belus

I'm guessing there's a <20% chance that this happens Federally and it sticks after Heller, but if it does my Pro/SS fields are finally going to start growing.

These forums have many subforums so it's hard to find where discussions are taking place when you're new. You'd be interested in this topic within the CZ subforum.

SS and Production score within a couple % of each other. I think L10 does too, but there's not as much data to measure from. I really like SS, but shoot Production more often because it's a deeper field. I would be on board with a combined Lo-Cap division that was 8M/10m capacity and blended Pro/SS. Don't really want to distract from the discussion at hand though. Do Practiscore's public registration numbers contribute to clustering in divisions? I know I avoid signing up for a division that only has 3-4 shooters in a local (often SS), and instead opt to shoot Production which will have 15+. Maybe if I couldn't see the current registration numbers I'd shoot more SS just for fun and we'd have more people showing up for the same reason.

This is good advice and a good list. Fit your parts before you need them. Extractor, ejector, slide stop, firing pin, and slide stop would be the top of my list. I would only expect the slide stop and firing pin to be 'drop in'. Have some spare springs too.

Titegroup isn't a great choice for a first time reloader, but I get that options are limited. On the other hand, 38spl is a great cartridge to start on. Are you using Lee powder dippers? I only ask because you brought up volumes. A scale is very important and you shouldn't start until you have one. Do you have a reloading manual or book? It's a good idea to cross reference different sources like you're doing, but the books will discuss how you approach load development and give you start conditions. Starting charge weight for your components is 2.7gr according to Hodgdon. Start there and see how you like it. Also expect the load to be much smokier than you're used to. Accuracy will have little to do with charge weight and will depend more on bullet diameter and weight. You won't be able to guess at an accurate load until you get those first starting loads shot at the range anyways.

About 5x the price, but really convenient: https://www.shockbottle.com/products or https://armanov.com/collections/case-gauges Lets you check rounds and then immediately flip them into a 100 rd MTM style box. I've not used the EGW one, and it has a reputation of being really tight. I use the Armanov gauge and anything which passes it will work in all my pistols. My CZs will eat Armanov rejects as well, but my STI SS will not. edit: Oops, didn't realize this was in the rifle section. Armanov has 556 and 300blk 10rd gauges that you can stack into bricks if you want to do 50+ at a time.

I'm one of the early advocates of the 1100/550 combo in this thread. All the presses you've mentioned use the same dies and powder system, but not much else interchanges. There's generally about $2-300 worth of other expenses beyond the press that you need to get started, but it's not press specific. Things like a brass tumbler or vibratory cleaner, calipers, first primer sleeve and pound of powder, etc. Your barrel can be your case gauge at first. IMO, it's not worth getting a bullet or case feeder for the 550. The press works very well with two hands once you get into a rhythm. In contrast, the 750 really needs the case feeder or it's severely handicapped. In my experience, the 5-station press is about 35% faster than the 550. And the 550 is 700% faster than a single stage. The 550 doesn't need all the accessories shown on Dillon's website, especially if you're starting on a virgin bench and can adjust the bench height to be comfortable. I do use mine with a strong mount and roller handle though. I'd say load on a 550 for a season or half. If it's holding you back you can sell it for 80-90% of it's new price when you upgrade. Though you'll probably find that an upgrade is unnecessary. If you have spare tool heads, the 550 caliber conversion is one bolt and two push pins. It takes about 90 seconds. On the 750, it's about double the time because you also switch out casefeeder parts. Add another two minutes if you have to change primer sizes for either. On a 1100, most people load a couple thousand rounds between caliber conversions and use the switch as an opportunity to detail clean the press. The 550 shines for someone who loads <500 rds per session and who loads multiple calibers. The 750's sweet spot is only one or two calibers (neither being 223) and between ~500 and maybe 1200 rds per session. The 1100 is what I'd recommend for someone who wants to load 223, load more than 1200 rds in a sitting, or wants to automate a press.

You must live in a grassy part of Area 2. When I lived near Rio Salado I'd brush my mags after almost every stage. That gravel got everywhere. The brush is less useful in the mud of south Texas. I more often reach for a rag here. I'm in the nothing but bullets down the barrel camp. The pistol gets a little oil before most matches, and a field strip with a tooth brush every 1-2k rounds.

It's worth sorting your brass before loading. One of the better ways mentioned on this forum is to get a couple .40sw trays and use them to transfer your brass from one container to another. The short or tall brass becomes obvious when compared with others and the depth of the tray itself. Another reason people pay $100 for a 100 round case gauge is that it lets them inspect each loaded round efficiently. Tall primers or other flaws are quick to spot when everything is laying flush, and you can easily dump them into an MTM type case. I don't think you'll catch squibs or double charges by weighting 9mm minor. 4gr is just not enough notice in the variation of bullet and case weights.

I'm more concerned about breathing the dust from dirty media than splashing myself with a dilute lead citrate solution. My last BLL check was 6 ug/dL and I've changed my reloading practices to reduce lead exposure since then. https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=34&po=6 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism

You're thinking of this backwards. From the ram fully up you only need to drop it about 1/3 of a stroke to reset the powder measure, but 1/3 of a stroke down from top is not enough to index the shell plate. If you're tinkering with something near the top of the stroke and move it down to see what's happening you could be setting yourself up for a double charge.

