First Time Reloading

[DadSmith]

And therein lies the problem. Loading for several chambers that are in spec should be easy with a case guage. Loading for several chambers that are out of spec.... ugh. Shouldn't even be a consideration.

9mm isn't like precision rifle. There aren't different chambers to work with.

For 9mm Luger / Parabellum etc - In spec: One Plunk, All Plunk.
For 308 - Load for the rifle individually.

Full respect @DadSmith, I just can't see a 1/64 difference in the drop test.

This is 147gr RN coated Summitt City bullet in Speer brass. COL 1.090 it fits in my CZ P10F barrel just right.


However, in my Aim, and PSA Glock 19/Dagger barrel it's short, but it fires fine.


If I load this to the length of the Glock/Dagger barrels my CZ, and Taurus will have problems with the slide going into battery.
So when running bullets that have no load data it's best to do a plunk test, and run with the shortest COL in my experience.

The pictures probably don't show the difference as good ax the naked eye. But I tried to get a decent shot of it.

 

[DadSmith]

I finally have gotten a setup started. It been fun so far and has taken a lot of time and energy to obtain the equipment I wanted. I did not purchase a straight up kit but instead read a lot and decided to get pieces one at a time.

After discussion with several of you I decided to go with a single stage press to start with. I purchased the RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme IV.

I also purchased the Hornady Manual as an iBook. I think that was my first mistake. I think an old fashioned book on my work bench would have been better.

I am exclusively loading 9mm for right now.

I read a lot of people suggest not to expand the case. So I tried that. Crushed a few cases in process. Then found a process that worked for me.

Then I thought I should learn how to expand. So I did that. I think too much. Ended out with some over expanded and loose bullets.

Shot my first 100 rounds today of my reloads. I had several that didn’t feed properly. I was using my CZ P10f. Less expensive gun in case anything was damaged. But I think I’m okay. I did have to partial rack slide quite a bit to get the bullets to fire. More fired after some work. Then I tried a couple of magazines in my P07. It ate it up no problem.

So next step for me is to purchase hard copy manual. I’m thinking Speer as this is recommended by RCBS. I would like to figure out what I did wrong with flaring the cases though.

Also, I will do smaller quantities so I don’t waste them next time.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

I suggest getting and trying the Lee Factory Crimp die.
Also what bullet are you using?
Weight?
Home cast? Brand name?
Type?
I use a lot of Summitt City, and Hoosier Bullets. They are hard cast coated and there is no COL data available so I have to figure that out myself. My reasoning for the plunk tests.
Here is a link to the Lee FCD

LEE 9mm LUGER CARBIDE FACTORY CRIMP DIE

Lee 9mm Luger Carbide Factory Crimp Die This die sizes the cartridge while being crimped so every round will positively chamber freely with factory like dependability. The adjusting screw quickly and easily sets the desired amount of crimp. Trim Length is not critical so this extra operation...

www.titanreloading.com

Titan is good people, fast shipping, and I've used them for many years.

If you need information on how to do a plunk test ask. Plenty of very experienced reloaders on this forum. Much more than I'll ever be.

 

[92FSTech]

A case gauge is the tool you want if you're going for peoper SAAMI spec. If you're just loading for yourself, like most of us do, finding the gun with the tightest throat and using a plunk test in that barrel will work just fine. In my experience, this is typically CZ, or BarSto. The new Gen5 Glock barrels are a lot tighter than the older ones, too. I've even had factory ammo get stuck in the lands of a Gen 5.

The Lee Factory Crimp Die is another awesome tool. Yes, you can set up your bullet seating die to apply proper crimp, but the FCD makes it much easier, and in my experience it is also much smoother in a progressive press. It reduces shaved lead and coating on coated bullets, and the pistol-caliber FCD actually has a ring that sort of re-sizes the whole loaded case as you pass it through the die, which makes for a great QC step. I have one in the last stage of my LNL and I don't even bother gauging my loaded rounds anymore. I check that all the primers are flush and dump them in the ammo can. I can't remember the last time I had a bad 9mm round come off my press, and I load and shoot thousands of them.

 

[Creedmoor]

I'll show you the difference between the chambers of my 9mm's.
I use summit city, or Hoosier bullets so you have to find the correct oal because there is none published for those bullets that I'm aware of.

