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Thread: Reloading noob, want to load 9mm

  1. #1

    Reloading noob, want to load 9mm

    Now that I am totally late to the ammo party I figured Id start reloading. I basically only plan on 9mm right now, maybe 556 and 6.5cm later. Is there a noob package of all the crap I need? What about components?

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  2. #2
    Site Supporter Hambo's Avatar
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    What's your budget?
    How many rounds per year do you plan to load?
    "Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA

  3. #3
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    What's your budget?
    Are you looking for blasting ammo or something approaching "precision"? By precision, I don't mean merely accurate, but OCD-levels of prep and detail.
    Do you want volume or are you willing to go slow (progressive vs turret vs single-stage)?

    Lee is a good place to start and I haven't felt a need to move past the Lee Turret press I've owned for years. I did upgrade to a newer model when they made significant improvements. I mostly use Lee dies unless Lee doesn't make dies for my application. Every time I use non-Lee dies I'm disappointed.

    I don't load 9mm, it's too cheap, but I load a bunch of other pistol and rifle cartridges, both larger and smaller than what you are planning on, so I'm confident Lee can handle your needs.

    Dillon is also a popular choice, but quite a bit more expensive.

    Chris

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hambo View Post
    What's your budget?
    How many rounds per year do you plan to load?
    Ha! I started my reply before you had posted, but got delayed. Looks like we're on the same page regarding the budget question.

    Chris

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Grey View Post
    What about components?
    I missed the component question...

    Do you have brass? Except for some oddball calibers, I tend to start my brass collection with once-fired factory ammo.
    If you don't have brass yet, start keeping yours or be prepared to buy it.

    Cabelas in Gainesville is the best NoVA source for reloading components. I cast my own bullets for most of my calibers except 308Win, 6.5x55, and 45ACP/AR, so I seldom buy projectiles. Their price on primers is decent, maybe a buck or two more than the gun shows. Their powder is crazy expensive.

    Clark Bros in Warrenton has some reloading stuff, but that's a hike AND they're expensive. Loudoun Guns in Leesburg sold reloading components years ago, but it's been close to a decade since I was there last.

    Chris

  6. #6
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    This is a good outfit to do business with.
    http://midwayusa.com

  7. #7
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    I just placed an order for cci primers and the powder I use most. I find that I can load 9mm with titegroup and I have never ventured from there.

    I started with a lee turret press. I found I could load 38 and 9mm easily and really enjoyed it. I started when components were harder to come by. In the past few years components have become more plentiful so I added a lee pro 1000. I can load 100 rounds in a few minutes so I am able to shoot more.

  8. #8
    I load 9mm, mainly because I like to reload. And since I like to reload I ended up with a lot of nice reloading equipment, so I enjoy using it. Loading 9mm is just part of the fun for me, I like cool tools. My Dillon is my fidget spinner.

    Also, 9mm is really cheap to just buy, if you can buy it, emphasis on if. Seems like when people go cracra you can't find ammo, but you can find some primers someplace, and you can find some bullets someplace, and you can probably dig up a jug of powder someplace.

    And I can load 9mm at a $50-$60 savings, but you have to spend money to make money. You have to buy some things in bulk, and sometimes that means paying for the HazMat shipping. Shipping can be deferred by doing a group buy with your friends, we have primers inbound right now that are $30.90/1k, but several of us bought in to dilute the $40 in shipping (including the HazMat).

    And there are noob easy button starter kits, but they vary from:
    $180 (this setup would need dies):
    https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1013004049?pid=121744
    to about a grand:
    https://www.dillonprecision.com/esse...136_26710.html
    with lots of options in between.

    Give us some more guidance on how deep a dive you are contemplating, and we will bombard you with information incessantly, because many of us love this stuff!
    Last edited by mmc45414; 03-18-2020 at 07:18 AM. Reason: Woah, that sentence had a lotta commas!

  9. #9
    Member olstyn's Avatar
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    If I was starting over with all of the knowledge I have now, I'd probably end up buying a lot of the same stuff I have, but skipping one or two less than perfect decisions along the way.

    For 9mm in any significant volume, I'd recommend going straight to either a Hornady Lnl AP or a Dillon 650/750 progressive press. Both are 5-station autoindexing presses, so you can run a bullet feeder *and* a powder check die of some sort, plus the autoindexing feature makes it very unlikely that you would create a squib or a double charge. Both will be able to accept a case feeder and/or a bullet feeder as future upgrades if you don't buy them immediately, and both have excellent warranty support.

    (Semi-side note: if you choose to get a bullet feeder, buy the Mr. Bulletfeeder. The Hornady bullet feeder die only works well with jacketed bullets, whereas the Mr. Bulletfeeder will work with just about anything, and is a much more elegant and robust design.)

    You will also need a decent calipers and a decent scale. Neither has to be fancy, but both need to be accurate. The cheap Lee beam scale works fine, but it only goes to 100 grains, so while I've found it to be fine for measuring/setting powder charges, the fact that I can't use it to verify bullet weights has been disappointing, and as such, it's an area where I wish I had spent more money.

    Tumbling is a rabbit hole. I wish I had a wet tumbler setup, as it would both produce cleaner brass and reduce my lead exposure, but they're more expensive to set up, and I'm not sure how I'd deal with disposing of the waste water given my current housing situation. Bottom line, wet or dry is fine, but unless you want to buy cleaned brass, you'll need one or the other.

    A chronograph is not *strictly* necessary if you're just going off of book loads, but it is very helpful, and if you're loading for USPSA/IDPA/etc., where there is a minimum power factor, you'll want one in order to verify that your loads are getting there with enough cushion for you to be comfortable. (USPSA minor is 125+ PF, and my current go-to load is 131 PF through my gun.) A decent basic chronograph will run you somewhere in the $100-125 range, plus a few extra $ for a tripod to put it on.

    There are a bunch of small, inexpensive tools you might want to have as well - I like having a chamfer/deburr tool around for occasional use. A primer pocket reamer is nice for when you run into crimped brass, etc.

    As far as components go, I'd recommend starting out with jacketed bullets, as they're easier to load than coated, but if you're anything like me, once you've learned the ropes, you'll want to switch to coated for the cost savings. In that realm, I've personally settled on Blue Bullets, but what works for you will depend on your gun(s) and your personal preference. I like CCI primers because they seem to run most consistently through my primer tube filler tool, which is a valuable, time saving tool to have. If you have guns with lightened hammer/striker springs, you may need to use Federal primers in order to get consistent ignition.

  10. #10
    Wow, thanks guys!

    I would like to keep it under 1k to get started, I never really thought about reloading before because 9mm has been so cheap but corona, elections, etc. Plus I need something to do while I watch tv.

    I think 1k rounds a month is a realistic goal for now, my shooting time has been in the toilet for a while but hoping to change that this year. And I dont mind just building up a ton of ammo reserve.

    I want to at least meet the same accuracy and quality of good commercial ammo. If I get into 6.5cm then Id be willing to get obsessive about accuracy.



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