So you want to reload but you don’t know where to begin (??)

[oldad]

what are some good reloaders

 

[nmcqueen469]

what are some good reloaders

I'd suggest you go to page 1, post #1 and begin there.

 

[DAB-CC]

Case Inspection

Sorry all -

I read through the 15 pages and managed to not find the answer. Not saying it isn't out there just saying I didn't see it. Setup my Dillon RL550B this past week. I've been collected brass over the years so my first step was to sort/clean/inspect the brass. This is where my questions come in.

1. Should check each case for diameter and length before starting into the press?

2. Is there any need to do a spot check on the overall length after the sizing die during the process?

Thanks.

 

[huntsville]

I'm not an authority on this but from my understanding measure the case length but the diameter should be reshaped by the sizing die. Also a case gauge is recommended by my mentor. (I'd love to hear what more experienced reloaders say here)

 

[DAB-CC]

Thanks Huntsville. I'll start there and keep a close eye on the reloads as they come off the press.

 

[Marine1]

Thanks for the post lots of insight

 

[Trent]

Thank you for this thread. This will help a lot to get me started in reloading.

 

[hinch]

Thanks for this great post. I am interested in reloading but really had no idea where to start. This helps alot

 

[twfshelton]

how do you know when brass has reached its life expectancy? Or do you have to keep track how many times you have loaded a piece of brass? Which sounds impossible, so that can't be the way.

 

[DAB-CC]

I've had the same question about the life expectancy of brass being new to reloading myself. Specifically in regard to 45 ACP, 40 S&W, 9 mm Luger the answers have varied from reloader to reloader. Short answers are between 5 times to no end to the life using low loads.
I have considered, and talked about, case length and case quality with a handful of reloaders to get to those two different short answers.
Theory 1: Case length is an indication of life.
I've been told that case trimming is not required if we stay away from competition shooting. To me this implies that there is some level of accuracy that is being sacrificed when not trimming the case lengths. I wanted to see where my brass, that I’ve collected over the past 5 years, was compared to the case length specifications. Starting with 45 ACP as my first test subject I looked up the specifications in the Speers Manual #14 page 967. Max length 0.898”, Trim-to length 0.888” total variation 0.010”. My empty cases came in between 0.885” and 0.893” from the 20 I measured out of 1000 + empty cases. Things I noticed during the reloading process with Dillion RL550B.
• My variation in case length was larger than the range recommended in the Speers manual before I started on the press.
• I took the same brass measured above and measured the case length after stage 1, sizing / de-priming / priming die, and measured a case length growth between 0.003” and 0.006”
• Case length is a factor in projectile grip length (station 3).
• Case length is used in station 2 to size the bullet seat flare and in station 4 to set the crimp after the bullet is seated to length.
The people I have talked to have reloaded 10,000 + rounds of each size that I am concerned with and have never trimmed the case length. Without an issue related to case length they have shot the same amount of reloaded rounds through various makes and models of guns.
Theory 2: Inspection of brass nicks, dings, ect. Deformations to case and mouth tend to be more dramatic depending on the life of the brass.
Again being new to reloading I started out very cautious when inspecting my cases. I’ve found spinning the mouth of the case between two fingers on the left hand while inspecting the outer cylinder is a good way to catch both mouth deformations and case dings. For the mouth I’ll accept some slight non-circularities, I’ve worked with my die to determine what it can handle and what it cannot. Dings on the cylinder I’ve been told are fine with the 45 ACP, 40 S&W and 9 mm because the pressures are low. This information was provided to me assuming that I wasn’t trying to produce hot loads. I’m starting off with a light load but I still toss the brass aside for the following reasons:
• if the dings in the cylinder are below where the bullet would seat
• if I can see a crimp ring on the case
• If a ding exceeds a depth where the case is notched not just bent
Conclusions:
Based on my findings I will be trimming all my brass. Only knowing my press, Dillion RL550B, I can’t say it will help everyone. The 550B consistency of case flare, grip of the projectile, and crimp station will all improve with consistent case length. Crap in = Crap out. The press isn’t changing just the things coming into the press. $90 later I have an electric case trimmer with gauges for a three calibers.
At this point I haven’t discovered any wall thickness requirements for cases. It stands to reason that if the case length is growing and people are trimming all the while the diameter is the same that the walls must be getting thinner. As time progresses and more measurements are made it will be interesting to see when case cracks, dings, etc. become more prevalent relative to wall thickness. Quick glance puts the 45 ACP between 0.009” and 0.011” for both the good and bad brass based on heavier distortions around the mouth of the case that I set aside. FMJ that I’ve used so far are measuring 0.450” with the finished product at 0.471” to 0.472” telling me that the case thickness average is 0.0105” to 0.011”. Since there isn’t any thinning of the case, by my measurements, after the case is sized I made plans to keep track of diameter with bullet inserted for a while to track case thickness. If I find a correlation between brass severity of notches, case distortion, or case length growth with number of times reloaded I’ll make sure to post the results.
All this being said my plan is to keep track of the # of times I reload each case by only picking up the brass I know is mine. Only good way to do this is to leave some brass behind when in doubt. Of course if the opportunity arises to pick up more brass then it too will get picked up and put in a different bucket. One designated for a closer inspection of length and diameter with the assumption that they’ve been reloaded once already.

