Thinking about reloading 9mm

To learn and introduce new loaders. Tips and tricks from old timers.

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dl1911
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Re: Thinking about reloading 9mm

Post by dl1911 »

I've been very pleased with my Hornady LnL progressive. I got mine from FFF for $400 (still the same price last time I looked). Currently you get 500 bullets with the purchase for about $20 or so from Hornady. Check online and you'll see what bullets are offered with the deal. I use Dillon dies with a RCBS expander die. I prefer to seat and crimp separately and it was easier than getting a case expander for the powder feed. Also lets me change calibers quickly. Expander never changes and I just need to change the height on the powder feed. Other equipment include:

Bullet puller for taking apart mistakes $20 at Cabela's
Scale (I've always used a digital) $20 for a Frankford Arsenal DL-750 at Midway or $30 for a Hornady GS-1500
Calipers - Cabela's house brand for $20-30
Tumbler - $50-75 depending on brand/size/etc.
Media - Can't remember but you can get crushed walnut easiest at Pet Stores or Harbor Freight ($25/5lb)
Dies - $50-100 for a set depending on make and such
Shell plate - $30-35

I prefer the Hornady locking rings to those included with most die sets so $21 for a pack of 6 at Cabela's
Can't remember if the press include the bushings, if not $42 for a pack of 10 or $12 for 2 at Cabela's

I get powder and primers at FFF to avoid hazmat shipping fees. Usually buy a case of primers for about $130 (not sure about current price as it's been a while since I bought any) and Universal is about $110 for 8lbs. For bullets I've usually either used Zero or Montana Gold, once again bought in quantity. Zero are usually 1000 or 2000 minimum depending on where I get them from or 4000 at a time in a case from Montana Gold. If just trying out a bullet weight, I'll pick up 100-200 from Grindell Sales at a local gun show.

One miscellaneous item is Hornady's One Shot cleaner and One Shot Case Lube. I use the cleaner to clean the press and dies. So far have only used the case lube with new starline brass (10mm) but useful to have around just in case. If you're seeing a lot of military brass, then about $10 for a pocket reamer. I put that aside and once or twice a year and sit in front of the TV reaming out the primer pockets on decapped brass while watching TV.

Brass is usually "free". Either from stuff I've shot myself or range pickups. Sometimes get some from people who don't reload. If you know someone who doesn't, ask them to save their brass for you. I do lost some over time and will usually just get some from the brass exchange or southern belle. The only brass I've ever had to buy new has been 10mm. Just don't see very much of it and am fanatical about picking it up at the range.

Don't forget a reloading manual or three! I've found the Speer, Hornady and Lyman to be the most useful to me. Most places have copies out for you to examine. Look them over and decide which ones are best for you.

I've tried keeping prices on equipment and such from places you can drive to and pick up. Hate shipping costs or waiting for something to arrive and worrying where they'll leave it and such.
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evan price
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Re: Thinking about reloading 9mm

Post by evan price »

Thanks for the props, Sevens.

My cost to load 9mm luger right now is less than 22 rimfires. Brass= free, lead = free = 105-swc bullet, 4.8 gr of PROMO = .077 cents, Wolf/Tula primer = 1.8 cents
That's $1.30 per box of 50.

I use range lead cast into the Lee 105-SWC 6-cav mold. Size .357", tumble lube in ALOX twice. Works in anything I can stuff it into.
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Re: Thinking about reloading 9mm

Post by ohiophotog »

I would like to thank PB_Crisp for inviting me into his home yesterday. It was much as I had expected it to be, of course he has a nice press so it my be trickier on a press that's not as nice, but reletivly simply process once you get all your dies set properly and charge set right. He's is a nice guy and explained things about as well as you could I think. Now I just need to figure out what powder would be good in my pistols since they have a shorter barrel and how much of it to use.

My mind is still trying to figure how to either make my own or convert a press to be able to run on its own with out me touching it except to refill brass or projectiles. I have some ideas and will try if I can find a press but I have a couple guys to call that I know used to reload to see if I could get their press off of them.

Should be interesting if I can get it to work, and yes I know I can buy a press and brass and bullet feeders but I have a much lower goal as far as startup costs are concerned.
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Re: Thinking about reloading 9mm

Post by charben »

ohiophotog wrote:... or convert a press to be able to run on its own with out me touching it except to refill brass or projectiles.
That doesn't really sound like a good idea to me. Sure, it's what the manufacturers do, but they also have all kinds of QA systems in place. Not only that, but a lot of the reloading process is "feel." You can literally feel if the primer seated correctly, or if there is a problem with one of the dies being a bit "sticky."

For me, cranking out a couple hundred an hour is fine with my Lee Pro 1000. My QA is a part of the process. I touch every single round. That is not to say that I don't have problems from time to time (I just had 5 reloads FTF in a Steyr 9mm at Stonewall--I thought it was a primer issue but then I had a similar problem from the same batch with different primers. They all fire fine with my Glock so I need to see if it is a problem with the gun).

I don't recommend getting cute with automating until you have mastered (not sure anyone really "masters" it!) handloading with a manual press.
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Re: Thinking about reloading 9mm

Post by Sevens »

I have seen hydraulic/pneumatic operated presses, but last time I saw them they were shotshell.

If you think you can find or build a press to do the major lever throw without your human arm (or someone else's arm) and you think you can do it with a low budget in mind, I think you have might also be able to find a Unicorn.

I can also see the easy loss of a finger tip with a press that does that, but I suppose it's all in the execution and operation.

