I've got the fever and determined that the limiting factor to my fun was how many rounds I could afford. I bought a Dillon 550 and started making my own. I've made about 500 rounds and I've got the basics down but would love to hear any tips or secret recipes. I'm loading hornaday xtp's 115gn with 3.7 gn of tite group. Not a hot load but very accurate. I'll go to RN and play with different weights before I buy any bulk. Fire away with the info, I will soak it up and filter through and put some to use. Thank you.

Congrats on making the move to reloading your own.
You might get a much better response if you post this in the Reloading Sub-Forum.

I find that lead and coated bullets are your cheapest options. I also believe that any bullet cAn be accurate with the right oal and powder combo.

This may cause some debate but a Lee factory crimp die is a godsend for 147 grain bullets in 9mm.

Thanks, still new to the forum. Just finding my way around.

Since you are just getting started it might be wise to consider a powder that fills the case so a double charge would not be possible. I have been loading for a long time and even so I still prefer that approach whenever possible. I like HS6 in the 9mm, but there are others that work as well. Good luck with your new hobby.

I was limited to what I could buy in regards to powder( not easy to find pistol powder right now ). I did have several people recommend tite group. I like getting more rounds out of pound of powder. With that Said I pay close attention to avoid a double charge. With the 550 being a progressive I would have to forget to load a new case and place a bullet, I also slightly bell the case so if it is belled it has powder. This is my greatest fear in loading. Thank you.

Ron, when you have done it for a long time you will have "discovered" many ways to cause a disaster and hopefully have headed them off before they became a reality. Forgetting to index the machine is not the only way. Anything you can do that helps you avert a tragedy is worth a few less rounds per pound. JMHO.

For sure! I would have never have asked the questions if I didn't value the advice of those who are farther down this road than myself. I would rather not learn the hard way.

550 tip:
If you do anything other than a full stroke up and down, pause and verify everything is exactly as it should be before moving on with the process.

This will save you a headache someday.

550 tip:
If you do anything other than a full stroke up and down, pause and verify everything is exactly as it should be before moving on with the process.

This will save you a headache someday.

If I pause, I always pause with the shellholder at the top of the stroke. It makes me look at it all when it comes down to see where i am at.

Cast bullets are the way to go if you are going to shoot bulk at all.

Mount some LED lights in your press and verify the powder charge visually rather than rely on some other method. (like the belled case, it may work most of the time, but not always. Regarding bullets, I use plated. 115gr RN when I'm loading 9 Major, 124gr RN when I'm loading 9 Minor. I used to use Winchester 231 for everything, but with the shortage I was forced to look elsewhere. I ended up using CFE pistol or Autocomp which I like better than 231. No real secret recipes, just use published data (both print and internet) and adjust them to your preference. A tenth of a grain of powder can make a big difference in accuracy and feel. Good luck.

PS, here's a link to a company that sells the LED lights Dillon | Inline Fabrication

Awesome link. Thanks

For funsies I shoot cast lead, but it's smoky. I was thinking of trying plated bullets but I decided to bypass them altogether and went with coated bullets instead. I'm VERY pleased.

I prefer semi wadcutters in lead to RN. With SWC you have a nose, but it still cuts a nice hole in the target. You have to try it though. Everything doesn't work in every gun. Except my third gen S&W, that is. It eats anything I feed it.

PS With 9mm you need to figure what C.O.A.L. to use with different bullets but don't obsess over it. A few thousandths either way isn't going to make or break if you aren't using max loads. If doubtful, err on the side of the cartridge being a little longer. If I don't have data provided, I use the data for a bullet of similar form, weight, diameter and material and from there estimate as best you can. Seating a bullet too deep with a max load can cause extreme pressure spikes. Some pistols are picky about C.O.A.L. affecting feeding reliability.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

As much as I enjoy shooting my 9c and can easily run thru 150-200 rounds with it each range visit without even thinking about it; been tossing around the idea of someday reloading my own. So just curious, is there some general rule of thumb for how many rounds it can take to "break even" for any equipment investments before one starts to see the savings of reloaded ammo? I'd be quite happy if my 9mm cost the same as what i pay for my .22, not double or triple lol.

thx!

I was thinking the same thing. I was going to go ahead & start ordering from Freedom Munitions & take "advantage" of their brass credit program however after doing the math, ie adding in the cost of shipping the brass to them, getting credit for the brass, paying for shipping the ammo to me is no different than me waltzing into my local academy store & buying a box of 9m for 13 bux... I'm not getting ahead other than buying decent ammo. Freedom does have decent ammo. But like you, I can easily go thru 200 rounds in a hr at the range.

well after some thought and playing with the math I said screw it, and went over to my Bass pro shop & bought this to start with...

Lee Breech Lock Challenger Kit | Bass Pro Shops

You don't save money reloading...you just get to send more rounds down range.

I am using the same powder & bullet.
The only problem I see is your charge weight.

Per Hodgdon's website, the starting charge for that bullet using Titegroup is 4.5 grains, with a max of 4.8 grains.
On the can it does say to reduce max charge by 10% to start, which puts you at 4.3 grains.
You're loading more than half a grain under that. I don't know if it will hurt anything loading that far under specs, but just be careful.

I load mine near min. charge - I loaded a few near max, and my Shield plain didn't like them.

We too have a 550. We did the math and figured that reloaded ammo is about 1/2 the cost of store bought ammo.

Break even? Reloading stuff is like other tools. You buy 'em to improve what it is you're doing. You don't buy 'em to save money. When you buy a nice table saw, you don't wonder when you will break even. Still, with reloading stuff, you do make ammo for roughly half of what store bought will cost. So, if I had to put a number on it, I would say in the neighborhood of 3000-4000 rounds.

