Minimal equipment required for loading 6.5 Grendel?

[Harpoon1]

I enjoy reloading. I don’t count my time as a cost. I don’t like golf, but some people do for some reason. Do they consider their time at that as an expense?

The short answer is yes, of course! Doesn’t matter whether it’s 5 hours playing golf or 5 hours at the reloading bench, my time still has value, a “real cost”! Having said that, and to your point, I agree there is an enormous subjective difference in the enjoyment of those 5 hours.

And that’s where the fork in the road is! You like reloading, I like golf. IMO, those are feelings! Calculating the “real cost” of something doesn’t care about feelings. Only the facts/data.

People are quick to ignore the value of their time when it’s something they enjoy. I get it, I’ve been guilty of it myself! But try and make them do something they don’t want to or like for the same amount of time and see what happens!

[Mark611]

Agree on the time value, When I was a young man, I lived by a golf course and played a few times, but I also hunted as well, the gun thing took it's own course, and I haven't golfed since I was a teen, Reloading is very time consuming for sure, if your building quality ammo? Which is what I do, otherwise IMO your wasting your time and chasing your tail! I get the satisfaction of knowing I can make better ammo that's more accurate and tailored to my rifle and not be stuck with off the shelf offerings, YMMV

[Rusty Shackelford]

And lets not forget a chronograph. Without knowing the velocity of your loads as you work up, you're basically just guessing and taking a chance on blowing up your gun. Or your face.
Starting around $100 and worth every penny.
R.

[biodsl]

And lets not forget a chronograph. Without knowing the velocity of your loads as you work up, you're basically just guessing and taking a chance on blowing up your gun. Or your face.
Starting around $100 and worth every penny.
R.

Agreed, Rusty. I was working in the dark 'til I knew my velocities. And this isn't just for reloading. Even with factory ammo is good to know the actual velocities from your gun and not just what the manufacturer claims.

[JASmith]

As I follow this thread, I begin to see that most of the advice comes from folks who have accumulated equipment and experience over decades and forget tha many of their "must haves" are a result of being truly serious in reloading.

The list of "must haves" becomes bewildering and overwhelming when it results from contributions by folks who have a variety of interests and are OCD with their reloading! (BTW, if you are not already afflicted by habits that look like Obsessive compulsive Disorder, you will be as your reloading skills develop - - -)

Follow the advice of LR1955 and LRRPF52 but get a basic single stage press, dies, powder scale, powder dispenser, and calipers. Load a few rounds, hopefully while consulting with a mentor, and shoot them!

After that, the added equipment will be a natural follow-on to where you want to go with your new hobby.

My own experience with trying to be cheap at the start resulted in abandoning most of my first purchases, so pick equipment from quality sources like RCBS and Redding and Hornady. There are more expensive sources that you will look at as your reloading skills mature but are not what could be considered basic tools.

Some of these folks occasionally offer kits that gets your basic set up with a single purchase.

I have had less than favorable experiences with the low cost varieties of dies and equipment in spite of occasional favorable reports from others.

[Glenn54]

Thank you all very much for this information. I need to analyze all this and come up with a total cost to get started, before I make a decision. I appreciate all your time very much.

[kmon]

As I follow this thread, I begin to see that most of the advice comes from folks who have accumulated equipment and experience over decades and forget tha many of their "must haves" are a result of being truly serious in reloading.

The list of "must haves" becomes bewildering and overwhelming when it results from contributions by folks who have a variety of interests and are OCD with their reloading! (BTW, if you are not already afflicted by habits that look like Obsessive compulsive Disorder, you will be as your reloading skills develop - - -)

Follow the advice of LR1955 and LRRPF52 but get a basic single stage press, dies, powder scale, powder dispenser, and calipers. Load a few rounds, hopefully while consulting with a mentor, and shoot them!

After that, the added equipment will be a natural follow-on to where you want to go with your new hobby.

My own experience with trying to be cheap at the start resulted in abandoning most of my first purchases, so pick equipment from quality sources like RCBS and Redding and Hornady. There are more expensive sources that you will look at as your reloading skills mature but are not what could be considered basic tools.

Some of these folks occasionally offer kits that gets your basic set up with a single purchase.

I have had less than favorable experiences with the low cost varieties of dies and equipment in spite of occasional favorable reports from others.

Well stated Mr. Smith. Start with the basics and get other things to help along over time. A careful reloader can make some great ammo with the basics with a lot of the "extras" being added for speed and convenience.

As one that started loading 46 years ago with a Lee Loader for my 30-30 I know minimalist needs. Over the years I have acquired many other things some I have kept others not so much. back when I started quite a few must haves people talk about as required these days were either non existent or far out of reach for the average reloader. Over the years I have loaded for 45 different cartridges and gauges from 25ACP and 22 Hornet on the small side to 50BMG on the large and can say there is satisfaction in shooting loads you purposefully tailor to your rifle and wants.

If you can find a mentor close by that knows it, that is a great way to get started and is how I got started all those years ago.

[Harpoon1]

I enjoy reloading. I don’t count my time as a cost. I don’t like golf, but some people do for some reason. Do they consider their time at that as an expense?

Short answer is yes, all of my time has value, regardless of whether I enjoy what I’m doing or not! I’ll concede it’s just much easier to ignore that value when I enjoy it! Manufacturing ammo at home requires your labor! I get it, you enjoy the process, consider yourself lucky. But those are feelings, you like something. So, hypothetically, if someone really liked working in an ammo factory, let’s say for example exactly as much as you like reloading at home! Does their time, doing something they really like, have any value? Should they be compensated for it? If so/not, why? What’s the difference between manufacturing ammo in a factory or at home? Both require your labor??????

