Reloaders?

For lots of years I reloaded using a single stage press. I'd put in one die to size and prime a bunch of cases, then take it out and put in the seating die after I had put the powder in the cases. I was even using the Lee scoops to measure the powder. (Yes, I had a 5-0-5 scale I'd use to make sure of the load.) If I was loading for handgun, there would be another change of dies for flaring the cases. You can probably guess I didn't load any more than I had to.

A year or so ago, I decided enough was enough! I got me a Lee Turret Press and enough turrets to cover all the calibers I loaded for, plus a couple of extras for future wants and needs. Plus, I got a good hand priming tool and a powder thrower. My life has changed. I now load a bunch of 9mm's, .40's, and .45's all in the same evening. By the way, those Lee powder scoops are not a bad way to go, if you're willing to use the charges they throw and not load at all hot.

Old topic back from the dead.

I've reloaded in the past for my .30-06, but nothing else. I want to get into reloading for my 9mm as well. What bullets do you all recommend for general plinking? And where do you buy them? I've read on other forums of people reloading 9mm for around $100/1000 rounds. That's a good deal if you ask me. Not that I'll really save money, I'll just end up shooting more. :lol: All the pricing I've been seeing would put it closer to $160-$170/1000 rounds though. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places. At that price, WWB from Wal-Mart is right there without the labor, at least for 9mm.

Also, what press do you all recommend for pistol reloading. I have an RCBS single stage unit currently, but that's not really ideal for pistol I'd think. It may do for a while though until I can afford a better setup.

Until this ongoing remodeling project that I've had underway for sometime did away with my reloading area, I bought lead bullets from Christensen Reloading and Supply, 9096 S 260 E, Sandy 801-255-5030. I bought 9mm and .45ACP for, at the time, a reasonable price and it supported a local guy.

The 9mm bullets were hard enough that I didn't incur excessive leading at 9mm speeds. He's got a casting setup in his shop, which is a large building behind his home. He's also a Dillon dealer.

I use a Hornady Pro-jector progressive press. It's the predecessor of the Hornady Lock n' Load. I'm quite satisfied with it and haven't had any problems. It's old enough that the only plastic part is the ball on the end of the handle. I would suggest that if, in the future, you get a progressive, that you get one with more than 4 stations. It would offer a bit more flexibility.

Turret presses offer an alternative in speeed somewhere between a single-stage and a progressive.

And now, off to the dentist!

I reload almost all my ammo. I only buy factory when I run out of reloads and am pressed for time, and for self-defense. I use a Dillon 550B that started life as a 450. As Dillon improved their press I upgraded parts. What I like about progressive presses like the Dillon is the ability to put together a large amount of ammo in a short amount of time. I had a friend time me one night and I was able to crank out 400 rounds of .45 ACP in one hour using my favorite load of a 200 grain SWC over 5.6 grains of WW 231. The Dillon powder measure is so good that my 400th round's powder charge weighed the same as my first.

I don't have a pistol chambered in .45 ACP any more, but I still have the dies for it and also for .357/.38 (which I use to reload for my Taurus 85 snubbie), .40 S&W, and 9mm. I still have a 9mm - a Browning Hi-Power - and just bought a Stoeger Cougar which I plan on taking out for a shakedown cruise tomorrow. And yes, the new pistol will be firing my reloads - 115 grain copper plated lead.

If you plan on shooting regularly you may want to consider reloading. The initial costs for equipment will be made up over time in the savings you'll realize over factory ammo. One bit of advice I'd give to reloaders is to consider using a taper crimp die over a roll crimp die. The cases, assuming you're not reloading to the max, will last a lot longer. I've had .45 ACP cases that were reloaded so much that the headstamp was peened flat by the breech and were no longer recognizable.

One other thing you'll find out if you go to a progressive press, semi-auto cases can be run through much faster than revolver cases. The shorter length of the semi-auto ammo is much easier to size, flare, seat and crimp than the longer cases of revolve ammo.

