New Member Needs Some Info

[Oleshot]

Good Morning,

Actually, it just turned afternoon here. It's now 12:01pm.
I am just getting started in reloading and have a couple of questions that will undoubtly appear stupid to some of you experienced reloaders, but if I don't ask, I won't know. #1: What is the difference in appearance and use of a full length die and a neck size die, and a seating/sizing die? It's sort of obvious that a seating die would be the one that seats the bullet in the case, but how about the other two? And #2, What is the need for an expensive powder measure when I could just scoop out some powder from the container and put it into a smaller container on the scale and add or remove until I get the weight that I'm supposed to have for that particular charge? I gurantee that I'll have more and hopefully I can get some answers without being flamed too bad and I can start this reloading process with some degree of confidence in what I'm doing. I've already purchased a single stage reloading kit but am just playing with the non-live parts of it now in an effort to get familiar with the individual pieces.
Thanks in advance and I gurantee that all of my forthcoming posts will not be so long and drawn out. Thanks for letting someone SOUTH of the Mason-Dixon line into a Pennsylvania organization....
Oleshot

[knight0334]

Good Morning,

Actually, it just turned afternoon here. It's now 12:01pm.
I am just getting started in reloading and have a couple of questions that will undoubtly appear stupid to some of you experienced reloaders, but if I don't ask, I won't know. #1: What is the difference in appearance and use of a full length die and a neck size die, and a seating/sizing die? It's sort of obvious that a seating die would be the one that seats the bullet in the case, but how about the other two? And #2, What is the need for an expensive powder measure when I could just scoop out some powder from the container and put it into a smaller container on the scale and add or remove until I get the weight that I'm supposed to have for that particular charge? I gurantee that I'll have more and hopefully I can get some answers without being flamed too bad and I can start this reloading process with some degree of confidence in what I'm doing. I've already purchased a single stage reloading kit but am just playing with the non-live parts of it now in an effort to get familiar with the individual pieces.
Thanks in advance and I gurantee that all of my forthcoming posts will not be so long and drawn out. Thanks for letting someone SOUTH of the Mason-Dixon line into a Pennsylvania organization....
Oleshot

#1. Appearance between full length and neck sizing die - little to none. The full length usually has "FL" on it somewhere. The sizing die, whether full length or neck, usually has the depriming pin versus the expanding die having an open top to add powder, or the seating/crimp die not being open or nor having depriming pin. Always full length size NEW brass. You can neck size brass that has been used in your given rifle/pistol. Only use neck sized brass in the rifle/pistol that is was originally fired in.

#2. Those computerized measuring things aren't needed.. A normal powder scale is all you need. I always pour some powder into a cleaned pill bottle, then use it to fill the pan on the scale. You never want an open container of powder "just in case". 500grs of powder getting ignited is more desirable than 7000grs of powder if there were a static discharge that just happened to ignite things. Never trust those scoopers though as the measuring device. Smokeless powder is to be measured by weight, not volume.

[XD45]

the powder dispenser/electronic scale isnt needed, but it sure can make life easier.. Mine is the RCBS that links up with the scale, so after setting the powder charge once i just hit dispense and while i'm putting the bullet in its new home is dispensing the charge