For 9mm I run it through first with two universal decapping dies and no swage rod to ensure the primers are gone. The decapping dies are Dillon and Lee with the FFB RCBS conversion. That tool head also has Dillon and Lee sizing dies for 40sw, but they don't get involved when 9mm passes through. Then I load with: Dillon Sizing die Lee U-die / Swage Primer MBF Powder drop MBF Dillon Seat Lee FCD I guess if I had an extra station before the powder drop I'd use an M die and hope the bullets seat straighter? I've not really noticed a need for anything there so far though.

And it's a link back to this same thread that you originally asked the question in.

Only one of my CZs is a safety non-shadow (75B Compact) and it has the smoothest DA trigger of the lot and it feels the lightest. The SA reset is a bit longer, but I doubt I'd notice it in a match. It's been through the custom shop like most of my others and I'm not sure what special magic Eric Zinn did to it in 2008, but it he must have been proud as his initials are stamped behind the extractor. Tuning a B version is not an impossible task by any means.

Shooting it stock for a couple matches is a good plan. You may want to make sure you have the recoil spring weight you like first though. I don't think either the Tanfoglio Stock II has or CZ S2 has an advantage over the other. I shoot CZs because I was invested in that platform when I started and I haven't had to change my belt up as I experimented within the CZ brand. If it's important to keep the same magazines/pouches get an S2, if it's not then the Stock II would do fine. The Stock II seems preferred by people with larger hands. Within the CZ brand, I think it's worth upgrading to the S2 from the SP-01 'B'. The S2 has a more than adequate trigger out of the box and better sights. If you already had a polished/tuned Shadow of some variety then I would not advise the change, as I don't think the extra weight alone is an advantage to the S2.

The grip is narrower and you'll be at a capacity disadvantage. I think a 140mm .40 mag in the 75 series guns holds 16. I haven't bothered to try, but stock length is 12. In the TS frame guns you can get up to 21 in a 140mm.

I really appreciate your candid discussion in that thread and I've been directing a lot of new reloaders to it as a warning. Without your honest and regular engagement we wouldn't have such a timely and well documented example to point them towards.

Try spraying the bag before you add the cases. Works great and simplifies everything without getting any lube inside.

Any coated 147gr bullet should work. Blues are well liked here but they're not the only supplier and I've not noticed any difference between brands I've tried (Blue, Acme, BBI, and Bayou). Being new to reloading I think your first priority should be a safe load. While I have noticed differences in recoil impulse between different powders in slow fire, that doesn't translate to an improvement in my performance on a stage. You might be placing an exaggerated importance on a specific load and what it can do for you. Your first pound of powder should be something low density like Universal, Unique, Red Dot/Promo, Win 231, or 700x. Those will also produce nice soft shooting loads and fill the case enough you'll be less likely to double charge and blow up your gun. Read this for perspective:

I use lanolin in alcohol and don't clean them after. I apply it by misting a spray bottle into a gallon ziploc bag and then adding a couple hundred cases and rolling them around. It prevents the spray from going inside the cases and uses it more efficiently. I still use carbide dies (Dillon and Lee) and trust the residue on the sizing ring to take care of any cases that weren't fully covered.

Doesn't this force him to seat and crimp in the same station? Your suggested process is about $400 worth of equipment between a single stage and the Pro 1000 and this doesn't seem like a good deal to me. A BL 550 plus powder measure would be the same price and the same functionality plus an extra die station. Later he could upgrade it to do prime automatically and have the most flexible blue press out there.

I've been happily using the Frankford Arsenal DS750 for years. Less than $40 and takes up very little space. eta: I think Brian used to sell it when he was a Dillon dealer too.

I'm not trying to encourage you to blow your budget, and I don't know what equipment your buddy is offering, but I would not recommend the Lee Pro 1000. I like some of Lee's stuff and my single stage press is made by them, but there's not much value in a three station progressive press. I think you would be wasting money. If you're getting a single stage press from your buddy, buy a die set from Lee and load a couple hundred 9mm rounds on the single stage. That will cheaply introduce you to reloading and help you understand all the steps, and maybe why three stations is not an advantage. The dies will be useful on any press you upgrade to down the road. If your buddy's kit doesn't include a single stage, then I would start with one such as Lee's Breech Lock Challenger. This O-frame single stage press will be useful for years and every bench should have one.

That previous thread we both read was also on an auto-indexing press, it just happened to be made by Lee. You only need to move the handle a couple inches to double charge and it usually happens while you're distracted trying to trouble shoot something else. It's definitely easy to do. I haven't double charged on a 650/750, but I have made a couple squibs. I think it's a disservice to new reloaders to recommend auto-indexing presses under the guise of them being safer or foolproof. In contrast, I've never created a squib or a double charge on the 550. Your first dozen or two rounds should probably only have one case on the shell plate at a time if you're just starting.

I think you might already be at minor PF with 3.2 of Titegroup behind a 147gr. I would't load higher than that until you've chronoed it, but I also think 3.2gr at 1.08" will be fine. I haven't worked up a load with Titegroup yet because I have some other powder to burn through first, though I expect to use 3.0gr in my final load with a 147 coated bullet. Since you're also new to reloading in general, be very careful. Titegroup is easy to double charge and a couple months ago we went through a saga on these forums after a new reloader blew up his gun. What press are you loading on? I would generally discourage someone from starting to reload with Titegroup. If you can swing a pound of Universal, Unique, 700X, Win 321, or Red Dot at a local store that might be a safer introduction. Could be tough to find in this environment though. Here's the thread from a guy who blew up his X5 with a double charge of TG on a Lee press. His load was 3.0 of TG and a 147gr. The first reply correctly predicts he was double charging cases and not noticing it.