What reloading equipment would you NOT buy again ?

[BigSlick]

Out of all the gear you've owned for loading over the years, what would you not buy again ?

Why wouldn't you buy that item again ?

[Glooooock]

cheap scopes

small tumblers

cheap scales

cheap 45 Mags

single cavity molds

bore sighter / scope

Lee challenger press , ( aluminum pot metal )


low quality -low production - inaccurate .... ya don't know till you try it .

[BigSlick]

I would not buy the Lee Safety Scale, I would buy the Dillon digital version instead

[Glooooock]

I would not buy the Lee Safety Scale, I would buy the Dillon digital version instead

I have / had both ,,,, the first aint bad till you buy the second . unlike guns -scopes - bullets ,, your first look at it might be outa the UPS box for reloading gear .

[creophus]

I wouldn't buy the Lee Safety Scale and I wouldn't buy the laser boresighter kit I have.

[JLarsson]

CH4D primer pocket swager. In order to get enough swage, it'll bend the rims on some cases.

Lyman adjustable inside/outside case neck deburrer/chamferer. Hard to make fine adjustments and then doesn't chamfer the inside very well or quickly.

Large pellet ground corn cob to use as tumbling media. Very difficult to remove from some kinds of cases and primer pockets.

I'm sure I'll think of other things later.

[mbradst]

I would not buy a large quantity lead bullets from a caster that I have not bought from before. You have no idea if their alloy is what they say it is, you don't know if they send the bullets with lube dripping off of them, and you don't know if they size their bullets to what they say. Overall, you don't know if you can trust their quality and their word until you have tried them. I would buy in smaller quantity for a first order.

Oh, and I would not buy the Lee scale if you have no patience. It works well if you have patience and do not mind waiting for the beam to settle.

[Steve Koski]

50 round Midway pistol ammo boxes, I prefer the 100's.
Lee FCD for .40 - it drags on the cases, makes it harder to work the press.
RCBS Rangemaster 750 digital scale. Mine worked perfectly for almost 3 years then died, 2 year warranty. $100 down the tube.

[JW6108]

1. Lee Auto-Prime (don't get me started); went with RCBS Universal, ain't looked back

2. Forster hollow pointer for rifle cartridges, (no need to HP cast for rifle and I think it's too small anyway); one for pistol is OK

3. Trim dies for .38 Special, assorted Lee trim thingies for everything. (Forster does it all.)

4. Mica case mouth lube. Messy and doesn't even lube that well.

5. Any case lube that's not Imperial sizing wax; there's just nothing better for my use.

6. Pot and dipper casting method. That way served me a lot of years, but if I had known that bottom release pots worked as well as mine does I would have gone with that a long time ago.

That's all I can think of right now.

[RustyFN]

I wouldn't buy the,
Lee safety scale
cheap Walmart plastic rifle case
factory ammo

[Steviewonder1]

Any brand of a single stage press. Have had (past tense) Green Brand single stage with primer press and lots of problems. Own two Blue Dillons that beat the crap out of my other stuff long gone. Working and loading 2-3 days a week, and shooting 3-4 days a week.

[craig110]

Any brand of a single stage press. Have had (past tense) Green Brand single stage with primer press and lots of problems. Own two Blue Dillons that beat the crap out of my other stuff long gone. Working and loading 2-3 days a week, and shooting 3-4 days a week.

Sweet! If I shot that much I sure wouldn't want to use a single stage press, either.

[MakeMineaP99]

Aluminum moulds.

[thorn]

- Powder check die. It performs as advertised, but it's just as easy for me to look into the case as I place a bullet.

- Sand-grain sized walnut media. Gets trapped in the flash holes.

- Vance lead bullets. Only good if you have no other option and don't mind globs of waxy lube all over the place.

- Cleaners/lubricants made for something other than what i need to clean/lubricate... ie, OneShot is much better to degrease dies than brake cleaner.

- Lyman powder scale. Not a *bad* scale, but there are much better scales for only $10 more.

thorn

[yammerschooner]

case gauges
Lee FCD in 38
Lee Safety Scale
Prepackaged tumbling media marketed to reloaders
Caliber specific load books

ETA: almost forgot - 2 cavity pistol caliber molds that were to be used for handcasting.

