How to get into Reloading

[f2benny]

I recently started reloading 9 minor. Cost is a factor but also the lack of options especially in low cost ammo. 147 low power loads which are optimal for production are not available. I am running at roughly 10 cents a round with high quality components. Bullets plated, n320, federal primer. A good choice is a used dillon progressive press. Watching videos was good help and talking to folks with questions too. Wet tumbling is very smart and works great.

[blueeyedme]

I am also new to reloading. After reading the forum and reloading on a friends 650 I ordered a Dillion 1050 from Brian (thank you!) which arrived last week and is still in boxes. I know, I know...don't buy a progressive as my first press. Well, I ordered a Lee single stage also so I can work up loads and problem solve. With the help of my friends, the forum, and reading, I felt comfortable starting with a 1050 as my first press. I am on pace for about 10000 rounds this year and my time is valuable so it made sense to me. After a few months I might look into a Mr. Bulletfeeder and Dillon RF100 for efficiency. I did take the advice of several members above and got Lee dies, extra pick up tubes, Dillon primer tray, Brian Enos digital scale, and some slide glide to keep it lubed up.

I think that's fine Doc, just take it slow and learn. I started on a 650 and moved to a 1050 within 6 months for the same reason...volume as both my wife and I shoot. Six months after that I motorized with the Forcht conversion and added a Mr. Bullet feeder and couldn't be happier with my set-up. Oh, and the RF-100...I don't think I loaded even 10 tubes before I decided that I didn't need to be doing that anymore...lol.

[Balakay]

I would add 2 things to the list of equipment:

A good light to illuminate the shellplate--I like the one from Inline Fabrication that fits in the center hole of my 550B

I have a cheap flexible inspection mirror from Harbor Freight rigged to the strong mount that allows me to see inside the case before I seat each bullet

[GunBugBit]

I am early in the process of preparing to reload. Last week I went to the Dillon store and bought a CV-750 tumbler, a CM-500 separator, corn cob media, polishing compound, some primer pickup tubes, and a primer flip tray. A very nice Dillon employee named Tony helped me out. I've cleaned about 700 cases so far, easily done with two tumbler runs. I bought some primers and a reloading manual. I'll be ordering powder and bullets soon. I've been working on the man cave to clear space for reloading equipment, pondering if I should build or buy another work bench (decided I'll build), and improving the room in general.

The rest of the reloading equipment, I'll order from Brian.

By the end of the year I'm sure I'll have reloaded a few thousand rounds.

[GunBugBit]

I would add 2 things to the list of equipment:

A good light to illuminate the shellplate--I like the one from Inline Fabrication that fits in the center hole of my 550B

I have a cheap flexible inspection mirror from Harbor Freight rigged to the strong mount that allows me to see inside the case before I seat each bullet

Thanks for mentioning these items, I'll be sure to have them in my setup.

[uncledoc]

GunBugBit,

I am slowly getting there myself. . . reload manual should be here by Friday. Slow and steady . . .

[GunBugBit]

Cool uncledoc. Bullets and powder are on the way. Chronograph delivered to my door yesterday. Will build a reload-dedicated bench in the man cave this weekend.

[EkuJustice]

I will say the easiest way is to talk with someone who is an experienced reloader in the area and have them walk you through the process and show you how the machine works. It is even better if someone is willing to let you kinda see how theirs works and when you pick one, have someone help you set it up and show you how to get it going and keep it running. For 9mm major, I like the 550 over the 650 as I control how the machine indexes and can run it pretty fast while still visibally observing each powder drop when setting the bullet. The 650 dosent do much unless you add the case feeder and bullet feeder. That said, I have seen MUCH more ammo issues at the club from people whos goal is total speed and get the bullet and case feeder and just start pulling the handle as fast as they can. Unless you shoot a TON and have Zero extra time there isnt much advantage to the 650 over the 550. Actually if you have someone who is pretty experienced at glock 9mm Major ammo, talk with them as its really not that bad to do and there has been alot of legwork done by others you can build on. For non 2011 guns at 9mm major I would say look for CFE or Autocomp. Both work well and have less volume than something like HS6 which is good in shorter loads. They are VARY similar and I have found the load data the same, they feel very similar and the PF is pretty much identical within a PF or 2. For bullets, a 124 grain is good for the shorter load, especially in a polymer gun as there is less case capacity so the 115s and more powder kinda push it more capacity wise. The 115s are also more violent and the extra powder can help with making them flatter, the lighter gun kinda offsets that. When you are working up a load, and a certain range is the "norm" start some down but dont go WAY down from that. if basically 6.8 grains is where people are getting the PF desired, no need to start at like 5 and work up. Start at like 6.2-6.4 and go on up from there. Actually 9mm major if using the right powder is not that bad to load at all and I will say is actually Safer than minor with the typical minor powder. One reason is its easy to see the powder charge as its alot higher in the case so you can glance and see if its there about where it should be. the other is since it is more powder, its also not gonna have a double charge as there just isnt the room for it. The slower powder is also usually more stable increase wise in the ones I have used CFE, autocomp, HS6 (longshot is different as it kinda peaks and then lets off). Minor powder, can have higher spikes especially the very fast stuff like clays where a small increase can throw pressure up fast.

