Another New Reloader Thread!

[DoubleSawbuck]

Hello, this is my first post here. I was interested in reloading so I bought (and read) The ABC's of Reloading. I bought a Deluxe Lee Turret Kit and a 4 piece set of Lee dies in 9mm. I went to my local gun shop and picked up some W231 , federal primers and some 115g Berry's plated bullets. I haven't loaded any live cartridges yet, just a few dummy ones to try to get a feel for the press. I'm going to pick up a set of calipers tomorrow before I start loading live ones. I read some load data here for the W231 http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp , and according to Berry's site the plated bullets are supposed to be loaded somewhere in between LRN and FMJ loads. Finally these will be shot out of an 4" XD9. I'm not to sure on my crimp yet so I think I'll have to work on that and maybe try to mimic store bought rounds.

So before I start to load these am I missing anything?
Any tips/suggestions?

Sorry for the long post but I've read so many threads my head is spinning, I'd just like to make some safe loads that work accurately and I've grown rather attached to my digits.

 

[hydraulicman]

if you have an xd you could just shoot cast bullets.

I would not worry so much about finding perfect data for the plated bullets just don't push them to max

work up your charge and find and accurate load and enjoy your pistol.

 

[Ruger GP100 fan]

I barely have a head start on you. Just be careful,and if in doubt don't. If you think your new rounds were improperly loaded,pull them. A bullet puller is cheap and it may save your life. I've had to pull more than 100 rounds due to poor labeling data early on. Record everything!!!

 

[rfwobbly]

Mr Buck -
Welcome to THR and welcome to Reloading !!

You need to get a name brand reloading book if you don't have one already. If you have no particular favorite bullet, or intend to "shoot around" then the Lyman #49 is going to be your best bet. That comes in paperback and hard bound. Amazon has it, or you might find it on sale somewhere.

The Berry bullets are very forgiving. That's a VERY good first bullet for a novice. Berry bullets are loaded at the low end of the jacketed range, so just follow the recipe for any 115gr FMJ you find in Lyman.

Measurements ARE critical. You'll have your caliper for physical measurements. Do you have a scale for powder measurements?

All the best.

 

[Nomad]

Welcome to the forum.

I don't own a Lee Turret press but tucked away somewhere in my old memory seems to be a red flag on using Federal Primers with that Lee press. Something to do with setting off a chain reaction in the primer tube. You may want to do some research on that topic or someone who has a Lee press may want to chime in. Seems to me I heard it is in the Lee owners manual.

As far as crimp, I would recommend measuring the crimp on one of the factory loads with your new calipers calipers and duplicating it. Past that don't seat the bullet too deep and start with a low end load and work up.

Good luck

 

[DoubleSawbuck]

Thanks for the replies. I have a Lee scale that came in the press kit. I've read a lot of people don't like it but I'll be using it for now and look into a digital one in the future. I'll also be sure to pick up one of those Lyman loading books, does it have a lot more info then the powder manufacturer's website? It'll probably take me a while to shoot the 1k bullets I have now (that was the smallest amount available at the store). I'll check out what was mentioned on the primers and the lee presses. The press I'm using doesn't have a primer tube, just an arm that individually loads them. When I get this down I might buy a hand primer tool I've heard a lot of people prefer them over priming on the press.

Thanks again for all the info.

Is there any truth to cast bullets "leading" the barrel or is that if you just overload them?

 

[mcdonl]

Is there any truth to cast bullets "leading" the barrel or is that if you just overload them?

I shoot nothing but lead and have never had a problem. I just lube the crap out of 'em! Welcome to the world of reloading!

 

[DoubleSawbuck]

mcdonl, where do you get your cast bullets from, or do you cast them yourself? I'll give them a try after I run through these Berry's

 

[Lost Sheep]

Welcome to the forum and thanks for asking our advice

Welcome,

For plated bullets, use loading recipes as if they were lead.

Leading with cast lead bullets is most often the bullets not filling the barrel (which happens if they are undersized). Hot gasses slip past the bullet as it is traveling down the barrel, and melt the sides of the bullet, leaving a thin plating of lead. This, I have been told.

Also, lead bullets traveling too fast may heat up from friction and leave lead in the barrel. This, I have done myself.

