Not Yet A Player, But At Least Now I'm In The Game

Carbide dies will have a ring at the base of the die (where the brass inserts) which will be a different color. Very easy to see the difference between carbide and non-carbide dies.

I like W231 for 45acp, but don't load for 9mm or 380 so can't comment on those. You may have to settle for a powder that you can get right now rather than a powder you want.

RCBS makes good dies, and I use both those and Hornady dies. I like them both but prefer the sliding sleeve that Hornady uses in their seating dies. But any quality die set will work and last a lifetime if reasonably cared for.

CCI primers work fine for me, although I use other brands as well. No complaints with any of them really. Once you get started you will find what works for you and possibly develop a preference for this over that. Again you may have to settle for what's available.

And to answer a question you didn't ask, get a good book. It will explain the "how-to's" and "why's" of reloading. The front portion of the book teaches you and the rear portion has the data. I have seven books at the moment, and all have their uses. Be aware that a book from Hornady will use multiple powders but only Hornady bullets. The same is true of the other manufactures. Many will recommend the Lyman book, and I would say it is a very good book. The "One Caliber, One Book" series are also useful, but will contain only data for a single caliber, and have no information of how to reload, so be aware of that.

Check and re-check as you go, building good safety habits right from the start. Take your time and ask questions as you need to, many knowledgeable people here, and most are friendly too.

And finally, welcome to THR.

chris

Wood in the Woods said:

Well, FedEx stopped by the house a few times this past week with boxes not addressed to my lovely wife and not from the Mart of Wal for a change. Nope, these boxes were addressed to me and they had MAN-STUFF inside! It made me think back to when I got my first baseball, bat, and glove. I realized although I was not yet a player, I finally had the equipment to at least be in the game. Now comes the learning curve. Where do I start? I'm working on moving a 12' x 20' storage building/shed to the house so I can set up a dedicated space where pink tool bags, Christmas dishes, and boxes of seasonal decorations are forbidden. I can build the workbench, shelves, run electricity for lights, outlets, conditioned air, and generally get things set up. It's from there that I will need the advice of knowledgeable folks like y'all to help me get up and running. I figure I will start with pistol cartridges. My dad gave me a few older RCBS sets including one set for .45 ACP. I'm not sure if it's a carbide set or not. From what I understand, carbide is the way to go. I was able to buy a NIB set of Dillon carbide 9mm dies that the gentleman was happy to sell me albeit at a price that I thought was a little uuuhhh...high. A set of .380 ACP dies would be good to have as that would round out what I regularly use as far as pistol rounds go. Since the Dillon dies are apparently made out of unobtanium, I can actually get the RCBS or Redding dies in .380 at what I consider a not unreasonable price. I don't mind buying an item but I only want to buy it once. I don't want to save a dollar now only to regret it later and have to spend the extra 20 that I should've spent the first time to get the better item. I've read through some threads here and it seems pretty much a toss-up twixt Redding and RCBS dies. Some say it boils down to preference. Unfortunately, I am ignorant to any preference due to lack of any experience. Also, I would really appreciate any powder recommendations for the above mentioned pistol calibers. I would like to stay with one kind across the board for those 3 calibers if I can. From what I've read, Winchester 231 seems to be a popular choice for 9mm and .45 ACP. Although the information I read doesn't really mention a .380 ACP specifically, since it is a 9mm as well, I I figured it would be ok for that one, too. Please correct me if my reasoning is incorrect. How about CCI large and small primers? I hope this is not too broad for a single post. Of so, kindly correct me so I will know how to better direct or ask the next time around. Any help on any point above would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all in advance.

