Is the 9 mm a pain to reload for?

[AJC1]

I absolutely have reloaded 9mm in the past, and it's really no different than anything else. The difference is how much I save vs 357 or 45. If your looking at value then 9mm is better for time to buy. If I load 357 for 25 cents I save 75 cents per. Compared to 9mm I'm allocating primers for way bigger savings. Current prices have 9mm at 15 dollars and 357 at 50.

 

[algaeguy]

Being rather DCO, that’s OCD alphabetically, and using a mish mash of range brass, I deprime and resize the brass. Then I chamber check them. After finishing the reloading, I re-chamber check all the rounds.

D before C?

 

[dcarr]

I reload/shoot up a box (50) of 9mm a week. Not a pain for me on a turret. If it was or became a problem I'd just buy them at recent prices. My reloads are cleaner shooting than any factory I've bought . Not a problem getting shells to reload although I avoid S &B.

 

[algaeguy]

I started reloading 9mm during covid because a couldn't find ammo. Now I do it because I like too, and I can reload interesting rounds like RMR nuke. One thing I have noticed, then researched, is that different 9mm brass have different thicknesses, which can play a role.in reloading

 

[tmd16556]

I enjoy reloading 9mm. It’s not a hard cartridge to load if you just stay within the guidelines (I started as a shotshell loader so rules matter).

I do stop loading 9mm first though. It’s usually cheaper factory ammo than other things I load. I’ll prioritize 38 special since it’s pricier to buy than load. If time matters or pistol primers are scarce, you can always find 9x19 on sale, but others are harder.

 

[MikeInOr]

My older brother, the reloader in the family, causally mentioned that he won't reload 9 mm. IIRC it was reasons like high pressure load with small case capacity (didn't care at the time as I had no intention of owning a 9mm).

Well now I'm getting ready to retire so will be at home and out in the public a lot more. Figure it is time to get my "zombie apocalypse double stack tupperware gun" and perhaps a CCW one too. 9 MM just seems like the obvious choice.

Could it be because he uses a Dillion 550? If I want to show up with dies and powder in hand what would y'all suggest? Or maybe it is cheap enough that reloading isn't worth the bother?

9mm is the first round i loaded for about 35 years ago... I still reload all my 9's. I guess I don't save a whole lot on plinking ammo but I save a ton on my carry ammo. I save so much on carry ammo that I can actually afford to practice with carry ammo to make sure the Gold Dot JHP's always feed 100% in my carry pistols.

I reload all my various cartridges on my Dillon 650. 9mm's are a little bit of a pain... after loading a few thousand rounds my arm gets tired.

 

[Otto]

My older brother, the reloader in the family…..If I want to show up with dies and powder in hand what would y'all suggest? Or maybe it is cheap enough that reloading isn't worth the bother?

I won’t shoot someone else’s reloads and suggest you don’t either.

 

[Larry in wyoming]

Get a set of Lee carbide dies and have your brother show you the ropes.
A Lee powder measure might help as well.

 

[JDeere]

I gave 9mm reloading a try years ago. I personally did not see the need for it. I just stock up on it when it's cheap enough. I had a stash during the pandemic and will have a stash for the next run. I sold my 9mm reloading stuff.

 

[BWS]

Technically,this bullet is 136gr all in. Went looking for the load notes and well,they're somewhere. Quick look on Steve's pages shows for the 9mm; 130 weights, @ 3.0 - 4.7.... of 700X

Pretty sure I'm @3.5gr ..... I make custom rotors for Lyman Accumeasures,and there's a 3.5/700X rotor that I'm gonna say is it. Obviously you need to do research... but in a general sense,this rig with this bullet is being loaded well under max.

Another,albeit discontinued powder, is Dupont PB(Porous Base),its main attributes were "soft shooting" shotgun loads. Expensive powder.... is real sneaky and bad when approaching max loads in handguns... ESPECIALLY small cases like the 9mm. However... do the diligence,carefully working up loads...understand the pitfalls and it's peachy. I don't go after hot loads in 9mm,that simple. But about halfway,maybe 3/4's up published data should see a sweet target load. Good luck with your project.

