Considering reloading, have a few questions

[ah141nj]

Hello Guys,
Been tossing around the idea of reloading for some time. I have been reading as much as I can from all the forums. Have ordered 3 reloading handbooks. Pretty much decided on the Hornady LNL if (when) I take the plunge.

Dont want to start out with a SS then have to go out and buy another press.
I like the idea of turning a few hundred rounds in an hour (once I learn )

Plan on reloading 9mm, 45 ACP, & .223 (all in due time of course). Shoot mostly for fun at an indoor range & some IDPA. I would probably shoot more than I do if I had a stash of ammo on hand. Just spent almost $350 at Dicks for a case of UMC 9mm(500), 45 (500) & 223(200)...THAT REALLY HURTS. And it was on sale no less.
A few of my questions/concerns
Dont know where to set up my "bench" Really dont have an area I can dedicate to reloading.
Are reloads safe for a Glock 19 & a Springfield XD 45. Have heard storys about Glocks blowing up with reloads. And I think Glock recommends against reloads
If I go with the LNL, do I have to use Hornady dies? Any preference of dies?
How many times can brass shells be used? (on the average )
Any Powder, primer, bullet,brass reccomendations? Brands that is

[Jim Watson]

It doesn't take much room to reload. A friend worked for a long time on an old typewriter stand, pushed into a closet when not in use. Midway has a press stand, set up next to the kitchen table for supplies.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...024&t=11082005

You could assemble the Cabelas kit with short boards to make a narrow bench.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...set=ISO-8859-1

There are some suitable workbenches about two feet square that will get you by.

So have the little lady do up an afghan to throw over your gear when not in use.


No gunmaker will approve reloads. They don't know what you are putting in there. You are on your own.

I usually lose autopistol brass before it wears out.

Everybody has his own ideas about components.
I load 9mm and .45 with HP38 powder, whatever jacketed 9mm bullets are on sale, and moly coated lead .45s from Billy Bullets. I load mixed brass for IDPA, no need for ultra precision as long as it is reliable in function. Sort out the A-MERC and anything with Berdan primers, of course.

You do not have to use Hornady dies in a Hornady press but why not? They are good products.

I load .223 for target shooting with prepped Winchester brass, Varget powder, and JLK bullets.

[WESHOOT2]

Suggest an inexpensive single-stage press first.

My experience with Hornady's L-N-L progressive suggests to me less frustrations for newcomers if they learn with something else first.

I also recommend if precision ammunition in large quantities is desired, Dillon offers a better option (XL650 w/ roller handle, case feeder, and powder-check station).

NO KNOCK on Hornady; I own, use, and recommend many of their products.

[BigJimP]

I like the idea of starting on a progressive press - Hornady, Dillon, RCBS, etc all make good presses these days. If you like the Hornady LNL go with that.

The deal breaker on a press for me, these days, is go with a press that allows you to have a "powder check" die - so you can tell if your powder drop is not too high and not too low. It's not going to tell you if you have 4.1 grains vs 4.3gr or 3.9 gr - but it will tell you if you dropped 6 or 8 grains and you have overcharged / or it will tell you you dropped 2grains or less telling you its undercharged. Squib rounds, bullets stuck in the barrel are a big safety concern / and a powder check die will eliminate both.

In the Dillon lineup - that means you have to go with the 650 press / but Hornady, RCBS, etc have options as well.

I use Dillon carbide dies / but I've used RCBS and others - and I don't think there is a big difference. I do like the way the Dillon dies can be secured in the toolhead - and you can remove a snap ring - and take the inner guts of the die out and clean it, put it back in, without changing any of your setup.

On low pressure cases like .45 acp - you can reload them dozens of times - load them until they crack. On higher pressure cases, like .40 - you have to be more careful / but I clean all my brass, then sort thru it - and toss anything that looks suspect. The last step in my process - I run every round thru a "case gague" on my bench, drop them in and out, check overall length, and if they hang up going in or out of the case gague - there is an issue with the case - a small crack that didn't show up until I seated a bullet in it, a nick on the base of the case, etc - so I pull those bullets, recycle components.