[GunBugBit]

Several guys at the club keep asking me when I'm going to start reloading, are chock full of offers to help and guide me. Very cool.

[Bigwarhog5]

Several guys at the club keep asking me when I'm going to start reloading, are chock full of offers to help and guide me. Very cool.

+1

The only reloading equipment I own are die sets and shell holders. All of the other equipment I use is borrowed from shooting buddies. It's not hard to find an old rock chucker and beam scale collecting dust in someones basement. This has helped me save up for a xl650.

[DrewHewes81]

There have been a lot of good posts on here. The only thing I would say is load minor power factor first. You could take off the comp and other stuff and shoot production division and be at no disadvantage shooting minor. When it comes to reloading, do as much research as possible. If you get anything less than a Dillon 650 or Hornady LNL you will probably sell it and upgrade shortly if you are going to be reloading quite a bit.

[uncledoc]

Do I need to purchase the Lee Manual? LCT press should be here next week. Will attempt to load .38 special for IDPA.

I have the following guides . . .

Reloading for Hangunners by Patrick Sweeney

Getting Started in Reloading by Paul Feist

Nosler Reloading Guide

Lyman Reloading Handbook

[wgj3]

Should be good to get started with that literature collection. You are headed in the right direction by asking appropriate questions before diving into it.

To the OP, you mentioned shooting 9mm out of a Glock with a comp. You didnt mention what barrel. Pretty sure that the standard Glock barrels do not "fully support" (completely surround at the base) the cartridge. As I understand it, this is not optimal for 9mm major pressures. The Glock itself isnt a problem at "9major", the barrel/chamber is the snag...

Edited October 3, 2015 by wgj3

[bigtimelarry]

Remember when someone says they are hand loading for 14 cents or 15 cents a round they are not counting their time.

If you want to handload for enjoyment (which most do) then it's a Hobby and it doesn't matter. But if you make good money and don't want to spend the time, you can have it done for you. I know people that make couple hundred grand a year and just pay for someone to reload ammo to their

specs while they concentrate on their Job. Just making a point, not trying to hijack the thread or derail you.

[mfaith]

Hey guys! Just recently got hooked into USPSA. Shooting a 9mm Glock 34 with a Comp. I have NEVER RELOADED ANYTHING. I was told that I need to start in order to be competitive with the 9mm. That I need to load them to MAJOR specs. Any one have advice for a beginner? Something along the lines of required equipment and such would be awesome. Also what kind of Cost per round can I plan to get at a MAJOR loaded 9mm. Sorry for the abundance of questions but this is a topic I know nothing about!

Stay away from the cheaper equipment. I got a Lee press and dies because they were cheap and had no luck with it. I now use a Dillon and feel it's well worth the extra cost.

Sent from my SM-T900 using Tapatalk

[GunBugBit]

I shot my first 100 reloads today.

They are:

• Bayou coated **GREEN** LSWC 200gr .45 ACP -- green is the most important attribute as it is my second-favorite color, blue was not available
• 4.8gr Titegroup powder -- I used this as the starting powder charge from the Lyman reloading manual and a couple of other reloading manuals that shall remain highly classified
• S&B once-fired brass
• CCI #300 large pistol primers
• Crimp .470" to .471" -- same as the factory-new S&B 230gr FMJ-RN
• OAL 1.242" to 1.244" -- selected by me based on several sources (reloading data, club member input and forum discussions) for the bulllet type

These fed and fired 100% out of three of my 5" desert-hardened 1911s, which I outfitted with 14# recoil springs for the purpose of testing these loads; I selected this recoil spring weight for this load based on input from a good sampling of shooters (at least two, or two dozen, maybe two thousand, I'm not telling which). Average velocity is ~850 fps, giving me an average PF of 170, just about right as a multi-purpose .45 ACP major PF load for practice matches and USPSA matches. I might want a lighter load for Steel Challenge but I'll tackle that later.

I'll shoot these at the upcoming Thursday night practice match. Alert the media. Or at least alert the donut shop on Carefree Highway, near the Ben Avery meta-range.

For comparison, I shot some of the factory S&B 230gr I have left over, with 16# recoil springs. The average velocities are about the same -- mid-800s -- as the reloads, but the 200gr reloads are noticeably softer because the power factor is down about 13%. I don't know if felt recoil correlates linearly to power factor, especially when a different recoiI spring weight is introduced. But, I was very happy with the feel of the reloads. This could be just a psychological expectation.

