Used Reloading Gear at Gun Shows: What to Buy and What to Walk Past

Reloading gear is some of the most durable merchandise at a gun show. A cast-iron press from a long-gone owner can still do exactly what it was built to do, and it usually arrives as part of somebody's whole bench: press, dies, scale, a coffee can of brass and a few cans of powder nobody wants to talk about. The job at the table is separating the tools, which can outlast you, from the consumables and loaded rounds, which carry someone else's storage habits and mistakes.

Where the estate reloading bench comes from

Reloading is a hobby people keep for decades and then stop all at once. When a handloader dies or quits, the bench is the hardest part of the estate for a family to price: heavy, full of unlabeled parts and stocked with chemicals that make executors nervous. That is how a press, three die sets and a scale end up in one box with one price.

As with any estate table, keep things that belong together, together: a die set in its original box beats loose dies in a coffee can. And the core rule of our used gun show buying guide holds: separate what you can verify from what you hope is true.

Presses: buy the iron, check the linkage

A single-stage press performs one operation per stroke. A turret holds several dies in a rotating head; Lee's Classic Turret adds an auto-index feature. A progressive does several operations at once, and on Dillon's Square Deal B every pull of the handle produces a finished round.

Simpler presses are safer used buys, and the classics are built heavy: RCBS sells its Rock Chucker Supreme on "Heavy-Duty Cast Iron Construction," and Redding describes its T-7 turret's "cast iron construction." Look for cracks around the die station and ram, work the handle through a full stroke to feel for wobble or binding, check for a bent handle or rust on the ram, and ask whether the priming parts are in the box.

Progressives have more parts to go missing, so know the model. Dillon states the Square Deal B "uses Dillon's proprietary SDB dies and loads handgun calibers only," so one sold with a box of standard dies is not the complete setup it looks like.

Dies, shellholders and the small tools

Dies are where estate lots pay off, because most fit most presses. RCBS describes 7/8"-14 as the industry-standard thread used by Hornady, Lee, Lyman, Redding, Forster and Dillon, and says dies and presses sharing it can be mixed and matched. Big cases are the exception: RCBS notes .50 BMG dies use 1-1/4"-12.

Read the caliber stamped on each die body, not just the box. Shine a light inside the sizing die: anything rough in there touches every case you size. Confirm the decapping pin is present and straight. Outside surface rust is cosmetic; interior rust or pitting is the reason to pass, and it isn't a warranty item either, since Dillon and Lyman both exclude rust and corrosion.

Shellholders are sized to the case head, so check each stamped number against that maker's chart. Close caliper jaws and confirm zero. Manual case trimmers need their pilots and an unchipped cutter. Tumblers have motors, and motorized gear gets shorter warranties than presses and dies, so plug one in if the seller has power.

Lifetime warranties: whose lifetime?

Here is what each maker's own warranty page says at the time of writing.

An RCBS or Lyman warranty does not follow the tool to you. The others are silent on ownership, so call with the model and serial number before paying a premium for coverage. On used gear, a warranty is a tiebreaker, not a reason to overpay.

Scales: beam or digital, trust neither until it's checked

Beam scales have no electronics to fail, which makes them good used buys if every part is there. RCBS's M500 instructions call for a flat, level surface at eye level to avoid parallax, zeroing with both poises at zero and re-zeroing whenever the scale is moved. They warn never to oil the pivots or bearings. Check for the pan, poises and damper, and a straight beam.

Digital scales are harder. RCBS's ChargeMaster Lite manual calls for a warm-up of at least 15 to 20 minutes before calibration, frequent re-checks with the supplied weights and recalibration if the temperature shifts more than a few degrees, and it names static and jarring as sources of error. Ask whether the calibration weights come with it, and note that RCBS, Hornady and Lyman all give electronics one-year warranties.

Brass: once-fired, range pickup and the pieces to throw out

"Once-fired" is a claim you can't verify at the table, and range pickup mixes headstamps and histories. Price both as a sorting job, and sort for three things.

Boxer or Berdan. SAAMI defines a Boxer primer as a complete unit with its own anvil, fired through a single central flash hole, and notes it is used in modern commercial centerfire ammunition from the United States and Canada. In a Berdan case the anvil is part of the case head, with one or more flash holes, and SAAMI notes it is common in European cartridges. RCBS notes that Berdan cases must be deprimed and primed by hand. If you don't see a single centered flash hole, set the case aside. For surplus cartridges, see our milsurp rifle ammo guide.

Crimped primer pockets. RCBS describes its primer pocket swager as a tool for removing crimp or staking "typically found on AR or military brass," and Dillon calls reusing crimped military brass a "tedious task." A crimp ring around the primer means extra work before that brass is usable.

Splits and head separation. RCBS says to throw away cases with split mouths, head separations or excessive bulges. Sierra ballistic technician Duane Siercks traces incipient head separation mostly to over-sizing that leaves excess headspace, and his rule is "If in doubt, throw it out!!!" An inspection method AccurateShooter republished from the Rifleman's Journal blog looks for a shiny line on the outside of the case above the web, then confirms a thin spot inside with a bent paper clip.

