Loading my own 9mm

[Ron 456]

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.

 

[RobzGuns]

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.

 

[Mushki]

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.

 

[Ron 456]

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

 

[M29since14]

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.

 

[Ron 456]

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.

 

[M29since14]

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.

 

[Ron 456]

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.

 

[Mushki]

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.

 

[Mushki]

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.

 

[Seanhagerty]

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.

 

[Bkreutz]

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.

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

 

[Ron 456]

Awesome link. Thanks

 

[rwsmith]

JHPs are expensive...

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.

 

[Ranger17]

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!

 

[CaptRon956]

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

 

[DeathF.above]

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

 

[Hillbilly77]

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.

 

[AGoyette]

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

 

[ChiefStealth]

(snip) 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?

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.