what is needed

[a1racer]

hello i know this has been asked several times before most likley. but i want to start reloading my .40 cal ammo. what is the least expensive way to start reloading with out skimping to much on supplies and equipment. i just want to do some basic reloads for my own use. can somebody give me links to what is needed as far as equipment like press and what not. i dont need links to brass or bullets just the equipment cause i dont have a local reload shop near me. thank you for you help

 

[ACP230]

Midway USA had a Lee C press on sale for $23 recently. Dies would run around $20. A pound of pistol powder about the same. Lee dies come with a powder dipper so you wouldn't even need a scale immediately.

You could get by cheaper than that with the Lee Loader that comes in a box but it would be even slower than the C press. I loaded all the .38 Specials I shot for a year with one of those kits and the ammo went bang and was accurate. The time it took to make a box of .38s started me looking for a press.

For a bit more money you could get a starter kit with a bunch of other useful stuff.

I'd go online and look at the sites for Midway, Midsouth Shooter's Supply, Wideners and any other ones you come across. Compare equipment and prices and decide what you want.

 

[a1racer]

ok i got the lee press and the 3 piece die kit for the .40 cal this is the press i bought MidwayUSA - Lee Reloader Single Stage Press Kit
ans the die kit MidwayUSA - Lee Carbide 3-Die Set 40 S&W, 10mm Auto
so what else do i really need besides powder primers and what not to load my own

 

[oldRoger]

You can do it with what you have but, (there is always a but), you need a powder scale. You need to verify that you are getting the right amount of powder and are consistent.
The press and dies are fine.
You need a reloading book and maybe a DVD or you need to talk to someone who can watch you as you proceed.
You need to clean your brass and can do a good enough job washing it. I put mine in the washing machine, might be noisy with a front loader.

Equipment you should have:
-Powder Scale
-Hand Primer
-Powder Measure (I like Lyman better than Lee for a measure.)
Lee Factory Crimp Die If you look on the site you will see several discussions about the factory crimp die, not expensive and a real improvement for autoloader ammunition.

Some members can help with brands, for start-up though Lee equip. is a real value.

 

[a1racer]

the die came with a good book for loading your own ammo called modern reloading with Richard lee the 2 book i guess i saw a lot of comments saying that people where buying the set just for the book. i will find a scale local and do i really need the Lee Factory Crimp Die or can it be bought latter. but other then that i just need the bullets brass and powder with primers right and can i reload the stuff i am shooting like federal and American egal or should i buy new brass to start with and can i shoot lead through the m&p .40 or is it better to stick with fmj

 

[a1racer]

oh and do i use the scale to set the powder the die is putting out or do i need to measure each round. sorry for the questions but i have never loaded my own ammo before.

 

[oldRoger]

Read the book. Then Read it again!
You can reload any brass you have that is in good condition (no bulges, splits, etc).
When you decide on powder & bullets to load, post your decision here so people can give you advise.
A good basic load would be a 150 grain lead bullet with 6.5 grains of Accurate Arms #5. Post what you plan to do here before buying powder.
You need small pistol primers, start looking for them now.
The only way you have to measure powder is with a dipper. This isn’t good enough in my opinion. I would think that very few people here use a dipper for their handloads. It can be done, I have done it, but do not recommend it.
In any case you need to have a scale specifically made for weighing powder, the powder you will use weighs a very small amount, like dust on a scale.
At first you need to check every powder charge. If you find that using your dipper you can come very close, then weigh every other charge.

The Lee factory crimp die will just help keep you out of trouble. You can pull the barrel out of your pistol and use it to check that your loads fit but it’s a PITA.

 

[a1racer]

OK i bought a Manuel scale today. and i am in the process of getting 1000 once fired brass and some bullets. the primers i am trying to get from gun broker. but they are not cheap. and i bought a powder tickler to help with the powder measuring. i am looking to shoot a 165 grain bullet fmj for plinking it does not need to be super accurate or match grade. i will get into that later on after i learn how to do some loading. any more info would be helpful. thank you

 

[fredj338]

OK i bought a Manuel scale today. and i am in the process of getting 1000 once fired brass and some bullets. the primers i am trying to get from gun broker. but they are not cheap. and i bought a powder tickler to help with the powder measuring. i am looking to shoot a 165 grain bullet fmj for plinking it does not need to be super accurate or match grade. i will get into that later on after i learn how to do some loading. any more info would be helpful. thank you

You are going to get raped for primers from GB. Try to buy some locally, it will be cheaper. You have a bunch of reading to do before you start putting powder & bullet together. The Lee reloading manual is very marginal IMO. You should cross ref. any load in that w/ another manual or at least the powder manuf. web site data.
Go w/ a medium burn rate powder like Unique, Universal, WSF or HS6 to start. Start just above the starting load & load in small batches of 10rds, then increase the charge 0.1gr at a time. Test them in order, note reliability, accuracy & any unburned powder. Are the primers flattening after firing, how far are the cases ejecting? The 40 can be very unforgiving to a new reloader as it is a high pressure round. Ask as many questions as you need. DO NOT assume anything about reloading. It's not rocket science, but you can cause your self & pistol serious damage.

