform 0.001 neck tension.

Thanks or input. At the price of the Co-Ax I could end up with the RCBS Rebel, a hand primer, and powder thrower. Not sure I want to spend that much on just the press.

Lee classic cast is a solid press for the money.

If i had to start over, i would buy:

1.) Single stage press, as others mentioned, Lee has a decent offering for the $, prime on press
2.) redding body die, lee collet die
3.) forster seater
4.) lyman dial calipers
5.) wilson trimmer, case holder
6.) tap from ebay to make hornady case gauges
7.) hornady OAL tool
8.) hornady bullet/case comparator
9.) lee powder measure
10.) rcbs digital scale
11.) imperial sizing wax
12.) any brand case tumbler

Loads ammo less than 2 thou runout; rifles shoot 1/2” groups

I would highly recommend the Frankford Arsenal Perfect Seat Hand Primer Tool. I wish I would have had this throughout my "reloading career". I have used hand priming tools from almost every other reloading company. I can't say enough good things about the Frankford Arsenal. It is adjustable and easy to use. It is mechanically simple and effective. It has its own set of shell holders for all cartridges. Here is a link: https://www.frankfordarsenal.com/perfect-seat-hand-primer/110006.html


Hey gte901m, can you explain this one for me? I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

I will second that Frankfort Arsenal hand primer. In the past I used lee and RCBS and the FA model is very nice in comparison

I will third the Frankford Arsenal hand priming tool. I had a Hornady one that broke in no time. I bought mine off Amazon back in May or June for $48. If I was buying a new single stage press it would NOT be a Hornady Lock n Load. Things a pain in the but when you try to make minor adjustments with the dies. I had a used RCBS single stage that broke on me I got from a buddy for free. I much preferred it to the Hornady. Looking at get a MEC possibly soon.

Hey gte901m, can you explain this one for me? I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.


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The hornady OAL case tools uses an odd tap size, 5/16-36 or something. You can buy a tap on ebay, and make your own case gauges with fired brass.