Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Who Makes the Best (or Worst) Reloading Equipment?

I don't think having more choices is bad, but it sure can be confusing.

Back in "the good old days", before there were a lot of specialty reloading tools, I think there was more brand loyalty. I remember those days with fondness (and some disappointment). It was a great idea being able to assemble my own ammunition, and beat paying big bucks for 20 cartridges at the store. I could make my own? Is that even legal? Then someone pointed me at the reloading section at the gun shop...I started with Lee Loaders, but that just led to harder drugs, er, bench mounted presses.



Having reloading kits was "the bomb"! I didn't actually use that expression, but...How cool was it to get almost everything you needed in one box? You know what I mean.

When you listen to people talk about their first reloading experiences, you could be listening to someone describing their first car or buying their first rifle. There was this innocence, excitement and a huge sense of adventure. It was cool telling your friends about what you got and what your plans were. They would ask questions and got caught up in the zing. It was a mark of independence.

Maybe that's a little corny, but reloading was new and fresh.

By then I was hooked. Magazines and older reloaders were to blame. Having a kit wasn't nearly enough. I needed accessories. People you trusted endorsed different equipment or some new doodad. X dies. Zip Trims. Inline bullet seaters. Universal decappers. You get the idea.

My first new press mounted die set was a Lee full length, two die set in the round box. Then I heard about neck sizing. I was unaware that my Lee Loaders neck sized only, so I started looking for press mounted neck sizing dies. This was before collet dies. They used to say that neck sizing markedly reduced group size. Some gunwriter said so. It must therefore be the truth! Stand aside Father Bill. My new testament is Outdoor Life!

The magazines turned up the heat. If factory ammunition could be relied upon to deliver two or three inch groups, imagine how much more successful you'd be if you reloaded! You could cut those groups in half AND it was cheaper!

Of course, I read everything there was about rolling your own. I talked with friends about the latest techniques. I went to the gun shops, gun shows or the gun club telling anyone who would listen about how much better my rifle shot with reloaded ammunition. Then I joined the military and became an armourer. Crazy!

Do you have a runout gauge? Check out the Harrel powder dispenser. C presses are garbage. Get an O press, or better yet, a Forster Coax! Get a heavy wooden bench and mount your press to it with big, jeezily bolts! You're not using Remington bulk bullets are you? That's crazy! Spend more. Get more.

Since then, I've collected a lot that was new, the greatest and the best. Wow!

In the beginning, all I wanted was to save a few bucks. What happened?