Reloading 9mm on a single stage...

[Tomekeuro85]

I am getting a 9mm pistol pretty soon, and I dont want to spend much on bullets. I already have a Rockchucker for reloading rifle ammo.

Could someone describe the process of reloading 9mm on a single stage? Assuming I'm reloading once fired brass. I know there are 3 dies involved instead of 2 like for rifles. Is lube required for sizing?

How long would it take to load say 1000 rounds of 9mm on a single stage?( with a Chargemaster combo scale) Thats about all I plan to shoot every few months, so its not worth getting a progressive until I get more handgun calibers.

 

[Travis Two]

The first die will resize and deprime the case. You should use some case lube even if you are using carbide dies as it will make the operation easier as the carbide insert is ground full length in the die as opposed to just a ring in other dies for straight wall cases.If you are using steel dies then you MUST LUBE. Next step is to prime. a hand primer is faster than primimg on the press and they are not that expensive. I use a LEE. The second die will expand the casemouth to accept the bullet. Charge case with powder. The Third die will seat the bullet and will crimp the bullet into place. The third die is most likely a roll crimp/ seat die so go easy on the crimp. You might want to get a seperate taper crimp die and use the third die just for seating the bullets.

 

[The Bushmaster]

I have an all Lee system. Both the Lee single stage and a Lee turret.

1. Tumble brass for 15 to 30 minutes to prep brass for resize/decap die. If you are using a carbide die no lube is necessary. Inspect cases.

2. Run them through Sizing/decapping die. Inspect cases.

3. Tumble them for about 1 hour. inspect cases.

4. Prime. Inspect cases for prober primer depth.

6. Using Lee through powder and belling die and Lee Auto Disc. Bell and charge them. Place in loading block. Insure all have the same amount of powder. Beings as how you have a electronic dispencing scale, a funnel will replace the Auto Disc in the top of the through charging and belling die.

7. Seat the bullet and remove bell. (Light crimp to just remove bell)

8. Go shoot and start over.

9. It might take you around 1 hour to load 100 rounds on a single stage. When you are though you will know the ins and outs of reloading 9mm.

10. Pet load for the Bushmaster? For 9mm X 19mm (Luger). 4.8 grains of W231 under a Winchester 115 grain JHP. WSP primed. seated to OAL 1.100" to 1.110" Velocity from a 3.4" barrel 1085 fps...

 

[lee n. field]

How long would it take to load say 1000 rounds of 9mm on a single stage?

I manage about 1round/minute on a single stage press. You can do the math. That's with using a ram prime die for priming, and every little procedural optimization I can contrive. I really should be saving for a progressive press.

 

[ezypikns]

You may want to see if you'll really save by reloading 9mm

I can buy 115 gr FMJ for a little less than 5.00 a box. It's probably silly but my rule is if I have to pay 8.00 and up for a box of 50, I'll reload it. I reload .38 sp, .45 ACP, and 45 Colt.
Your reloading will probably be easier if you lube the brass, but I've reloaded thousands of rounds of pistol and revolver ammo without lubing. That's using carbide dies of course.
1000 rounds on a single stage will take several hours of work. With experience you'll learn what you can and can't eliminate in the reloading process. For instance, I used to clean the primer pockets on all my brass. Not anymore.
Ask lots of questions. This forum is an outstanding resource. We don't all do things exactly alike. Don't let that confuse you. You'll probably develop your own ways of doing things over time.
Also if you weigh each charge it'll take an interminable length of time. After my powder measure is set up and is throwing a consistent charge, I only weigh every tenth case. DON'T hurry though. Be methodical and CAREFUL. Enjoy it. It gives a great deal of satisfaction to produce your own ammo.

 

[Tomekeuro85]

I'll probably just stick to doing a bit of 9mm reloading for now and get a progressive later, because

1. Its not worth getting a progressive for my single 9mm handgun
2. When I get my Sig, I'll have 3 pistols, and I'll also get an AR, so thats 9mm, .44mag .45 acp and .223
3. 2 of my friends are buying the same beretta as me, so I can reload 9mm for them. One friend will also have an AR like mine, so I can do .223 for him. I'll be reloading for 7 total guns, so thats plenty of ammo going to be spent.

When you add up all those factors, It'll make sense to get a Dillon, but till then, i'll stick with the rockchucker and reload for myself only.

 

[kart racer]

I'm reloading 9mm and 45 acp on a partner press.I use a little dandy powder measure-which is very fast and accurate w/the powders I use.I load jhp for a lot less than wwb value packs.

