Least Useful Equipment

[Land Owner]

What is a "most useful" list (not trying to hijack that thread) without a "least useful" list, which for me is the PACT Digital Powder Dispenser. Don't get me wrong, the PACT is a fine piece of equipment. It does what it is supposed to do, but in a less-than-timely manner. I can manually throw two beam scale charges to every one of the mostly expensive and slow "automated" dispenser charges, so it sits, brand new, used twice, and is ~15-years old.

[pworley1]

Lee hand primer

[jetinteriorguy]

The Lee folding primer tray.

[JimB..]

I love all my toys equally.

I’ve only been reloading for about 15 years, and I read a lot here and elsewhere that helped me mostly avoid equipment that doesn’t perform. The thing that comes to mind is one of the super-duper depriming dies, I’m sure it’s awesome but it’s too tall to work in the co-ax press or lee app so there it sits.

As the coffee brews I realize that the Lee FCD for pistol calibers is the winner in this category, I’ve given them all away.

[35isit]

Steel pin cleaning of cases. I have the Harbor Freight tumbler. Too much work. Plus there are boxes with their wares in them all over my shop that are equally useless to me.

[lotech]

Sinclair concentricity gauge;works very well, but I almost never find a concentricity problem. Haven't in years and it was minor then. I've found it best not to even gauge rounds if accuracy is good.

[brass410]

equipment=tool=cat (everything else is essential thats my story if any further acquisitions are to occur)

[remy3424]

I would list the Lee hand primer in my most used list, and a RCBS concentricty tool/gauge as one of my least used pieces of equipment. I remember a similar thread years ago and someone put their media removal cage, the tub with the cage you dump everything out of the tumbler into...spin about 6 times and all the media is removed, as a least used...I also use that every time cases get cleaned, GREAT tool also.

Another tool, not used is the Plus height shell holders (Redding), I think I might find shorter ones more useful.

[schutzen-jager]

jmho - powder coating equipment + digital scales

[Froogal]

lee hand primer

this!!

[omgb]

Lyman PA dies. All new dies do an excellent job of alignment, no need for the PA dies. Next would be my hand priming tools, Hornady and Lee. Too much fiddling for too little return. I also have an old Ideal #5 powder measure. There are better powder dumps out there so I never use it. The title of Most Useless Tool has to go to my Hornady bullet feed dies. What pieces of feces those things are. They don't drop a bullet or they drop all of the bullets at once, and worse, they are incompatible with cast lead bullets. Junk, just plain useless junk. Sorry Hornady, but they cant all be winners.

[sierra1911]

What is a "most useful" list (not trying to hijack that thread) without a "least useful" list, which for me is the PACT Digital Powder Dispenser. Don't get me wrong, the PACT is a fine piece of equipment. It does what it is supposed to do, but in a less-than-timely manner. I can manually throw two beam scale charges to every one of the mostly expensive and slow "automated" dispenser charges, so it sits, brand new, used twice, and is ~15-years old.

I use my PACT Dispenser when loading Wby 30-378 at near 100 grains. Trick is to scoop most of the powder for each round into the scale’s pan before hitting the Dispense button.

[Land Owner]

^^^ That is a solution which makes SO MUCH sense! ^^^

It does take up a lot of space on the benchtop.

[dtknowles]

I use my PACT Dispenser when loading Wby 30-378 at near 100 grains. Trick is to scoop most of the powder for each round into the scale’s pan before hitting the Dispense button.

You could use a powder measure set to just under your charge weight and use it like an automated trickler.

[elmacgyver0]

Bullet Lube

[Noah Zark]

A borescope. I don't own one but two shooting buds own them. One's a 1000 yd shooter so he checks his rifle bores for accuracy robbing wear. That's a real reason to own one.

The other bud is more of a gun acquirer, and he religiously checks the bores of each firearm purchased. Why, I don't know. He's at best a casual plinker, and does not compete. Doesn't scrupulously clean the bores. For him, owning a $750 borescope is like a dog chasing a truck, at the red light the dog just stands there looking at the truck, and my bud examines the bore like a gastroenterologist performing a colonoscopy but doesn't do anything to the bores or about their condition.

Noah

PS, I most always prime rifle cases with a Lee auto hand primer and have so since the mid 80s. Otherwise I prime with a 310 tool priming die. For pistol cartridges, one of the Dillon SDBs or 550s handles the chore. I have two of each, and one of each is kept permanently set up for either small or large primers to avoid the hassle of a size switch.

N.

[porthos]

funny; the only priming tool that i use is the original lee with the screw in shell holders. i can adjust the seating depth. i've removed the priming arms from all of my presses. i belive that is the poorest way to prime a case.

[HWooldridge]

I’ll be happy to take every unwanted Lee hand primer anyone wants to part with. Have used mine for over 40 years and never had a problem.

My most unused tool is my Lyman case trimmer - it’s in the original box and I may have used it twice in that same time frame.

[Mk42gunner]

Least useful "normal" tool for reloading to me, has to be the powder trickler.

I learned to reload rifle cartridges by dipping powder from a coffee cup with a teaspoon into the scale pan. Seems like all the magazines recommended using a powder trickler, so I bought one.

Didn't like it so I traded it away.

I did this two or three times, thinking I was missing something. No they are just abominably slow to use. I can weigh a charge quicker by using a dipper and adding a few granules of powder from the dipper in less than half the time it takes to switch to the dreaded trickler.

I did wise up and kept the last one, just in case I ever think I want to use one again.

Robert

[Finster101]

I use my PACT Dispenser when loading Wby 30-378 at near 100 grains. Trick is to scoop most of the powder for each round into the scale’s pan before hitting the Dispense button.

I recently found five 30-378 spent cases in a box of gear that I purchased and had to do a Google search on it. That must be near a canon when fired.