I loaded for years on a portable work mate bench. Bolted my loader to a plank 2" X 18" - clamped it down to that bench / loaded / dumped components / covered the loader with a pillow case and put it back on a shelf in the garage. Or you can do the same thing - and clamp it to a solid bench in the garage / or even a solid benchtop laying accross sawhorses or something ...
Like Jim Watson told you - as a reloader you are on your own vs gun mfg's. The quality and safety of the rounds you reload are your responsibility. But I think reloading is fun / and I enjoy shooting my own ammo. I reload for 9mm, .40, .45 acp, .38 spl, .357 mag and .44 mag for my pistols. I use Hodgdon TiteGroup for all of my pistol loads. I also like CCI primers / my 2nd and 3rd choice in primers would be Remington or Winchester - I would stay away from Federal primers. Federal primers are very soft - and seating them too firmly may cause them to detonate. Some competitive shooters like Federal primers - because they are soft - they think it eliminates any issue of a light primer strike. So I stay with CCI.

Read, Read some more - find someone locally to help you out / be a mentor answer your questions, etc. One of the reasons I like Dillon so much - is they have a good customer service unit, all experienced loaders, even open on Saturday mornings - to answer questions on setup, problems, things that aren't working right, clarifying issues in the manuals, etc ... and they have treated me very well over the years.

[rwilson452]

Warning!

Reloading is a very addictive past time. once you get the bug, there is no known cure. You will not save money reloading. You will shoot a lot more with the same costs.

[CrustyFN]

Warning!

Reloading is a very addictive past time. once you get the bug, there is no known cure. You will not save money reloading. You will shoot a lot more with the same costs.

With better ammo.
Rusty

[BigJakeJ1s]

If you want to crimp in the last station on the LNL AP, you'll need to use a crimp die that does not extend down to the shell holder (shell plate) when used. The Lee FCDs do that, and interfere with the ejector wire. Some users grind a little off one side of the bottom of the die, but some just remove the ejector wire and flick the finished rounds off into the bin by hand. Otherwise, you can forego a powder check die (not recommended) or use a Hornady taper crimp die, or crimp and seat in one step with the seating die (Redding Competition series and Dillon seating dies cannot crimp).

With the above noted exceptions, the LNL AP will use any dies that will work in a progressive press.

Like Dillon, Hornady seating dies also disassemble for cleaning without affecting the settings by pulling a spring clip. Unlike Dillon, Hornady seaters have a sliding alignment sleeve that aligns the bullet with the case mouth before insertion, an optional micrometer adjustment for seating depth, and excellent clamp-type lock rings with wrench flats.

I wouldn't assume that a single stage press is a waste of money if you later buy a progressive press. There are some operations that are more easily done on a single stage since you don't have to swap out dies, etc. on the progressive. One will often come in handy long after you have a progressive. If you do decide to forego the single stage press, the LNL AP is much easier to change individual dies than the Dillon or RCBS presses. With the auto indexing and optional case feeder, you can batch process a bunch of brass in a hurry by simply removing the dies for the steps you don't want.

I have a single stage co-ax press bolted to a small bench built on Rockler's heavy duty steel router table leg set. I added their heavy duty locking casters, and a plywood top and a couple of shelves below. Loaded up with tools, accessories, bullets and brass, it is very sturdy and stable when reloading. Rockler has several different sizes of legs and stretchers to built whatever size bench you want. I just roll mine out of its niche in the laundry room when I want to reload, and roll it back in there when I'm done.

Andy

[WESHOOT2]

Hornady is beta-testing a new 'fix' for the ejector interference 'issues'.

[Shoney]

ah141nj WELCOME!!!! TO TFL!
I have a 550 and the LNL AP, and have loaded extensively on a friends 650. The LNL is the superior machine.

There is no reason you cannot start on a progressive, but you should have a high tollernce to frustration.

If you are a parent, then you know that young children spill lots of milk. It's unavoidable and part of that game. As a new reloader, you will similarly spill losts of powder, and that gums up progressive mechanisms. The Hornady case activated powder measure will decrease the powder you spill, but you still get some. Clean it up immediatly or you will be frustrated with the results.

The great thing about the LNL is you can remove all dies and do each loading step on it's own to learn the nature of each process before doing a complete progressive run.

There are lots of simple things you can do to avoid problems with the wire, ask question back here if you buy the press.

Good Shooting!