BWS,
Woukd you please share your recipe using 700X with the 130g NOE RNFP bullet?
Thxs,
-b

 

[BWS]

Oh yeah.... I would rank the 9mm/cast experience as a real bugger on getting the case sized,"just so". Each chamber,each brand of cases,bullet fit,yadayada... it isn't for the impatient. I use almost as much precision/custom tooling on it as some of my X ring cast rifles.... for ME,it's not just a casual loading caliber. That's not saying it's hard.... just protracted.

 

[kerreckt]

I find 9mm easy to reload. 32acp is another matter. Best wishes!

 

[Targa]

Well now I'm getting ready to retire so will be at home and out in the public a lot more

Congrats on the retirement! I had planned on doing the same two months ago but my employer keeps dangling another carrot in front of this Jack Asses face….

 

[cfullgraf]

BWS,
Woukd you please share your recipe using 700X with the 130g NOE RNFP bullet?
Thxs,
-b

700-X is a good powder although I have not used it in 9x19. I tend ot use a bit slower speed powders in 9x19. Currently, I like True Blue for 9x19 but Unique, Accurate #5 and #7 work well as well.

700-X is my main powder for 45 ACP. I also use it in 44 Special and 380 ACP.

The Hodgdon reloading site has load data for 9x19 and 700-X.

Use published data and work up loads that work for you. Data for 124/125 grain bullet of similar construction should be fine for your 130 gr NOE cast bullet.

 

[Howa 9700]

I may not be the right guy to answer this, as I only started loading for 9mm in past few months. Having said that, it seems to be one of the easier rounds to load for.....as compared to shotguns or rifles. A set of Lee carbide dies means no case lube to worry about. No need to trim cases for length, just size and deprime......prime......flare the mouth......drop a powder charge........seat a bullet.........crimp it. Even on a single stage a guy can pump out a lot of ammo. Not hundreds of rounds of blammo an hour like you could on a progressive but enough to keep a gun running hot. Components and load data for same now widely available and easy to assemble.

A few observations.........there must be 40 to 50 different powders/propellants that could be and are used to load 9mm. Everything from large flake to fine dense dust. The large flakes both bulky and lite.......fine grained powders very dense and heavy. The large flake powders mean the charge weights you use will fill a case to the point of compression......so you are not likely to use too much powder (safer), plus that amount means charge weights of 3.5 to 4 grains. The fine grained dense powders yield case fills as low as 50% or so, with room for enough more powder to get you into big time trouble......charge weights can be as high as 7 to 8 grains. Assuming a pound is a pound, the large flakes mean you can load twice as many rounds with same cannister of powder, so cheaper to use. An 8 pound jug of Promo, Red Dot, 700X, Green Dot, Herco, Unique or Blue Dot would last guys like me what is left of my lifetime..........with a lot of mileage left over for my heirs downstream. So cheap powder and brass, which is either cheap to buy or free to pickup if you can make do with once fired. RMR bullets at 10 cents each and Fiocchi primers running 5 to 8 cents each.

There are some safety rules to follow to keep you out of trouble but none are onerous or hard to follow. Fired some test rounds yesterday and they all went bang. Safely went bang.

Lastly, and this is not meant to throw shade on anyone.......after going thru crazy stupid shortages of ammo, and seeing the way the wind is blowing politically, I concluded it was not a reach to see when the day will come when there is no ammo or components to make same left to buy. Permanent. Keep your now empty, useless guns. So I made the call to be able to reload for every weapon I have control over that requires a primer to set it off. Shotguns, handguns and rifles. I'm now set for life no matter what happens. I'm able to do that as I'm a low volume shooter. No endless mag dumps for me. But when the zombies attack, I'll be the one of the last guys left with enough ammo to administer the all essential double tap.

 

[alfsauve]

DCO—-CDO. I blame autocorrect. That’s my story and I’m stucking with it.

 

[AJC1]

I won’t shoot someone else’s reloads and suggest you don’t either.

I think you take this to far... family and vetted friends are perfectly fine. I may have shot more of my dad's reloads in the Last 25 years than I can hope to make in the next 25. There are people on this board I've shot with, and we've shot reloads from the other guy. I firmly believe the rule, I will not shoot a guys I don't know, and never ever shoot a gun show reload.

