Marketing Pushes the consumer to spend money on products that, too often, doesn’t measure up to the hype. This principle also permeates the shooting sports industry. Allow me to offer commentary on reloading tools I have personally used. I will cover tools from inexpensive to rather expensive, but all offer a lot of utility to the reloader.

RCBS HandHeld Case Prep Tools

RCBS Case Prep Kits were recently upgraded with plastic handles, making them bigger and more comfortable to use. The handles have an 8-­32 threaded insert that accepts any 8-­32 threaded case prep tool such as a primer pocket cleaner and reamers. Tools from RCBS I frequently use are the caliber-­specific tools for flash-hole deburring as well as cutters for primer pocket diameter and depth uniforming. The flash-hole deburring tool includes an adjustable stop to control the depth of the cut into the flash hole while keeping the cut square. Calibers available are .22, 6mm, 7mm and .30. A complete flash-hole deburring tool and handle for a caliber lists at $14. The primer pocket uniforming cutter is available for small rifle and pistol, large pistol, large rifle and 50 BMG. They cost from $29 to $59. The cutter in the primer pocket cutters is ground carbide and will last a lifetime. Replacement cutters for the tool-steel flash-hole deburring tool are also available. The 8-­32 mounting thread size on the tools allows them to be used on almost any powered case-prep center offered by other tool manufacturers. These allow the reloader to perform a one-­time operation on the flash hole and primer pocket. In many cases, it will produce improved ammunition velocity uniformity. Hornady and Lyman offer similar flash-hole deburring tools.

With the standard 8-­32 thread for mounting, the RCBS VLD deburr tool cuts a 22-­degree inside chamfer on the case mouth instead of the usual 60-­degree. This makes seating bullets easier and reduces the possibility of damaging the heel of flat-base bullets or the boattail/body junction of a boattail bullet, both of which will hurt accuracy. It lists for $14 for the cutter, alone.

LEE Factory Crimp Die & Quick Trim

The Lee Precision factory crimp die is a collet crimp die that puts a factory style crimp on the case mouth. It produces a high bullet pull-force and eliminates the possibility of bullet setback into the case on a semiautomatic firearm or hard-recoiling cartridge. These dies are not new but have received little press. Dies are caliber-­specific. They work by using a four-­section split collet with a small ring machined into the top that forces the top of the case mouth into the cannelure groove at a right angle to the case that allows for hard crimps without collapsing the case, as can frequently happen with a roll crimp. These crimp dies do not put any axial force into the case. Case trim length can be adjusted to get more or less case mouth crimped into the cannelure, which will increase bullet pull. The die body is adjusted so that the bottom of the crimp collet bottoms out on the shell holder, driving it into a taper in the top of the die that, in turn, forces the crimp ring in the collet into the case mouth at a right angle. The more the die body is turned down, the harder the crimp. These dies will allow the heaviest crimp and highest bullet pull achievable as a reloader. I recommend these for large, hard-recoiling cartridges and ammo loaded for semiautos.

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The Lee Quick Trim is relatively new and is a well-thought-out tool. It is a caliber-­specific tool that screws into any reloading press. It consists of a caliber-­specific die and a universal cutter that inserts into the top of the die. The die has an O-­ring in the bottom that keeps the case centered in the die for a square cut on the case mouth. The cutter cuts to length, chamfers and deburrs simultaneously. The cutter features a click-­adjustable ring that controls the length of the trim to .001-inch per click. The quick trim is available as either a hand-­turned cutter or as a drill-powdered cutter. Quick Trim dies list from $16 to­ $20. The universal Quick Trim cutter retails for $30.