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Step one: manuals. Start with "The ABC's of Reloading." It's a good read and the first chapters about how to buy equipment are what you need right now.
Step two: more manuals. Yes, you do need more than one reference for finding information about components, technique, and loading data.
Step three: lots of reading. This isn't just a hobby it's a hobby that can blow things up. Be careful and go slow. It can't be said enough times: read the manuals first, THEN worry about powders and projectiles. If you read the manuals first, most of those questions get resolved.
Step four: this thread will save you time, money and aggravation: https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...not-a-discussion-thread-link-required.883031/

Welcome aboard and ask about anything. Don't take shortcuts and don't try to force-match mismatched stuff and you'll be good to go for many years to come.

ballman6711 said:

Carbide dies will have a ring at the base of the die (where the brass inserts) which will be a different color. Very easy to see the difference between carbide and non-carbide dies.

I like W231 for 45acp, but don't load for 9mm or 380 so can't comment on those. You may have to settle for a powder that you can get right now rather than a powder you want.

RCBS makes good dies, and I use both those and Hornady dies. I like them both but prefer the sliding sleeve that Hornady uses in their seating dies. But any quality die set will work and last a lifetime if reasonably cared for.

CCI primers work fine for me, although I use other brands as well. No complaints with any of them really. Once you get started you will find what works for you and possibly develop a preference for this over that. Again you may have to settle for what's available.

And to answer a question you didn't ask, get a good book. It will explain the "how-to's" and "why's" of reloading. The front portion of the book teaches you and the rear portion has the data. I have seven books at the moment, and all have their uses. Be aware that a book from Hornady will use multiple powders but only Hornady bullets. The same is true of the other manufactures. Many will recommend the Lyman book, and I would say it is a very good book. The "One Caliber, One Book" series are also useful, but will contain only data for a single caliber, and have no information of how to reload, so be aware of that.

Check and re-check as you go, building good safety habits right from the start. Take your time and ask questions as you need to, many knowledgeable people here, and most are friendly too.

And finally, welcome to THR.

chris

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Wait until he starts reading all of the "How to/not-to build a bench" and "Which is the best press" threads.

Poor guy will probably go screaming for the hills, pulling his hair out.

I really enjoy reading through mathematics exercises, especially coding higher-level functions in C languages, but that's not everybody's bag. Unfortunately, in this hobby, a certain amount of basic reading is absolutely necessary. I don't think we all need to go read Nobel's original patent application or study cellulose nitrate chain theory but, having a basic understanding of what nitrocellulose is and how it differs from nitroglycerine is kinda important. At least it's helpful.

Wood in the Woods said:

Also, I would really appreciate any powder recommendations for the above mentioned pistol calibers.

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The 380 Auto and the 45 ACP are both cartridges - not "calibers." As a matter of fact, the 380 Auto is the same "caliber" as the 9mm Luger, and therefore can use some of the same bullets.
My wife's favorite EDC gun is a 380, mine's a 9mm, and for practice ammo, we often use bullets from the same box. I'm not saying those are the bullets we regularly carry in our EDC guns though - our CCW Instructor told us carrying handloads "isn't a good idea," so we don't.
At any rate, yeah, I think starting out with loading straight-walled handgun cartridges is a good idea. I started with 357 Magnums myself.

I believe Redding to offer the best quality dies overall, but it's debatable. It's also not important - all the major brands offer serviceable dies.

I do prefer carbide wherever possible, and I personally would not buy plain steel if there is any reasonable alternative.

CCI primers are fine for nearly any purpose. If you have a source, you should definitely take advantage.

231 is a very good powder and should serve you perfectly. I have never loaded for the .380, though...

Welcome, and good luck!

Welcome to THR....
Whether you want it or not.....
There's gonna be some folks here that are gonna "learnt" you how to load only their way.....

Lotsa GOOD tips and techniques here- from some VERY experienced loaders....you will learn a LOT from them (you'll quickly find who they are)....

Wood in the Woods said:

I don't mind buying an item but I only want to buy it once. I don't want to save a dollar now only to regret it later and have to spend the extra 20 that I should've spent the first time to get the better item. I've read through some threads here and it seems pretty much a toss-up twixt Redding and RCBS dies. Some say it boils down to preference. .

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I completely agree with your philosophy of "buy once, cry once." Started with an RCBS rockchucker and many years later bought a Redding T7 Turret. I love both, solid equipment.

