9mm Reloading...

[stand125]

I love my Harbor Freight tumbler and it was well worth the $50.00 bucks. I went 6 months when I first started without a tumbler. I would swish the brass in a bucket with dishwashing soap and let it soak for a few hours. I then rinsed it really well and let it dry over night or as much as a few days in the winter. I even sometimes would fill a canister with Crushed wall nut shells and shake away over a few days off and on to clean the brass. I always have brass on hand so I never needed to load the brass I just got and therefore could take my time cleaning the range brass. I still wash and dry the brass before tumbling to keep my Crushed walnut shells cleaner for longer.

I wish that I could have bought all the stuff that I have now from day one, but I was not convinced that I would reload much and therefore could not justify spending a bunch of money to speed up a very simple process. So you DON'T need anything but a press, dies, scale ( unless you use LEE dippers with the recommended powder ) and calipers to measure over all lenth, but everything else speeds up the process and makes the finished product look shinier. How many cowboys had shiney brass and a 4 stage turret press to load their revolvers. If you aquire stuff slow you can save a lot by purchasing stuff used as it shows up on Craigslist or the for sale section here.

[bumpo628]

I'm trying to get a handle on reloading, and from a cost standpoint, is there any money to be saved reloading 9mm ammo. Or do I really need to step up caliber .40, 45, 5.56 to see any savings? I know its not always about saving money, but if I can make more ammo for the same cost im all game. I pay about $20 / 100 115gr Federal ammo... and I do collect my brass. Since I wont be buying powers and primers in bulk starting and in the learning process, can someone give me an idea of it might cost?

You can still save some money without buying in bulk.
1 lb powder $20 (W231 @4.9grn is enough for about 1400 rounds) = $0.014 ea
1000 primers $30 = $0.03 ea
1000 FMJ bullets $76 = $0.076 ea (http://precisiondelta.com/detail.php?sku=B-9-115-FMJ)
Total cost per round = $0.12 ea

http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp

That's $12 per 100; which is a savings of $8 from what you are paying now.
You can do better if you buy in bulk and/or use lead bullets.

Besides the savings, I like to make all my own ammo so that I am not at the mercy of random legislation or the shelf stock at the local store. So, I would recommend that you get the tooling needed to reload anything you shoot. Then you can decide if you want to continue buying factory ammo. If you do, at least you're getting some more brass. If laws change or Walmart is out of stock, then whip up some of your own.

[bohoki]

people who reload 223 and 9mm on a single stage are crazy.

i reload on a single stage

i also cast for 9mm with a 2 cavity

i'm not crazy i'm just
cheap

[Clownpuncher]

Besides for the Lee press... is there anything else i really need?

I see some tumble brass to get it new looking again. I will be dealing almost only with used range brass that I collect from my retail ammo. XM193 5.56 Brass and Federal 115g 9mm Brass....

About about brass prep stuff. Im sure I got a few shells that have been stepped on at the range, so do you just toss them or try to fix em?

I got the Lee Anniversary kit. I got a bunch of other stuff but use it mostly for other calibers (things like trimmers, etc). The only thing I would add in addition to the kit is a pair of calipers to measure OAL (frankford arsenal digital is about $15), the Lee carbide 4 die set ($35) and some extra breech lock bushings ($6 pair)so you can leave them on your dies and never have to adjust again. I'd get a tumbler as well, I have the frankford arsenal kit, it's the tumbler and a sifter for $70. A buddy of mine has a harbor freight one, its nice too. If you go that way, get a sifter, you can use a cat litter scooper if you are real cheap.

You don't need it because the kit comes with a balance beam scale but the frankford arsenal digital scale is nice and a bit quicker ($25). Some have a hard time trying to read the Lee scale, I don't, I use it to check each other.

I take my brass/range pickup brass, come home, tumble it in corncob for 3 or 4 hours, pull it out and inspect it for cracked necks, splits, etc then bag it up.
When I get around to it, I'll size and deprime a batch and throw it in a separate bag. Then when I feel like it, I'll flair and prime from the sized/deprimed bag. And, when I feel like finishing, I drop powder, seat, and factory crimp from the primed bag.

I have several bags of 9 mm in various stages listed above. If I'm going to go shoot 50 or 100, I try to load 50 more than I plan on shooting prior to going. That way I can stockpile a bit and have some available for unexpected range trips.

It seems like a ton of work but if you break it up, it isn't bad. Plus, there is a certain sense of satisfaction from shooting ammo you made.

[J-cat]

people who reload 223 and 9mm on a single stage are crazy.

People who load on a progressive are lazy.

[stand125]

People who load on a progressive are lazy.

I guess the Turret press makes me just right

[damndave]

people who reload 223 and 9mm on a single stage are crazy.

People who load on a progressive are lazy.

So what category do I fall into if I load on both?

[mjmagee67]

I load 9mm on a single stage (load everything on a single)--yea I know it's sloooow and may not be saving me much money, but I enjoy it--it's relaxing and I can load "cat sneezes" for the wife. She likes the low recoil. But anyway I do save a little so it's all good in the end.

[stand125]

So what category do I fall into if I load on both?

A confused little man which has no direction in life. We can start a club and I oblige the president position to you.

[Lead Waster]

If you ALREADY have a press, then the fixed cost is just dies (and conversion kits for a progressive) then it's just assembling components.

Also, its green! Recycling brass is important!

[bohoki]

i haven't bought a progressive yet because i keep lying to myself saying that i can quit any time i want