 

[Uncle Don]

I manage about 1round/minure on a single stage press. You can do the math. That's with using a ram prime die for priming, and every little procedural optimization I can contrive. I really should be saving for a progressive press.

That's pretty impressive for the way you are doing it. When I was using a single stage for 38 Special many moons ago, I was using an auto disk powder measure so belling and powder drop were done at the same time; I also primed by using an Auto Prime. Both of those procedures are faster than the way you are doing it (the priming anyway) and I never got better than 1 round a minute. You're definately hustling - like I said, that's impressive.

 

[WayneConrad]

For 9mm, I use a Rock Chucker and RCBS carbide dies. I use a Ram Primer to prime. I start with deprimed, tumbled brass.

Resize
Bell
Prime
Calibrate scale with check weights
Set and check powder measure
Charge
Seat
Check each round with a max cartridge gauge
Record in book
Label the box

50 rounds takes me between 40 and 60 minutes from the moment I sit down to the moment the label is slapped on the box. 50 minutes is typical.

 

[Steve in PA]

I've been using the RCBS single-stage for 15+ years, next year I'm thinking of upgrading to the Piggyback system.

When I reload for 9mm or 45acp, I'll deprime all my brass on one day, flare and reprime on the next and finish up the next. I'm righ tin the middle of the final step and I can get several hundred done in an hour.

 

[JDGray]

My first press was a Lee anniversary, single stage. I recently bought a turret press and a pro auto disk powder measure. Wow! what an improvement. I still size- deprime on my single, and hand prime. I fill a coffee can each of 9mm & 45ACP ready to load brass. Tonight I loaded up 100 9mm in 15min. I was really impressed with the performance of the pro auto disk, after chronoing my loads, I only varied 10 fps on my 9mm loads.

 

[lee n. field]

That's pretty impressive for the way you are doing it.

I resize everything at once, ditto belling and priming. I don't bother checking the case length, 'cause back when I did I never saw a handgun case that had stretched enough to need trimming.

When I prime (using a ram prime die (yes, RCBS' new tool looks interesting)) I've got everything physically arranged so I can do seperate things with each hand (ex. set the primer in the priming die, while reaching for the case to prime). I can prime 100 cases this way in 10 minutes, if I get a good cadence going.

I really should start looking at a progressive. Or if I'm cheap the new Lee turret (wonder if they're going to make a progressive with that platform).

 

[armoredman]

I do 9mm on an RCBS jr single stage, and it is about 1 per minute. I don't mind, it's a hobby, not a job, and I love it.
I don't use the powder through portion of the belling die, but set it up to hold the RCBS Uniflow powder measure on the press, so I bell, then move about 2 inches to the left, and charge.

 

[GunAdmirer]

I load 9mm on a single stage press using RCBS carbide dies. I only need around 200 rounds a month, so it is no big deal to crank out that many rounds per month on a single stage.

Berry's and other brands of plated bullets are clean and economical. Good 9mm cases are widely available and free since few reload them because it isn't "cost effective."

I reload 9mm because I can use quality components and control the performance.

 

[caz223]

Just keep buying 9mm by the case with good reloadable brass.
Save your brass for if/when you get a progressive.
Reloading 9mm on a single stage press just isn't worth it, unless you take some serious short cuts.
Life's too short, man.

 

[robertbank]

I have to agree with caz223. For what you can buy 9MM for your way loading this cartridge on a single stage just doesn't compute in my mind.

I can load 100 rounds in about 15 minutes or less on my dillon 550 and never break sweat. Up here 9MM goes for about $12. a box of 50 which is around $10.US less if you buy bulk and on line. I get all the brass I want off our range for free so my costs are primer & powder - I cast my own boolits from free source of wheelweights.

Personally I have found no need to lube 9MM cases using carbide dies. I do tumble my brass well though and use it only once before sending to re-cycle box. I have a huge supply of free once fired otherwise I would load it more frequently.

If you intend to shoot a lot either buy new or start saving for a progressive. Won't save any money by reloading because you will shoot a whole lot more.

