Page 1 of Metallic Reloading Tools & Equipment by MidwayUSA, Inc.

metallic reloading tools and equipment basic equipment needed reloading manual pages 808-813 recommended products for the beginning metallic cartridge reloader introduction this guide is intended to provide the novice reloader with a basic understanding of the tools required to begin metallic cartridge reloading it is in no way exhaustive but meant to serve as a starting point for anyone interested in the reloading process for more detailed information and instructions you should consult a reloading manual with step-by-step reloading instructions powder measure powder measures are used to throw premeasured charges they consist of a hopper that stores the powder and a metering chamber that dispenses the charge a powder measure can speed up loading time by eliminating the need to weigh each charge by hand powder measures are also used with progressive presses to dispense powder directly into the case case trimmer after repeated firing and reloading brass tends to get longer and must be trimmed to the correct length most case trimmers work like miniature lathes with a collet or shellholder to grip the base and a cutter to remove material from the case mouth deburring tool a deburring tool performs two functions it removes the sharp burr left from trimming and it slightly chamfers the inside of the case mouth so it can more easily accept a bullet press the press provides the force needed to return fired brass back to its original dimensions they come in three basic styles single stage presses that use a single die to work a single piece of brass,turret presses that work one case at a time but allow other dies to be easily rotated into place and progressive presses that have all the required dies installed and work multiple pieces of brass at a time powder trickler a powder trickler allows you to add tiny amounts of powder to a scale to get the exact weight that you need loading block loading blocks keep brass in the upright position so it does not fall over and spill powder they also help to keep the reloader organized so that no cases miss an operation or get two powder charges components · brass pages 98-108 · bullets pages 109-139 · powder and primers pages 140-142 powder funnel a powder funnel slips over the case neck and safely guides the powder charge in the case priming tools priming tools are available in a variety of styles to suit the needs of any reloader hand priming tools are very popular because they allow more control over how the primers are seated most reloading presses will feature some sort of press mounted priming device so that the case can be primed during the reloading process presses pages 37-44 · single stage · turret · progressive dies/shellholders reloading dies perform 3 functions resizing expanding and bullet seating/crimping when fired a brass case expands in order to be reloaded it must first be returned to the proper size after that the case mouth must be expanded slightly so the bullet can be inserted finally a bullet must be placed into the brass and secured shellholders hold the base of the brass while it is being worked by the die and provide enough gripping power so that it can be easily removed from the die dies/shellholder pages 45-88 powder and priming tools pages 27-37 · priming tool · powder scale · powder measure · powder trickler · powder funnel handgun dies vs rifle dies generally rifle cartridges have a bottleneck near the case mouth while most handgun cartridges remain the same diameter throughout the length of the case there are of course several exceptions to this reloading a rifle cartridge will require a minimum of 2 dies and reloading a handgun cartridge will require a minimum of 3 dies rifle cartridges need only 2 dies because resizing and expanding are done in the same die handgun cartridges need one die for resizing another for expanding the case mouth and a third for seating the bullet case lube reduces heat and friction associated with reloading can make you a better shooter while saving you money resizing to keep the and any shooter can start with just a few basic tools brass from getting stuck inside the die required when resizing bottleneck rifle ammo boxes and labels cases but not when reloading straightwall after reloading it is important to store the handgun cases with carbide dies ammunition properly it is also very important to make sure that the ammunition that you have reloaded is properly labeled with case neck brush/case all the important reloading data bullet neck lubricator weight powder charge date primer etc applies a thin coat of lube as it cleans residue and dirt from the inside of the case neck powder scale case preparation pages 7-9 15-26 · tumbler · case trimmer · deburring tool · case lube · primer pocket cleaner · case neck brush accessories pages 11-14 89-97 · calipers/gauges · loading block · bullet puller · ammo boxes and labels powder scales enable you to accurately weigh powder charges they come in two basic types balance beam and electronic balance beam scales consist of a powder pan attached to a beam that is counter balanced to find the exact weight of the powder many feature magnetic dampening which aids measuring by slowing down the beam as it bounces up and down electronic scales have a specialized load cell which automatically takes highly accurate readings and displays the weight on a digital display bullet puller tumbler tumbling brass before reloading removes powder residue and dirt this reduces wear and tear on your reloading equipment and produces better ammunition excessive powder residue or other impurities can contaminate the powder affecting accuracy or making the ammunition unsafe allows you to safely disassemble improperly loaded ammunition without firing it also useful for reclaiming brass and bullets from military surplus or other unknown ammunition calipers/gauges calipers are used to check the brass trim length overall case length bullet diameter and many other important measurements there are also a variety of gauges that consist of a test chamber that measures case length headspace base diameter bullet diameter etc primer pocket cleaner used to remove residue from the primer pocket of fired brass so that a new primer can be seated uniformly and square to the case 6 www.midwayusa.com 800-243-3220 since 1977

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