Never went to Dillon, which I still lust after, because my methods would call for taking the case on and off the press at least twice, which eliminates the quality and speed advantage for me. I size and deprime on the Rockchcker with an expensive universal deprimer. I then size on the Redding, and then tumble. For rifle I trim, chamfer and deburr on the Giraud table model. I use the RCBS powder measure for 223 and expensive powder measure, forgot the name, for 9mm.

Then I finish on the Redding. Takes time but I am retired.

WIN 231 is one of the best powders of ALL TIME in my opinion for the calibers you mentioned, for many reasons.
Congratulations.

I’ll offer the same advice I give everyone just starting out.

Build the biggest bench you can to fit the space you have. 20”+- is about as deep as you want to go. A good average bench height is is about elbow height. A log book to note every load you attempt is important. Log as much data as you can; which bullet, primer, case, length, powder charge, how it shoots, etc. the more data you have, the better. You won’t remember it later and will reference it years later. Good lighting is necessary, as is a do not disturb sign while loading. A few manuals are definitely beneficial, the more you have, the more you can reference and compare to.

As far as equipment, all brands on the market work good enough for their respective price points. More money means more bells and whistles usually. You have to decide on single stage, turret, or progressive, each has its own benefits and drawbacks. Lee makes the most affordable equipment that works like it should, Dillon is at the other end of the range. Lyman, RCBS, and Hornady are in between. All are good and do the job, it just depends on how much you want to spend and the qty of ammo you need in a given period of time.

You need to determine a basic budget, you also should have an idea of how many rounds you want to produce per month/week/day(whichever) and how much time you can allocate to producing said number of rounds.
Say you shoot 100 rounds a week and have 5 available hours to do it, a single stage will easily meet that. Same number but an hour to do it, a turret can handle it. Need it in 10 minutes, progressive is your choice. There other considerations to be aware of, loading multiple calibers means a die set for each caliber and if using a turret or progressive, it also means tool heads, shell plates, and for some presses more. The cost of those varies widely and in some cases cost as much as a lesser brand of press completely setup for one caliber.

First figure out how much you plan to shoot per month and your budget to get your equipment and more and better help will be provided.

Wood in the Woods said:

My dad gave me a few older RCBS sets including one set for .45 ACP. I'm not sure if it's a carbide set or not.

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If it has a ring of different metal inside the die, it's a carbide die.

Wood in the Woods said:

I've read through some threads here and it seems pretty much a toss-up twixt Redding and RCBS dies. Some say it boils down to preference.

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They are both good, as are all the other brands, including Lee. <flame suit on> My preference is RCBS, but I have Lee and Hornady also.

Wood in the Woods said:

How about CCI large and small primers?

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Yes, buy all you can afford without going too far into debt.

Wood in the Woods said:

From what I've read, Winchester 231 seems to be a popular choice for 9mm and .45 ACP. Although the information I read doesn't really mention a .380 ACP specifically, since it is a 9mm as well, I I figured it would be ok for that one, too. Please correct me if my reasoning is incorrect.

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Well, when the manufacturer lists very few loads for it, and the min to max range is only half a grain, I'd say it's far from the best powder for .380.

https://www.hodgdonreloading.com/reloading-data-center?rdc=true&type=53

But I will agree with Palladan44 that it is great for .45 ACP and 9mm.

.308 Norma said:

The 380 Auto and the 45 ACP are both cartridges - not "calibers." As a matter of fact, the 380 Auto is the same "caliber" as the 9mm Luger, and therefore can use some of the same bullets.
My wife's favorite EDC gun is a 380, mine's a 9mm, and for practice ammo, we often use bullets from the same box. I'm not saying those are the bullets we regularly carry in our EDC guns though - our CCW Instructor told us carrying handloads "isn't a good idea," so we don't.
At any rate, yeah, I think starting out with loading straight-walled handgun cartridges is a good idea. I started with 357 Magnums myself.