Some say the the hot propellant gasses can melt the base of the bullet and leave lead in the barrel. Supposedly, this is why gas checks are applied to lead bullets intended to be pushed hard. I don't know.

I got a Lee Scale in a trade and REALLY did not like it. But then I found a sheet of directions (which my acquisition through trade did not have). I still prefer my RCBS 10-10, but I like the Lee Scale a lot better now that I read the directions.

The simplest (and cheapest) way to gauge if your (taper) crimp is proper and will headspace your 9mm rounds properly is to take your barrel out of your gun and drop the rounds in the chamber. It is fairly easy to tell if they are OK. While not as sophisticated as a gauge designed for the purpose, it is what I do.

Good Luck

Lost Sheep

 

[Nomad]

DoubleSawbuck-you are correct. My lack of knowledge on Lee equipment shows. The primer issue is with their progressive press.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

DoubleSawbuck,
With that 115gr Berry's bullet and W231 I suggest a starting charge of 4.8gr. I have a feeling that will be the charge you will remain at because it's a good shooting load in a lot of semi-autos I've used it in.

BTW, in the future, if you can't find W231 load data use HP-38 load data, they are the same exact powder.

Good luck and have fun...

 

[DoubleSawbuck]

What sort of OAL should I be aiming for with these Berry's bullets? Hodgdon recommends 1.100" for LRN and 1.125" for SPR GDHP, does that .025" really make a difference or is it just what functions in my pistol better?

 

[rfwobbly]

What sort of OAL should I be aiming for with these Berry's bullets? Hodgdon recommends 1.100" for LRN and 1.125" for SPR GDHP, does that .025" really make a difference or is it just what functions in my pistol better?

1) The maximum OAL for your gun is determined by the bullet-to-barrel fit, unless it turns out to be longer than the SAAMI spec. With Barry bullets it most probably will be able to load all the way out to 1.169".

2) Your reloading manual will recommend a minimum OAL to use with their load. You can load anywhere between Max OAL and Min OAL in safety.

3) For your own safety begin at the "starting load" suggested in your loading manual and work up. When the difference between "starting load" and "max load" are 1.0gr or more apart, it is permissible to step the loads up in 0.2gr increments.

4) When doing incremental loads, you'll only need about 10 of each.

5) Your reloading manual will give you all the specs you need to stay safe. If you have trouble with definitions or need clarification on any point just ask, but taking load information off the internet from people you don't know is a VERY bad practice. As a novice you need to practice MAXIMUM SAFETY as explained in the "How To" section of every reloading manual.

6) Each load recipe is complete in and of itself. Choose ONE recipe and start at the "starting load". DO NOT mix the load from one recipe with the OAL from another.

7) AGAIN. Berry recommends you use the loads for jacketed bullets in the low to mid-range. But PLEASE don't believe me. Read it right HERE

All the best.

 

[Olympus]

Don't buy the Lyman book from Amazon! MidwayUSA had the book for almost $10 cheaper when I bought mine.

I get my bullets from Missouri Bullet Company. I'm actually fortunate enough to live close enough that I can save on shipping and just drive to pick them up.

 

[DoubleSawbuck]

Thanks for the heads up, I just ordered the Lyman manual off Cabela's 19.99+ shipping

 

[mcdonl]

I cast my own. It is pretty fun itself. All of this is pretty fun stuff

 

[DoubleSawbuck]

Yeah it's pretty fun so far, just loaded my first 10, I was messing with the lee auto measure for a little while. I think I'll just measure each one with the scale until I find a load I like . So far this is what I loaded: 4.6g of W231 OAL 1.15.

Thanks for all the help so far.

 

[jeadams]

Nomad is correct. I have a copy of the Lee “Modern Reloading 2nd Edition” book and it strongly suggests or advises not to use Federal primers in their Lee equipment.

 

[mcdonl]

Nomad is correct. I have a copy of the Lee “Modern Reloading 2nd Edition” book and it strongly suggests or advises not to use Federal primers in their Lee equipment.

On all but the Lee progressive presses the primer being seated is about 6 inches or so from the safety primer lever where the rest of the primers are. No worries. I am not certain about the progressive.

