[Sigarmed 1]

I am considering getting back into the reloading scene again after many years away and was wondering whether it would be worth it on a strictly financial basis for the type of shooting I do. (Range/Plinking etc.) Aside from all of the other benefits and satisfaction derived from reloading your own ammo, on a strictly cost basis alone, is it really worth it? I would be loading .40 FMJ range ammo almost exclusively and I can buy that new from Wal-Mart for $7.50 a box. What can a box of 50 be reloaded for these days? Not that the answer is going to change my mind either way, I've already pretty much decided to do it anyway :-), I just was curious to know some ball park figures and get some advice from those of you who are "already in the trenches" so to speak. Thanks in advance for any and all replies!!

[bountyhunter]

.40SW is probably the only cartridge I would not reload, unless you are sure it's once fired brass just because of the higher pressures involved. If you are shooting out of a Glock or any gun with an unsupported barrel, the risk index goes up exponentially.

[HSMITH]

Bullets are $65 per thousand shipped to your door.
Powder is one cent per shell.
Primers are one and a half cent each.
Brass is less than $25 per thousand if you do a little shopping shipped to your door. It will easily last 5 firings at max pressures in a Glock.

We come up with 10 bucks for powder, 15 bucks for primers, 65 bucks for bullets and 5 bucks for brass (per thousand reloads), $95 per thousand, divided by 20 boxes is $4.75 per box for ammo that is tailored to the power level that you want and to your particular bun. That price can be lowered by a BUNCH if you buy larger quantities of components.

40 is not hard to load at all, but it is also not as forgiving as 9mm or 45 are. That said you have to screw up pretty good to have a KB because of a reload in a 40 caliber Glock. I load 40 for a Glock with no reservations.

[Sigarmed 1]

Great info! Thanks!! Exactly what I was hoping I would hear :-) I am looking pretty hard right now at at a RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme Master Reloading kit with a carbide die set. It seems to have almost everything I will need to get started with and I used an RCBS setup in the past and was impressed with the quality etc. I plan to stay really conservative with my loads and hopefully I won't run into any trouble. I will be shooting the ammo through a SIG P229. How does this setup sound? Thanks again!

[HSMITH]

Sounds...... well....... SLOW!!!! LOL, just kidding, I am a progressive reloader guy all the way. I could not do pistol volumes on a single stage, it would drive me nuts. I have some single stage equipment, but it only does a box of rifle ammo or two every couple months.

That said, the RCBS single stage equipment is outstanding quality, if it gets better I have not seen it. It will make great ammo.

If you will only load one or two pistol calibers the Dillon Square Deal B makes more sense in my opinion, and it will turn out 300 an hour with ease. Check it out here: http://dillonprecision.com/default.cfm? . If you are going to do rifle as well the rockchucker is nice to have, or get a 550B Dillon like mine :evil: :evil: .

The big positive of the kit you have in mind is that it has everything you need to start. If you buy something else you can end up spending a bit more money on other items that was not planned in the initial budget. It IS a good way to start, but if you are going to end up with a progressive press anyway you might as well start there in my opinion.

[Sigarmed 1]

Once again...great advice! I just might go the Dillon route afterall. Looking back, I do remember now how slooooow and tedious the single stage process was so I am going to rethink my plans now. Are their any particular online vendors that you prefer doing business with for supplies etc.? Price is important, or course, but customer service counts more in my book.

[Carnitas]

Definately progressive. A rock chucker on the bench might be handy for certian operations, but only as the second press.

I've recently started working 40 and so far its been a real bugger. I've found drastic variations in accuracy between different powders. Tite group is very bad. Power pistol is pretty good. U.Clays, Blue Dot, and AA#7 were somewhere inbetween.

[Johnny Guest]

Don't know how I got along with single stage presses for so many years. I REALLY like my Dillon 550B. If I say anything more, I'll go to gushing. :p

Hodgdon Universal is a very good powder for .40. I load 5.5 gr. with a 180 jacketed or plated bullet - -Under max, but that's the way I like it!

No matter what your background many years ago, please get a couple of UP-To-Date loading manuals, and second-source any load you contemplate using. Minor variations are inconsequential, but major ones send up a red flag. Typographical errors and misprints HAVE been known to occur. Besides, the .40 auto ctg may have been introduced since you last urchased a loading handbook.;) Also, a couple of very good powders have been introduced in the past ten years.

Have fun loading, and please let us know about your progress.

Best,
Johnny

[Sigarmed 1]

I most definitely agree with your advice to begin with updated manuals etc., and I plan to do that before touching ANYTHING! (The Speer reloading manual that I currently have is a version 7 or 8 I believe) Also, I like the idea of double sourcing loads-something so "common sense" but also something I had NOT done before and, looking back now, that scares the hell out of me!:-) Ok, I'm convinced. It'll be a progressive for me! Now, I just need to decide which one!! Thanks again everyone!

[Carnitas]

Go here. http://www.brianenos.com/pages/dillon.html

Brian Enos has some of the best prices on Dillon machines and the pros and cons of each machine described on this page are a good as it gets.

[Sigarmed 1]

Good deal! I'll check it out now.

[jw29650]

I reload for my P99 in .40 using a Lee turrent press with the autodisk powder measure. I use the 4-hole model with auto advance feature. The press and powder measure will run you about $110. It is not as fast as a true progressive, but also does not cost as much. I use Ranier plated 165 grain bullets and V-V 3N37 powder. I have also used Remmington golden saber bullets at 165 grain. They cost a little more, but make real nice clean holes in the target. I saved my cases from factory rounds, so I know what the history behind the brass is.

[JSR]

I bought my 550-B from Chad Pengar at http://www.eguns.com/index.html
great service and he'll tell you what you need,don't need, without being pushy.
J

[Thrash1982]

What would you consider to be the best powder for reloading .40?

Also, I hear that reloading for Glocks in .40 may or may not be a good idea (unsupported chamber). I am considering reloading for a soon-to-be-mine Beretta 96. Does this have a supported or unsupported chamber?

[Khornet]

All I can say is:

Pay close attention when you reload. Check your brass for signs of weakness, ruthlessly discard suspect brass, watch cartridge OAL closely, crimp enough to prevent setback, avoid heavy bullets (I think 180 gr is as high as I would go in .40), and DON'T PUSH THE ENVELOPE trying to make hot loads.

I can't tell you how many handloads I've fed my Glock 22, and we're both still here.

I have about 1500 cases. I have a single stage press. One day I size/deprime/tumble/case mouth flare (SLIGHTLY) them all. Then I load as needed, putting fired brass in a separate ammo can until all are used. Then I start over. This way I avoid repeated use of the same cases and reduce the risk of failure.

Loading the .40-for ANY gun- is no big deal. But as with all handloading, you must pay attention and be safe. It appears to be true that there is less margin for error than with, say, 45 ACP, but you're not exactly walking a knife edge either.