Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Your First Reloading Setup

Lyman 310 (Tong Tool) for loading/sizing 429215s, Lyman powder scale, homemade dippers and pound of Bullseye back about 66 or so.
Oh and that DC 429215 mold.

Lee single stage with quick change bushings.

Until MILES58 came along, I was thinking "what a fossilized old man" I am. I started in 1966 with a shared Herters press and scale, a pound of 4831 that came in a paper bag from an old guy that said he was a gunsmith, 30-06 RCBS dies and some miscellaneous bullets, including some Herters banana-waist bullets in 30 cal. Thanks, Miles, I'm feeling nostalgic and grateful for those early experiences you have also shared with us.

Ah, yes, progress. The graduation to a Rockchucker and the discovery of 4350 were additional MILEStones, and then the wheels came off my dreams of reloading to save money. My second rifle was a project, consisting of a wildcat cartridge that P O Ackley said was wonderful, a lovely G33-40 Mauser action and a 25 cal. Douglas barrel. I should have heeded the warning horn at that point.

So the first reloading setup led to an exciting pursuit of improvement, maybe even seeking excellence, and LOTS of shooting. It has been an adventure and a great learning process. What fun!

in '74 when I got outta skool, I started on a pacific C-press. in '75 I bought a Rockchucker set up. I set it up on a old truck stop table base topped by a scrap of quarter inch steel plate. It's been improved and added on to over the years, but still the same base and 'chucker. You can see it behind my younger self, and recent..... Made it portable at the time to be easy to move ranch to ranch, job to job. Still serves fine.

My folks bought me a RCBS Partner kit for Christmas when I was 12.

Dad didn't reload.

My buddy got a Rock Chucker kit that Christmas.


We learned together.


Mid 90's.

1968 - RCBS Jr press RCBS dies 270 Win., IMR 4350 Hornady 130 gr SP.

Mid 70's, Rockchucker and 10-10, RCBS dies.

Lee Loaders in .243 and .44 Special in 1981 when I was 17.

Yes, you can set off a primer pounding the case back out of the die. But, opened up a world of fun for me.

Rcbs sr5 press (think that’s right)
Rcbs 10-10 scale still have
Rcbs dies 22-250, 6mm, 222mag, 220 swift
Rcbs hand primer

Started in 1982 or 83
RCBS Rockchucker
38SP
357Mag
41SP
41Mag
Had an RCBS Trimmer ,Powder Measure & Manuel Scale

Started Christmas 1963 with a Lyman TruLine Jr turret press and a Redding scale for my M70 30-06. I had just turned 14. A year later, I got a new Rockchucker, Uniflow powder measure, and 1" dies for every caliber I had then. Over the years many have been added, another Rockchucker, Forster CO-AX, Wilson and Sinclair tools, Redding tools, Forster trimmers, Forster and Redding micrometer dies, several shotgun loaders, you name it, etc, etc, etc.
When I started shooting USPSA/IPSC seriously in the late 80's, then came several Blue progressives, case tumblers, media separators, etc. About ten years ago, a Thumlers tumbler was added for wet tumbling with SS pins....turns mil. range brass into like new! It's been a continuing evolution!

When I started shooting high power rifle in '65, our club got spam cans of corrosive 30-06 AP ammo from DCM. I pulled the bullets, FL sized, and swaged the primer pockets, and loaded that brass up with new primers and Sierra or Hornady 168 match bullets! No brass trimming, flash holes uniformed, or concentricity gauges used back then! Boy times have changed!

A Lee single stage aluminum press. Loaded I don't know how many 1000's of both rifle and pistol rounds. Son has it now, still going strong. I upgraded to a turret press.

Huntsman,
I like the northern pike in the trap.
Never seen that before

88-89, RCBS Master Reloading Kit, been a hell of a love affair ever since!

My very first "setup" was a Lee Handloader that I bought within a few days of buying my first varmint rifle, a Rem. 700 in .222, way back in 1978ish. Used that until my brother bought a Rockchucker press, a set of 5-0-5 scales and a Forester case trimmer and a few various hand tools probably about 79. I'm still using the press and case trimmer but have since upgraded to 10-10 scales.

Lee Loader, Simplex FLS die (non-press type, used a hard plastic hammer and metal rod "extractor") for 303 and 6.5x55. I made a hydraulic decapper for the 6.5, and I think I bought a powder scale fairly early on, although the 303 came first and all that was reloaded with the scoop that came with the Lee Loader.

04 ish. Rockchucker Supreme kit. Started with. 223 using 2230.

The first? Herters every thing, late 50's

Bought a Rockchucker set back when they came with your choice of dies.

Still have the whole set and use it.

This was back in the 70's.

RCBS probably in 1980 or so. 308 Win. Loaded the ammo I killed my first deer with.