The Dillon 550 produces cartridges with very consistent measurements -- no surprise to anyone here.

I've already made a couple of goofs like spilling a little powder and loading an upside-down primer. Root cause of the upside-down primer was using the primer pickup tube too fast. I found a ragged case mouth edge due to on off-kilter shell plate when I pulled the handle. I diagnosed the root cause as an improperly adjusted station 1 cartridge retaining spring and fumbly-twitchy-nervous new-reloader fingers, which I corrected. I will always inspect every round and will not shoot anything with a problem.

I haven't seen anyone else at the club shooting these green-coated (sadly not blue-coated) Bayou bullets, so maybe it will become my trademark. Not that anyone pays attention to any trademark I might try to popularize. NO, I did not select blue as my favorite color because Dillon gear is blue. I selected blue as my favorite color even before I received a blue tricycle for my 4th birthday in 1963.

Will be learning about reloading for the rest of my active lifetime. Very pleased with my initial attempt at shootable reloads.

Huge thanks to esteemed members of this forum site who guided me into the world of practical pistol competition and reloading.

[GunBugBit]

PS, notice that my shirt in my profile pic is blue. Look even closer, my Oakley frames are blue. See, I really like blue.

[yellowfin]

Good work, keep it up! If you would like future loads to be blue, you can get your next batch from Blue Bullets.

[GunBugBit]

Thanks yellowfin!

First glitch I had was the spent primer chute suddenly directing spent primers all over creation. The chute was staying in the open position. I found this Dillon web page, which led me to fuss with the little pin, after which the chute started to open and close freely again. There must be a better pin one could use.

For those approaching the line I just crossed -- from someone planning to reload to finally doing it -- just know there will be things to fuss over, as with any machine. For me, it's part of the fun. You have to be serious about safety, not introducing no-charge or double-charge rounds, inspecting every finished round, etc., but within the seriousness is a good time to be had.

Edited October 8, 2015 by GunBugBit

[Firefight5243]

I started with the hornady AP progressive press. I had never reloaded anything before. And had no idea what I was doing. I leaned really hard on my buddy to show me the ropes and lots of pictures sent asking what did I do wrong now. But after about a month of playing and testing I have been able to crank out a few 100 rounds an hour. I would have been mad if I would have spent the money on a single stage or other and then couple weeks late kicked myself bc I wanted a progressive.

It's addictive, and fun..... Once it's all set up. And you will have things happen that make you go WTF did I just do. Or you will get into a groove and not put a primer into a round ( and realize it at the next match). But have fun with it. Its where I go to relax and decompress.

[elftech86]

I first started on a Lee classic single stage, loading up 38spl (titegroup). After loading up some minor .40 loads for steel challenge at a friends house (he runs a dillon 650) (might I add, Unique makes for an amazing .40 minor load), I knew I had to upgrade to a dillon progressive. This was one of the best investments I have ever made. I have easily loaded up well over 20k of .40 major (titegroup), and it has been amazing. In addition, titegroup is not nearly as "risky" as most make it out to be. It meters almost perfectly, every time. (This of course involved some time calibrating the dies and load to my liking) And, with any powder.... ALWAYS start at the recommended baseline for powder charge. Hodgdon, for example, typically has some reference data on the cans. They also have a great online reloading data center on their website.

[GunBugBit]

The homework aspect is important. I'm glad I did a good amount before building the bench, ordering the press and accessories, and buying components.

It seems no time at all has passed, and like it was almost zero effort, to get everything set up and running. In fact, it was some number of hours over a couple of months, but I didn't track the time. I just did things, enjoyed the whole process, and now here I am cranking out quality ammo that is serving me well for practice and matches.

The effort was well worth it. I would have happily put forth a lot more to get to this point. Fortunately, Brian's site exists and a lot of generous people give good advice, so it's been a pleasant experience.

Edited November 4, 2015 by GunBugBit

[FrankNess14]

Thanks for this thread and all the input. Considering which press now and really appreciate all the knowledge shared. Heading over to the reloading forum now

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[rowdyb]

I also can't stress enough the value of having an in person mentor who can come to your house and help you the first couple months. Or answer your phone calls or texts. The forum is very nice, but it can't beat a good in person help session.

If you go all out you'll be spending two grand to start. And you'll roughly be getting ammo for half price at least compared to off the shelf.

[StraightSh00ter]

Dillon does make it easy to crank out quality ammo right from the start, but I agree very much with:

I also can't stress enough the value of having an in person mentor who can come to your house and help you the first couple months. Or answer your phone calls or texts. The forum is very nice, but it can't beat a good in person help session.

If you go all out you'll be spending two grand to start. And you'll roughly be getting ammo for half price at least compared to off the shelf.

I have some local support and its incredibly valuable and helpful - talking about expectations was really helpful for me, as well as some tips and tricks that came up during conversation, that may not have come up otherwise.