R1_Demon
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Posts posted by R1_Demon
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1 hour ago, belus said:
Lots of us buy or collect used brass from public ranges were the mix is then sorted. It's notoriously difficult to separate .380 from 9mm. Anyone loading 9mm will also have a small percentage of .380 in their collection which is often discovered when fed from the case feeder onto the shell plate -- another place for your eyes to check while reloading. On the 750, the 9mm case will be flush with the height of the case insert slide assembly (part# 97082). If it's 2mm short it's a .380, if it's 2mm too tall then it's a 38 super.Good info.
I bought used .380 Auto brass from a reloading shop, but they are inside of a range. So, obviously they came from their range. I plan on going through each case (500) to verify they are, in fact, .380 Auto and no splits or weird case anomalies.
But I appreciate the tip. I'll have to remember this while reloading when I finally start getting my own brass from shooting and accidentally picking up other's brass around me as well. I'm not going to trust someone else's sort, so I figured it's best for me to go back through them anyway.
Do people just go to the range and ask them if they have any extra brass or ? How do people get their brass from the range itself? (not picking up their own, obviously) I've never thought to ask a range for their brass (mixed or whatever). I figured they probably used it and reloaded the brass themselves. Hmmm...
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Good to know. I'm keeping notes of all this for future purchases.
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4 hours ago, belus said:
Glad you found some Win 231. Don't make too many before you test them.
I use Universal for my pistol loads because it's bulky and efficient. There are lots of acceptable choices. The usual advice is to find a sufficient load and run with it. There's not much to be gained from tinkering with slight recipe adjustments once you have something reliable.
I know you're not thinking about competition right now, but it's probably not too far down the line once your ammo cost is 10-14 cents per round. If we were local I'd have a coffee can of .380 brass you could take home. I imagine other local competitors similarly have a small pile of .380 gathering dust.Bob,
I appreciate that.
Yup, as Youngeyes mentioned, I'm only going to make a few and test them as soon as I can find a place to shoot here. Also, I thought they only use 9mm, .40S&W and .45ACP for most competition? I thought .380Auto is too "small"? Or is that what you mean? People used to use .380Auto and now they don't so the brass is just sitting there? LOL Sorry, been working too hard and my brain is mush today. 
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4 hours ago, 124gr9mm said:
I'll echo those who recommend W231. I used it to load 9mm, 38 Special, and .45 ACP for a few years with great results with plated, coated, lead, and all other projectiles I loaded.
As a frugal person by nature I switched to Titegroup when I came across an ABSURDLY good deal from a local guy getting out of reloading. Now that I'm through that lot I've switched back to W231 for good. In addition to being hot/fast and not filling cases, I found Titegroup to be very smoky with coated bullets.
Cool. Sounds like I got a decent choice from the ones offered here.
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4 hours ago, Youngeyes said:
Be careful here. Slow down. Only load a small amount at a time and test them out( chrono). You don't want to undo 1000 mistakes. Once you have a good reliable load, it's time to start cranking. This may not have been mentioned before, but the biggest safety tip I can give anyone is to visually inspect EVERY SINGLE case to make sure it was loaded with powder. At the end of this process, you will have a supply of the best ammunition you can get.
I fully agree. Sorry, I know it sounded like I was going to set it up and then push out 1000 rounds. My apologies on that. I was only going to make like 10, then go chrono them to make sure the slide cycles properly on each firearm and no keyholing and such like that. I'm still trying to find out where to shoot here since I just moved to CO. I've requested to join a couple of clubs, but they said there is a 2 year waiting list. Sooooo...LOL
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4 hours ago, stick said:
Stay with the 231. As you mentioned in your post, you wanted a powder to fill the case to avoid double charges. 231 will work for those calibers and depending on your load, should provide ample powder in the case for visual verification. I use Titegroup. BUT it is a low volume powder and it seems you are a new reloader. Stay away from it until you are very familiar with the ins and outs of reloading. Titegroup is very easy to double charge because of the low volume of the powder drops. Get into the habit of looking in the case and visually verifying the powder drop. It won't take long before you can determine what you drop looks like for a particular load.