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The 380 is 313 dia. while 9MM is 315 dia. also380 uses a lighter buller than 9MM I'm talking lead here.

deadeye dick said:

The 380 is 313 dia. while 9MM is 315 dia. also380 uses a lighter buller than 9MM I'm talking lead here.

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They're still the same caliber. I could copy and post load data for both the 380 Auto AND the 9mm Luger that calls for the use of the same bullets from at least a half-dozen different load manuals. But I'm not going to waste my time.
Yes, the 380 Auto is usually loaded with lighter-weight bullets ("I'm talking lead here") but so what? I generally use lighter weight bullets in my 308 Winchester than I do in my 308 Norma Magnum. "They're still the same caliber."

few rules of thumb:
#1) don't load max loads. leave yourself a safety cushion.

watch a couple youtube videos about reloading. It's a good way to get a broad overall picture and see the various machines in operation.
there is no best ______ there are plenty of good options.
For pistol calibers, almost anything you load, on any equipment, will outshoot you. Don't get too bent up about it.
Manuals are recipes. Not the Bible. you can make substitutions (ex: you can use a winchester instead of a cci primer.) Bullet weights are what is important, not brands or shapes. And you can make minor substitutions like using data for a 130 grn bullet instead of a 125. (use heavier bullet data for lighter ones, not the other way around) Especially if you are following rule #1
don't load up more than 30 or so of any load until you have tested it. (says they guy who has pulled 300 44mag rounds apart because he loaded too fast a powder for too soft a lead bullet and was keyholing left and right)
here are more load manuals than you could ever read as .pdf's https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...-collection-of-reloading-data-old-and-current
believe it or not, pinterest is a great place to look for load bench designs.
you can mix and match equipment brands. I have a dillon 650 set up with lee dies, lee powder measure, lee case feed (that was jury rigged on) sitting next to a lee turret press currently set up with rcbs dies, next to an rcbs uniflo, lyman loading block......you get the idea.
it is highly doubtful that even with unlimited funds and supply that you would be able to set up exactly how you want it your first try. expect to have to tinker.
make sure you have your stool before you build your bench. Or get an adjustable height stool.
nearly everybody who says "I get x number of rounds per hour out of my x brand machine" is lying. as in I caught a fish THIS big.

Don't try and load handgun on a single stage press. I generally recommend a lee turret press for most beginners. They're affordable, they make 1 complete round at a time so you don't get lost, auto index so you are less likely to double charge or something, are fast enough to produce a quantity of ammo, yet easy to master and deal with stoppages. Caliber changes are fast and cheap. You will probably eventually move to a progressive if you shoot a lot, but the turret still has plenty of uses. If you have money, and can find one, a dillon 550 would be my upgraded starter pick.

It sounds like you’re starting out well. I second others’ recommendation to get a good reloading manual. A real, printed hold-in-your-hands book.
Straight wall pistol cartridges are a good place to start. Just keep in mind propellant over/under charges make much bigger difference in a small pistol charge.
You might consider starting out with a single stage press, it’ll let you get more intimately involved in learning the steps and process of hand loading, more so than a progressive or even a turret.
You’ll find a tremendous amount of knowledge and expertise on THR and a lot of genuinely good people. Welcome!

You are smart buying good equipment from the start. On your RCBS pistol die set, the sizer die will have CARBO on it if it is carbide.

If you go single-stage the RCBS RockChucker is a great starter press that you will use for the rest of your life even if you decide to go with a progressive press down the road. Plus the RockChucker press has a plug where the die screws in. You can take that plug our and switch it over to the Hornaday Lock n Load bushings.
Have good lighting.
Pegboard on the wall above & behind the reloading bench is very helpful to hang stuff you will be needing. You can never have enough Pegboard.
If you are going to use a balance beam scale have a shelf for it at eye level so you can see the arm line up with the line.
For case measurement I prefer a good quality set of six inch dial calibers.
Cleaning brass you have three options, dry media tumbler, wet rotary tumbler with stainless steel pins and sonic cleaner.
I prefer the wet tumbler, the brass comes out the cleanest.
You came to the right forum for asking for help.
Welcome aboard and ask away on any area you think you need help.

