Help me get into reloading

[ageingstudent]

If you ever want to get rid of that .380 brass let me know,picked up a sig p238 for my girlfriend.first range trip she put about 200 rounds down range and was ready for another 200.those little bastards are pricey to

Be sure to tell her how much money you're saving by reloading her ammo too. Start now and if you marry her you won't have to repeat it as much. Or sleep out in the shop.

 

[Josh89]

Be sure to tell her how much money you're saving by reloading her ammo too. Start now and if you marry her you won't have to repeat it as much. Or sleep out in the shop.

Haha,I got pretty lucky with this one.she likes guns about as much as me and she's also happy about me getting another hobby to keep me busy in the bad weather.

 

[ageingstudent]

Haha,I got pretty lucky with this one.she likes guns about as much as me and she's also happy about me getting another hobby to keep me busy in the bad weather.

Valentine's day is tomorrow...buying a red press won't count don't ask me how I know.

Something I thought about, if you can watch YouTube look up Fortunecookie45lc. Excellent reloading videos. Also has a Lee Classic Turret press. I've picked up a lot of good stuff from his videos.

 

[Member 5605]

Valentine's day is tomorrow...buying a red press won't count don't ask me how I know.

Something I thought about, if you can watch YouTube look up Fortunecookie45lc. Excellent reloading videos. Also has a Lee Classic Turret press. I've picked up a lot of good stuff from his videos.

But his voice... nails on a chalkboard to me.

 

[Josh89]

So I was planning on getting some tite group,it was recommended on here a couple times and seemed like a good powder for 9mm but will it do for .380 and .45 acp as well?

 

[Member 5605]

So I was planning on getting some tite group,it was recommended on here a couple times and seemed like a good powder for 9mm but will it do for .380 and .45 acp as well?

It will work yes. TiteGroup is a fast burning low volume high energy powder. It will have a snappier recoil than others like HS-6 that are on the slower end of the pistol powders.

Check out:
Set your sights on pistol reloading data | Hodgdon Reloading
Select a chambering, then select a powder - hit "Update Data". After that, you can go back once results are shown for caliber and powder ONLY, you can see what calibers contain published loads for %n powder.

.40, .45, 9mm, .380 are all listed under TiteGroup. It's good to find one powder that loads all of what you want. There are some more higher energy powders across the board that work well too. At some point you will experiment and find that you will end up like a lot of us. One powder per caliber and 5-8lbs of each powder. Side note of a story: my wife walked into my reloading room one time and was like "Um, what is all of this? I THOUGHT every time you went to get powder it was because you were out, not that you were stockpiling it.." Every cartridge likes a different powder and every gun likes a different powder... that's not even scratching the bullet weights discussion.

TiteGroup is #15 on the chart below
Check out where other powders mentioned in this thread sit. It's kind of a cool reference to look at.

<broken link removed>

High burn powders generally use LESS per charge because of their burn rate and pressures. I have a .40 load that uses IMR-PB #23 (old charts it's discontinued) and it is a weak powder. Makes weak loads but they are perfect for a .40 and cast lead bullets.

One thing some guys like to mention as well so I'll put it here...

When reloading low charge powders, you need to be damned sure you don't double charge. I have a low charge load in .38 special and .357 Mag that you cannot see the powder in the case unless you look directly down into the case. I tend to avoid that powder unless times are dry, I've had a squib because of it. I was running cases and thought it was ready to go.

The opposite goes with fluffier (less dense) powders. The bulkier powders are easy to spot and they make a double charge near impossible to overlook (but it's possible). IMR-4227 in a .357 Magnum uses enough powder to fill the case 1 and a half times on a double charge. No accidental doubles there. My 9mm can take a double charge of CFE-Pistol with room to seat a bullet still but it's clearly visible from the top of the case as it's sitting in the press.

 

[ageingstudent]

So I was planning on getting some tite group,it was recommended on here a couple times and seemed like a good powder for 9mm but will it do for .380 and .45 acp as well?

I like it for 9mm and .380acp target loads. Not as much for .45acp.

