Bullet Points: Five Tools Every Reloader Should Have

We recently discussed why we thought you should be reloading. Now we'll help you select the tools you'll need to do so.

Whether your reloading shop is a simple Harbor Freight bench with a single stage press bolted to a corner or a 20,000 square foot shop with a few Camdex or Ammoload presses chugging out thousands of rounds an hour, there are a few tools you can have on hand to keep you productive and safe.

Bullet Points: Five Tools Every Reloader Should Have (Besides a Press)

1. Loading Trays.

If you're running a single stage press, you'll need loading trays to keep components squared away during each step of the operation. Even if you upgrade your Rock Chucker to aPprogressive or invest in a Dillon 650, don't throw out these trays. They can still be a vital tool in your quest for perfect load development.

2. Drop gauges.

Remember back in school, when you would take a test scored by optical scanning that required you filled out all the answers in a No. 2 Pencil? Did you ever breeze through one only to see that the last question you were answering was the second to last one on the form, suddenly realizing you skipped one and got 'em out of sequence. Remember trying to unf#c& that mistake in the last five minutes?

That is not what you want to do with reloading. It's far worse to get out to the range with a batch of ammunition that won't chamber for some reason than it is to have been detected the screw-up and mitigated/prevented/corrected it earlier in the loading sequence.

Drop gauges and case length gauges can be used to detect these issues from beginning to end. we have a complete set for all of the rounds we reload.

3. Calipers.

Proper reloading is all about consistency and measurement. Calipers or micrometers can be had relatively cheap these days and can measure overall length, bullet diameter, neck diameter and anything that requires a precise measurement.

4. Scale.

Having a scale on hand might seem like a no brainer, but we can't tell you how many “hand loaders” have asked to borrow ours, or just try to get by without one. They're used for more than just determining a basic powder load or checking a load. We use ours to weigh components and bullets on a fairly regular basis.

5. Tumbler.

Some loaders see these as an extravagance. We see them as necessities. We tumble, polish and lube brass before we start and polish loaded rounds when they are done.

Depending upon volume, you can run anything from a small bench top vibratory tumbler to a full sized dedicated cement mixer. Trust us, you'll be happy with the investment.

What would you add to this list?