What to walk past: old powder, loose primers and other people's reloads

Old powder. SAAMI's smokeless powder guidance says deteriorating powder produces "an acidic odor similar to vinegar and may produce reddish-brown fumes" and should be disposed of immediately. It says to keep powder only in DOT-approved containers, never salvage powder from old cartridges or blend powders, and not to accumulate old stocks. American Rifleman adds that storage outside the original container "invites opportunities for the powder to decay over time." A can from a hot garage may not smell yet; you still can't know its history. An unlabeled jar isn't propellant, it's a mystery.

Loose primers. SAAMI's primer guidance says primers belong in their factory packaging until used, calls jars and other bulk containers "extremely hazardous," and warns that loose primers in contact can set off "a violent, sympathetic explosion." Primers exposed to water or solvents may misfire. A jar of loose primers or a loaded primer tube should never change hands at a folding table.

Someone else's reloads. Handloads carry the loader's data and attention span, neither of which you can inspect. Firearm makers exclude them: Heckler & Koch's warranty disclaims claims resulting from "faulty, nonstandard, remanufactured, or reloaded ammunition," and Stoeger's uses nearly identical language. Don't buy them to pull apart for components either; that is salvaging powder from old cartridges.

Show rules, getting it home and storing it

Ohio Gun, Knife & Military Shows bars explosives "other than small arms ammo, gun powder and primers in sealed containers" and bans black powder. The Houston Gun Collectors Association requires powder and primers in original factory packaging, holds vendors to quantity limits set by its insurer and prohibits black powder. The St. Louis International Cartridge Show lets powder cans of one pound or smaller hold powder only if they are factory sealed, and requires larger cans and kegs to be empty. Find your show on the gun show calendar and read its rules before planning to buy components.

PHMSA notes that federal transportation rules treat powder and primers as hazardous materials and the Postal Service does not accept them. SAAMI says to keep primers dry and below 150°F and powder out of the sun, so a hot car is a poor storage locker.

At home, SAAMI recommends many small containers over one large one, cabinets of insulating material with a weak wall or seam that can vent, and keeping primers away from solvents and flammable gases. It points readers to NFPA 495, the Explosive Materials Code. Local fire codes can cap how much powder and how many primers a household may keep, and limits vary, so check your local fire code before an estate lot doubles your supply.

The table-side checklist

1. Ask whose bench it was and where it sat: heated room, damp basement or unconditioned garage.
2. Read the caliber stamped on every die and match dies to boxes yourself.
3. Shine a light inside each sizing die. Walk from interior rust or pitting.
4. Work the press through a full stroke, looking for frame cracks, ram play and missing priming parts.
5. Match each shellholder's number to that maker's chart.
6. For a beam scale, confirm pan, poises and damper. For a digital, ask to power it on and ask for the calibration weights.
7. Check a handful of cases for flash holes, primer crimps and bright rings near the head.
8. Ask for original manuals; they matter more than handwritten notes.
9. Leave the powder, primers and loaded ammunition and ask for a price on the tools alone.

That last step doubles as a negotiating position; our negotiation guide covers how bundles move. Add a small flashlight to your what-to-bring list.

Buying new instead: what to look for online or at a dealer

New makes sense when you want coverage in your own name or a complete kit. Compare these points.

• Press type. Single-stage presses are simplest and slowest; progressives are fastest and need the most setup. Check frame material, die thread and the priming system.
• What's in the box. Hornady's Lock-N-Load Classic Kit includes the press, a handbook, a powder measure, a digital scale and priming and case-prep tools, but dies and shellholders are sold separately. Lee's Classic Turret Press Kit includes a scale and its Modern Reloading manual but requires Lee dies bought separately. Budget for dies, shellholders and calipers.
• Warranty terms. Read the policy, not the banner. Compare lifetime coverage on frames and dies with the one-year terms common on electronics, and keep the receipt: RCBS requires dated proof of purchase, and Lee's two-year guarantee asks for a copy of it.
• Brass. New brass means one headstamp and a known history. For processed once-fired brass from a component supplier, ask whether military cases have had the crimp removed and whether lots are sorted by headstamp.
• Retailers and returns. Sporting-goods chains, specialty reloading suppliers, online outdoor retailers and some manufacturers selling direct carry these tools. Check return terms on opened tools and electronics, and how and where a seller ships powder and primers.
• Load data. Use published sources: Hornady's handbook and online data, Lyman's 51st Edition Reloading Handbook, Sierra's reloading manual, Speer's and Nosler's online data, and Hodgdon's Reloading Data Center, which covers Hodgdon, IMR, Winchester, Ramshot and Accurate powders. American Rifleman warns that following forum recommendations puts "your safety and your firearm at significant risk." Check for corrections too; at the time of writing, Hornady's reloading page flags a misprinted powder in the 6.5 PRC entry of its 12th Edition handbook.

The previous owner's load notebook belongs with his powder: interesting history, not something to use. Get your data from people who publish it and stand behind it.