reloading 9mm

[astars450]

Hello all,
I'm thinking that as time goes on I might want to start reloading my ammo.
I don't know the first thing about it but can learn, but what are the items that I'll need just to do 9mm?

[TacticalPlinker]

Start here (link below). There are also several links to other good sites in the link below...

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=108907

You need just about everything you need for pistol reloading that you need for rifles. With some exceptions, for example...

Most pistol die sets have 3 dies, where as most rifle sets will only need 2.

You usually don't need to trim straight walled pistol brass like 9mm (for example), so you can get away usually without a case trimmer.

You need pistol primers, either large or small, depending on caliber. 9mm for example is small pistol.

You also need powder meant for pistols as rifle powder does not usually work well (or at all) with pistols.

Hopefully that gives you an idea.

[gau17]

Buy ABC's of Reloading. It's a great book.

[Nirrad]

Hey there and welcome!

You will need:

Brass
Bullets
Calipers
Dies
Primers
Powder
Press
Reloading book/data

And start saving your brass now, if you haven't already.

Oh, and you'll need a wheelbarrow full of cash/credit card, a little luck mixed with patience, and persistence since everything (but the calipers and manuals) are nowhere to be found at this time.

And if you come across said components, be sure to post your find here!

[Divernhunter]

Get the Lyman #49 manual and read it. It will answer 99% of your questions.

Then wait until this panic is over and prices come down to buy.

[astars450]

thank you all for the info. I don't plan on starting this right now but I will for sure save my brass for the furture.

[rcschummers]

Get the Lyman #49 manual and read it. It will answer 99% of your questions.

Then wait until this panic is over and prices come down to buy.

+1, be patient, dont buy overpriced components from private sales. Plenty of deals still out there.

[joelogic]

If and when ammo goes back to pre SH levels, 9mm is the least advantageous to load.

You won't save much over buying reloads.

[Capybara]

I am looking at Gunbot right now, 9mm is averaging $1.65 per round. I seriously doubt if 9mm is ever going back to pre-SH prices, which was $169.00 per 1k for about the past year pre-SH.

I am paying .18 per round for reloading 9mm but I already own the brass.

If and when ammo goes back to pre SH levels, 9mm is the least advantageous to load.

You won't save much over buying reloads.

[Fishslayer]

If and when ammo goes back to pre SH levels, 9mm is the least advantageous to load.

You won't save much over buying reloads.

I keep hearing this...

1. I HAVE plenty of 9mm right now.

2. Maybe I don't want crappy range reloads from somebody else.

"Least" advantageous? Sure.

"Not worth it?" I think not.

[uhlan1]

If and when ammo goes back to pre SH levels, 9mm is the least advantageous to load.

You won't save much over buying reloads.

Brother, if it was just about the money, I wouldn't be in firearms at all.
I'm getting into reloading so I can make more accurate ammo.
And I'm also sick of being a victim to all these panics every time some self-righteous lib farts.

Sometimes I think they like to just say 'boo" to watch us scurry around.
I'm sick of scurrying around. Reloading will give me more independence.
I want freedom from these narcissistic statists more than I want savings.

I want years of components, not months.

[dwtt]

OP, I started when I was in college, about 20 years ago and bought the Lyman orange crusher kit which came with a single stage press, a powder measure, powder scale, and a set of 9mm dies. I don't know if the configuration of the kit is the same, but reloading with a single stage press is a good way to start since it lets you learn each individual stage of the reloading process and you can focus on each step. As for 9mm, I don't know what all the noise is about, I have over 1K rounds of 9mm reloads and enough powder, bullets, and primers to reload another 1500. This is one of the advantage of reloading.

[ireload]

Astars since the equipment and manual has been mentioned by others already, if your loading for practice then buying in "bulk" after you have settled on the right combo of powder, bullet, and primer is the way to go in "savings". Purchasing 5k in primers, 1k or 2k in bullets, and 8lb powder for example. 9mm brass you can still purchase decent. Sure there is the intial cost of the equipment but keeping it simple in the first place is the way to go budget wise. Do read what you can in the manuals and also watch some of the You Tube videos.

[russt]

+1 on the ABC'S of reloading. Buy it, read it cover to cover, then begin collecting what you need. Trust me, there is a reason every time a new reloaded asks what is needed to start reloading they are recommended buying that book.

[J-cat]

With the 9mm, remember that it is a 100 year old European caliber whose specs are all over the place. Chamber dimensions vary as do those of brass. When reloading, you need to sort your brass by headstamp. 9mm brass varies in weight by as much as 30% and this variance affects pressure.

When buying dies, get a Lee "U" die because conventional dies will not size the case completely down to the base. I use a Redding sizer die with a RCBS shell holder that I have trimmed to allow the die to slide down further on the case to accomplish the same thing. A "U" die is much easier.

Another die you should get is a Lee Universal Expander. It only flares, does not expand the case, and gives you the most neck tension for your buck. Not only that, it works with all calibers. One die, all calibers, $15.

Get a Redding Competition Seater. It has a micrometer that allows easy precise changes to OAL.

Guess what? If you bell your case minimally, you won't need to crimp. I don't. But if you want to crimp, get a Redding taper crimp die.

I guess this means you should not get a die set. Now people will tell you you don't need all that. Well, they wrong.