Progressive presses also make reloading 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington in quantity easy too. It may not be as fast as reloading pistol ammo, but it is a heck of a lot faster than using a single stage press and can be a lot cheaper than factory.

natehunts said:

xmirage2kx said:

Car Knocker said:

natehunts said:

I began to hear that it's not good to shoot reloads through your semi-autos so I kind of lost interest.

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What kind of things were you hearing?

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I am sure he is refering to Glocks

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Just that handloading for semi-autos was a pain because they would have too many FTFs that it wasn't worth it. I also heard that some handguns really didn't like reloads. I use an XD and I haven't heard much about that but that is what lost my interst.

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I think if one takes a reasonable amount of care in reloading, reloaded ammo is no more prone to malfunction than factory ammo. Competitive shooters, such as Rob Leatham or Brian Enos, who reload 25,000+ rounds a year for their autos don't seem to have issues with reliability. Revolvers are more tolerant, though, of sloppily-loaded ammo. Reloaded ammo can be more uniform than factory ammo, if the reloader takes care to refine the process - a box of factory ammo has a surprising variation in OAL.

Some pistols, due to the use of polygonal rifling, are not recommended to use lead bullets, whether reloaded or factory. but perform well with proper reloads using jacketed bullets. A reload that produces the same pressure curve as a factory round should function similarly to the factory round.

Reloading is for the person who is detail and process-oriented; hit-or-miss reloading results in malfunctions and/or injury.

I've been reloading my 30-06 for about 20 years but didn't start on reloading pistol ammo until last year. Now I am reloading .380 ACP and 9mm for my practice but I won't use reloaded for my cc or for anything on my .32 which just isn't worth the hassle.

For the equipment, I only had to buy the dies and the brass holders although I did buy an electronic scale, that level scale was just too much of a pain to calibrate and use.

I am reconsidering the 9mm reloading. I can get 500 rounds of remanufactured for about $55 at the gunshow, some company called Miwall out of California, but in processing those spent brass I found some 10% of the spent cartridges had problems from loose primers to the brass being split apart.

As for my .380, I either had factory cartridges or I bought new brass so I haven't had any problems with them.

UtahRSO said:

For lots of years I reloaded using a single stage press. I'd put in one die to size and prime a bunch of cases, then take it out and put in the seating die after I had put the powder in the cases. I was even using the Lee scoops to measure the powder. (Yes, I had a 5-0-5 scale I'd use to make sure of the load.) If I was loading for handgun, there would be another change of dies for flaring the cases. You can probably guess I didn't load any more than I had to.

A year or so ago, I decided enough was enough! I got me a Lee Turret Press and enough turrets to cover all the calibers I loaded for, plus a couple of extras for future wants and needs. Plus, I got a good hand priming tool and a powder thrower. My life has changed. I now load a bunch of 9mm's, .40's, and .45's all in the same evening. By the way, those Lee powder scoops are not a bad way to go, if you're willing to use the charges they throw and not load at all hot.

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I too have loaded for many years with a single stage press. If I am going to load 100 rounds, I put in the sizing die and size 100 brass. If its pistol, I then put in the expander die and expand 100. Then using the RCBS hand priming tool I prime 100. Now I set up the powder measure and charge 60, which is what my board holds. After looking at them to make sure each has powder in it and no doubles, I put in the seater die and seat those 60, before charging the remaining 40.

What I am curious about is the procedure if you have a turret press? It is still one thrust of the handle for each operation, right? Do you put a brass in and run it through each step turning the turret for each operation and end up with a loaded round when you take it out of the shell holder?

Or do you do the same as I described with a single stage, and just avoid taking the dies in and out?

Either way I can't see a big difference in time required. Just the time to change the die. It is just as quick and easy to put a brass in the shell holder as turn the turret? Maybe the turret turns automatically? That could make a difference.

If all you save is the time required to screw in and adjust the dies, I can see no big advantage in a turret press. Unless you are loading 20 at a time then changing calibers, and have a turret for each caliber.

Just curious.