Where to go from here?

[novalty]

Well I have been loading 45acp this summer and stuck on a load that functions fine, and accuracy seems to as good as I will ever be. Have another box of 250 Berry Plated 230gr RN, still left to reload. Trying to decide where to go next in my reloading. The other 2 calibers I shoot frequently (beside 22lr) are 9mm and .223 remington. Wondering if I should try my hand at .223 since it is insanely priced, or stick to handguns. I'm slightly apprehensive about loading a necked down case. Plus not sure which dies would be good, as most of the reviews tend to be all over the place for every vendor.

The .223 is for a Ruger Mini-14. Not really sure about the cost savings of reloading 9mm luger as I don't cast. Seeing bullet prices around .09 per lead, and with primers at around $.03 each, and add a few pennies for powder--will be at around $.14/rounds verus $.22 for WWB at Wally-world.

 

[PDL]

Personally, I'd move to the 9mm.
You'd still be dealing with a straight walled case, all be it in a higher pressure round.
If you're using carbide dies it's a simple process. Plus you can probably use the same powder in both rounds.
Depending on which powder you're using, a lot of pistol powders can be used in a variety of calibers.

When you do get into the bottle neck rifle rounds, you're gonna be lubing the case, and case neck. Also, you'd probably move on to diffent powder choices.

But the real decision should be, which are you gonna shoot the most right now.

 

[Rule3]

223 is a whole different ball game depending on if you are loading for semi auto or bolt action. For bolt action it's pretty easy as you can just neck size. I like the Lee Collet dies.

For semi auto (AR's) you need to full size, trim and crimp. Full sizing requires lubing the cases to avoid sticking one in a die which is a pain. 223 also requires way more powder and little more attention to detail. (not saying it's hard, just a bit different)

If you are new to the game, I would go to another straight wall handgun first. 9mm is easy and fun to shoot, less expensive so you can shoot more.

I just loaded a few hundred today as it's still RAINING!

 

[Qmark]

If you're like most reloaders chances are good you will eventually be loading for every caliber you own.

If you're going to shoot 223's in an auto like an AR-15 you will be better served buying small base die set and avoid Lee brand. For 9MM or 223 in a bolt action Lee dies are fine.

If you or your gun are not really particular about the brand of ammo for your 9MM. 9MM can be bought pretty cheaply, especially in large quantities. Do the math and compare the savings rolling your own. Unless you're loading and shooting lead bullets in 9MM it is not nearly as cost effective as the $$ savings loading 223.

 

[Dragon88]

223 will be more of a challenge for you to learn with. Not a difficult cartridge to load at all, but you do have to deal with all the peculiarities of rifle cartridges. Unfortunately, unless you really streamline your loading process and buy components in bulk, you won't save a whole lot loading 223 or 9mm plinking rounds. At least not compared to 45 ACP. Now 223 match rounds, that's a whole different story. A lot of money can be saved there and you can work up some excellent loads. That will be much more interesting to you than loading straight wall pistol cartridges.

 

[novalty]

The primary purpose of my loading is plinking. Was considering loading .223 as the cheapest I can find locally is about $9 for 20, so $.45 per round. I know .223 can be bought in bulk to save money, but I can't afford to shell out a couple hundred just to by one caliber.

 

[WR Moore]

Two items: the 9mm is NOT a straight walled cartridge. Correct setup of the die is critical and a case gauge is a wise investment to avoid either over working the brass or making ammo that won't chamber. Don't buy cheap carbide dies, pay once for quality.

Secondly, small base dies are not automatically required for semi-auto rifles. Yes, you have to full length size, trim to length and possibly remove military crimps from primer pockets. BFD. While the Dillon Precision dies require a cartridge gauge to set up, they're an excellent long term value even if you go to the expense of replacing the locking rings with something better for those of use who don't run them on a Dillon Press.

9mm would kind of split the difference in complexity between what you're doing now and .223. It'd make a nice intermediate step. The bullets are cheaper too.