 

[rfwobbly]

Thanks for the heads up, I just ordered the Lyman manual off Cabela's 19.99+ shipping

Sounds like you got the paperback edition.

Yeah it's pretty fun so far.....

You haven't seen anything yet!

.....just loaded my first 10, I was messing with the lee auto measure for a little while. I think I'll just measure each one with the scale until I find a load I like. So far this is what I loaded: 4.6g of W231 OAL 1.15.

Did you make a test round with no powder and no primer to drop into your gun?

If so you'll need 10 more with 4.8gr, 10 more with 5.0gr, and 10 more with 5.2gr (if that's not above "max"). Then you take all those to the range and shoot new targets from a supported position. You'll see the groups tighten up as the load increases. At some point the groups cease to get tighter. The tightest group using the least powder is your gun's favorite load.

Then you can go back and teach your Lee powder measure to drop that exact amount.

Or, you could experiment with longer OALs. And do it all again.

All the best.

 

[Lost Sheep]

Prime on-press or off-press.?

When I get this down I might buy a hand primer tool I've heard a lot of people prefer them over priming on the press.

I believe the caution against Federal Primers applies only on the Lee Hand Priming Tool (Auto-Prime). the Lee Safety Prime tool that you have for use in priming on the press is not subject to that warning, though I don't know why the caution was ever there in the first place.

If you use the Turret press in "Batch Mode", you might consider the Auto-Prime (hand held priming tool). But, if you use the Turret press in the "Through-put Mode", priming on the press is more efficient. (Fewer insertion-removal cycles of the case in and out of the press.)

I have a Lee Classic Turret and much prefer to prime on-press. I have used the Auto-prime and (admitting I may be in a minority) eschew its use, in favor of priming on-press, even working in the batch mode, where it is very much justifiable if you prefer it's arguably better "feel". My opinion is that if you pay attention, you can feel primer seating just as well on-press as with the Auto-prime.

I suggest you should try it and decide for yourself. But try it in all the different operational modes so you can consider all the different variables.

Last Sheep

P.S.
For my suggestions on what equipment to buy next, check this thread, entitled, "Budget Beginning Bench you will never outgrow, for the novice handloader.":
http://rugerforum.net/reloading/293...you-will-never-outgrow-novice-handloader.html
It is my second draft an dI am still working on it.

 

[TX expat]

Welcome to the forum and to reloading!

I just started reloading about 3 months ago so I'm not too far ahead of you. You'll really appreciate the Lyman manual, it's got lots of good information for you. I've made some nice rounds with Berry's 9mm bullets and W231, so I'd say you are on the right track there. Just make up some small batches with a few different loads and go test 'em out!

 

[DoubleSawbuck]

Thanks, I hope to get to the range on Saturday to test these out. So far I've made some @ 4.6g and 4.9g I'm gonna also make some @ 4.4g to try out. I'm using those increments because the Lee Autodiscs match those loads, so if one works out really well (I'm thinking it will be 4.9) I'll have the disc to mass produce it. According to Hogdgon's data on their website 5.1g is the max for Speer GDHP, so I didn't want to go much higher then 4.9 with these plated bullets. I didn't try dropping these in the barrel yet, I'll try it this evening. The specs I've made them at match the OAL of the Federal store bought ammo I have on hand and I've shot about 500 rounds of that with no hiccups.

 

[rfwobbly]

I didn't try dropping these in the barrel yet, I'll try it this evening.

Did you make a "test round" with no powder and no primer to drop into your gun?

Let's practice safety and keep the live ammo out of the gun. OK ? Making up 1 or 2 test cartridges that have run through the resizing and bullet seating process are going to be the EXACT same size as your loaded rounds, but one heck of a lot safer to check in your gun.

 

[Lost Sheep]

Misunderstood?

Quote:
I didn't try dropping these in the barrel yet, I'll try it this evening.
Quote:
Did you make a "test round" with no powder and no primer to drop into your gun?

Let's practice safety and keep the live ammo out of the gun. OK ?

I think the idea is to disassemble the gun and just drop the rounds in the chamber/barrel. MUCH safer than cycling them through the action and you can see and feel the fit much better, too.

I think you mis-read the intent of the post.

Lost Sheep