I have deer and varmint hunting with handguns (T/C Contenders) for 20 years now. In your situation with a large-bore handgun and very expensive ammo, you certainly are right to be looking into reloading.
I will tell you that when it comes to handgun hunting, practice really, really matters. With a handgun, I notice the first few practices show just how much shooting skill degrades when you don’t do it a lot. It is nowhere near as easy to shoot even minute-of-softball-size groups with a handgun as compared to shooting a rifle. All mistakes are amplified with a handgun.
So the bottom line is you want to have the ability to practice, which means you need ammo.
So here comes the question. I know there are a few on here that are into reloading. What do you recommend for the best value, reloading set up?
I have handloaded for most of my life, as a kid I was apprenticed to my father who took up the hobby in the late 1950s.
Do NOT be talked into a progressive press. All the cool kids want to run one nowadays, but reloading is a PROCESS and to truly understand the process AND be save, you need to work one step at a time. A single-stage press is all you need and all you want.
The best value and most reliable and durable press out there is the RCBS Rock Chucker and the newer Rebel. End of story. I use a 40+ year old Rock Chucker and it’s a freaking warrior. I have logged tens of thousands of rounds on each of the Rock Chuckers I’ve owned, they are a design that simply cannot be improved on.
There are RCBS Rock Chucker and Rebel kits out there that include everything you need to get started. Don’t be blinded by the bling. You don’t need fancy electronic powder charge throwers/ticklers or other gizmos when you’re just getting started. I have loaded in excess of 3000 rounds per year using NOTHING electronic.
As with any hobby, when you first get started it’s hard to determine what is a necessity vs what is a “nice to have” to speed up a processs or to increase productivity. Stick with the basics and only add things when you understand what will really benefit you.
To get started, you need:
Reloading press
Primer seating system, either hand or press-attached
Dies and shell holders for cartridges you intend to load
Powder scale – manual balance or digital.
Powder charge measure
Case block to hold cases
Case lube and lube pad
Micrometer
Loading data – Either online sources or hard-cover book manuals or a combination of the two.
Soon after you start, you will want to add case cleaning and prep tools, but these are not necessary to just get started.
Finally, a word on reloading and safety:
1. Study and understand the basic reloading process including all safety steps and follow it without variation. Do everything the same way, every time.
2. ONLY use verified load data AND then always cross-check data with at least one additional source to make sure the sources argree. Never use data
that cannot be verified.
3. Never skip “safety check” steps that should be part of your process. Always visually inspect each load at the priming stage and the charging stage to verify primer has seated and that each case is charged to a uniform level with no missed cases and no over-charged cases.
4. Final inspect each round and shake-test (when possible) to ensure each round is charged.
5. When shooting reloads, know both what a squib/uncharged round is and sounds like and know the signs of over-pressure loads. NEVER shoot again if you suspect a squib or over-pressure load. Pull the bullets, dump charges, and start over.