Lyman Case Trim Xpress & Powder Pal Universal Funnel Pan

The Lyman Case Trim Xpress is one of the slickest and most accurate trimmers I have used. New for 2023, it offers adjustable speed from a corded electric motor. It has a small footprint on a load bench, measuring only 81/4 inches in length and 4 inches wide. Its footprint includes rails on the sides to secure it to the bench. The trimmer only works on shouldered cases. The trimmer has caliber-­specific bushings that insert into a sliding spring-­loaded sleeve with a screw-­on cap that holds the bushing. The bushing bottoms on the case shoulder provide the reference for the trim length. The spring-loaded sleeve, cap and bushing are pushed into the trimmer cutter, which has a fixed stop. The trim length is adjustable by a wheel, allowing .001-inch adjustments of the cutter position and corresponding trim length. I found the cutter adjustment to be accurate. The quality of the trim is the best I’ve seen. The uniformity of the case trim length was very good, varying by .003 inches for several hundred cases. The adjustable speed of the cutter provides a crisp case-mouth finish with a minimum amount of chamfer and deburr required. The Xpress trimmer lists for $190 and comes with bushings for most popular calibers with a handy plastic case. Extra bushing collars for other calibers are available for $11.50.

The Lyman Powder Pal Universal Funnel is one of those reloading accessories that falls squarely into the category of “Why didn’t somebody think of this sooner?” It is a simple tool, but saves time and hassle at the reloading bench. It is a non-­static molded plastic powder pan that features a molded-­in funnel at one end of the pan. Weigh the powder charge and simply pick up the case, insert it into the funnel and dump the charge into the case. There was no fumbling for a funnel, or trying to get it on the case while holding the powder pan with the other hand. Brilliant. The Powder Pal Universal Funnel Pan costs $9.

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Hornady Premium Powder Funnel Kit, Case Prep Trio & Precision Lab Scale

Hornady’s Premium Powder Funnel Kit consists of a non-­static aluminum funnel with nine caliber-­specific, threaded, screw-­in bushings. When loading fluffy Ball and shotshell powders, the anti-­static plastic funnels leave a little to be desired. Often you have to tap the funnel to get all the powder to go into the case; not so with the aluminum funnel in this kit. The screw-­in threaded red-anodized aluminum bushing is a nice touch. The premium Powder Funnel Kit lists for $58. Lyman offers almost the same funnel kit called the Brass Smith Precision Funnel Set ($40). The difference is Hornady’s includes bushings with an O-­ring that pushes into the aluminum funnel and six caliber bushings.

The Hornady Case Prep Trio has been with us for a while but has become an indispensable tool on my reloading bench. It is a powered rotary tool that will accept three 8-­32 threaded accessories. It uses little space on the bench. This tool saves a lot of wear and tear on my wrists and fingers that used to grind away with handheld chamfer and deburr tools, and primer-pocket cleaners. The process of finishing the sized, deprimed and trimmed case is considerably easier and quicker with this tool, which sells for $194.

The Hornady Lab Scale is the most expensive item in my short list of “nifty” tools, but if you are a handloader who requires high precision, repeatability and ease of use in a scale, there is no better scale for the price. For years, I have tried and discarded the cheap $25 to $75 scales. Cheap scales don’t hold a zero, they don’t repeat and are sensitive to temperature changes. I got so frustrated with them that I went back to the old balance-beam scale. Hornady solved this problem with its 2023 introduction of the Precision Lab Scale. It is truly a laboratory quality scale. It measures to .01 grain, holds a zero and doesn’t wander. This accuracy is accomplished by the use of a higher quality load cell than used in cheaper scales. The scale has a 3,000-­grain capacity, high and low sensitivity, removable draft shield and several data output options. The scale retails for $566. I have used this scale for more than a year and it compares favorably to the laboratory scales I have used in the past during my career, which cost some $2,500. If you need precision weighing, this is it. Note: When I first started using it, it took about an hour to ”burn in” or “settle down” the scale. The Precision Lab Scale has, since, been accurate and dependable.

What Are Your Favorite Reloading Tools?

Some of the tools I discussed are ones I’ve used for years. Others I’ve found through articles like this and product websites. There are a lot of sources for reloading tools, so I recommend spending time searching and comparing prices online or in stores. It can be enjoyable to discover products you didn’t know about that make your hobby more productive and efficient. Nearly all the items I’ve listed can be found for prices below the retail prices mentioned in this article. The high-­cost items can be found priced considerably less than retail, as well. Be sure to search out the best deal. Feel free to let us know what tools you like best. Email [email protected] and use “Sound Off” in the subject line.