If they don't have the OAL I would send them and email and ask what manufacture and what the mold number is, and ask the mold manufacturer what the OAL is.

What a plunk test will not tell you,
If the rounds are all correctly loaded, like all the same length, crimps all good and the same, primers all set below the surface at minimum, and inspect for any deformations.
Using a case gauge does that for you. I have case gauges for just about every caliber that we load for. In the more popular ones I bought 50 and 100 rd gauges .
Some gauges like this 100 rd 9mm Armanav make it easy to check OAL, primer depth, are they all crimped and loaded the same. And then you can set a plastic case on the top and flip it over to drop the finished and gauged rounds in the storage box.

 

[DadSmith]

If they don't have the OAL I would send them and email and ask what manufacture and what the mold number is, and ask the mold manufacturer what the OAL is.

What a plunk test will not tell you,
If the rounds are all correctly loaded, like all the same length, crimps all good and the same, primers all set below the surface at minimum, and inspect for any deformations.
Using a case gauge does that for you. I have case gauges for just about every caliber that we load for. In the more popular ones I bought 50 and 100 rd gauges .
Some gauges like this 100 rd 9mm Armanav make it easy to check OAL, primer depth, are they all crimped and loaded the same. And then you can set a plastic case on the top and flip it over to drop the finished and gauged rounds in the storage box.



View attachment 336969
View attachment 336975
View attachment 336976

That's the same round in the CZ P10F barrel as the Dagger barrel. The chambers are different. The Taurus barrel has basically the same chamber as the CZ. However, the Ruger PCC 9 has a chamber like the Dagger barrel and the after market Aim Surplus barrel.
Some barrels it looks like have tighter tolerances than others.

 

[Creedmoor]

That's the same round in the CZ P10F barrel as the Dagger barrel. The chambers are different. The Taurus barrel has basically the same chamber as the CZ. However, the Ruger PCC 9 has a chamber like the Dagger barrel and the after market Aim Surplus barrel.
Some barrels it looks like have tighter tolerances than others.

I fully understand what you are saying here,
What I am saying is the gauge doesn't care about ones different chambers. One sets that that standard with setting up with your dies.
Using a gauge, tells one the rounds you've loaded, are all the same.
When I run a few thousand handgun rounds I can easily drop 100 9mm's on that gauge above and instantly tell, they are all the same length, primers are set as needed and all 100 the same, all 100 don't have any deformity's or split cases and with that final check I can box them easily or dump them in a ammo can for storage.
Using one makes a few problems that tend to crop up, not crop up at all.
And if a problem does crop up, you catch it before you hit the range or worst at the weekend match.

 

[DadSmith]

I fully understand what you are saying here,
What I am saying is the gauge doesn't care about ones different chambers. One sets that that standard with setting up with your dies.
Using a gauge, tells one the rounds you've loaded, are all the same.
When I run a few thousand handgun rounds I can easily drop 100 9mm's on that gauge above and instantly tell, they are all the same length, primers are set as needed and all 100 the same, all 100 don't have any deformity's or split cases and with that final check I can box them easily or dump them in a ammo can for storage.
Using one makes a few problems that tend to crop up, not crop up at all.
And if a problem does crop up, you catch it before you hit the range or worst at the weekend match.

Gotcha.
I imagine if I loaded for other people I'd probably get a gauge.
What gauges do you use? I've seen Lyman are they decent?

 

[Creedmoor]

Gotcha.
I imagine if I loaded for other people I'd probably get a gauge.
What gauges do you use? I've seen Lyman are they decent?

I own a few of the aluminum multi case Lyman gauges, and 15? or more single stainless Dillons, and a few of the Armanavs in 50 and 100 rds.
They really make things easier when loading for one owning a few firearms in the same caliber.
For me it's like using small base dies for a bunch of rifle cartridges we load.

 

[bgcatty]

For inspiration, go watch the video on Mr. Williams and his reloading room, er, “shrine” and you’ll be well on your way in the hobby of reloading.

 

[TheGrumpyGuy]

For inspiration, go watch the video on Mr. Williams and his reloading room, er, “shrine” and you’ll be well on your way in the hobby of reloading.