Thank you very much. I'm glad to hear that the W-231 fills the cases decently that I should be able to tell. Even years ago I heard Titegroup can be touchy and you have to be careful with it. So, I figured I would avoid it for now.
Also, even if one pound lasts me approximately 1500 rounds (depending on charge, as mentioned), that will work fine for me starting out. At max I was only planning on making 1000 rounds of 9mm and 500 rounds of .380 Auto, so that works out fine.
The biggest holdup now is the primers. 
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At least that is something. LOL
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4 hours ago, Youngeyes said:
In the FWIW department, HP-38 is the same powder as W-231. All the loading data is the same. I've used both and have found no difference. For cleaning, use crushed walnut shells in a good vibratory tumbler. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zilla-ground-english-walnut-shells-reptile-bedding-1038990?cm_mmc=PSH-_-GGL-_-CCY-_-CCO-_-PET-_-AQU-_-0-_-PM_GGL_FY20_SBU05_CompanionAnimal_BOPIS_LIA-_-0-_-0&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-uH6BRDQARIsAI3I-UdbjckXYwi0oNTrF8UJQYw7dXjupSHGQNmyUBmPSW11SozsimZy6wQaApQFEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
I appreciate the tip on the powder and cleaning.
I have a rotary tumbler coming, so I was going to use that with the steel pin media. I’m hoping that will work fine.
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Thanks 12glocks. I’ll have to see if they have it locally or bite the bullet and order from Powder Valley.
I know it varies by caliber, but does anyone know approximately how many rounds (say 9mm) one pound of powder will make?
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1 hour ago, GrumpyOne said:
Alliant Power Pistol is what you seek. Relatively cheap and available, fills a case nicely, and will load all those calibers and more. The downside is that it is loud and can be flashy. Not a great powder for competition loads, but for plinking...it's hard to beat. When it's in stock, Powder Valley has it for $78 for 4lbs.
I’ll have to look into this. I don’t think I saw it locally but that’s a good price. Thank you! -
Thank you to everyone that has posted here to help me. I went to the reloading shop and they had Winchester 231 in stock (and HP-38, but no N320). So, at this point I have the following:
9mm
* 1,000 pcs of new brass (Everglades)
* 1,000 124g FMJ RN bullets (Everglades)
.380 Auto
* 500 pcs of once fired brass (locally purchased)
* 500 pcs of 100g plated RN bullets (coming - Everglades)
1 pound of W231 (locally purchased)
So, the only thing I have left to acquire to get started are the stupid small pistol primers that you can't find anywhere in stock. LOL! So, depending on how excited I am to start reloading, I'll either have to wait until they finally get some in stock somewhere or pay the 3x pricing off Gunbroker.
The good thing is, with the empty brass casings, I should be able to setup the 750 press per the Dillon video on YouTube. I know they mention having brass in the dies when tightening them down to make them centered.
Another question...if you have brand new brass, do you still run it through the resizing/decaping die in station #1? Or do you skip that step since it is new? Wait...disregard...I just thought of it...I have to prime the case, so it has to be run through station #1. Ok, forget I asked that. LOL!!!
Now I have to look into equipment to clean the .380 Auto once-fired brass I just bought.
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Thank you all for the suggestions. I went down to the shop and they didn't have any N320, but they had W231 and HP-38. I grabbed a pound of W231 and figured that would work. I don't think they had Titegroup either. I know a lot of places are out of a lot of things. I got lucky and they had .380 Auto brass, so I grabbed 500 of those for later. No bullets though. So, I ordered those through Everglades Ammo since they had some plated bullets in stock.
So, I have everything I need to load .380 Auto and 9mm, EXCEPT the stupid primers. LOL! But at least with the cases, I should be able to setup my new press according to the Dillon YouTube videos.
Then I either wait for small pistol primers or I pay the 3x pricing off Gunbroker. We will see how bad I want to start reloading once things are setup. LOL
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42 minutes ago, Chrisyoung said:
My vote is for win 231 or hp 38.