 

[Crohnos01]

Be sure to tell her how much money you're saving by reloading her ammo too. Start now and if you marry her you won't have to repeat it as much. Or sleep out in the shop.

Trust me.. slip the minister a $50 and have him work it into the wedding vows Money well spent!

 

[P7M13]

That must have been one hell of a favor. I'm pretty sure someone will have to pry my cold dead fingers off my LCT lol.

Yes, it was. I was daydreaming while out riding WA503 and hit the hairpins at 55, and dropped the bike. Punched a hole in the engine, shredded my gear. The first 3-4 drivers kept on going by, one stopped (by then I was standing), a few others drove by, then a fellow who worked at Freightliner said, "let's get you home." Grabbed his trailer, hauled me and my bike 60 miles home.
We talked plinking the whole ride home, and he was commenting about how he would do it more, but how expensive 45 ammo had gotten. I hope he is using it....

 

[P7M13]

So I was planning on getting some tite group,it was recommended on here a couple times and seemed like a good powder for 9mm but will it do for .380 and .45 acp as well?

@Dyjital nailed it on high energy lighter powders.
Too bad you're in GP, I'd give you some Titegroup to try. I've loaded a lot with it, and only in the past two years started using other powders more.
I don't care for it's flakiness.

 

[Josh89]

It will work yes. TiteGroup is a fast burning low volume high energy powder. It will have a snappier recoil than others like HS-6 that are on the slower end of the pistol powders.

Check out:
Set your sights on pistol reloading data | Hodgdon Reloading
Select a chambering, then select a powder - hit "Update Data". After that, you can go back once results are shown for caliber and powder ONLY, you can see what calibers contain published loads for %n powder.

.40, .45, 9mm, .380 are all listed under TiteGroup. It's good to find one powder that loads all of what you want. There are some more higher energy powders across the board that work well too. At some point you will experiment and find that you will end up like a lot of us. One powder per caliber and 5-8lbs of each powder. Side note of a story: my wife walked into my reloading room one time and was like "Um, what is all of this? I THOUGHT every time you went to get powder it was because you were out, not that you were stockpiling it.." Every cartridge likes a different powder and every gun likes a different powder... that's not even scratching the bullet weights discussion.

TiteGroup is #15 on the chart below
Check out where other powders mentioned in this thread sit. It's kind of a cool reference to look at.

<broken link removed>

High burn powders generally use LESS per charge because of their burn rate and pressures. I have a .40 load that uses IMR-PB #23 (old charts it's discontinued) and it is a weak powder. Makes weak loads but they are perfect for a .40 and cast lead bullets.

One thing some guys like to mention as well so I'll put it here...

When reloading low charge powders, you need to be damned sure you don't double charge. I have a low charge load in .38 special and .357 Mag that you cannot see the powder in the case unless you look directly down into the case. I tend to avoid that powder unless times are dry, I've had a squib because of it. I was running cases and thought it was ready to go.

The opposite goes with fluffier (less dense) powders. The bulkier powders are easy to spot and they make a double charge near impossible to overlook (but it's possible). IMR-4227 in a .357 Magnum uses enough powder to fill the case 1 and a half times on a double charge. No accidental doubles there. My 9mm can take a double charge of CFE-Pistol with room to seat a bullet still but it's clearly visible from the top of the case as it's sitting in the press.

I noticed the hp-38 would work for all the rounds as well,and it has a slower burning rate according to that chart,would that mean it would have less of a snappy recoil?

 

[P7M13]

Trust me.. slip the minister a $50 and have him work it into the wedding vows Money well spent!

What, include a little of the gospel of JMB into the ceremony? Not a bad idea!

 

[Josh89]

Might just have to grab a pound of a couple different ones and just do some testing.

 

[ageingstudent]

Yes, it was. I was daydreaming while out riding WA503 and hit the hairpins at 55, and dropped the bike. Punched a hole in the engine, shredded my gear. The first 3-4 drivers kept on going by, one stopped (by then I was standing), a few others drove by, then a fellow who worked at Freightliner said, "let's get you home." Grabbed his trailer, hauled me and my bike 60 miles home.
We talked plinking the whole ride home, and he was commenting about how he would do it more, but how expensive 45 ammo had gotten. I hope he is using it....

