Newbie Questions on best tools to use.

I know a lot about guns, but little about reloading. I ended up with a RCBS press and trimmer from about 20 years ago that have never been used. I am looking for:
1. Advice on the best basic tools needed to start out ( I am NOT looking for cheap tools, but one's that will last)
2. What online sites are good (other than this one) for general reloading info. I have the Speer and Sierra manuals coming. Do I need others??
3. What brand of powder is best for both Hand and rifle reloads.
4. What brand of Dies are the best??

Thanks a lot.

Avid,
You already have one of the best single stage presses made.
As for trimmers, if yours has the collet system, it's functional, but a pain to use as it's slow - however, it will do the job. (Their newer case holders are a lot easier to use and I believe you can get the parts to upgrade.) RCBS has one of the best Customer Service Departments in the industry and they will send you replacement parts (usually free) or replace the whole tool no matter how old or how hard it has been used.

1) You need something to measure powder with, and a scale to check. Ohaus makes scales for many of the big names, the one I have been using for 30 years is RCBS green. They are still selling the exact same models, so the design is time proven. Powder can be metered or dipped, the set of Lee dippers is the least expensive way to start, upgradable later.
Rifle cases have to be lubed before full length sizing, so you need lube (I'd go with a water soluble one) and a lube pad, or you can use Universal Sizing Die Wax and forgo the pad & mess.
Your press likely came with some way to seat primers which will be adequate to learn on (but your hands must be VERY CLEAN to handle primers with no trace of lubes or skin oil to contaminate them). Later as you check out other priming systems and read the opinions of those who use them, you can make a more informed choice and upgrade. If your press doesn't have a primer seater, Lee AutoPrime (a handheld unit) and AutoPrime2 (a press mounted ram-prime unit) are inexpensive and well up to the job, neither requiring you to handle the primers, but limiting your choice to CCI and Winchester primers. My current AP2 has been in use for over ten years and is nearing the 150000 mark with no real signs of wear.
A good dial caliper is necessary to accurately measure cases and OALs as well as general utility.
A chamfer/deburring tool cleans up the necks of new cases, and after trimming.

2) When you have specific questions, any of the three Gunloads fora have people ready and willing to answer them for you. The quid pro quo is that you post your results, good and bad, for others to think over and learn from too. I don't bother with the other sites much anymore, as 99% of my own needs are well met here.
I recommend you also get a copy of the Lee manual, especially if you are going to start with a set of their dippers - it has the volume to weight conversion tables to eliminate much of the guesswork and fumbling. All the manuals have great sections on the reloading process and you can never read too much about it. Three manuals also helps you to evaluate the safety of load data you get off of the net by comparing it to them. They need to be updated every few years as powders come and go, change consistancy/power/burn rate, and new cartridges are constantly being introduced that you need to stay current on.

3) As to powders, it depends on what cartridges you are loading. No one brand is any better than another, and your choices will be dictated by which are on the charts for the cartridge, available to you locally, and what your guns prefer. Tell us what you want to start with and we will be more specific as to viable options. Keep in mind that every gun/barrel is different, and there are no universal combinations that do great in everyone's guns, and only your guns themselves can tell you what they like best. The same goes for bullets, too.

4) Most of my current die sets are RCBS and Lee, though I have a few odds and ends in boxes of other colors, most notably Lyman M dies for expanding necks in rifle cases for cast boolits. Most of the big names have products of similar quality, so it really doesn't matter which ones you go for. For the money, Lee dies are the best value around, and their rifle collet dies and Factory Crimp dies are the best anywhere. Avoid used dies initially until you have learned what to look for (like with used cars and used guns, you will pick it up quickly).

Avid-
You have opened a really big can of worms, you will probably get as many opinions as there are brands. I'll try to help you out a little though. Easy question first:

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3. What brand of powder is best for both Hand and rifle reloads

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Let your rifle/handgun decide for you. The guys on this site can give you a lot of good starting points and favorite loads for specific calibers, but I doubt anyone would say that brand X makes the best powder for all applications.

Quote:

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1. Advice on the best basic tools needed to start out ( I am NOT looking for cheap tools, but one's that will last)

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You already have the basics; add a scale & chamfer/de-burr tool, dies/shell holders and some form of lube, you're off & running. I started reloading with a Lee Loader, plastic mallet and a scale. As you become more addicted, you'll probably buy a powder measure first, then a priming tool, case tumbler, etc..

As to manuals, I am a firm believer in "You can't have too much information". Having said that, just about every powder company out there has a web site with data.

And now the fun one, which brand is best. It all depends on your budget; IMHO, Lee has a reputation for making a serviceable product. Some of their materials are pretty humble though, but then again so are their prices. Some people swear by Lee, others swear at them. I do have some of their dies, I'm not truly fond of their lock-ring arrangment, but otherwise they are fine. As to RCBS, Redding, Lyman, etc., they are all well made tools. Are Redding products better, I don't know, I do know they are generally more expensive. I have Redding, Lyman, RCBS, and Lee dies & tools in my collection, and am happy with all of them.

Sorry this isn't more help; I think you would be better served by asking about a specific tool you are contemplating and getting members' opinions that way.

-Klaus

Thanks for the Newbie advice. Your response coupled with further research has lead me to decisions on several necessary tools. I look forward to tapping into this think tank in the future. -Avid