I bought the Hornaday single-stage Lock n Load kit new and a few other things new.
The rest I bought used from the gun forums classifieds and eBay.

Congrats on going down a new rewarding rabbit hole. As you go along you will find your favorite loads. Good advice above to get you started.

One thing you will never read any any book (which is really sad and dumb) is that powders like certain pressure ranges. You go too low and you get a lot of dirty brass and barrel. Load it at least hot enough to get cases that are roughly equivalent in cleanliness to factory rounds.

231 is awesome. Bullseye is also good but I would not recommend it to a new reloader. The tiny volumes would be hard to catch double loads.

WestKentucky said:

One thing you will never read any any book (which is really sad and dumb) is that powders like certain pressure ranges. You go too low and you get a lot of dirty brass and barrel. Load it at least hot enough to get cases that are roughly equivalent in cleanliness to factory rounds.

231 is awesome. Bullseye is also good but I would not recommend it to a new reloader. The tiny volumes would be hard to catch double loads.

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To add Lees book and Lymans 50th are good to start out with.

I started reloading when I bought my first gun. I knew I could not afford to shoot if I had to buy factory loaded ammunition.

I bought a setup from a store and the fellow who owned the store took me in the back and gave me 6 rounds of 357 magnum (in components)

He loaded three, narrating all the steps. Then watched me load three, coaching me through the nuances.

After that it was reading the front parts of a couple of loading manuals and the "ACB's of Reloading"...THOROUGHLY

Going slowly, one step at a time. (Single stage press and note that turret presses can easily be used in single-stage mode). I use a Lee Turret now to process one cartridge through all the steps, but when I started out I processed 50 at a time, completing each step on all 50 before moving on to the next step. 1) decap and size, 2) prime 3) bell the case mouth, 4) charge with powder (and inspect the entire batch) 5) place bullets on all 50 6) seat and crimp I (unlike Greling22) opine that is safer batching in a single stage operation until you get the hang of reloading. But everyone's opinion has validity and I don't fault his. It is probably a matter of one's thinking style whether batch mode or throughput mode is better. Decide for yourself.

If you can find a mentor to coach you, by all means, do. If not, just go slowly and set up your stations so you have no chance of over-charging a casing or leaving a casing uncharged. When I started out, I did this by doing 50 cases at a time, charging all of them and having them in a loading block. Then shining a flashlight into each one observing the depth of powder in the cases. An uncharged, empty case would be immediately apparant. A double-charged case takes a bit of discernment, especially with a super-dense powder like Bullseye. Trail Boss is a good powder for your first run as it takes up a lot of volume, so is easy to see if the powder levels are inconsistent. When I taught my friend to reload, that is what I started him out on. It was also good for "beginner" loads in his 500 Smith. (When at the range, if someone wanted to try out shooting that hand-cannon, he could let them put a couple of 800 fps rounds downrange, then 1,000 fps, then move up towards full power, stopping when discretion outweighed curiosity.)

In addition to putting your scale at eye level, make sure your air conditioning or fan will not make air currents that will disturb the scale. Even the smallest air movements cn disturb the balance and make you wait and wait and wait for it to settle down and give you a reading.

On brands of equipment. I started out with RCBS but now most of mine is Lee. The polish falls far short of Redding's but that is largely just cosmetics (with a few exception). Where it counts, in operation, I found the Lee equipment is just fine. I much prefer the RCBS Scale to Lee's, though and I am no fanboy for Richard Lee's self-aggrandizing, but I am quite fond of the Lee (self-advancing) Turret as just the right fit for me between a single stage press and a progressive press.

When I started out and for the next 20-25 years I never owned a tumbler (until my friend, probably embarrassed by my dull-looking brass) bought me one for my birthday. I just cleaned any grit from my brass by hand and a terrycloth towel. I figure the carbon actually acted as a graphite lubricant because the effort through the press seemed to me to be more with cleaned, shiny brass.

