Pistol Reloading

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travellingJeff

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I've heard so much about reloading for sidearms that I'm a bit nervous and perplexed. Some tell me that it'll blow your gun apart like a hand grenade, others tell me they've been doing it for decades with nothing going wrong.

What's the general concenseus? FWIW, I'll be loading the .357SIG .355 125gr round, most likely a Speer Lawman TMJ bullet, on top of the Speer Nickle Plated Brass to be fired in a 3rd Gen SIG P229.
 
Knowledge and concentration are key. Lack either and gun could go Boom. Buy some manuals and stick with the book. Knowledge is everything in this game, and guesswork is a No No. Otherwise you should be fine and take up a new and wonderful hobby, and save a little dough in the mix.


PS it is addictive as well.
 
I've been reloading for about 14 years without incident. For a while, I experimented with hot loads, but abandoned that pursuit because I decided it wasn't providing much, and had the potential for accelerating firearm wear.

If you start reloading, stay well within published load recommendations, and don't try to 'hot rod' your loads. Whatever the caliber, accept it for what it is.
 
"Some tell me that it'll blow your gun apart like a hand grenade, others tell me they've been doing it for decades with nothing going wrong."

Trust the first, ignore the second.

(Come on guys, we got too much competition for components already! ;) )
 
47 years without an incident of any kind.

Follow Nate1778's advice and buy the books and go to school.
Don't try to make a Magnum out of something that isn't.
Pay total attention.
Follow the manuals receipes.
And you will be fine!

Lyman #49 is an excellent first reloading manual that covers more different bullet types then any other.

rc
 
.357 Sig is not as easy as other handgun loads to start with, but follow directions carefully and all will be well.
 
If you start you will not be able to quit. If you play by the rules (and they are simple) you will have no problems...Well...None that we, on here, can't solve at least 99% of the time...
 
Like many things in life you're going to get out of reloading as much as you put into it. A "slap 'em together, to hell with data" attitude will result in poor performance and weapon life. A careful "dedicated attitude and reliable data" will result in extreem pleasure and joy in a new hobby....... The choice is yours to make.....

40 odd years and I've had 2 "stuck in the barrel" rounds that I can't explain. Well, I could but it wouldn't change anything......
 
Some tell me that it'll blow your gun apart like a hand grenade, others tell me they've been doing it for decades with nothing going wrong.
Click to expand...

They are both right.

Some people use a timer when cooking others use a smoke dectector. You know better than anyone else if you can be trusted or not.
 
I've been reloading since 1974. Still have all my fingers. That's because I ALWAYS do what the book says. Always look for accuracy and reliability, not hyper velocity. 10,000 fps muzzle velocity is useless if you can't hit what you're aiming at or you gun won't function. Good luck and welcome.

P.S. Forget what you hear about saving money by reloading. You won't. You'll spend just as much but you'll get more ammo so you can shoot more.:D
 
i have the one rule that was instilled in my mind , look & compare powder charges in the case to others (of the same batch) for hi -lo levels & don`t scimp when buying beam scales.
i recommend the lyman manul for beginners ,it has the most comprehindable explanation on the steps of building ammo that you`ll find .& intresting reading too!

as for the caliber you have the 357sig is touchy , short necks & uncannelured bullets are hard to load but not impossible.
i have a freind that loads sig & he has to run near max loads to get his autoloader to slap another in the tube ,but that`s how the round got it`s name 357 by matching 357 magnum power levels.
reloading is a way to save $$ but the ammo is taylored to your needs & you`ll love it to an addictive level , or you`ll hate it & never think of it again!!

i started in`83 to feed a 44 mag , & never looked back since!!
& boolit castin is more addictive than loadin em!!

GP100man
 
some people use a timer when cooking others use a smoke dectector.
Click to expand...
:D Funny stuff, but with a bit of truth.

Some people are dangerous to themselves just walking around, and some of them handload. :uhoh:

That is where the first group comes from.

The second group are the careful ones with good focus and attention to detail.
 
10,000 fps muzzle velocity is useless if you can't hit what you're aiming at
Click to expand...
But if you *can* consistently hit what you aim at, 10,000 fps muzzle velocity is pretty cool. :cool:

(that's what .30 Carbine handguns are for)
 
It's my opinion those who told you that you will blow your gun up have never reloaded a round in their life. You got a lot of good advice in this thread already. If you follow it you will be fine and you will be shooting very accurate ammo too. Even if reloading somehow ended up costing more than factory sometime in the future I don't think I could ever go back to shooting factory ammo.

Welcome to reloading! I'm sure you will enjoy all aspects of it...
 
Looks like I've sealed my fate! I Just bought 3K each of small pistol and large rifle primers, all CCI. I've got to fix my first batch of .30-'06 rounds, then I'll purchase the .357SIG dies and start working up some loads. Very excited :)
 
And a big thanks for all the input in this thread! I'll make sure to keep everyone posted as to how this all turns out :)
 
The good news about .357 Sig is that the realtively small case capacity makes a double charge hard to do with most powders. The bad news is that case lube will be your constant companion (and maybe nemesis).
 
The good news about .357 Sig is that the realtively small case capacity makes a double charge hard to do with most powders. The bad news is that case lube will be your constant companion (and maybe nemesis).
Click to expand...

You can avoid lubing the .357 SIG cases by first sizing the body with a .40 S&W carbide die, then use the .357 sizer, which is really just doing neck sizing at that point, then proceeding with the rest of your normal procedure. It adds an extra step on a single-stage press (but is worth it, IMHO, not to have to deal with lube) and of course on a progressive it's really no more work.
 
If you use Hornady One Shot case lube spray you won't have any problems. The added benefit of using One Shot, you don't have to clean off the One Shot before reloading so you save a lot of time.

From Hornady:
"This water-based lube evenly distributes lubricant without any greasy mess. It will not contaminate powder or primers and it will not attack plastic, paint and other finishes."
 
dude let me tell you from newb to newb its fun. i haven't went to shoot my first loads yet(hopefully this saturday) but learning it, and then making it precise is about as much fun as working on a car(I love working on cars) buts its much more scientific. last night I went to my dad's to adjust the press(4 hole turret) in order to make the over all length of the casings to my satisfaction. after 10 non-powdered bullet makings, I reached what I decided my die would be adjusted to. Besides, its so much fun to hang out and do this stuff with others. great excuse to hang out, seriously. I check the bullets by putting them into my barrel and seeing if they are flush or not. All of them fed just fine and were under my max OAL, but the flush ones are the spec I want for my specific barrel/gun. its more precise that way.
I am not worried about blowing my hand off because I will be ensuring the auto-disk thingy will dispense the correct grains.
From my limited experience, reloading is about checking, re-checking, and doing it again for like 10 times before you get comfortable, but even then not really. its like gun safety. just check it to make sure.
When I say check, I check the over all length of the case, then the case+bullet after seating, then the powder charge(i have a scale as well, so i can check if the dispenser is being accurate or not)
 
Since I don't load .357 Sig, I'll not comment--but for those of you who do load it--

What do you think of his case supply--i.e., nickle plated.

In my straightwall reloading (.38, .357M, 10mm, .45ACP) experience, nickle plated cases typically have a slightly smaller capacity (thereby changing the max charge, etc), and do split / wear out faster.

Personally, I would recommend picking up some new cases. I prefer Starline.

Jim H.
 
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