Take Care

 

[Roadkill]

You have to enjoy doing it. If only for the expense factor then your time is more valuable in a second job. I load .32, 9mm, .38, .38 S&W, .357, .40, .44, .44 mag, and .45 in pistol calibers, .223, .308, 30-06, .303, .30 carbine, and .30-30 rifle all with a single stage press. It takes time. I find it relaxing. I do it in stages and rarely do it for more than an hour at a time. I use Red Dot for pistol and IMR 4895 for rifles.

rk

 

[capbuster]

reloading is always a plus because you can get more out of your firearm.The following may have been mentioned,if so forgive my error. For many years I have used a system I refer to batching. Not an original idea but something I picked up along the way.It requires having a good supply of brass.Going through all the steps on a single stage press is a chore. keep batches of cases in different stages such as sized and belled in one,sized,belled,and primed in the other. When you get ready to load up,draw from primed batch.Add powder,bullet,and crimp and keep the process going.

 

[WayneConrad]

This thread made me curious: What would happen if I loaded larger batches? So I spent yesterday and today making enough loading blocks so I could load a lot of 200 instead of my usual 50. Apparently the setup time (changing dies, calibrating powder measures, etc.) is quite a lot, because I just loaded 200 rounds of 38 special in 126 minutes, or 95 rounds/hour. I usually get 50 rounds done in about 50 minutes, which is 60 rounds/hour.

A little bit of high-school algebra shows that my setup time is around 25 minutes per lot, and my per-round time not including seutp is 30 seconds.

 

[Tomekeuro85]

Does a progressive like Dillon resize, deprime, bell, prime, charge, and seat all in one step? or does resizing and belling take place somehwere else?

 

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I own a single stage (Lee Classic Cast) and a progressive presss(Hornady Lock N Load). My read on buying a single stage press, in the current market with what's available today, to reload 9MM is, that for about the same money, you can buy the new Lee Classic Cast press. With the Lee Safety Prime, an Auto Disk Powder Measure, you can be reloading easily 200 or up to 300 an hour with a bit of effort.

Not only that, but if you're new to reloading, the Auto-advance of the turret can be turned off until one is comfortable with what's going on with each process. And when one decides to load rifle, all one has to buy is a powder measure to handle stick powders if one choices to reload such. A lot of press for the money, that new Lee Classic Cast press. I wish it had been available when I was first starting reloading. Lee has genuine winners with their latest press offerings.

Just my .02,

Dave

 

[WayneConrad]

Does a progressive like Dillon resize, deprime, bell, prime, charge, and seat all in one step? or does resizing and belling take place somehwere else?

A true progressive does it all: deprime, size, bell, charge, seat, crimp. Each pull of the handle kicks out one round. All you have to do is put in a case in one station, put a bullet onto the case in another station, and pull the handle.

 

[robertbank]

Tomekeuro85

The Dillon 550 has four stages. for the 9MM :
1st Stage - resizes and decaps and installs a new primer
2nd Stage - Bells case and loads powder
3rd Stage - Seats Bullet
4th Stage - Crimps

Each pull of the handle gives you one completed round once all stages are filled. I can load 100 rounds easy in 15 minutes.

Take Care

 

[donkee]

I just remove old primers from the brass with universal decapper, soak in the cleaning brew for 30 minutes, tumble, run each case through the case gauge, and prime. Usually I have around 3000 primed 9mm cases ready to go. Never trim, just throw in the scrap can if they don't pass the gauge. Once they brass is sized and primed, I pull out 6 50rd loading blocks and first, use the LEE powder through expamder with the LEE Pro Auto Disk measure. After charging the 300 cases, I take a look under a good light to make sure everything looks good. Then I seat the bullets, all 300. Then run them through the LEE Factory Crimp Die. If I don't take any smoke breaks (yeah right) I can get the 300 done in about 90 minutes. The finished rounds go into a plastic coffee can, 300 per can. It will take me 3 weeks to go through a can of ammo so I really only have to load 9mm every couple months or so since I do 1000 rounds in 4 batches. Brass prep is mostly waiting for the soak and tumble, priming goes really fast with the LEE hand primer. I get better ammo and like to do the loading. I don't save a fortune, but is compliments my shooting hobby.......

 

[wolfe28]

9mm reloading

I just finished reloading some 9mm on a Lee aniversery kit with Lee carbide dies (I also use RCBS dies, but these were free, and in perfect condition). Once the dies were set up, it took about 30 minutes to reload 20 rounds (I wasn't in a hurry). I used about the same loading progression as the Bushmaster, except I used the Lee Perfect Powder measure and charged the shells off the press. It actually went fairly smoothly. Normally, I wouldn't worry to much about reloading 9, but when the powder, projectiles and dies are free, it makes a little more sense.

So here's my question. All the loading manuals stated that 4 grains of Unique is the max load for a 121 grain lead conical. I normaly start 10% low and work up from there. In this case, that would be 3.6 grains of powder. Is that low enough to start?

D