RightYouAreKen Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Hi all, I'm going to be ordering a Dillon 650 soon for my first press. I'm mechanically inclined and have some friends with 650s to guide me. I just finished building my reloading bench from the NRMA plans. The question is, what should I start reloading first? I shoot mostly 9mm in IDPA and USPSA, but recently started shooting 45acp. I shoot around 800 rounds of 9mm a month, and maybe 200-300 rounds of 45acp a month. It seems reloading 45acp will save me the most over factory ammo from a cost per round perspective. I've also read that it features lower case pressures and is thus a bit more forgiving. That said, i'd like to play with reduced power loads for my Glock 34 for competition. If you were in my shoes, what would you start reloading first? I want to get a few thousand rounds under my belt with one caliber before adding another to the mix. Thanks for the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdewberr Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Tough call there boss. I'd load 9mm and start a budget/savings plan to get 45acp gear. I went w/a RL550B and bought 9mm and 45acp out of the gate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torogi Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 9mm gets my vote since you shoot more of it. Conversion plus dies, with quick change you are looking at around maybe $230. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cotys Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 It looks like you are on track. I think you are right on the basics, 45 will save more money, but you shoot more nines. From my experience, it is easier to load 45 Auto than 9mm. I had more powder spillage from the nines and 38 supers. After loading 9mm, I ended up ordering the needle bearings and washers to reduce the plate snapping into place (it is one of the tips from the board). Fix for snapping shellplate I didn't have as much trouble with 45 Auto. I just finished loading 450 rounds of 45 Auto using 3 different powders to see which I like best. I'm running out of 7 lbs of Military #105 I had been using. I found Titegroup metered fantastic in the 650. I also polished the powder bar and funnel to help the Mil #105 meter. You would be fine either way - 9mm or 45 Auto. Like I said, I find 45 a little easier to reload, but you'll start loading 9mm sometime! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperD Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I would start loading the 9mm due to the fact the you shoot almost three time as much of it. If you are going to be loading both 9mm and 45acp on a regular basis I would reconsider the 650 in favor of a 550 press due to the ease of caliber changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikerburgess Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 800 9mm bulk factory reloads @ $.20 = $160 800 9mm reloaded by you = Brass Free + bullet $.08 + primer $.03 + powder $.02 = $.13 ea total $104 save $56 300 45 Bulk factory reloads @ $.35 = $105 300 45 reloaded by you = Brass Free + bullet $.16 + primer $.03 + powder $.02 = $.21 ea total $63 save $42 My math shows you would save more per month reloading the 9mm for now but not by much, you may want to factor in you time and if you have to pay for any of the brass. I used jacketed bullet prices in my math but you can also go with lead or molly bullets to save even more. other than that neither round is going to be "harder" to reload than the other just start low and stay with published loads till you are comfortable with what you are doing Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RightYouAreKen Posted May 30, 2012 Author Share Posted May 30, 2012 Thanks for all of your thoughts guys! Seems the general consensus is to start with 9mm due to the volume I shoot it. I'll probably do that, and also get a 45acp caliber conversion at the time of order for use a bit later. I have about 800 rounds of 45acp in the safe that will probably last me until I'm ready to mix it up after the initial runs with 9mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njl Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Since you shoot a lot more of it, 9mm seems to make sense...and also, depending on the bullet/powder you choose, with 9mm, it's reasonable to expect a combo that makes loading a double-charge impossible (powder will overflow the case). That's a nice safety measure for a new reloader. Of course, unless $ is really tight, there's no reason you couldn't just buy the parts and components and start loading both 9mm and .45acp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandrum Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Do what I did. Get the 650 and Just use strictly small primer 45 brass. Makes the conversion super fast and easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RightYouAreKen Posted June 5, 2012 Author Share Posted June 5, 2012 Thanks for the info guys. Last week I ordered a 650 with both 9mm and 45 caliber conversions from Brian. I'll start loading 9mm since I bought components for that first, till I get used to things. Then ill load some 45. I'll post pics once I get it all up and running! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retread1911 Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Any update? It has been long enough that you should be cranking out 9mm by now at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recoil45 Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 He's probably having so much fun reloading he doesn't want to take time away from the press. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RightYouAreKen Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Ha! Things are going smashingly. . I've loaded 500 rounds using 124gr Rainier plated bullets using 4.7gr of WSF at 1.125 OAL for around 135 power factor. Have shot about half of it so far with no malfunctions. This weekend I started experimenting with some 147gr Rainier hollowpoints and w231 trying to get something a little "softer" for competition. Went to the range and found that 3.5gr of w231 with those 147s at 1.125 OAL gave me an average of around 130 power factor through my g34. I can't say that I felt a huge difference, but will load some more up and shoot the two weights back to back some more. I've yet to buy in bulk, so not saving much money yet, but having a lot of fun experimenting and just running the press. I initially had some issues crushing primers, but I solved that by tightening the shell plate a bit more (think I left it a bit loose when clipping some off the index ball spring) and putting a bit more tension on the locating arm at the primer station. I've loaded about 400 rounds since with no more crushed primers. Thanks for all of the tips on these forums! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RightYouAreKen Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 (edited) oops, dupe post. Edited June 18, 2012 by RightYouAreKen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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