[Bubstang]

I am thinking of reloading due only to the fact that I put lots of rounds through in a month both 9mm and .223. Also because I'm just a nut for messing with things I know nothing about and think it would be fun to do.

Any recommendations on what to read or where to start? What kind of press, tumbler, etc...?

I did a search but didn't really come up with anything on equipt.

Thanks,
Robert

 

[Hank Ellis]

Reloading for 9mm or .223 unless you have a competitive reason isn't economical.

IPSC shooters in the Production Division where the 9mm lives mostly don't reload. The cost of CCI Blazer is barely over what the cost of components are. Add in the time at the press and it doesn't add up. The really serious guys do reload 9mm to get that custom built ammunition advantage, but not to save money.

My Production gun is a XD-40 Tact so I have to reload the .40S&W to get it down to the Production power factor floor. 185gr @ 722 fps. Sweet.

The 3-gunners typically use surplus .223 ammo, chrono it to verify it makes power factor and move on. Same reason. Cost of components is just under what you can find it for on the surplus market.

With all that said and you still want to reload, to me there's only one press, Dillon. Yeah, it's expensive. But you only have to buy it once. Dillons customer service is legendary. Don't go the silly route of a single stage press only to go progressive later. Money wasted. I shoot 1000 to 1500 rounds a month and can load up a months worth of ammo in about 4 hours start to finish including the prep and cleanup time. Pick up a couple books for instructions on the reloading process. Heed the sections on case inspection and pressure signs. Get reliable reloading data from the powder manufacturers. Do take reloading data from the 'Net with a large grain of salt. There's good stuff out there but do verify that it's safe and appropiate. Follow Dillons instructions on setting up the press. Get to it.

 

[ampleworks]

Its not worth reloading 9mm unless you want to shoot something heavier than 115s, such as 124, 135, 147. Savings on 147 using Titegroup, ebay brass, and zero bullets equates to about $4.80 per 50 versus $8 after tax (or shipping) for WWB 147.

I'm not sure about 223 pricing since you use quite a bit more powder per load, plus you have to lube your brass and all kinda other junk.

 

[JesterXD40]

I reload for my xd 40. use a dillon square deal b. Loaded 10k of ammo and a bolt broke, one call, and had 2 spares in 3 days.

I think I have a lyman tumbler, but they are almost the same.

I reload for the pleasure of it. I have very consistant rounds/accuracy, with very little pwdr use. I NEVER have any ftfs when I reload.

as said, 9mm and 223 are so cheap, I'd prolly never reload.

 

[ichy_trigger]

I second the Dillon, if your going to load rifle, you will have to get at least the 550B, the square deal doesnt handle rifle rounds. You can save money on 9mm but it takes ALOT of shooting to do so after you figure in the cost of the press and other components. The customization of the ammo is the biggest reason to reload 9mm. As previously stated by another person, I reload .40 for major and monor loads. My wife shoots 9mm and I refuse to reload it. As a matter of fact, I dd a Karma awhile back and gave away my 9mm dies. .223 ammo is way to cheap to bother reloading IMO. With a rifle, you have to trim the necks, debur the flash holes, clean the primer pockets, etc...

 

[JD McDorce]

-deleted-

 

[ichy_trigger]

There are days that I remember that it was a whole lot easier to order 10 or 20 boxes of factory ammo and wait for the UPS lady to drop it off. On the other hand, what fun was that?

You get a UPS lady? lucky you...lol

Hes right you know. After you decide to load, your brain is going to go into meltdown mode because the combinations of components are endless. Ill give you my .02 cents though from my 13 years of loading, remember, these are MY views. Winchester and Federal brass seem to be the most consistent. federal primers seem to be the most reliable and are definately the softest. Vihtavuori powders seem to be the cleanest burning but tend to be a bit more expensive. Cast bullets are definately alot cheaper than FMJ but Rainier plated bullets offer a cheap cast bullet with the benefits of the copper jacket. Dies are a personal preferance, my .308 dies are made by RCBS, my 9mm dies were Lee, my .44 dies are Hornady, my .40 dies are Dillon. Rifles are much more finicky with components as far as accuracy goes. varying bullet seating depth as much as several thousands of an inch can shrink a group or increase it. Match grade bullets and premium hunting bullets or varmint bullets offer the best in accuracy.
Reloading is alot of fun and rewarding. We probably make it sound confusing but its really not hard to do with a good manual. All of the playing with components is something you will do over time. I definately spend more time developing my rifle loads than I do my pistol loads.

A good forum for reloading is
[/url]http://www.handloads.com/

 

[hobocircus]

Reloading for 9mm or .223 unless you have a competitive reason isn't economical.

IPSC shooters in the Production Division where the 9mm lives mostly don't reload. The cost of CCI Blazer is barely over what the cost of components are. Add in the time at the press and it doesn't add up. The really serious guys do reload 9mm to get that custom built ammunition advantage, but not to save money.

My Production gun is a XD-40 Tact so I have to reload the .40S&W to get it down to the Production power factor floor. 185gr @ 722 fps. Sweet.

The 3-gunners typically use surplus .223 ammo, chrono it to verify it makes power factor and move on. Same reason. Cost of components is just under what you can find it for on the surplus market.

With all that said and you still want to reload, to me there's only one press, Dillon. Yeah, it's expensive. But you only have to buy it once. Dillons customer service is legendary. Don't go the silly route of a single stage press only to go progressive later. Money wasted. I shoot 1000 to 1500 rounds a month and can load up a months worth of ammo in about 4 hours start to finish including the prep and cleanup time. Pick up a couple books for instructions on the reloading process. Heed the sections on case inspection and pressure signs. Get reliable reloading data from the powder manufacturers. Do take reloading data from the 'Net with a large grain of salt. There's good stuff out there but do verify that it's safe and appropiate. Follow Dillons instructions on setting up the press. Get to it.

EXCELLENT Advice! :mrgreen: (and so were the other replies too :wink: )

I have all the equipment for reloading, but have completely stopped doing so nearly 10 years ago. With options like Wolf, Surplus, Walmart, Gunshows, Ammoman.com and other sources have killed the reloading bug. I am basically a plinker (recreational shooter) and don't require match grade ammo.

What many need to realize is that reloading won't really save you money. It may seem to, but it doesn't in the long run. You'll shoot more and will probably have better accuracy (if you can do your part and make quality reloads), but that is about the only initial advantage you will see. I have a 22/250 bolt action rifle and using factory ammo I can shoot good groups, but when I load my own my groups can be covered easily by a quarter. So there are positives sides too, but its up to you though, and I wish you the best if you decide to start "rolling your own" 8)