You can get rolling with a Camdex for about twenty grand, I think. :twisted: Maybe less if you shop around or have a coupon. :lol:
I like to swap brass... and I'm looking for .32 H&R Mag, .327 Fed Mag, .380 Auto and 10mm. If you have some and would like to swap for something else, send me a note!
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Re: Thinking about reloading 9mm

Post by ohiophotog »

If you know where to get the liner actuators they are not too expensive (used of course) This would be a two part reason for me to try this. One I am always trying to make things easier and I'm a robotics and automation student and this would be a great second year Capstone project.

I have worked in the past with an automation integration company that did things just like this, take a manule process and make it fully automated. The right sensors, actuators and plc programming should be all it takes.
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Re: Thinking about reloading 9mm

Post by Sevens »

Bro, if you can take a progressive press on the market today and equip it to be automatically run, and you think you can do it for something we'd both agree is a much lower goal as far as startup costs are concerned then my suggestion to you would be to get an accountant for all the MONEY you are going to make when you sell them. 8)
I like to swap brass... and I'm looking for .32 H&R Mag, .327 Fed Mag, .380 Auto and 10mm. If you have some and would like to swap for something else, send me a note!
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evan price
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Re: Thinking about reloading 9mm

Post by evan price »

It's not hard to setup a modern truly-progressive press for automatic function.

They make one commercially for the Dillon RL-1050; I believe they now have the setup for the Dillon XL650 with bullet & case feeders but it doubles the price of the press.

Here's video links for a Ponsness-Warren Autodrive conversion for the Dillon RL-1050:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9wGVRGbQrU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dElp-y-jAjE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Only drawback is price.

You'll notice with the kinematics worked out, the rotary system with the multi-link arm is a much smoother and more reliable system than what a linear actuator would provide, and a lot simpler to engineer and construct.
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Re: Thinking about reloading 9mm

Post by ohiophotog »

Using an adjustable stepper motor on a liner actuator really improves smoothness. Oh course there is always more than one way to skin a cat. I think I will get the feeders working correctly before I work on automating the action of the lever.
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Re: Thinking about reloading 9mm

Post by evan price »

I work with linear actuators with steppers everyday. They can be very smooth and very fast. Although with a servo instead of a stepper you can get more precision and torque monitoring capabilities built right in.
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Re: Thinking about reloading 9mm

Post by ohiophotog »

OK so I think I have settled on the loadmaster, which is a five station progressive press. I will resize and deprime in first station, then I assume it primes on the down stroke like the LnL, next I plan on flare and charge, then powder check die, then bullet seat and crimp, then that leaves station five open for either a factory crimp die or a seperate roll crimp die, not sure which is better for the last station.

What do you guys think about this setup idea? Any merit to using a powder check die vs visually checking each charge?
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Re: Thinking about reloading 9mm

Post by evan price »

ohiophotog wrote:What do you guys think about this setup idea? Any merit to using a powder check die vs visually checking each charge?
Yeah, you're relying on a piece of machinery to do a job you should do yourself anyway. Mount a small LED light somewhere on your press so you can see into the cartridge as they pass into the bullet-seat station. Once you have a load you intend to use repetitively, you'll be able to guage the powder level with a glance as you seat the bullet. No muss, no fuss.
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Re: Thinking about reloading 9mm

Post by ohiophotog »

I was watching the videos on loadmastervideos website and I have a concern. The lee loadmaster primes at the top of the up stroke at station 2, so basically I can't use station 2 unless I deprime and resize on two different stations, am I correct that there is no other possible use for station 2? Seems like a waste to me if that's true.

Also if i find that I don't like the lee powder hopper I could us other brands right? I would think so I'm just checking.
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Re: Thinking about reloading 9mm

Post by BobK »

ohiophotog wrote:The lee loadmaster primes at the top of the up stroke at station 2, so basically I can't use station 2 unless I deprime and resize on two different stations, am I correct that there is no other possible use for station 2?

Also if i find that I don't like the lee powder hopper I could us other brands right? I would think so I'm just checking.
I deprime on station 1 and resize on station 2. Many people leave station 2 empty and prime only for that stage.

Try the Lee pro-auto disk powder system first before you decide whether you like it or not. If not, you can use a different powder system but you'll need to figure out for yourself what die set to use. The Lee powder system is set to work perfectly with Lee dies.

Personally, I like the Lee Pro Auto disk. I have weighed hundreds and hundreds of powders charges and find it quite accurate and repeatable.
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Re: Thinking about reloading 9mm

Post by dregan1000 »

Couple days out on this thread, but I had to weigh in.

It's worth it. By a lot, for me.

Brass = Free. Range pickups, mostly my own, but I have bought a little here and there and had some donated. But 9mm is a relatively low pressure round, you can reload over and over and over...
Bullet = Free. I get scrap lead from a tire shop my buddy works at, usually about 50 pounds at at shot. i buy him a burger and beer once in a while for his effort, which I'd probably do anyway. i smelt and cast my own bullets (125 gr ogive tumble lube via 6-cavity mold from Lee)
Primer =$.03 - I usually pay $30/1000, but once I paid as much as $35/1000 in 2009. Once.
Powder - $.02 (actually less, but I'm rounding up) - I use 4.6 grains of Accurate #2, which is a very dense powder, as my typical load. Chronos my 125 gr lead cast bullets at 1150 fps or so and more importantly, cycles all my guns reliably. I paid $22.99 for my last single pound of Accurate #2 at Pro Armaments a few months ago, as I look at the orange price tag still on it....

So, with my math, I'm paying ~$5/100 to reload. A few summers ago, i decided to really learn how to shoot, and averaged over 4,000 rounds a month (every weekend or so, about 700 rounds a day at my in-laws farm) i can't even being to think of the math as to how much I saved, well more than I paid for my press and everything that goes with it...
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