[ah141nj]

Ok, so I finally decided to plunge into reloading.
Finally decided on the Lee Classic Turret Press. Its in between a single stage & a progressive. Got to learn to crawl before I can run right?
Been doing nothing but intell this weekend for my shopping list.
I have a question on the LCTP...which powder feeder (Pro Auto Disk or Auto Disk )can I use on the press itself. Lee's website isnt very clear on it.
Also what other add-ons/adapters do I need on the press to use both of these together?

[funnelcake]

Having the same I'd recommend the Pro Auto-Disk. The machine screws & knurl-nut's on the Pro should last a lot longer than the sheet metal screws on the regular Auto-Disk when changing charge weights.

Funnel

[Smaug]

Auto Disk Pro is the one you want.

[44 AMP]

You should not buy a given press because of the price. I say this because if you buy good tools, you are only going to buy them once. They will last your lifetime and beyond. I have been reloading nearly 40 years, and I will tell you that it is more important to get tools with features you like than it is to get tools that cost a few dollars less.

I would recommend a single stage press, either an "O" frame or a "C" frame. Even if you want a progressive, and know that someday you will get one, getting a single stage press is still a good way to start. AND, it need not be new. Check out gun shops, swap meets, garage sales, want ads and gun shows, you can often find an old single stage press in working condition pretty cheap.

I found out that loading rifle rounds (you mention .223) on a progressive press was not much fun. For me, the extra force needed to resize rifle cases took away the "feel" I wanted for seating bullets. I had more damaged cases and bullets learning to use a progressive press than I ever had in decades of using a single stage press. What I finally came up with was to size all my brass on the single stage press, working in batches, then load them on the progressive, with the sizer die station empty. You might not have any problems, but I did, and this is what finally worked best for me.

I am not a big fan of most of Lee's equipment. Some of their small products I like (like the decapping set for GI brass), but not of their presses, powder measures or dies. I have and use some of their dies, and they do work well enough, but I'm not crazy about them. Many folks here love their Lee stuff and especially the price. I don't, but that is a personal preference, not a knock against the company. I just don't care for their design philosophy very much. Go ahead and get them if you like it. They do work. I just like other stuff better.

[benzuncle]

ah141nj, welcome to the forum and to the reloading. Wait 'til you fire your first handloaded round. It's relief and success all rolled up into one. You'll be pretty stoked. Don't be surprised if you get as much enjoyment from it as shooting. And there's no range fees, etc! I concur with funnelcake about the Lee Classic Turret Press and the Pro Auto Disk Powder Dispenser. And the Pro Auto Disk Powder measure will also accept the charge bar if you decide you need it. There are some loaders that use the charge bar with the Pro Auto Disk exclusively. I use the charge bar for specific grain drops for some of my 45acp loads as is it asjustable. But, the charge bar typically does not work well for low grain charges, such as my .380acp loads. But for the 45's it is really nice. Good luck to you. There are plenty of knowledgeable people here to help you out.

[ah141nj]

Thanks for all the welcomes, advice & encouragements.
Took the plunge.

BigJimP

I loaded for years on a portable work mate bench

Thanks for the great idea Jim.


Decided on the Classic Turret press. Got the "kit" from Cabela's.
Had to search around locally for a workmate. Installed a piece of 3/4 birch as the top. Put everything together this weekend.
Set up the press today. Was looking forward to load up about 10-20 rounds today for testing purposes... The scale from Cabelas was delivered damaged. I have the Lee Pro Auto Disk, but want to make sure of the charge before I shoot them.
So I just deprimed about 100 cases to get acquainted with the press & the theory of reloading.
Wished I had gotten the RCBS 750 digital scale like I wanted to.

[mniesen89]

I always loved personalized benches.The design posibilties are endless.

[cgaengineer]

Now every time you pull the trigger you appreciate the bullet hitting the target. Like others said you may not save tons of money but you will shoot more. For me reloading gives me something to do that is gun related during downtime and I really enjoy it. My wife and I both use the Hornady LNL and just last night we had a competition...she loaded 100 rounds in 11 minutes...me a measly 14 minutes.

For your pistol try copper plated bullets...they will save you money over standard copper jacketed, you just have to watch your charges and reduce by at least 10% under maximum and you will be fine.