 

[Rule3]

Two items: the 9mm is NOT a straight walled cartridge.

True, it has a slight taper which does not make it anymore difficult than loading 45 ACP or 40 SW.

 

[blujax01]

I find loading 9 mm messy and tedious but since I go through about 100 rounds a week, it is a necessity. That .14 vs .22 cost per round translates to about $30 a month.
By the way, Barry's plated 9's are fine. Just keep the load to the light side or they will tumble. And if you buy them by the K, shipping is free!

 

[Dragon88]

The primary purpose of my loading is plinking. Was considering loading .223 as the cheapest I can find locally is about $9 for 20, so $.45 per round. I know .223 can be bought in bulk to save money, but I can't afford to shell out a couple hundred just to by one caliber.

You will only save money on these calibers by shelling out $100+ at a time on components. Buying a small box of bullets to load 50 rounds of 9mm or 223 at a time will eliminate any savings you might have had.

 

[David Sinko]

What kind of 9mm pistol do you have? If it isn't a Glock, you can probably shoot cast bullets through it. Cast bullets are still a bit cheaper than plated and definitely cheaper than jacketed. Some local match shooters say they don't bother reloading 9mm anymore because bulk factory ammo is so cheap.

Also, the Mini-14 is very hard on brass. Every case separation I have seen (or brass that would've separated on the next firing) had been shot out of a local police department's Mini-14s.

They key to loading both of these cartridges is having brass that is in good condition. Excessively loaded 9mm tends to develop a "belt" near the base while .223 will develop a separation ring somewhere on the case body. Once you learn to weed out the bad stuff you should be fine.

Dave Sinko

 

[novalty]

The 9mm I have is a S&W 5906. Thanks for the heads up on Berry's online. I have been reloading 45acp w/Berry's 230gr RN, from Cabelas in 250 quantity boxes. I see they have 115gr RN for 9mm @ $76.12 for 1k--so it would put reloading at around $.12 per round. Which is a good savings, and I can use the same powder as I use to reload 45acp. Maybe 9mm is a natural progression in my reloading hobby.

 

[venomballistics]

with the question of loading for 9mm or 223 ... the real answer is ... both.
while your at it .. add some of those calibers you dont shoot so much as well.
I have die sets for calibers I dont even have yet

 

[novalty]

Anyone have any input on RCBS carbide dies for 9mm? I have them for 45acp, and they work good, very consistant.

 

[novalty]

Well I just got my RCBS carbide 9mm dies, yesterday. Started setting up the dies. First realization, is that I have been shooting my S&W 1911 a lot more than my 5906--mostly due to reloading. Opened up my big Folger's can of cleaned 9mm brass (roughly 1200 rounds), and man do they look tiny compared to 45acp. Set up the sizing/depriming die, and boy do I have some work ahead of me depriming all the brass.

 

[rsrocket1]

Just a hint, load a few at a time before you go all out. If you find that "the load" you thought you wanted isn't what you really wanted, it's a lot easier to pull 10 unwanted bullets rather than 200.

 

[dickttx]

Strangely enough, you will find that it takes MUCH more effort to size and crimp a 9mm than the .45 ACP.

 

[novalty]

Strangely enough, you will find that it takes MUCH more effort to size and crimp a 9mm than the .45 ACP.

Oh I have found out the sizing part, have to pick up some primers and leads soon.

 

[Smee78]

Be sure to keep us in the loop, I also run a RCBS and will be looking for some carb dies in 9mm soon to add that caliber to my reloading bench. Cant wait to see how your reloads come out.

 

[novalty]

Be sure to keep us in the loop, I also run a RCBS and will be looking for some carb dies in 9mm soon to add that caliber to my reloading bench. Cant wait to see how your reloads come out.

Smee78, I will certainly update with the first reloads. I'm a little low on funds now, so still haven't picked up primers or leads. Been depriming/resizing the 1200 or so rounds of once fired 9mm, which has kept me pretty darn busy.