And btw, I love golf and would much rather spend 5 hours playing 18 holes than sitting at a reloading bench. And I suspect if I dragged you around the golf course with me for 5 hours, you’d see it my way too!

[Mark611]

Very good HP1

[Klem]

Harpoon,

How can you ignore the 'value' when you enjoy it? Surely they are one and the same; the value is that you enjoy it. I think you mean ignoring the input or effort, when the output is of value to you.

I believe it was Sahlins who coined three types of exchange or reciprocity: Balanced, Generalised, and Negative. Balanced is where the expectation is that the exchange is equal and there's a specified time limit, like a meal at a restaurant where you pay a specific amount at the end. Generalised is where similar trade-offs occur, but the time limit is less critical, like friendship between partners, a slow trade-off of 'debt'. And Negative or unbalanced is where you expect far more than you give, always at someone else's expense, like stealing.

In your case you are dealing with yourself, and excising affect (emotions) from the personal equation. Like emotions are less legitimate than cognitions/rational thoughts. But emotions and cognitions go hand in hand in our daily life. Just because emotions are iffy, squishy, feely does not make them less legitimate - especially if you subscribe to hedonism (the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain). I pay good money so I can enjoy (feelings) shooting holes in targets (no practical gain at the time - unless you factor in how that might make me a better hunter when harvesting meat, or better at defending myself and family if it ever came to it).

If someone wants to work in an ammunition factory because they enjoy it then these are choices we make in life and who are we to discount their enjoyment - like accepting an adjunctcy in a university (working for a university for no pay), or volunteering for the community. Depends how you process it I guess; you can expect a return from volunteering like social conections or community status, or do it altruistically, no expectation of a return.

I reload because I expect a return - better quality and cheaper ammunition than what is available, and continuity when calibres are not on the shelves. I enjoy making things out of parts and tinkering with ballistics. It also gives us knowledge with which to socialise with like-minded shooters, using similar language.

Each to their own.

Glenn, do you have any loading equipment already like calipers or electronic scales?

[Harpoon1]

How can you ignore the 'value' when you enjoy it?…….

Fair enough, respectfully, can you explicitly point to where I said that? Thanks!

[Klem]

Harpoon,

You question it in #27
"Does their time, doing something they really like, have any value? Should they be compensated for it? If so/not, why?"

They are being compensated for it...by liking it - Liking is the value.

[Harpoon1]

Harpoon,

You question it in #27
"Does their time, doing something they really like, have any value? Should they be compensated for it? If so/not, why?"

They are being compensated for it...by liking it - Liking is the value.

So, because they like working in an ammo factory, they should be paid less! Good luck with that! ??

[Harpoon1]

So, if I have this right! If you like your work, you should expect to be paid less, if you enjoy it? Is that right?

[LR1955]

So, if I have this right! If you like your work, you should expect to be paid less, if you enjoy it? Is that right?

And what does that have to do with this thread?

LR-55

[Harpoon1]

And what does that have to do with this thread?

LR-55

Well, IMO, it’s the core issue, whether someone’s time, in this case at the reloading bench, has a “real cost”!

[Klem]

Harpoon,
What we can do is help Glenn source the minimum gear he needs to load Grendel, and let him figure out the value in that.

Glenn,
I have never needed to trim spent cases for this calibre, so there's some equipment most hand-loaders have that you don't need.

I would say a decent (not Lee) single stage press and a couple of necessary dies: a full-length sizer, a bullet seater and a case holder. Something to measure and fill the case with powder. And a set of calipers to measure bullet seating depth. I started with vernier calipers but soon swapped to digital. Something you need to use less as you get more experienced is a kinetic bullet puller hammer.

You can put your bullets in a plastic bag but pretty soon you'll be using used factory packaging or dedicated MTM-type containers.

Hornady, Lyman and RCBS are all solid brands for presses and dies. Forster are good value for money dies.

[Harpoon1]

Harpoon,

You question it in #27
"Does their time, doing something they really like, have any value? Should they be compensated for it? If so/not, why?"

They are being compensated for it...by liking it - Liking is the value.

Alright, well first you asked, “how can I ignore the value when you enjoy it”………I never did, you made that up in your head. Then, when asked for proof, you then moved the goalpost and said, well, “you question it in #27”………….

Ignoring something and questioning something are two entirely different things!

And for the record, whether you like what you’re doing or not, your time still has value! And that’s a fact!

[LR1955]

Alright, well first you asked, “how can I ignore the value when you enjoy it”………I never did, you made that up in your head. Then, when asked for proof, you then moved the goalpost and said, well, “you question it in #27”………….

Ignoring something and questioning something are two entirely different things!

And for the record, whether you like what you’re doing or not, your time still has value! And that’s a fact!

H1:

I am banning you for thirty days for ignoring my request that you keep your messages focused on the topic.

LR-55

[Rivercityjeff]

If I had to go with minimal equipment, it would be:
Forster Co-ax press
Forster Benchrest dies
Digital scale
Calipers
2 loading trays

With those items you can deprime, resize, prime, powder, and seat bullets accurately. As funds permitted, I would add a case trimmer, electronic powder measure, tumbler, and bullet puller.

There is always a secondary market for quality reloading equipment.