The Reloading Bench is the start of many hunting trips for me and the group that hung around that time of year.  Just before the early frost, most hunters get the Itch to get together and see what is happening. Just to get sighted in or practice some long range. When I first started trying the long range I got a lot of laughs. But I was the only one in the group with a 7mm and I was the worst shot in our crowd. That only lasted until I hand loaded and got to learning the specs and what it would take.  It did take a while, but then I started to bring targets home with one inch groups. The talk changed then, a few others got interested and we soon had the three to five hundred range set up.  It was not more than one season and we could get six and seven inch groups at five hundred yards.  I remember it all started at the loading bench looking for the ultimate tack driver - it just seemed to take forever to get some people to try different loads.  At times it just never happened.  When it did, things changed and there was a whole new hunting plan where you can range three to five hundred yard shots.  Just to say I loaded that round just yesterday and that idiot still missed the drop shot at four hundred on that freezer sized bull.  If it wasn't for the guy having a good round at four fifty we may have all went hungry this winter.  That type of comment usually got the talk back to the reloading bench.

Hi, this is Bruce Mackay I am promoting reloading goods and reloading kits as they are the favorite way for a beginner to set up.  The grounds for this is the cost; most companies have a few starter kits as a sales plan that can get you using their products.  You can use this to your advantage to save a few dollars.

This is also a way to get the components that are compatible, even though reloading equipment is more standardized than most hobby equipment.  For example, on the whole reloading dies are made to fit all presses.  It is not a good idea as a starter to start with a progressive press as they are harder to use and it’s a product you may never actually need depending on how much you are going to reload.

I prefer a single stage RCBS system, they have a few kits out and the quality is legendary.  Lee, Dillon, Lyman and a few others have good equipment also.  Lee seems to be the most cost effective but you can be sacrificing quality.  I have heard a lot of people say to start cheaper in case you determine reloading is not for you.  One thing to consider is if you decide to get rid of it, who will buy it?

The next and more important thing you are going to require is a good powder scale.  I always say it is better to go with the new digital, and nearly all companies make them.  I think the finest are the ones that have a powder trickle built in.  This saves a lot of time and they are very accurate.  I have seen a lot of starter kits that have a set of scales with them and this would be great to find even if they are just balance scales, they work and the accuracy is not a question with them.  Then you just need the right dies for your caliber to add to your components; powder, primers, bullets and some reloading manuals.

If you do not have a good friend to coach or give advice to you, the best way to go with your reloading is to find the many hunting forums with experts who have years of experience and love to give advice.  I have found that I use Yahoo Answers to find good information on a lot of topics.  This is a free resource on the internet and a beneficial one as a lot of the people just like helping others just for gratification or to be the best at it.  You sometimes get silly stuff and people kidding but if you pick through the answers there is more often than not a well researched answer there.