first time reloading was a success!

[Captiontom]

About a month ago I bought a lee loadmaster off of a cal gunner and finally got the dies and bullets to start reloading 9mm. Before everyone starts advising against a progressive press for a beginner I had my friend who reloads help me out.

I was reloading 115 grain extreme plated bullets with 3.2 to 3.5 grains imr 700x. The grains weren't exact because my friends rcbs uniflow powder measure didn't meeter 700x that well. For the first 50 rounds I deprimed and primed the brass in a separate step from flaring, adding powder, seating the bullet and crimping. We weighed the powder for each bullet before adding it to make sure we didn't get a double charge. My lee loading book didn't have load data for 115 grain plated rounds so I used the 115 grain cast bullet load data.

The bullets shot great. My friend had two failure to loads while shooting but I didn't experience any problems. I think he just had a limp wrist while shooting because all of the loads shot fine for me. While reloading I knocked the powder measure over and spilt close to a pound of powder. My friend said it's not really worth the risk of using contaminated powder to save a few dollars so we disposed of it by throwing a match to it outside.

This all happened on sunday. On monday I used my lee auto disk powder measure. It consistently metered 700x within a tenth of a grain. I loaded 50 with 3.2 to 3.3 grains and 50 with 3.5 to 3.6 grains. Today I shot both of these loads to see which I like the most. I'm going to be sticking with the lighter load because it grouped a little better and had less recoil but still cycled my gun.

When I use up my 115 grain bullets I have 124 and 147 grain bullets to try out and see what I like the most.


I wasn't cranking bullets out all that fast, but had fun doing it. My indexing rod wore out and I was missing a brass clamp that goes to the powder measure for my press. I called lee yesterday and they are shipping me the plastic flipper and brass clamp for free. I'm looking forward to using it as a progressive press when those parts come in

[Enfield47]

Congrats, having your first reloads go bang and function properly in your gun is a great feeling. I have a Lee classic cast turret press with the pro auto disk and was playing around with 700x for my .45 ACP the other day and my drops were varying up to .3 off so just be careful with that powder. It's good stuff, but since it doesn't meter well you'll want to double check your loads, at least for a while anyway.

[Captiontom]

Congrats, having your first reloads go bang and function properly in your gun is a great feeling. I have a Lee classic cast turret press with the pro auto disk and was playing around with 700x for my .45 ACP the other day and my drops were varying up to .3 off so just be careful with that powder. It's good stuff, but since it doesn't meter well you'll want to double check your loads, at least for a while anyway.

I'm well within the safe range loading at 3.3 grains. I was checking the powder level while seating bullets and found two out of 100 that had light charge of about 2.1 grains of powder. I'm not sure what caused this issue but will be watching closely to fin and fix the problem.

The first 50 I weighed each charge before adding it. The next 100 I just visually checked the charge and weighed the charge occasionally to double check. It was pretty consistent for me.

[stilly]

About a month ago I bought a lee loadmaster off of a cal gunner and finally got the dies and bullets to start reloading 9mm. Before everyone starts advising against a progressive press for a beginner I had my friend who reloads help me out.

I was reloading 115 grain extreme plated bullets with 3.2 to 3.5 grains imr 700x. The grains weren't exact because my friends rcbs uniflow powder measure didn't meeter 700x that well. For the first 50 rounds I deprimed and primed the brass in a separate step from flaring, adding powder, seating the bullet and crimping. We weighed the powder for each bullet before adding it to make sure we didn't get a double charge. My lee loading book didn't have load data for 115 grain plated rounds so I used the 115 grain cast bullet load data.

The bullets shot great. My friend had two failure to loads while shooting but I didn't experience any problems. I think he just had a limp wrist while shooting because all of the loads shot fine for me. While reloading I knocked the powder measure over and spilt close to a pound of powder. My friend said it's not really worth the risk of using contaminated powder to save a few dollars so we disposed of it by throwing a match to it outside.

This all happened on sunday. On monday I used my lee auto disk powder measure. It consistently metered 700x within a tenth of a grain. I loaded 50 with 3.2 to 3.3 grains and 50 with 3.5 to 3.6 grains. Today I shot both of these loads to see which I like the most. I'm going to be sticking with the lighter load because it grouped a little better and had less recoil but still cycled my gun.

When I use up my 115 grain bullets I have 124 and 147 grain bullets to try out and see what I like the most.


I wasn't cranking bullets out all that fast, but had fun doing it. My indexing rod wore out and I was missing a brass clamp that goes to the powder measure for my press. I called lee yesterday and they are shipping me the plastic flipper and brass clamp for free. I'm looking forward to using it as a progressive press when those parts come in

Good for you. Face adversity and plug on with an adaptable solution for the win that locks you in for life...