 

[rfwobbly]

You're correct. 9x19 Luger IS the obvious choice, but...

In my humble opinion, 9x19 Luger is not harder to load, but there are a lot more details/ steps/ measurements to check when loading it. This is mainly because of its tapered case. Very, very few handgun cartridges are tapered. (38Spcl, 358Mag, 380Auto, 45ACP, and 40S&W are all true straight-walled cartridges.) The reduced volume of the case is also a concern, and calls for very sober, adult level of attention to detail and care. The end result is a more highly refined loading process for 9mm, which if applied to all your cartridges, will result in a better overall reloading experience.

What the tapered case means is if the cartridge case is not sized precisely right (that is, the reloader doesn't spend the extra die adjustment time to get the sizing and shaping done correctly) that the cartridge can get wedged in the chamber causing all sorts of user issues. And because the cartridge is half-way into the chamber, where no one can see, correcting even minor sizing issues can take longer to sort out. The key is to this is to 1] spend extra time in die adjustment, 2] load more "test cartridges", and then hopefully 3] have a reloading press where the dies don't need to be removed or disturbed between use.

Chamber Pressure concerns can be completely eliminated by simply using a chronograph to measure the average bullet velocity, and then comparing those results to the Velocity listed under Max Load in your up-to-date reloading manual. But, far from being a burden, the purchase of a $100 chrono will greatly expand your enjoyment of reloading, knowledge base and overall shooting safety.

Hope this helps.

 

[buddyd157]

My older brother, the reloader in the family, causally mentioned that he won't reload 9 mm. IIRC it was reasons like high pressure load with small case capacity (didn't care at the time as I had no intention of owning a 9mm).

Well now I'm getting ready to retire so will be at home and out in the public a lot more. Figure it is time to get my "zombie apocalypse double stack tupperware gun" and perhaps a CCW one too. 9 MM just seems like the obvious choice.

Could it be because he uses a Dillion 550? If I want to show up with dies and powder in hand what would y'all suggest? Or maybe it is cheap enough that reloading isn't worth the bother?

well, i have Dillon 550c with full tool heads/powder dispensers for 9mm, 38 special, 45 ACP, and 45 Colt LC

i also have a Lee Pro-400 set up right now for 9mm

i can assure you there are NO issues reloading any caliber on my Dillon 550c

i just prefer to use the Lee for the 9mm

i should point out, i have only been reloading coming up on 1 year this October, and i still "stay close" to the starting charge per the book, or online from the powder maker.

this is where i "feel comfortable" and in time, i will increase the powder charge slightly to just below the max.....but i ain't in no hurry to do so anytime soon.

but right now, the prices of 9mm new ammo is coming down, so i buy more new than i reload that caliber.

presses make no difference. once you "dial in" your press, you check the powder charge every so often (for safety sake), and the OAL, then plunk test in a gauge or the barrel of the gun you shoot from (barrel should be removed from the gun of course)

if you switch out brands of powder like i did, from Bullseye to now, TiteGroup, some "readjustment" to the powder drop is in order.

 

[BW460]

Loading 9mm was very difficult for me until I got rid of my cheap dies and bought a quality set. Now it is no different than any other caliber. Don't use cheap dies!

 

[derek45]

What was the question again ?

 

[entropy]

I'm not reloading 9mm now, I did many years ago with a Whack-A-Mole. When I do start loading 9mm, and maybe .380, I have plenty of brass (range pickup) and have loaded .45ACP for many years; I don't anticipate any problems with either caliber.

 

[armoredman]

I just used my ProChrono on my latest accurate load for the RMR Nuke - 1114 FPS with an SD of 15 with 5.3gr of CFE Pistol at 1.065. Data presented for academic purposes only, do not duplicate, don't try this at home, your mileage may vary, do not use in the shower, wash before wearing, and remove child before laundering.

 

[ParallelCode]

Loading 9x19 is pretty straightforward in my opinion.

 

[Walkalong]

Loading 9x19 is pretty straightforward in my opinion.

Yep, easy peasy. Just realize that the case is tapered and the sizer being all the way down is important.