Early on, I mounted my single-stage press on a board that I wedged into an end-table drawer. This tilted the press back about 10-15 degrees and made it easier to insert and remove the cartridges That is something I have not seen in many reloading rooms that you might want to experiment with. Now, my turret press rules out an inclined mount.

Welcome to a rewarding (and relaxing) adjunct to the shooting sports.

Welcome aboard!!!

I’m not gonna give you any special recipes, just reiterate some of what’s been said.

Do not start loading with .380! .45 ACP is where I would start with the 3 cartridges you mentioned.

Make 1/2 grain mistake with .380, you will probably be over max! .45 is more forgiving.

Get a digital caliper and learn about Overall length. In small, short pistol cartridges, pressure rises considerably the deeper you seat the bullet.

Read the first chapters of a quality reloading manual. Things you don’t understand, Google the word or phrase. Re read it again, at least any section you are struggling with.

The 3 cartridges you mentioned are primarily semi auto handguns. Shoot your finished product, 1st for function. The gun need to eject and chamber a new round. And it needs to lock back when the magazine is empty.

Personally, I would do .45, 9mm then .380. Read your manual and decide if Win231 is the best powder for .380.

I reloaded rifle fir 30 years. I got a little .380 and (20 months ago) couldn’t find any ammo for it. I bought die’s and .380 was the first straight walled cartridge I ever reloaded. But I went slow. Every 5 rounds I loaded, I went outside and shot them to make sure they would cycle the action. When I got to a point it functioned reliabily, I had my load. Some day, when other projects are done, I’ll go back and see if I can’t actually get an accurate load to shoot outta a gun that has a 2” barrel and weights around a pound.

lastly, don’t hesitate to ask questions here, like you did. There is a ton of information here, lots of very experienced Reloaders!

Like Kali wrote make five rounds and test them at the range or somewhere to see if they cycle.
Semi-autos can be finicky on ammo.
You don't want to make a bunch up to have to tear apart and reload again.
Personally the only semi-auto ammo I had cycling problems with was 357 sig.

Also buy index cards and write down every recipe for what you load and keep track of what is what.
After shooting your ammo keep the good loads in a index card holder and the bad loads in another index card holder.
Good records are important.
Be safe and enjoy the rewards.

Lost Sheep said:

I (unlike Greling22) opine that is safer batching in a single stage operation until you get the hang of reloading. But everyone's opinion has validity and I don't fault his. It is probably a matter of one's thinking style whether batch mode or throughput mode is better. Decide for yourself.

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There’s a whole lot more to this than can really be put into words. It’s like teaching somebody to throw a football. There is 1 basic way to do it, but when you get down to the fine points of how you do each part of it then it’s totally different from one person to another. You get into questions of whether you decap before tumbling, tumble after sizing, tumble after loading, trim every time or every tenth time, maybe somewhere in between. But the fact of the matter is that you still have the basic steps to follow. Deprime, prime, charge, seat. Somewhere in there has to be a sizing operation and there usually needs to be a crimp operation, especially when using semiautos and tube fed rifles. Get the basics and then adjust to what feels right.

@Wood in the Woods, welcome to THR!
Lots of great advice hear on the forum, have you seen this thread?
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/reloading-library-of-wisdom.649184/

Regarding powders, would you believe there are many opinions here? I’d suggest you choose your bullets first, and your intended usage (light, med or heavy loads) and then go through a few published data sources and see if there is one or two powders that show up. 231 can load the calibers you have, light to medium. Universal is another that’s, well, universal. You may find it’s difficult to get components these days, so you may need to be a bit more creative than limiting to one powder. Good luck.

bullseye308 said:

. A log book to note every load you attempt is important. Log as much data as you can; which bullet, primer, case, length, powder charge, how it shoots, etc. the more data you have, the better. You won’t remember it later and will reference it years later.

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This is an excellent point.

Also, listen to what everyone else said - which is basically "Pay attention to what you are doing, and know why you are doing it."

I will give you 2 pieces of advice:.
1) PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
2) Log it. Seriously, write it down. You will want that info later. Perhaps much later, but you will want it.