There the the same powder just different jug.
It's a very versatile powder that can be use for a lot of handgun calibers.
Thanks Chris. Someone else also posted (on another thread) that N320 or W231 would work for all three calibers. So, that's what I'm going to shoot for getting. LOL If both are out, I'm screwed. LOL!
I'll add HP38 to my list too, just in case.
Again, the info is much appreciated.
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1 minute ago, Youngeyes said:
N-320 will work well for all 3. My other go to powder is Winchester 231. Both meter well in the Dillon and shoot cleanly.
Youngeyes - Thanks for the suggestion as well. I'll look into N320 then. I thought they no longer made Winchester 231? Or was there an old version of it that they didn't make? I thought I read this like 3 years ago on here, but I might be wrong...I probably am. LOL
Thanks for the suggestion. Gives me an option if the shop doesn't have N320.
Again, thank you!
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6 minutes ago, RGA said:
Hi R1_Demon,
N320 is usable for all 3 calibers.
https://www.vihtavuori.com/reloading-data/handgun-reloading/
Chrs!
Nice! Thanks! I’ll see if my local reloading shop has any.
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Hey all,
I’m wondering what powder you would suggest to use for multiple calibers?
I’m looking at starting to reload 9mm, .380ACP and .45ACP. Is there a preferred powder that would work well for all three of those rounds?
If it is a powder that would fill up cases to avoid double charging, then all the better.
I’m not looking at making competition rounds at this point. Just solid reloads for all three calibers.
Thanks!
Mat
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RGA - Thanks for the tip. I’ve heard N320 is pretty favorable for .40 for competition. That’s why I got it before. More expensive than most (about $35.00 USD per pound), but you can get it in some shops here. I think most use it for 9mm major too.
But, since I just want something to make “regular” rounds, the N340 would probably work fine for my needs. I’m ultimately looking to reload 9mm, .380ACP and .45ACP, so if there is one powder I can use for all three, that would be awesome. Then I can try and buy an 8# jug and be good for a while.
Thanks for the info!
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OGG. Oh believe me, I’ve called every LGS in a 100 mile radius. Every time I ask for small pistol primers, they literally laugh and tell me they have none and haven’t had any in a while now.
But they do have powder for the most part so I’ll probably go get that. I have brass and bullets coming. Just can’t get the primers to start reloading. Again, unless I want to pay triple price for them in Gunbroker. (About $200+ plus shipping for 2000 primers was the avg)
Good tip on the fluffy powder. Works for me. On the Dillon videos they used CFE Pistol and it looked to fill the case pretty well. That’s why I considered it.
I don’t want to use Titegroup because I know it can be touchy within a few grains. I also don’t think N320 is very “fluffy” so that wouldn’t help either, but easier to manage and more forgiving than Titegroup from what I remember reading.
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Thank you and I will if I can ever find small pistol primers. There are none anywhere unless I want to pay triple price on Gunbroker for them.
That and I’m trying to decide what powder to go with. I’m considering CFE Pistol for the 9mm and .380ACP. I just want a general good powder for my first loads since they won’t be for competition. Just to make sure the gun cycles and all is good.
Originally I went with N320 when I was loading .40 S&W on my last press but I was making them for competition. That was the good powder 3-4 years ago for .40. I will have to look in the 9mm forum to see what the good powder is for 9mm. Might still be N320.
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9 hours ago, belus said:
This is a good attitude to take as you learn to reload as well. The press is already efficient and that's fast so you don't have to be.
You can find people racing to pull the handle in many videos. This is always after unshown and thorough overview that everything is working as expected, and the pace is rarely sustained beyond the 15-20s that those videos ever show.Makes sense. I'm not in any rush to push out thousands or even hundreds of rounds in a few hours. When I start this, I'm going one piece of brass at a time through the entire cycle to ensure everything looks right and I'm doing things right. Maybe after a couple of hundred like that and I feel comfortable that everything is rolling like it should, will I then start to use the full progressive part by having a shell in every spot on the shell plate. Again, I'm in no rush and there is no need for me to make a mistake due to rushing for no reason.
