New to reloading (starting with pistol) HELP!!!

[WhiteMikeCN]

Hey everyone. My name is Chris and I will start out by saying that I have been shooting for about the last 5 years. I shoot about 700 rounds a week and really enjoy it. I just started out and I know I will get flamed for this but i bought a Hornady LNL AP from what I have read about it on this forum. I have a few questions and before we get to that let me tell you what all I bought.

-Hornady Case Feeder 110v
- All required shell plates and dies for 9mm, 40, and .45
- Also bough undersize dies from EGW or whatnot online.
- Lyman promag 2500 case tumbler with required media
- I still need to get a scale and calipers
- The ABCs of Reloading 8th edition (Have read it from cover to cover)

Here are my questions:

1) Can you reuse the tumbling media after you have cleaned a batch of shells and if so how many times?s

2) I would like to know a good place to get my primers and powder from since everywhere in jacksonville wants like 6.00 for a pack of 100 primers.

3) Can you reccomend a good scale if all I am concerned about right now is pistol loads and also a caliper set.

4) Should I deprime before tumbling?

Thanks for all the imput that you may have and all answers to questions will be highly appreciated

 

[sonier]

most digital calipers work great look for .001 measurements, any RCBS balance scale shouldnt let you down, ebay is great palce to find those.

 

[zxcvbob]

Why undersized dies?

The cheap digital calipers from Harbor Freight work surprisingly well.

powdervalleyinc.com is a great place to buy primers and powder. The shipping is pretty high because of the hazmat fee, so order enough to make it worthwhile. Start with an 8# jug of Promo powder, 5000 primers, and a few assorted 1# cans of powder.

I think you should get a cheap single-stage press and start with that until you sort of know what you are doing. Too many things to watch at the same time of a progressive. Once you move up to the LNLAP, the SS press will still be handy.

 

[JimKirk]

Tumbling media will last quite a while, depending on how many case you clean per week. It can be recharged with polishing agent and the dust can be removed with dryer sheets.

Components can be ordered from various online dealers, such as Grafs, Powder Valley, Midway Arms and others. Are you in Jax, Fl?

RCBS scales are very good, so are some of the other brands that are made by Ohaus, do not skimp on scales, you'll wish later that you had made a better investment.

I always deprime before cleaning, unless the case are too dirty as to damage my dies. If that is the case I may do two cleaning, first time enough to clean to avoid damaging my dies, second time to give a good shiny clean which will also clean the primer pockets somewhat.

Calipers can be bought at Harbor Freight very reasonable, but don't over look Lowes and Home Depot as I have seen them reasonable there too. The online dealers all carry a good variety too.

Jimmy K

 

[sharptailhunter]

I know I will get flamed for this but i bought a Hornady LNL AP from what I have read about it on this forum.

Why would you get flamed for buying that press? I have the same press and I love it. I highly recommend it to anyone. The case feeder helps too.

Answers:
1. Yes you can reuse it. How many times? Well, I guess until it doesn't polish no mo. A couple of tips for the polishing: use some Nu-Finish liquid car polish, dump about 3-5 capfuls in each time. I also like to toss in a used dryer sheet torn into strips. That helps to keep the dust down and keeps your media cleaner longer.
2. You can order em online but you'll have to do the math to see how much of each you need to order to offset the cost of shipping and hazard fee.
3. I believe in the good old balance beam scale. I personally use a Lee scale that came with my Anniversary kit. In your situation, you would be using the scale to verify the amount your powder dropper from your LNL is dropping. As such, you really don't need a fancy shmancy digital scale by any means. I still use my Lee and a powder trickler for my precision rifle loads.
4. For my rifle loads, yes I deprime before tumbling. For my pistol cases though, I polish them with the primers in and then allow my resizing die to deprime them while loading.

Good luck and keep shooting.

 

[oneounceload]

You can reuse your media until your brass doesn't get cleaned any more.

Buy components in bulk - 25,000 primers, powder in 8# jugs, etc. to save money - there are hundreds of places on line - use the search, I believe someone put together a thread with numerous suppliers

As for scales, I prefer a good balance beam scale made by Ohaus - they make the US-made scales for all of the reloading brand names

I found a Mitutoyo caliper at a flea market for $10.00 - this is a stainless teel engineering quaility item hardly used

 

[oneounceload]

dupe post......damn ten thumbs

 

[dc.fireman]

And let's not forget, that Harbor Freight is a great place to buy crushed walnut tumbling media in bulk.

 

[ccw_steve]

Chris,

I just purchased the Hornady LNL Classic Kit a month or two ago, and I couldn't get my Hornady Powder measure to drop accurate loads for my pistol loads (it dropped +/- 0.5 grains, I needed at least +/- 0.1 grains). It turns out, the powder measures from Hornady come with the rifle rotor, the pistol rotor must be ordered separately.

So remember to buy the Hornady Pistol Rotor for your powder measure if you are loading pistol rounds!

 

[sharptailhunter]

So remember to buy the Hornady Pistol Rotor for your powder measure if you are loading pistol rounds!

Not needed, the LNL AP comes with both rifle and pistol. It does come with the rifle rotor installed in the powder dispenser, so just swap it for the included pistol rotor.

 

[zxcvbob]

When did they start doing that? Mine only came with a rifle rotor; I had to buy a pistol rotor for it from Midway.

 

[Walkalong]

The LNL is an excellent press and will serve you well.

I would not have bought undersized dies unless I was having a problem. They should not be needed, but it is not a real big deal, although it will work the brass more.