There are many cost calculators that you can use that will allow you to input the number of rounds to be reloaded, the cost of the components, and then calculate the cost of loading.

I use one on my smart phone called, "Reloading Cost Calculator". If I remember correctly, it was a free application. I can input the number of rounds, the cost of each, the lbs & cost of my powder, cost of primers, how many grains I load per round, etc. It calculates my cost for loading 1, 50, 100, etc. rounds.

I reload a number of calibers, but mainly .38 spl. I just ran the numbers for a typical load. My cost per 50 rounds is $11.22 (using a Hornady HP bullet type which are generally expensive).

I was at a major sports retailer yesterday and comparable boxes of 50 rounds were running $22.00 and up (yes there are less expensive ones, but not with the HP bullet type that I typically use, so I'm just trying to make a similar comparison - using a less costly bullet type will drive the cost down).

So, I generally find that I reload for half the cost of a manufactured box of 50.

You should be able to make the same calculation and determine how long before you break even, and start to save.

The calculators also show a pie chart that breaks down the cost of each component. It's no suprise that bullets are the major cost. I've been thinking about casting my own bullets, but haven't made the decision, yet.

Also, I use a single press, with a LEE Dipper. I load one bullet at a time, one dip at a time, and this reduces the chance of making a powder load mistake... I did seat a bullet too low and it sounded like a canon when it went off... I'm very careful about that now.

Hope this helps.

I agree.
I don't have any concern about the "break even" point.
I honestly don't care if I'm under water on the cost of my tooling and supplies for as long as I shoot.

My biggest draw to reloading was accuracy and consistency.
I like being in control of the loading process so I can achieve the consistency that I'm looking for.

Thanks for all the input on my slightly sidetracked question as it is all helpful

I applaud the OP's choice in getting a Dillon press. Their customer service is fantastic. I've had mine for nearly 30yrs and they still provide great trouble shooting advice and free replacement parts (w/free shipping).

I load 4.2 grains of TG with 115 gr RN copper plated stuff.

I have not had any sort of issue with any of my guns. I find that the OAL measurement is the most important thing for me. If I vary much, I find that the rounds won't load smoothly.

TG is snappy. Just be sure, as a new loader with an automated press, that you come up with a fool proof method of avoiding double charges. You won't like what happens if you overcharge with TG. You may not get a chance to do it twice.

your shooting 115 grns, look at long shot if my memory is right the start load is 5 gr and the max load is 6gr. set you auto measure to 5.5 grns right in the middle. that way if you off buy a little either light or heavy you are still in the SAFE zone. This also fills the case where a double charge is impossible with a quick visual. if its accurate this is what I look for in all my loads, no double charge possible, and a wide range of start and max loads so I can set my auto measure right smack in the middle so if I am off in by a little things are still safe. I hope that's clearer than mud. Also this is for pistol loads and when it comes to rifle loads that's a different animal.

I did the math with some .45 ACP loads I've been loading for a while. Hornady 230gr FMJ-RN, 5.5gr VV N320

Per 1000 rounds, I save $487 and change at today's prices on 230gr FMJ target ammunition. This particular load is pretty economical when I buy the bullets in bulk.

I'm still loading with a single stage press so this sort of cost savings has me thinking very hard about a nice new Dillon 550

Buy the 550. You will be asking yourself why you waited.

I waited until they were just about the change from 450 to 550 (didn't know that, of course) and was so happy with the 450 I didn't mind that so much. Later I sold the 450 and bought a 550. Both presses - and Dillon's CS - have always been top notch.

I bought me 550 when it was getting impossible to buy bullets a couple years ago. Just like having more control and options in my life. It has been an excellent choice. Even more so now that a variety of powders has become available again. you won't regret picking one up.

Been reloading since the early 90s, it's not rocket science. Love my 550.

I load 124 plated fps from extreme, buy in bulk, load bullseye because of the rounds per pound and load 1000 rounds of 9mm for about $120 having already accumulated plenty of brass.

I concur with some of the others, light your press up so you can clearly see the powder level in the case, a double charge is visually obvious even with tite group and bullseye IF you look at every charge.

I've double charged both on purpose and you can't miss it if you look.

Make a process and stick to it. For example, when my buddy and I started loading we used a press that we kept at his garage. We would send each other messages from time to time if we weren't there together. Like, "I put a couple thousand casings in the 'ready to be loaded' bucket". We had a process for checking for the occasional 380 shell that would slip through. Since the process was always followed, either of us had confidence in using that brass.

Anyway, stick to your process.

I have used all of the powders listed and they are all good. I settled on P B, it is fairly clean for an old powder. Meters well, and 4.5 grains for a medium load or 5.2 for a hot load can be seen easily when you are loading, a double load will spill over. I NEVER use Bullseye, neither would Colonel Cooper, it is too easy to double load.

If you need a recipe for cheap 9mm with Titegroup, let me know. I load 147 Bear Creek moly coated bullets over TG for my competition shooting.

If you want safe rounds, pay attention to what your doing, you wouldn't run a chainsaw with blinders on would you?.

__________________
John

Cost calculator: Handloading Cost Calculator

Negative _ it's's easy to double tite group and not know if you don't see it
Other slower powders would either fill or overflow. Just be careful with it
Positive _ it lasts longer more miles to the gallon

I saw on here or another forum where someone had purchased a sewing machine LED light that sticks to metal with a magnet. I would love to give them credit but can not find the post. Anyway I purchased one on Ebay and it is great for putting light on the press or anywhere else as well. I may end up with several before I am done.

Consew 20 LED 110V Sewing Machine 7" Gooseneck Lamp Light Magnetic Base Plug | eBay