We asked a few handy Sierra Bullets bulletsmiths: “What is your favorite ‘don’t know how you ever lived without it’ piece of reloading equipment?” Check out their answers below. We would love to hear from you too, please share your response in the comments below.
Ballistic Technician Carroll Pilant answered “Dillon 550 and 650 presses.”
Ballistic Technician Rich Machholz answered “My universal decapping die is as handy as a pocket on a shirt.”
Ballistic Technician Philip Mahin answered “A comparator gauge to measure from the base of a case to the ogive of the bullet. This bypasses the tip of the bullet, so I can repeat the same seating depth the next time I visit a specific combination.”
Ballistic Technician Duane Siercks answered “I don’t know that you would actually call this equipment, but the item that comes to mind would be my reloading room. I had always had to squeeze everything into a corner or even an unheated shed. After we bought our current house, I built a garage and placed it so that I had a window looking down a 250 yard range. I built a dedicated room with heat and A/C. It contains my reloading bench and a shooting bench. The shooting bench lets me slide open the window and shoot down the range. It is very handy to not have to load everything up to go to the range. It also makes load development a lot simpler and efficient. I don’t know how I ever got along without it.”
Ballistic Technician Paul Box answered “The Lee hand priming tool.”
Former Ballistic Technician Robert Treece answered “My homemade dental pick. I use it to check incipient case head separations. We all see the “bright ring” down close to the case head, that’s natural, but after several firings could be starting to split apart. You could start by just straightening out a paper clip; flattening one end; sharpening and turning it 90 degrees, then bend if about 1/8″ long will even fit all the way down into .204″ cases. On the other end, bend about 3/4″ to 90 degrees also, in the same direction as the pick. That will give you a handle and also “points” in the direction of the pick as you scrape along the side wall from down inside at the bottom upward along the side wall. If the pick hooks into a crevice–DON’T TRY TO SIZE THE CASE. It will pull apart in your die. (PSST you won’t like that!)”
Chief Ballistician Tommy Todd answered “A brass annealing machine.”
Production Toolsetter Brad Vansell answered “Redding Ultramag single-stage reloading press for my rifle and my Dillon 650 for my pistol loading.”
Process Engineer David Palm answered “Homemade case lube.”
Plant Engineer Darren Leskiw answered “Beyond the normal equipment, I’d say my electronic scale. Using the beam balance for the past 9 years was ok, but nowhere as easy as using an electronic scale.”
Ballistician Gary Prisendorf answered “RCBS Rockchucker Press, it’s built like a tank, and it will last me a lifetime.”
Production Manager Chris Hatfield answered “RCBS single stage reloading press.”
Maintenance & Machine Shop Lead Craig Westermier answered “RCBS Rock Chucker”
Production Resource Manager Dan Mahnken answered “RCBS Rock Chucker! Buy one and it lasts a lifetime.”
redding NK bushing dies for the calibers i shoot as well as an RCBS partner press that i now use almost exclusively.
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Thank you for sharing Rollie.
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My universal decapping die
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Thank you for sharing Harold.
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OAL tool, formally from Stoney Point.
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Thank you for sharing Danny.
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Hanned line nexpander for ironing out case mouths in a file/trim die after hacksawing bends them up
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Thank you for sharing Steve.
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Digital scale. My old 505 has not been out of the box since.
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Thank you for sharing Clay.
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My Lock n Load Hornady progressive press. It’s the cats meow when loading for my pistols. I can also load for my rifles but I prefer to use my single stage rcbs for them.
Rupe
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Thank you for sharing Rupe.
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My Jr.RCBS 1977 yr.
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Thank you for sharing Larry.
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My Magnetospeed chronograph. I can actually believe the readings I get now when I’m working up a load, and it’s so much less of a hassle to deal with.
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Thank you for sharing William.
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I have been using my Rock Chucker for over fourty years for all my rifles. I would be lost with out it.
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EGW U-Dies.
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just starting out(only been loading for 6 months now), but so far my lee auto prime XR hand primer is pretty slick. i really like being able to feel when the primer seats.
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The Lee hand priming tool and the Rock Chucker my top two in that order
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my case length gauges and Dillon RT1500
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It was a combination of a Dillon Electric Scale and a Giraud Electric Case a trimmer.
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My hand primer and powder drop for my .223/.556. When I’m producing large quantities of range ammo and super accurate loads isn’t a concern the powder dropper and hand primer makes it go a lot faster.
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Anche io ho la pressa RCBS ed e solidissima per favore qualcuno di voi esperto in ricarica e balistica potrebbe dare dose di ricarica per cal.308win.con palle sierra 168 grain in attesa cordiali saluti
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My RCBS jr. press & dies. I use both for my AR’s, hunting rifles and 9mm carbine reloading.
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RCBS equipment has worked with excellent results for 49 years. Junior II press, dies, 502 scale, powder thrower, powder trickler, quick change powder funnel set. Quality I have loaded with all my life. Everything from 458 down to 222, Thanks RCBS!😆
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Without a doubt my Redding Ultramag.
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Powder trickler. I use it for every load, long gone is the small spoon from the early days
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Sierra 5400 .50 caliber bullets for my 500 magnum, i love these and they have been out of stock…it seems like forever
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I’ve reloaded for over 50 years and used Sierra bullets as a go to choice all that time. I also rely on L.E. Wilson tools fro specific jobs and to check cases and die adjustment. Both allow me the accuracy and safety to enjoy my shooting sports.
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my redding die sets, dillon 550B and dillon super swager
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Nothing has saved more time and energy than my RCBS Trim Pro electric case trimmer. I shall never trim cases by hand again!
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Thanks you merci. grazie per vostra gentile
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It’s a toss up for me between the Hornady bullet comparator and OAL gauge kit and my Quickloads software. The software saves me a ton of time developing loads, especially given all the wildcats I shoot, but the Hornady OAL measuring tools are essential for really dialing in loads for my F class stuff if I want to avoid shooting the throat out of a $400 barrel doing load development. They’re also helpful sometimes even eliminating certain components that simply aren’t going to work in a particular rifle, like if a barrel throat has excessive free bore.
On another note to the Sierra folks; do you guys provide updates as new data comes out for your ring-binder load manuals? I just bought one and it doesn’t even list the 6.5mm 150gr. Match Kings.
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