[Brass Nazi]

Cheap laser bore sighter
Lee factory crimp dies
Cheap plastic powder trickler such as the Hornady model (The Redding is much nicer and the cost difference is small)
Cheap riflescopes
Cheap cleaning kits ( I recommend tipton rods and jags)
Cheap rifle rests

[creophus]

I feel like I can tell you guys this because we're all friends.

I put a scope on an AK. There I said it.

I wouldn't do that again.

[Glooooock]

I feel like I can tell you guys this because we're all friends.

I put a scope on an AK. There I said it.

I wouldn't do that again.

WOW , I thought this was a throw down on the lee safety scale . But now a scope on an AK ,,,, DANG ,,

[creophus]

WOW , I thought this was a throw down on the lee safety scale . But now a scope on an AK ,,,, DANG ,,
I know, I know.

I was young and foolish.

A scope on an AK is like lipstick on a pig.

[JW6108]

I know, I know.

I was young and foolish.

A scope on an AK is like lipstick on a pig.

Maybe so.....but it had to help the accuracy (a little).

[BigSlick]

Ummm... no... it won't :rofl:

[creophus]

Maybe so.....but it had to help the accuracy (a little).
Not that I could really tell. It didn't help the trigger slap either. It does make it look meaner though.

Don't even ask what kind of scope I put on it.

[jawjaboy]

Powder dippers.

[JW6108]

Not that I could really tell. It didn't help the trigger slap either. It does make it look meaner though.

Don't even ask what kind of scope I put on it.

Meaner is good. :30::57:

[selzbytes]

Second the Lee Challenger combo set - ties together the sub optimal aluminum framed press, AND the Lee Safety scale. That said, I'm still using the safety scale from my LCT combo set and getting by fine - ignorance is bliss I guess.

Fiddle farting around with alternate tumble media like rice, or corn cob not made specifically for reloading. Arghh - picking out primer holes is heck.

And of course the Mini 14 even though I made darned good money on it's sale.

[Jerry Snyder]

Here are few of my un-favorite things....

Used AR-15 mags unseen from someone I don't know just to help them out a bit.

Dillon Powder check system. I had 4 of them at one time and sold them all. Just too easy to look inside the case with a light.

Small amounts of bullets and then finding out that I like them, but can't get them any more.

Cheap batteries for my C-More. After two matches they will need to be replaced.

Cheap range bags that tear, rip, the strap falls off and collapses where it should not.

Dillon small tumbler. Get the big one and never look back.

Cheap tools of any type.

Anything from the AS SEEN ON TV aisle at Wal Mart.

ANYTHING FROM A BILLY MAYS COMMERCIAL. RIP Billy.

Purchasing 9mm/40sw/45acp brass, there is just too much of it for free on the ground. Even in todays environment.

Amerc .223 ammo. Shoots like a .223 bullet out of a mayonnaise jar.

BBQ from a 3rd world strip mall store who doesn't speak english and worships elephants.

I guess I should stop. This is a good thread, keep em coming.

JS

[chewy]

I can only think of factory ammo. Everything else I have I research pretty well before throwin' down some cabbage for. If it breaks, I'll try and fix it. If not.....it goes to the shooting range. I have a bunch of LFC, useless, but I can probably figure somethin' yo do with them, grind 'em down to where they just crimp and not swag the bullet. The rifle and 357 Sig FCD work good as they pinch and don't swag the bullet.

[MullahElRon]

Eagle 10/22 mags suck!

[MullahElRon]

Amerc .223 ammo. Shoots like a .223 bullet out of a mayonnaise jar.


Eww...

[yammerschooner]

Eagle 10/22 mags suck!


I agree with you wholeheartedly.

[unclebob]

Wal-Mart walnut lizard bedding for tumbling. Too dusty. Pet Smart is better.
EGW Lee undersize die.
Arredondo powder drop slide.

[GLShooter]

Cheap range bags mostly and Lee dies. I have now become I die snob and am buying all Redding dies.:57:

Greg L.

[blueline541]

Too small a range bag, although it was a Christmas gift.
RCBS dies. Deep down I know there is nothing wrong with their dies, but the set I had in .40 cal went bad or something and I'll never buy another set.