I'll have to go with Kong and say buy the best equipment you can, even if you have to scrimp and save for a while. Buy once cry once. In the end you spend less money because you aren't replacing equipment that wears out or that you outgrow. Quality reloading tools last a lifetime.
Go slow, learn the processes, understand them. If something doesn't seem right, it probably isn't, so check into it. Having a mentor that you can call and ask questions real time while you are loading helps a bunch. Or better yet, 2 or 3 of them.
Learn the process of partial resizing with full length dies, understand headspace, what it means, and how much "bump" you need for your particular application. That will solve lots of potential brass issues for you.
For general and even most of my precision shooting I prefer Forester dies. Yes, they do have the dreaded sizer button, but due to its location high up near the case neck, and the fact the sizer button is already pulling back through the neck before the case neck becomes fully unsupported, these dies do not tend to pull case necks out of alignment like some other dies can.
Some tools that see a lot of use from me and have changed the way I load either in general or for some specific cartridges: Chargemaster, how I lived without that for so many years I'll never know, lol. I spent decades with a scale, trickler, and a Redding BR-2. For high volume trimming the Worlds Finest Trimmers are hard to beat. I don't use them for my precision stuff but 5.56 and 6.5 Grendel they sure help speed things up loading bulk AR ammo. The Hornady case and bullet comparator tools to go on your caliper. Pretty essential IMO for quickly and accurately figuring out what is going on with your brass and loads. I have one set of calipers with the comparator on it, and one without because I use both constantly and don't like taking the tool on and off.
I am also a big believer in annealing case necks. Brass in different stages of work hardening can cause lots of issues. An annealer is a big investment for lots of new reloaders, so I'm not saying run out and buy one right off the bat. But knowing someone who has one is not a bad thing at all.
In the first 10-15 years I loaded I got lots of experience with case head separations and split necks. Once I really understood headspace and partial full length resizing, and got an annealer and started using it, those problems have pretty much disappeared.
Go slow, learn the processes, understand them. If something doesn't seem right, it probably isn't, so check into it. Having a mentor that you can call and ask questions real time while you are loading helps a bunch. Or better yet, 2 or 3 of them.
Learn the process of partial resizing with full length dies, understand headspace, what it means, and how much "bump" you need for your particular application. That will solve lots of potential brass issues for you.
For general and even most of my precision shooting I prefer Forester dies. Yes, they do have the dreaded sizer button, but due to its location high up near the case neck, and the fact the sizer button is already pulling back through the neck before the case neck becomes fully unsupported, these dies do not tend to pull case necks out of alignment like some other dies can.
Some tools that see a lot of use from me and have changed the way I load either in general or for some specific cartridges: Chargemaster, how I lived without that for so many years I'll never know, lol. I spent decades with a scale, trickler, and a Redding BR-2. For high volume trimming the Worlds Finest Trimmers are hard to beat. I don't use them for my precision stuff but 5.56 and 6.5 Grendel they sure help speed things up loading bulk AR ammo. The Hornady case and bullet comparator tools to go on your caliper. Pretty essential IMO for quickly and accurately figuring out what is going on with your brass and loads. I have one set of calipers with the comparator on it, and one without because I use both constantly and don't like taking the tool on and off.
I am also a big believer in annealing case necks. Brass in different stages of work hardening can cause lots of issues. An annealer is a big investment for lots of new reloaders, so I'm not saying run out and buy one right off the bat. But knowing someone who has one is not a bad thing at all.
In the first 10-15 years I loaded I got lots of experience with case head separations and split necks. Once I really understood headspace and partial full length resizing, and got an annealer and started using it, those problems have pretty much disappeared.
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