reloading.........

[Nightstalker6117]

for all you that reload what would be the best and MOST ECONOMICAL way ... ( did i spell that right    ) best and most reasonable way to get into reloading I have a Lee in 7.62x54r and was wanting something more ummm well upto date i guess would be the correct term. I think you all know what I am talking about that has the little yellow scoop 3.1 cc of powder. Volume not weight so i know that cant be good. Would it be a good idea to get another one of those in 25-06 and the invest in scales what have yall found most helpful what can you not do without.

[trotterlg]

I guess you have a press, a Lee?  The loading scoops are amazing accurate, however getting different loads with them is not easy.  I had a ballance scale for loading, go it on Ebay, but it is very time consuming to use.  I finally bought a digital scale on ebay and it is great.  These are the things to look for:  The need to weigh to .01 gram, that gets you .1 grain accuracy, they need to weigh in grains, most have several units and most have grains.  Make sure they will read in thenths of a grain  and not skip tenths so they really read in .2 grain units.  This is the one I use and it works for me.  Larry
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160076745109

[myarmor]

for all you that reload what would be the best and MOST ECONOMICAL way ...

Perhaps these 2 words aren't exactly linked when it comes to reloading. Best is expensive, though a pleasure to work with and will yield more consistancy. Most economical -cheapest on the wallet- would be Lee for sure.
The Lee Anniversary Kit runs about $70 or so, and includes pretty much everything you need, other than calipers and a powder trickler. But the scale can be very fussy, and the press has weak linkage. It's not bad if you want to dabble and try your hand at reloading, as the initial investment isn't much.
I started out on it, and made have made some good ammo. But if you get heavy into reloading and for more calibers, then you will most likely upgrade. I did.
Personally I would save up for something a little more stout like the RCBS Partner kit around $150 or better yet the Rock Chucker Supreme kit... this is a great kit.


-Aaron

[Roudy]

Nightstalker,

Yep, you probably would be more pleased with a powder scale than the powder dippers....they do improve your versatility.  I have a beam type powdwer scale and a digital scale and still use the beam scale for measuring powders that I am loading when I want to consistently load the same weight....they just seem easier to use when the weight you want is consistent.  The digital scale seems more beneficial when I'm weighing cast bullets.  I have an inexpensive digital scale and its zero seems to drift some.

For just starting out I'd suggest a relatively inexpensive beam scale, check Midway or another shooting supply house, they really aren't very expensive.  If you do elect to buy from Ebay you would do well to check the prices for new scales first, Ebay tends to be higher priced for used items that you can get new ones.

Roudy

[mo shooter]

I agree with Aaron that RCBS is hard to beat. I started out on the Lee caliber specific kits that you used a mallet to assemble your rounds. I bought a RCBS Jr press and used it for many years before selling it when I moved. When I decided to get back into reloading I bought the Lee Anniversary Kit that even includes a loading manual. I didn't care for the scale or powder measure included with the kit so I bought a Hornady scale(beam) and a RCBS powder measure. Have had no problems with the press and have used it for over two years now. Lee products are priced right but some items are used a little differently than other brands - be sure to read the instructions. They are a good way to find out if you really want to get into reloading, without spending the kids college fund and turn out quality ammo equal to other higher priced tools. You can always upgrade a little at a time later on.

Dan