Sorry, I just finished watching Ender's Game.

All I can tell you is be careful with 700-X and 800-X. They are brothers and they behave similar. I would be careful when you are shooting those if you do not vibe down or monitor every case before seating.

[Pauliedad]

Congrats!!!
Always good to hear of additions to the converted.
What are you shooting these out of?
Thanks for the report.

[RR.44]

Hey right on, welcome to the new sickness that will take over your life, and may you always find the components you seek.

Rich

[Pauliedad]

There's a thread somewhere from a while back about "you know you're addicted to reloading when....."
My biggest problem was buying guns in different calibers cuz I would find a bunch of brass at the range.

[Fishslayer]

Assimilation successful.

NEXT!

[blockfort]

Glad you're reloading.

A couple of things:

1. You probably don't need to crimp 9mm, unless you're over-flaring it. Flare just enough to be able to place the bullets on top without them flopping over. After seating, check to see if the rounds chamber completely and fall back out on their own.

2. Calibrate your powder measure by throwing 10 charges. Weigh that and divide by 10. You can fine tune the measure much better that way. You should be able to get more consistent than +/- 0.3 gr.

3. Randomly weigh charges as you go, maybe 1 in 20 just as a sanity check.

4. Throw a double charge so you know what it looks like, try to pick an angle of view so the proper charge lines up with something, even a mark on your desk or on the press. It will be easier to spot a double or under charge this way.

How many bullets per hour can you load, starting from clean brass with used primers?

[Captiontom]

There's a thread somewhere from a while back about "you know you're addicted to reloading when....."
My biggest problem was buying guns in different calibers cuz I would find a bunch of brass at the range.

I shoot on my property so I won't be having that problem

Glad you're reloading.

A couple of things:

1. You probably don't need to crimp 9mm, unless you're over-flaring it. Flare just enough to be able to place the bullets on top without them flopping over. After seating, check to see if the rounds chamber completely and fall back out on their own.

2. Calibrate your powder measure by throwing 10 charges. Weigh that and divide by 10. You can fine tune the measure much better that way. You should be able to get more consistent than +/- 0.3 gr.

3. Randomly weigh charges as you go, maybe 1 in 20 just as a sanity check.

4. Throw a double charge so you know what it looks like, try to pick an angle of view so the proper charge lines up with something, even a mark on your desk or on the press. It will be easier to spot a double or under charge this way.

How many bullets per hour can you load, starting from clean brass with used primers?

With my powder measure I'm getting +/- .1 grains. My friends unified wasn't that accurate but my lee powder measure likes this powder more. I can't fine tune it, each adjustment is about a third of a grain. I've been weighing the charge every now and then to make sure everything is still set. A double charge spills over. I'm using a light crimp, but I'll try it without one.

[blockfort]

I'm using a light crimp, but I'll try it without one.

cool. Maybe it'll save you a step. I have to crimp my 45's, and I can't use the seating and crimp die all at once, I have to do two separate operations and it's a slight pain, but I'll live.

[Captiontom]

cool. Maybe it'll save you a step. I have to crimp my 45's, and I can't use the seating and crimp die all at once, I have to do two separate operations and it's a slight pain, but I'll live.

The loadmaster is a five station press and the bullets have to go through that station anyways. I might as well have a doe there.

My indexing rod wore out and my case feeder is for large brass, not 9mm. I wasn't paying atention to how fast I can reload. When the parts I need come in and I get the small case feeder I will probably be able to pump out rounds quite a bit faster.

[stand125]

Glad you're reloading.

You probably don't need to crimp 9mm, unless you're over-flaring it. Flare just enough to be able to place the bullets on top without them flopping over. After seating, check to see if the rounds chamber completely and fall back out on their own.

I have read about not crimping 9mm and 45 in every reloading book I can find, yet if you pull any factory 9mm or 45 ACP you will find a definite crimp line around the bullet. I put a slight crimp ( barely visible line ) and it works great, but I always found it funny how the factory stuff is crimped pretty good when all the books say not to crimp.

[Enfield47]

I have read about not crimping 9mm and 45 in every reloading book I can find, yet if you pull any factory 9mm or 45 ACP you will find a definite crimp line around the bullet. I put a slight crimp ( barely visible line ) and it works great, but I always found it funny how the factory stuff is crimped pretty good when all the books say not to crimp.

I think factory ammo is different because it has to work in every gun, you are only making ammo for your gun and you can control variables they can't. If bullet setback occurs on factory ammo it's a defect, if it happens on your reloads, you can make the adjustments to your dies to properly size the cases. I have been reloading for just over a year, so I'm sure someone with more experience than me can explain it better.