 

[oldad]

are .223 hard to reload i heard they were a pain but i am guessing not as much of a pain as a dollar a round any thoughts

 

[SIGnature45]

for YOU, Linkpimp, I have been reloading, for 30+ years, and I have never, seen anything like this... GREAT...

Agreed! Thank you.

 

[LuckyOne]

Funny Story

So I call in an order of 750 9mm bullets I found online for a steal. The clerk asks if I need anything else and I mention 223 ammo. His is expensive brass and I say no thanks as I am not reloading. He says "you will". My bullets were delivered today and I had to laugh. His words "you will" echoed in my head as I was expecting ready to shoot ammo and received bullets for reloading. lol

 

[RdKing]

I'm just "getting to the party" here on INGUNOWNERS and quickly found this thread.

Myself along with 3 friends are looking to begin our reloading adventure for various calibers. This is very good information to have....thank you for sharing.

This may have been posted earlier, but from what I've already learned from a couple experienced reloaders; Dillon customer service / support can't be beat.

Looking forward to getting started soon....thanks again for the information

 

[Punkinhead]

are .223 hard to reload i heard they were a pain but i am guessing not as much of a pain as a dollar a round any thoughts

Not hard at all. .223 is where I started. I bought a "kit" from Kempf that came with the Lee Classic Turret, safety primer, powder measure, the 3 die set and a few other accessories. I know getting started is overwhelming and you can't really go wrong ordering the kit from Kempf. You'll probably change out some components after you've gotten your feet wet, but you'll be able to start making ammo right out of the gate.

 

[bsnyder413]

I want to start loading so bad. Problem is once I can afford all the equipment I just buy another gun!

 

[87gsxr711]

Thanks for the great info. My buddy and I are looking at the kit from Kempfs for 9mm. I have reloaded shoot gun before but not center fire pistol Shouldn't be too awfully different I hope.

 

[VoteRedTeam]

Once you have the initial investment of equipment and tools. What type of actual cost per round could you expect with reloading, assuming you were doing 9mm only?

 

[DAB-CC]

Loading cost

Just ran through my cost numbers
Lead bullets from Standard Bullet Company 9mm 115 GR RN - $0.058
primers between $30 and $35 / 1000 = $0.035
powder $125 / 8 lbs = $0.0128
Case free


$0.1058 / 9mm round

Another way to look at it:
bullets purchased as bulk 500 and 1000 $58 / 1000
primers $35 / 1000
Powder 1lb = $17 - 1200 - 1400 rounds

$110 / 1000 9 mm rounds.

 

[warthog]

I never used a flip tray, I guess I never had the need. They are cheap so maybe I will get one someday to try out. I generally prime everything with my Ergo Prime which has an easy flip surface on it already. When I do use the press to prime I just use a little dish and pick them up one at a time. After more than 30 years using a non indexing Lee Turret press I guess I have turned into a bit of a reloading luddite. I am still able to load 300 rounds an hour which is more than enough for me and my shooting.

primers are more like $50/1000 around me if you can get a whole brick. They usually limit you to a few hundred per day.

I figure with reloading and casting I have saved more than enough to buy several guns over the years. Trouble today is with the panic gathering the gear is had to do. Primers are like gold, if I could find a few bricks of those or maybe get a few flats of both large and small pistol primers I'd be pretty happy for a while. I have powder a plenty for the moment and cases can be had at ranges and I have a lot on backorder at Starline yet to be delivered. Bullets are piled up ready to load too but as I work though my primers without being able to replace them it worries me. I think we need a group buy on primers for sure.