Taking the plunge...

[SSGSAD]

Hey guys, I have been researching the craft of reloading like crazy for the past few months. I have decided that I want in on the fun. I made a wish list on Midway that I'm pretty confident in, but would like to enlist my fellow INGOers to help me tweak it.

For some quick back-story, I just moved into a house from an apartment, so I now have the Man Cave that I have been longing for. I am building a beefy bench to withstand the rigors of reloading. I am looking to get into more action shooting (I especially love steel shooting), and figured that reloading would pay for itself fairly quickly. I am well aware that I am making a lifetime investment, and, being only 25, I figured that there was no better time than the present. I'm sure that prices will only go up in the next <insert number here> years.

I know that the scale is a cheapy, but I wanted to get something quickly and look for something nicer (perhaps used) down the road. I already have a loading manual and an ultrasonic cleaner, but that is about it. I am figuring on going over to PSS to get some powder, primers, and maybe a couple of other little odds and ends. As you can see, I am starting with 9mm, but will eventually probably pick up .40, .45, and .458 Socom (tax refund? ).

Please advise further!

A class with Andrew is GREAT, if you need ANY help, let me know .... I will be glad to assist in any way I can .....

 

[DustyDawg48]

I forgot to recommend a reloading manual. I am a fan of the Speer manual. Big green hardback book with a lot of good material and actually lots of good reading, too.

Speer Reloading Manual #14

 

[tr1gg3r]

A class with Andrew is GREAT, if you need ANY help, let me know .... I will be glad to assist in any way I can .....

Thanks for the offer. It is much appreciated.

I forgot to recommend a reloading manual. I am a fan of the Speer manual. Big green hardback book with a lot of good material and actually lots of good reading, too.

Speer Reloading Manual #14

I'll look into this. Thanks for the link.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

Sorry if im wrong, I have never reloaded for pistols or read about it yet but wont you need to trim your cases? I didnt see a trimmer on your list. If you trim you will need to chamfer and debur.

I do not trim my 9mm brass. The Lyman manual says .750" for case OAL. Most of mine runs anywhere from .753"-.747" after sizing. The cases that are .750" I use for my HP reloads. As long as your OAL is within spec and the bullets are not seated to deep, no need to worry about it.

 

[tr1gg3r]

I do not trim my 9mm brass. The Lyman manual says .750" for case OAL. Most of mine runs anywhere from .753"-.747" after sizing. The cases that are .750" I use for my HP reloads. As long as your OAL is within spec and the bullets are not seated to deep, no need to worry about it.

Thanks for the input. I think that I'll wait a couple of months on the case trimmer. Buying new things down the road is always fun to look forward to.

 

[tr1gg3r]

I also bought Hornady dies, which are fantastic by the way, but I opted for the other set of Hornady 9mm dies. The 9mm set you currently have utilizes a roll-crimp and I prefer a taper crimp on my 9mm. The cost is exactly the same so it boils down to personal preference.

Well, I went looking for the taper crimp die set, and it seems that they are nowhere to be found. Midway says they won't be back in stock until after the new year, and a quick google search brings me no love for an in-stock set for a decent price.

It looks like my only option for a taper crimp is to buy the Hornady one separately (no seater) and run a PTX of some sort. I don't know if I want to go that route, but I don't want inferior rounds either. Anyone have any opinions?

 

[DustyDawg48]

As of right now Grafs is showing less than 5 of the 9mm taper crimp die sets in stock.

Graf & Sons - The Reloading Authority - Your Source for Shooting Supplies

 

[tr1gg3r]

As of right now Grafs is showing less than 5 of the 9mm taper crimp die sets in stock.

Graf & Sons - The Reloading Authority - Your Source for Shooting Supplies

Thanks man! I might just order from them since they have everything I need and do free shipping. How come I had never heard of this place til now?

 

[DustyDawg48]

Thanks man! I might just order from them since they have everything I need and do free shipping. How come I had never heard of this place til now?

Grafs is awesome! they have very quick shipping; I live in Mount Vernon and I can get my stuff the next day with ground shipping. I think they are in Columbia Missouri the same place as Midway USA is.