Understatement of the year

 

[JRHawkins1118]

A case gauge is the tool you want if you're going for peoper SAAMI spec. If you're just loading for yourself, like most of us do, finding the gun with the tightest throat and using a plunk test in that barrel will work just fine. In my experience, this is typically CZ, or BarSto. The new Gen5 Glock barrels are a lot tighter than the older ones, too. I've even had factory ammo get stuck in the lands of a Gen 5.

The Lee Factory Crimp Die is another awesome tool. Yes, you can set up your bullet seating die to apply proper crimp, but the FCD makes it much easier, and in my experience it is also much smoother in a progressive press. It reduces shaved lead and coating on coated bullets, and the pistol-caliber FCD actually has a ring that sort of re-sizes the whole loaded case as you pass it through the die, which makes for a great QC step. I have one in the last stage of my LNL and I don't even bother gauging my loaded rounds anymore. I check that all the primers are flush and dump them in the ammo can. I can't remember the last time I had a bad 9mm round come off my press, and I load and shoot thousands of them.

I did get the case gauge. It does work well. I have also been using my barrel for the plunk.

Tonight I was quite frustrated. Still using the RCBS die. I think I have realized I did a stupid mistake. With 0 crimp it would not recess in the gauge. Then I put the die down a little more. Put a crimp on it to remove the flaring. But I didn’t seat the bullet first. So I continued to ruin a few cartridges. To tired to continue tonight. Will try again tomorrow.

Took me awhile to get the gauge in so I had a delay in working on it.

Thank you all for your help so far. I’ll be more than ready to celebrate when I finally get it!

 

[92FSTech]

Tonight I was quite frustrated. Still using the RCBS die. I think I have realized I did a stupid mistake. With 0 crimp it would not recess in the gauge. Then I put the die down a little more. Put a crimp on it to remove the flaring. But I didn’t seat the bullet first. So I continued to ruin a few cartridges. To tired to continue tonight. Will try again tomorrow.

It happens, we've all been there. One of those cheap plastic inertial bullet pullers is a good investment. They're a lot stronger than they look...I have broken one, but it took some serious doing. The collet puller does are definitely nicer, but they're cartridge specific and a lot more expensive. You may get one of those eventually, but you'll probably want one of these, too, just for its versatility.

https://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Ar...reloading+bullet+puller&qid=1709812556&sr=8-3

What I usually do when setting up dies for a new cartridge is run some through without powder or primers first. This is where having the Hornady LNL bushings, or interchangeable turrets like the "Lee Classic Turret" press comes in really handy, because you can set up your entire process and not have to reset the dies in between stages. This way I can set the expander to just wide enough to accommodate my particular bullet (over-expanding is hard on your brass and if you go crazy with it can even interfere with your bullet seater die), set my bullet-seater depth and crimp, without wasting any powder or primers.

Here's the LNL bushings conversion kit for a single-stage...you have to unscrew the factory threaded insert from your press and replace it with the one that comes in this kit, and then the dies go into the bushing so you can twist/lock them into the press. It not only makes them quicker to change, but your threaded-in depth stays the same so you don't have to adjust them every time you swap dies between stages or different calibers. The only downside is you have to buy a bushing for each die:

https://www.amazon.com/Hornady-0440935-Lock-N-Load-Bushings-Pack/dp/B000PD5VM4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_maf_1?crid=1AFC2TS6HW9CR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.P2TiJd1NXoKGRdYj45exn-bXztTbwnc-0QUxVBIBdHscAkDDCRpb4hHWcNgxpWUHQCns0AO2wY0ZP1rsyT4JNDiv30z1wPKq53Dnd6AgWqaA7PGa6oH6fL2rAZZMN28JelCGC5FJVhOjnT59e3NcUGWUEVLDikhwS17-FdEZPEG7pDWdHyBaanHpEDXy-CHROkjFWSo_XQpUNLr2G-SO9Q.DcA8IwixheUEaXhw8paXGT9HOqPRum4Zt0xckAQ-RaA&dib_tag=se&keywords=hornady+lnl+bushings&qid=1709812834&sprefix=hornady+LNL,aps,134&sr=8-1

And here's a video showing the setup and operation of the LNL bushings and dies in a Rock Chucker: