Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters What was the first die set/press you owned?

My first "die" set was a Lee Loader in 45-70 that I bought in the late 70s. It made very accurate ammo for a Navy Arms Rolling Block. My first real press and die set was a Lee Challenger Anniversary kit with their 30-06 dies. I was pretty clueless about lube for bottle necked brass and managed to stick a case really good.

Lee handpress and Lee .357 carbide dies, a set of the yellow plastic scoops and the cardboard sliding chart that converted weight to volume for a bunch of different powders. Loaded thousands of revolver rounds on that thing and only got a bench mounted press when I decided to try loading bottlenecked rifle cartridges. That was too big a chore on the handpress.

In my first response to this, I listed the Lyman All American and Lyman 3/357 dies as my first.....I neglected to mention that at 15 I bought a Lee Loader in .308 Win. It was 4 or 5 years later before I got an actual press! memtb

Lee Turret and Hornady Custom grade dies at the age of 13. Still using the same press over 20 years later.

Don't recall the name on the press, but it was sold by Minnesota Shooters' Supply. Looked similar to the Herter. Massive. I recently found the invoice in my reloading papers dated when I started reloading. I paid $26 for the press, a beam scale and a set of 30-06 dies in 1956. Many years later I was talking to a guy at Brownell's who collected old presses. He wanted mine and I sold it to him for about what I had paid for it some 40 years earlier. He collected old presses. After that first one I bought most of them but mainly used a Lyman Orange Crusher, an RCBS Rockhucker and my go to press which is a Forster Coax. Had a Lee to try loading at the range and may still have it. That didn't work out too well.

Doubt there's 4 pages of gun writers here so [bleep] it I'll chime in... Mine a Lee Anniversary single stage press.. Blows my mind how easy it is to develop less than MOA loads. Had it 8-9 years now. Most WAY overthink reloading. It's pretty damn simple. Never an issue with RCBS dies and my Ohaus scale. Anywho enjoy the crap outta which ever way you go!

RCBS Jr press, RCBS 30-06 and 7mm Wby dies, Belding & Mull powder measure, Pacific standard scale and powder funnel, and I trimmed with a Pacific deburring-chamfering tool, and measured with one of those old "horseshoe" Maximum Case Length Gauges".

That was 61 years ago, and I still use everything but the Pacific scale. I've added a good powder measure, case trimmer, hand primer, etc.

RCBS Rockchucker Kit and an RCBS .280 and 22-250 die. Still have and use all of it, of course I only started 20 years ago. Previous to that, I used my dad's stuff. I didn't have a pot to p1ss in when I bought my first gear, but I'm sure glad I scraped together enough money to make it happen. Now I load for just under 3 dozen cartridges. Great thread!

Does anyone remember when Lee advertised their Challenger press as the 2001? Guaranteed until 2001.

Started reloading back in the late 80's and bought a RCBS Rock Chucker Master Reloading Kit and a set of .357 / .38 Special dies.......still have and use both.

How many of you guys can remember when a 1" group at 100yds was "varmint accuracy"? ha I can and still feel that way. Sure, I love a 1/2" grouper, but its just to make me feel good about my handloads/shooting. some platforms just ain't made for tiny group shooting, of course. But bolt guns "should" be able to get to 1" fairly easy.

like so many others, lee loader 30-06. the load was 47 4320 165. worked like a champ. first 'real press was a rockchucker, 1972. still in regular use today.

Like some others here, my first press, bought in 1966, was a Lyman Spartan with Lyman .243 dies, both of which I still use. I bought a lightly used Rockchucker many years ago from a friend who decided reloading wasn't for him. I use the RC for heavy-duty work and still use the Spartan for loading pistol ammo and seating bullets in bottleneck cases where I feel that less leverage is an advantage.

Lyman press. 38/357 Lyman dies.

Ron

Yes, I think that Kleinguethner was the first company, or one of the first, to offer a 1 inch @ 100 yd guarantee.

Back then, I think handloaders were able to accomplish that with most varmint rifles.

RCBS Jr. Came with a RCBS Ohaus scale, some RCBS 308 dies and Lyman 357/38spl carbide dies, lee hand primer and three vintage reloading books from Speer and Hornady. Loads good ammo still...... with more than a few updates in the die and "other necessities" departments. Still grateful to the friend that sold me the box of stuff when he was getting out. Its been very nice to have ammo this whole time the last two big shortages.

First loading I did was with my dad's Herter's press and IIRC Herter's 30-06 dies. First press of my own was RCBS Rockchucker kit given to me by my brother who was a design engineer at RCBS at the time.
First press I bought was a RCBS 4x4 when I used to shoot competition and ended up with 2, each set up for different cartridges that I was competing with at the time. Gave one of the 4x4's to my other brother when he started getting serious about reloading, still have the rest and mostly RCBS dies.

My first set of dies was a Lee Loader in 7mm Rem Mag. My first press was an RCBS that I got from my brother and .308 dies since I'd just started shooting High Power Service Rifle.

Lyman spar T with 30-06 dies and scale. Purchased used out of the newspaper when I was13 or 14 in about 1978. Dad was long dead so I taught myself by reading everything I could find on hand loading. Still do that!

My first press was an RCBS Rockchucker purchased as part of a kit in 1995. I bought that one after my brother purloined our father’s Rockchucker when he left for school. In truth, my father never reloaded and it was my brother who set up the kit in the basement after my father died. We both used the gear, however, until my brother took it with him.

No one taught me to reload; I read the Hornady manual and followed the steps in there. At first I just loaded for my 30-06 using RCBS dies I bought with the kit. I’ve bought several die sets since then, almost all RCBS, but really only reload for a few cartridges, all rifle at present. I have loaded some pistol in the past and might get back into that someday. I still have all that gear, but have added other bits over the years. I bought a Lyman 8 station turret press last summer and I really like it a lot. It is faster than my old single stage RCBS and produces ammo that is just as accurate. I also bought a Chargemaster Lite electronic powder dispenser and like it too. I rarely use anything else anymore.

In terms of manuals, I’ve used the Hornady manuals extensively because I use a lot of Hornady bullets. I also have used Nosler, Lyman, Barnes, Speer and Sierra manuals and still read them all for both knowledge and fun.

I’m not sure why I got into reloading, probably to save money. It probably does that, but it takes a while to amortize the cost of the gear. And I’m not really sure I’m saving anything when I keep buying gear and gadgets! Now it is an interesting hobby in which I can find a little solitude. And it is fun to see if I can make slightly better round for whatever I’m contemplating hunting. Mostly I think I still do it so I can shoot more.