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8 hours ago, OleGreyGhost said:
I am also using Lee dies in my .38 cal setup . For bullet seating I modded the press to accept the Lee bullet feeder kit & then Lee FCD.
Now changing over to .223 cal. So I have to remove the bullet feeder kit. Will be using the Redding micrometer seating die in its place. Manually inserting bullets.
For your first project, why don't you change the press over to 9 mm, so you can get familiar with the press....
Ole Grey - That's what I'm planning on doing.
I'm going to setup the press for 9mm instead of the .45ACP it is coming with. Good practice on setup. However, I have to get the supplies first and also get some fired brass to do the press setup.
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12 hours ago, RGA said:
Lee dies are fine. Did you get the Lee 3 or 4 dies set? The 4 die set includeds their factory crimp die (which I think is excellent).
My 9mm set up (Dillon 650) is very similair to Michael303's listed a few posts above.
Lee U (undersize) sizer
Lyman M die for expanding
Powder
Redding competition seater
Lee factory crimp die.
For 45ACP I run the same setup with the exception that I use a Dillon sizer.
RGA - Here is what I ended up getting (it also helped after I viewed a few of the Dillon YouTube videos on the 750. Good stuff!)
9mm
* Dillon 9mm caliber conversion kit
* Lee Sizing/Decap die
* Lee Powder thru Expanding die (found out I don't need this because it is already included in the Dillon caliber conversion kit)
* Redding Competition Seating Die
* Lee Taper Crimp Die
I bought them all separately, no kit, because I wanted to use the suggested Redding Comp Seating die I had read about here. I'll probably return the Powder thru Expanding die since I now know I don't need it.
.380ACP
* Dillon .380ACP caliber conversion kit
* Dillon extra toolhead
* Redding 3 piece Premium Carbide die set (Sizing, expander and Premium seating die with micrometer)
I have a feeling I won't need the Redding expander die for .380ACP since I bought the caliber conversion kit. I will just use Dillon's expander instead.
I also ordered the Dillon wrench kit to mount on the machine, the Dillon primer flip tray and the Lyman 50th edition reloading manual.
I also forgot to mention, that I did get the Dillon powder check unit when I bought my 750. I figured that would be the smart thing to do, even though it doesn't take the place of your eyes and brain to make sure you only do one charge per case.
Oh and I also bought a Lyman case gauges for 9mm & .380ACP. The Hundo gauge seemed super expensive at $100 for the 100 round aluminum plate. Maybe if I end up doing a lot of reloading I will reconsider. But for now, I'll at least have some sort of gauge for the rounds.
Also bought a KMS2 UFO reloading press light kit too. I had one on my Hornady LNL press and it was outstanding, so I bought it again for the Dillon 750.
Only thing I need to get now are bullets, primers, cases and some powder to get things setup and running.
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For 9mm, I ended up getting Lee carbide dies. Was all I could find in stock. I also got a Redding comp bullet seater die.
For .380ACP, I got a Redding die set. Again, all I could find. The press came with the .45ACP setup, but no dies for it, of course. I will look into those dies later. Again, no rush. Just have been doing a bunch of reading and video watching for now.
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I appreciate the info by everyone. I also appreciate the powder recommendation. Since I’m not reloading yet for competition, I agree that the suggested powders would be a good thing so I don’t double charge or could tell if I do.
I’ll be reloading 9mm and .380 Auto/ACP at this time. I may end up reloading .45ACP later as well.
But the main thing I want to do is setup and reload 9mm until I get comfortable with the process and all is going well. The. I will considering changing calibers.
Anyone have a preferred reloading manual? Is one company better than any other or should I just pick any one as long as it is the current edition?
I bought used .380 Auto brass from a reloading shop, but they are inside of a range. So, obviously they came from their range. I plan on going through each case (500) to verify they are, in fact, .380 Auto and no splits or weird case anomalies.
Powder for multiple calibers?
in General Reloading
Posted
Awesome tip! Thanks!