OB, I need advice on this reloading kit

I have yet to buy my reloading stuff but I did a shite ton of research on it. I would go rcbs before lee.

I haven't taken the plunge yet but when I was researching the subject I had decided on the kit with the hand primer v. the kit you list which primes on the press. People seemed to think the hand primer worked easier than the press mounted primer.

LINK

boatless, I'm going to resurrect your thread b/c I never actually addressed the kits you were looking at. There's nothing wrong w/ either one of them. If you can spend the extra money, I'd get the turret press instead of the Challenger. The turret press can be set up as either a single stage (most of what I do now) or a semi-progressive press (useful feature if you some day handload high volumes for handguns). The balance beam scale's old technology, but I still use mine a lot, even though I have an entry level electronic scale. I read good and bad comments about the Lee powder charger just like I do w/ nearly every powder charger. I used to use Lee sizing cream. It's serviceable, but I like Imperial Sizing die wax and case neck lubricant better.

The only piece of Lee equipment that disappointed me some was the "Disc Measure." It's about as accurate as most inexpensive ones, but makes a mess when used w/ small, spherical powders. I prefer the $5 Lee case cutter and Lee case length gauge (you have to buy a different one for each caliber you load for) over my $80 Redding lathe trimmer.

1. Buy a Universal Decapping and Depriming Die (costs about $10). Mine saved me on the opening weekend of deer season one year when the depriming pin on my 308 Win broke before I'd finished loading some hunting rounds. This leads me to #2.
2. Buy extra depriming pins. They don't break often, but when they do it's always at the worst time.
3. Once you figure out the basic powders you're going to use (you'll probably burn through a lot of 1# cans in the process), buy some 4-8# kegs of your preferred powders. Even w/ the $29 hazardous shipping fee you can still save $$$ buying powder and primers online in large quantities if they're not available locally.
4. Repeat #3 by buying 1000/carton of your preferred primers. I keep my brands/types of primers to a minimum.
5. I like to use the Lee Case Length Gauge (put it in a power drill) to trim brass to the correct length. Much cheaper and faster than a lathe type trimmer. The kits you're looking at come w/ the cutter and shell holder. You'll just need to buy a separate case length gauge for each caliber.
6. The customer service I've experienced from the different manufacturers has been good, but I've been especially impressed w/ Redding's.
7. If you're manually weighing each charge, buy a powder trickler. If not loading a large # of rounds at one time, I still use my manual powder scale.
8. Buy the case and shell holder set (again, mine's Lee). Much less expensive to buy the complete set than to buy them individually.
9. When loading for multiple calibers in one session, only keep ONE can of powder on your bench. I've always had this rule, but managed to accidentally break it last year. It didn't harm me any, but I managed to mix 2 types of powder into a single can. One of the cans was brand new and cost $50/1#.
10. Case prep tools are optional, but IMHO will improve accuracy some. All my case prep tools are manual. The Sinclair primer pocket uniformer is really good and can replace the primer pocket cleaner. The tool can be used to uniform the primer pockets (a step to enhance accuracy) as well as cleaning the primer pocket. Chuck it in your power drill and save some time. I also use a Sinclair flash hole deburring tool to improve accuracy.
11. The Lee powder measure kit is VERY handy.
12. Have available, and freely use, multiple handloading manuals. Most will very nicely walk you through the handloading process.
13. Buy a $12 electronic 6" micrometer from Freight Harbor. Mine's lasted >20 years. and works as well as a $50 one from RCBS.
14. Midsouth Shooters Supply will have the best prices on handloading tools and components.
15. The above mentioned kit comes w/ a priming tool to be used w/ the press. I prefer to use the Lee hand priming tool when loading for precision.
16. The handloader can't be too safe. Remember, you're dealing w/ a miniature bomb that could destroy your gun......or you. Nevertheless, I find it a relaxing hobby. You won't save any money, but you'll find yourself shooting a lot more.
17. I load for a BUNCH of differnt rounds. I have a separate $0.20 three pronged notebook for each one. Keep GOOD records of your loads.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.