I have a Lyman Pro Mag, as well as a Berrys, and it is a very good tumbler. You will like it. Nice and quiet.

The cheap HF calipers will do fine. I picked mine up local. They go on sale all the time for 150 to 20 bucks.

Media lasts a long time. Put used drier sheets in with the media and it will last longer. Discard the sheet after each tumble. I usually use Midway polish, but Dillon or Berrys works great too.

For cheap media Grainger is hard to beat.

Primers can be had from Grafs, Powder Valley, etc. Order 5K minimum to spread out the hazmat charge.

Redding R2 or RCBS 505 scale. Of course the 1010 is a great choice. Very nice.

I tumble before sizing/decapping the brass. Then I size/deprime. If you want to clean primer pockets this is the time to do it. If you use a universal decapper before tumbling, it will clean the primer pockets a little bit, but you may have to pick some media from the flash holes.

Welcome to THR

 

[jcwit]

Harbor Freight has their digi cal's on sale right now for $9.99. See their ad in American Rifleman, Legion Mag, or others.

Thanks to all the Vets out there!
jcwit

 

[A and O]

If you shop at HF be sure to use the 20% off coupons that are found in several different magazines. Two that I know of are Guns & Ammo and Cycle World.

 

[Tim the student]

I had a cheap set of calipers that would drift as the battery got low. It's something to be aware of. Mine may have been an anomaly, but I would guess it is a common thing.

60/k is mighty high. I'd look for other stores - like maybe in other towns you frequent. If none are available, I'd buy online, but in sufficient quantities to make it worth the hazmat fees.

Used beam scales (and trimmers etc) can be found on ebay. You can't go wrong with a 505, IMO.

 

[Hondo 60]

1) Yes, you reuse the media. I usually just watch to see how long it takes to clean the cases & how dirty the media looks. There is no definitive answer on how many times.

2) That's still gonna be cheaper than mail order.

3) I bought a Pact brand scale & any calipers will work. The digital type is probably the easiest to use.

4) If you deprime before cleaning you run the risk of scratching your dies. And the flash holes will get plugged with standard media. So I clean then deprime.

 

[rfwobbly]

Welcome aboard!!

You'll never outgrow your need for a balance beam type scale. The electronics are quick and sometimes easier, but all sorts of error can creep in (low batteries, electrical fields, temperature changes, etc). On the other hand nothing is as constant as gravity.

Generally speaking Ohaus Scale Co makes most of the better balance scales for RCBS, Lyman, Dillon, Hornady, Ohaus, etc. If you'll start looking at them all on Ebay you can see the similarities. So while the RCBS 5-0-5 is pretty much the "hobby's standard" sometimes you can pick up the same scale labeled "Lyman" or "Ohaus" for 1/2 the price. These are jeweled movements and will last a lifetime. I'm the third owner of a 5-0-5 made in 1973 and it's still going strong. I did however pick up a Redding the other day that rivals the Ohaus and seems to hold zero better month-to-month. But for ease of reading, nothing beats the 5-0-5.

 

[jcwit]

4) If you deprime before cleaning you run the risk of scratching your dies. And the flash holes will get plugged with standard media. So I clean then deprime.

Not is you use carbide dies, just a jump down from a diamond in hardness. Unless of course your brass is dirty with diamond dust.

All these folks that get scratched cases from so called scratched dies should use some common sense. If you have a scratched case then that means you do not have a scratched or worn die. You have a die with a build up on the sizing surface. In other words, explain how a scratch "indent in the material of the die" creats another scratch "indent in the case".

2) That's still gonna be cheaper than mail order.

If you order in bulk ie; ctn. of 5,000 Powder Valley has primers that will come out to around $35.00 per thousand.

 

[ozmosis]

Chris,

I just purchased the Hornady LNL Classic Kit a month or two ago, and I couldn't get my Hornady Powder measure to drop accurate loads for my pistol loads (it dropped +/- 0.5 grains, I needed at least +/- 0.1 grains). It turns out, the powder measures from Hornady come with the rifle rotor, the pistol rotor must be ordered separately.

So remember to buy the Hornady Pistol Rotor for your powder measure if you are loading pistol rounds!

But otherwise you are happy with the kit? I just ordered one and would like to know.
Thanks

 

[WhiteMikeCN]

OZ I have not received mine yet... Send me a PM with a contact info in it and if we have questions we can learn together.. Thanks everyone for your replies and I just ordered the rest of my stuff today and bough 5000 pistol primers.

 

[Walkalong]

these folks that get scratched cases from so called scratched dies should use some common sense. If you have a scratched case then that means you do not have a scratched or worn die. You have a die with a build up on the sizing surface. In other words, explain how a scratch "indent in the material of the die" creats another scratch "indent in the case".

Exactly. The grit on the case does the scratching/denting as the carbide presses it against the case.. It isn't embedded in the carbide. I tumble all brass before sizing. Some brass gets tumbled again, depending on what I am doing.

 

[RustyFN]

Same with me. All of my brass gets tumbled before it sees any dies. Rifle rounds get tumbles again when finished to remove the lube.

 

[1SOW]

I wash my brass when I get home from the range: removes the sand/grit and most of the powder residue.

Later, I deprime and tumble using fine corncob (Graingers) with added polish. The media will last longer with cleaned brass.

 

[WhiteMikeCN]

People are talking about washing the brass when they get home from the range... What do you wash it with and how do you go about it...

Chris

 

[dc.fireman]

Washing your brass requires two things:

1. a dishwasher.
2. your wife not being around to catch you washing your dirty brass in the dishwasher.

-tc