First, I knew I needed powder, primer, and bullets. The kit included a reloading book that provided data for reloads. My calibers are limited to four - .38 Special, .357 Magnum, 9mm, and 7mm Remington Magnum. The reloading charts provided the type and amount of powder and the type of primer for a given bullet weight.
Determining the combination for the 7mm Mag was easy. Finding the appropriate powder and primer was more challenging. Seems that with the scarcity of ammo there is a growing scarcity of reloading components.
Determining the combination for the .38/.357 and 9mm was more of a challenge. My criteria was to have a common powder and primer. The result was three types of powder and three types of primers. The .38 Special and 9mm can use the same primer and powder. The .357 Mag uses a different powder and primer. And, the 7mm Mag uses a different powder and primer.
That left me with two critical items before being able to reload - correct shell holders and reloading dies.
The RCBS Rockchucker kit did include four shell holders; none of which were for the caliber of shells I needed. Shell holders are a standard stock item for stores dealing with RCBS equipment and relatively easy to find for any caliber.
The reloading dies come in two grades: standard and carbide and standard 7/8”-14 thread. In RCBS colors, green box and gray box. Of course, the carbide are more expensive. The RCBS Rockchucker reloading press has the standard 7/8”-14 thread. Other manufacturer dies with the same thread can be used.
So, with powder, primers, bullets, dies, and shell holders, the basic must have components are in place. Now, time to start reloading...
Not so fast, there are a few other little things to consider...
Next, case inspection and preparation.