I pulled 2 rigs out of a snow drift this weekend that should have got me at least a square deal b don't you think?

 

[ageingstudent]

Might just have to grab a pound of a couple different ones and just do some testing.

Yeah lots of testing at first. It gets more funner when you start getting some loads you really like and you start shooting them regularly.

 

[Josh89]

I also read that the Lee press likes cci primers,are they a all around good primer.i was playing with that Hodgdon chart and it varied from round to round,but if the cci works just as well I'd like to stick with them if they work better on the Lee press

 

[Member 5605]

I also read that the Lee press likes cci primers,are they a all around good primer.i was playing with that Hodgdon chart and it varied from round to round,but if the cci works just as well I'd like to stick with them if they work better on the Lee press

They work for me, exclusively.

 

[DirectDrive]

I noticed the hp-38 would work for all the rounds as well,and it has a slower burning rate according to that chart,would that mean it would have less of a snappy recoil?

HP-38 is similar to my favorite, W231 which is clean burning and meters very well.

 

[ageingstudent]

I also read that the Lee press likes cci primers,are they a all around good primer.i was playing with that Hodgdon chart and it varied from round to round,but if the cci works just as well I'd like to stick with them if they work better on the Lee press

I've used almost every brand at one time or another. Never had an issue with priming. I do use cci and s&b the most.

 

[DirectDrive]

It will work yes. TiteGroup is a fast burning low volume high energy powder. It will have a snappier recoil than others like HS-6 that are on the slower end of the pistol powders.

Check out:
Set your sights on pistol reloading data | Hodgdon Reloading
Select a chambering, then select a powder - hit "Update Data". After that, you can go back once results are shown for caliber and powder ONLY, you can see what calibers contain published loads for %n powder.

.40, .45, 9mm, .380 are all listed under TiteGroup. It's good to find one powder that loads all of what you want. There are some more higher energy powders across the board that work well too. At some point you will experiment and find that you will end up like a lot of us. One powder per caliber and 5-8lbs of each powder. Side note of a story: my wife walked into my reloading room one time and was like "Um, what is all of this? I THOUGHT every time you went to get powder it was because you were out, not that you were stockpiling it.." Every cartridge likes a different powder and every gun likes a different powder... that's not even scratching the bullet weights discussion.

TiteGroup is #15 on the chart below
Check out where other powders mentioned in this thread sit. It's kind of a cool reference to look at.

<broken link removed>

High burn powders generally use LESS per charge because of their burn rate and pressures. I have a .40 load that uses IMR-PB #23 (old charts it's discontinued) and it is a weak powder. Makes weak loads but they are perfect for a .40 and cast lead bullets.

One thing some guys like to mention as well so I'll put it here...

When reloading low charge powders, you need to be damned sure you don't double charge. I have a low charge load in .38 special and .357 Mag that you cannot see the powder in the case unless you look directly down into the case. I tend to avoid that powder unless times are dry, I've had a squib because of it. I was running cases and thought it was ready to go.

The opposite goes with fluffier (less dense) powders. The bulkier powders are easy to spot and they make a double charge near impossible to overlook (but it's possible). IMR-4227 in a .357 Magnum uses enough powder to fill the case 1 and a half times on a double charge. No accidental doubles there. My 9mm can take a double charge of CFE-Pistol with room to seat a bullet still but it's clearly visible from the top of the case as it's sitting in the press.

Double charge danger is important to understand and constantly watch for.
I hope the OP reads the above.....TWICE.
I completely destroyed a nice Remington 1100 with a double charge. Took some shrapnel in my thigh....not a good day.

Flake powders = Don't meter as well, but take up more volume making a double charge easier to notice (as stated above)

Ball Powders = Meter well but take up less volume making a double charge harder to notice.

My 12 gauge KABOOM was with a double charge of W540....ball powder.
Switched to SR4756 after that for the built-in safety factor (flake powder).