Keep an eye out on Grafs because they will have deals come up all the time on primers, powder and other stuff. They will run sales where you'll have free shipping or they will wave the haz-mat fee if you buy over a certain amount. Just be aware that shipping primers and/or powder will involve a hazardous material fee but shipping ammo won't (go figure). Grafs is great, 2nd only to Midway for me.

Good luck and let us know when you get your goodies! I'm after the .45 ACP dies now...looks like every place is on back order for the next few weeks. With Christmas coming up I'd say it is wise to buy as soon as you see whatever come available...Cabela's is also a place to check for some reloading gear, too. I found my Lee dies that I originally bought there when other places were out of stock.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

I use Lee carbide dies for 9mm. They have worked very well for me.

 

[DustyDawg48]

I use Lee carbide dies for 9mm. They have worked very well for me.

I have nothing but great things to say about my Lee carbide dies...I've loaded several thousand 9mm and probably twice as many .45 ACP with my Lees. I recently moved to a Hornady Lock-N-Load press and had heard that the Lee dies don't always work well, possibly a tad too short, with the LNL press so I decided to upgrade to the Hornady dies just to be safe. With the Hornady dies also having one die that takes the place of 2 Lee that was the clincher, one less step to do...might not amount to much on the progressive presses but in single-stage it's a lifetime!

 

[tr1gg3r]

I was planning on getting the Hornady dies because I've also read about the Lee's being too short. Also, I wanted the 100 free bullets with the dies.

 

[DustyDawg48]

I was planning on getting the Hornady dies because I've also read about the Lee's being too short. Also, I wanted the 100 free bullets with the dies.

Don't forget the 500 free with the press, too! I've got 600 free .45 ACP bullets on the way and plan on having a few hundred more with the .45 dies and maybe even some .357 dies, too!

 

[tr1gg3r]

Don't forget the 500 free with the press, too! I've got 600 free .45 ACP bullets on the way and plan on having a few hundred more with the .45 dies and maybe even some .357 dies, too!

Oh, absolutely. I'm actually thinking about having them send me .45 bullets since they are more expensive. It would give me even more incentive to get a SR1911!

 

[tr1gg3r]

Ok, I just dropped my order from Graf and Sons. Thanks for all of the input and suggestions!

Now the long, painful wait til Tuesday begins...

 

[DustyDawg48]

Ok, I just dropped my order from Graf and Sons. Thanks for all of the input and suggestions!

Now the long, painful wait til Tuesday begins...

Awesome! What all did you get? And depending on where you live I've seen my stuff from Graf's ship the same day and arrive the next business day so you may see it Monday...but don't hold me to that!

 

[tr1gg3r]

I'm in Indy, so I don't expect it til after the weekend. I called and they said it should ship out today, so, here's to hoping.

 

[DustyDawg48]

As the crow flies I'm not much further east, I live in Posey County here in the SW tip and generally see my stuff in a day. Either way it'll be well worth the wait! Congrats!

 

[tr1gg3r]

Well, I finally got my stuff set up. I haven't produced any rounds yet, but figured I would take a picture while my bench is still nice and clean.

Time for some fun!

 

[DustyDawg48]

AWESOME! That looks good and I notice that can of One Shot there on the bench, too. I've had to reload my .45 acp on my single-stage and just 'wow' is all I can say. That RCBS is such a good press but if it weren't for the fact that I had those .45 brass already sized, primed and the case mouth belled I would have been all day. Sadly I hit the last of my prepped .45 brass but I think I have enough to shoot at the range today and run my Glock 21 in my IDPA match coming up in December. Hornady's .45 dies are high on my list of gifts for my birthday and Christmas.

did you have much trouble setting up the taper crimp die? It took me a couple of tries to get it right and occasionally I'll have a case bind up while trying to eject so I've hit the edges of that EZ-Ject tab on the base of the press with a bit of 400 grit paper to help with any sharp edges that may grab it. So far, 1100 rounds loaded with a minimal amount of effort. Can't wait to start running some .45 on there!