 

[a1racer]

Thanks for the info everybody. And I have been doing a lot of research on loading the .40 cal on the powder sites and some others. I will go look for some more info tommarow at bass pro. Is there any good web sites with loading info or just the powder sites and manufacture sites.

 

[a1racer]

ok i have managed to get every thing i need on order i will post up everything i am using and what i have found online when it all arives and see if i can get some load info from anybody. i got some load charts from online for the bullets and powder i plan on using so i have a general idea what i am doing but more help is always preferred and welcomed

 

[BSkerj]

I just started reloading last year due to ammo prices and was lucky enough to find what I needed...granted primers were hard to find but that was part of the fun...the hunt for primers, anyway, I found alot of useful info on YouTube. Granted some video you had to take with a grain of salt but most of it was very useful. And of course this forum was huge in helping me understand the hows and whys. Good Luck and enjoy the savings and satisfaction.

 

[a1racer]

i did some you tube watching yesterday. it was pretty informative for the most part. if you filter out the bad ones and try to find ones that accurately show what is going on. and i picked up a lee 4 turret press for like 70 bucks. it was on clearance or something but it should at least speed up the process a tad rather then changing dies ever time. when i get everything together i will post up my load data for help thank's

 

[socal s&w]

You might try this site as well, there is a bunch of good stuff on there. I will caution you however, that not all that you read on the internet is accurate or good information. Be wary and if it doesn't seem or sound quite right, ask. ALWAYS ASK FIRST if you are unsure!

http://handloads.com/

 

[oldRoger]

The guys here on this forum seem knowledgeable and careful. These are good traits in handloading.
Remember you can damage you pistol and your self.

I would not try to speed things up at first. Like drawing from a holster speed comes last. The first thing to do is to get good habits, nail down your process, and then speed will come.

Weighing all of your charges will get old very fast, you will soon be looking for a powder measure. Weigh for a while until you get a feel for what you are doing. Weighing will be your bottleneck.

 

[a1racer]

yeah i have a scale and plan on weighing every round until i have an idea what i am doing. i got a turret press just to help keep everything set and forget on the dies. but i appreciate all the help and ideas from every body. i just spent the last few days depriming and resizing 1000 plus brass a few hours at a time it wiped me out.

 

[oldRoger]

You didn’t mention cleaning your brass, usually considered a good idea before full length resizing.

If not cleaned do so now.

Next step, expand the neck enough to start the bullet without too much effort. The less that you have to expand the longer the brass will last.

Then prime a few, slowly carefully until you get a feel for it. Remember the primer must be ever so slightly below the case when you are finished. Run your finger over it, you will soon develop a feel.

Have you decided what powder and how much???

 

[a1racer]

i did clean them i used the washing machine with some tide i forgot to mention that. i am going to use accurate #2 powder. and a renier lead safe 165 fmjrn bullet i am going to start with a 5 grain load and work from there. i have used a few sites to help and they said that they where using 5.4 grains with the bullet and powder i am going to use. so i will start at 5 grains and work up from there.the max they used was 5.8 to 6.0 grains at different sites with the powder i picked up. if anybody has any info for that load please let me know if this sounds like a good start point

 

[oldRoger]

Sounds like a good start. Use your neck expander on a few, then prime the cases.
Here is all Accurate Arms shows for #2 in the 165gr jacked bullet for 40 S&W:

No.2 165gr SIE JHP Start 5.6gr 916fps Max 6.2 = 1,041fps 35,000psi 1.125” COL

Note the last figure it says that your finished cartridge should be 1.125” in length. This overall length is important, don’t go shorter or longer.
Your bullets should use about the same loads shown. 5.0 grains may be a bit low. I suggest that you load about ten with 5 grains and try to see if it will work the action of your pistol.
An alternative would be to load 10 each of 5.0, 5.2, and 5.4. Mark the cases with felt tip, I have four colors of felt tip and it stays on during firing so that you know what is what. Then fire them to see what you think.

 

[a1racer]

good idea on the marker i will check a factory case for lenght cause that is what i set the die up for. but i can easily change that if needed. all the rounds i have purchased have been roughly the same lenght. i have not measured to make sure but they look the same. and i will load up 10 of each like said. and see what feels good to me and make sure it cycles.