Considering reloading 9x19

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jlangton

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I'm looking into reloading for my 9x19-mostly for target shooting and to get some lighter loads for my wife to shoot so she's more comfortable with the caliber,and to promote good shooting habits with the gun she has.
I've printed off the "getting started guide" here and will be picking up some other literature this afternoon from the bookstore for more reading. Any suggestions on sources for components themselves? Are there any factory ammo manufacturer's brass that's not safe or any good to reload? Any that are preferred? Other suggestions for a newbie?
Thanks for the input.
JL
 
Stay away from A-Merc brass. A few have reloaded it and reported no problems, but many have reported it's thin, prone to cracks and head failures, and generally not worth the effort. If you can, scrounge for brass at your local ranges. with 9mm being the most commong cartridge, you can't help but pick up a ton of it, likely all reloadable.
Check carefully for berdan primed brass. I came across a foreign mil-surp case the other day that would have jammed up the press had I not noticed it was berdan primed.

Suppliers are abundant, but you'll have to pay shipping unless you find one you can pick up your order from. If you shoot mostly outdoors, you might look into hardcast bullets, as they're usually cheaper. MidwayUSA.com is a great place. Grafs, Natchez...They're all good. Shopping around is paramount.

You won't save a huge amount of money on 9mm loading, but you'll save some. Oh, buy bullets and primers in bulks. Get at least a whole brick of primers when you buy them. Everytime I go to the store, the price has jumped up again. Buy bullets by the thousand if you can. Look around for local places that carry loading supplies. Save as much on shipping as you can by avoiding it when possible. Being cheap is the first thing you learn about loading. :D
 
I load about 175 9x19 rounds/hour with my Lee Classic Turret Press. As Fiero said, BUY IN BULK. 2000 or 3000 bullets at a time. Same with brass if you don't have any.

For powder, I'd advise buying 1# containers until you find one you like. Titegroup works very well in my 9mm. I've also used Universal with OK results and Power Pistol if I want some "shock and awe." Titegroup is especially economical because of the very low charge weights.

I use a lot of 115gr Winchester FMJs (got free shipping when I bought them). I also have a few K 124gr Hornady JHPs that I'm starting to use.

My preferred brass is Winchester, but I'll use almost anything. Avoid A-merc.
 
Thanks for the input so far-I'll make a note of the a-merc brass. I've got alot of brass that I've saved from my own target shooting that's marked PP (I'm assuming it's Prvi Partisan). Is this brass OK to use? I'm assuming it's reloadable-there's only a single hole in the case for the primer(assuming it's boxer primed?), unlike the steel cased ammo I've used that had 2 smaller holes(assuming this is a berdan primed?).
Thanks again,
JL
 
S&B brass has very tight primer pockets, I discard 'em. PMP brass is a favorite.
I use Accurate Arms #2 and #7, #7 being the best 9mm powder I have found yet. That and Remington bulk 115gr JHP works very well.
Recently I took up casting, and the Lee .356 124gr cast bullet works great in my CZ PO1, wheel weight cast and Lee Liquid Alox lubed. Very cheap to load, now.
 
As soon as I read your question about which brass to avoid, I knew someone would beat me to the punch and say A-Merc. So let me just add to that chorus. :)

9x19 was the first caliber I ever reloaded, and it's as good a starting point as any. There are a few considerations to take into account with the 9mm. The small case volume of the 9x19 means you have less margin for error when it comes to powder charge and bullet seating depth. Reloaders should pay extra attention to these aspects of the reloading process with the 9mm, but as long as you go slow and stick to the published load data you'll have no problems.

Definitely pick up a good set of calipers if you don't already have one. As for powders, I think Winchester 231 would be good to start off with. It's versatile and meters easily.
 
If you're picking up brass from the range, be sure to cull the nato brass out as well. There's a lot of it turning up and the crimped primer pockets can be troublesome, especially on a progressive press. I'll second using Titegroup for the 9mm. Economical and makes great target loads. My favorite load is 4.2 grns under a 124 FMJ, or 4.4 under a 115 FMJ at 1.15x OAL.
 
If you use the NATO brass with the crimped primer pocket, you'll need to swage the crimp off before loading. That's easy to do and the brass is great...

The S&B brass does have a tight primer pocket. However, it's good brass and reloads easily. I prefer it to a lot of other stuff. Running a primer pocket swager through the S&B brass helps, too.

The Prvi Partizan brass is good stuff.

And, like all others, I also recommend that you throw any A-MERC brass that you find into the scrap bucket...

I load mostly 115gr JHP bullets using Bullseye powder.

Have fun...

Forrest
 
Any tight S&B brass primer pockets in 9MM can be fixed up with a light turn or two with a chamfer tool. In .45 ACP they never pose a problem, they are just a tad tighter, but 9MM sometimes are real tight.

AA #5 & WSF are excellent choices for the 9MM and 85% to 100% loads. AA #2 & W231 are great for light to midrange 9MM loads.

Others powders will work as well, but these are very good choices. Unique is not my favorite, but will work very well here as well.

Ranier 115 RN is great for all around shooting, but has priced its self out of the market for me. I am almost out and will not buy any more until they get competitve again. I can buy Zero jacketed cheaper now. Berry's 115 RN should do just as well. I really like their .45 bullets.
 
++1 A-merk is BAD and should be banned in all calibers. [VOTE IT OFF THE EARTH]
bullitworks.com for hard lead and ships 70 pounds for $10.00. i like the # 8 or 10 for loads up to +p. plated or jacketed for real hi-velocity/pressure. power pistol for +p, bullseye for all other.
 
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I started loading 9mm with Bullseye, because I could also use it for .45's, and the small amounts per case make it economical. I now use 5.7 gr. of Power Pistol under 115 gr. Berry's plated bullets. It's not a heavy load, but is a little loud. I like it, though, because is an accurate combination for me. The Berry's cost a little over twenty bucks at Cabela's per 250 but, if ordered in bulk directly from Berry Mfg., it's even cheaper.

Chuck
 
What are you guys averaging costwise per round for reloads on 9mm? How many rounds does 1 lb of powder make up on an average load?
JL
 
It cost me between $3-4 per 50 using wolf primers, 124gr LRN bullets and 4 grs of titegroup about $5 per 50 for .45

Ruger P95
Walther PPK/S
Taurus 24/7 PRO 45
Charles Daly 1911 EFS
 
What are you guys averaging costwise per round for reloads on 9mm? How many rounds does 1 lb of powder make up on an average load?
JL
Click to expand...
I like Titegroup powder. I can load around 1,700 rounds per pound. I am loading 9mm for around $8 per 100.
Rusty
 
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