Reloading 9mm

BoomFlop

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Oct 16, 2012
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Wisconsin
Hey all,

I know this doesn't fit the Long Range Hunting that this site is, however, I trust you guys more than any other forum.

I would like to start reloading for my Glock 19 (9mm). I recently started reloading for centerfire rifle, however, pistol seems to be fairly different.

What all do you recommend for the following:

Brass (thinking Starline?)
Dies (thinking Lee 4 die?)
Primer (thinking CCI 500?)
Powder (?)
Bullet (practice only, no home defense)

Sounds like you never trim 9mm brass? That seems odd if it headspaces off the case mouth.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks all,
Steve
 
I use bulk brass from the range
Dillion dies
CCI 500 is my preferred as well
I use universal powder but will change to one of shooters worlds powders. They are cheap and almost always available
Yeah I also never trim. That should answer the questions you posed hit us with some more as you have more.
 
You can buy bulk 9mm ammo so cheaply that you really can't reload it for less. At the moment bulk ammo is a bit scarce but it's normally inexpensive and easy to obtain. I reload everything except for 22 rimfire and 9mm.
I reload 40 S&W but there is only a very small savings because it cost more than 9mm even in bulk ammo sales.
 
What do you shoot for bulk ammo?

I just purchased my first pistol, so I have no idea about it. I know I will purchase self defense ammo, but not sure about price of bulk ammo.

I figure I can load Berry bullets, CCI 500 primers with Bullseye for about $175 per 1,000 if I get 4 reloads out of Starline brass.

Can you buy cheaper full metal jacket than that?

Thanks,
Steve
 
Depending on components, you can load for anywhere between11¢ to 15¢ apiece.
Surprisingly, your loads can make a difference in the accuracy out of your pistol.
I used titegroup for years, then used 231 and my groups were ~1/3 the size.
This is not like bottleneck cases. The crimp is either taper or roll, depending on your die (most 9mm are taper). If you dont get your crimp right, you can set the bullet back when chambering and have a kaboom.
 
You can buy bulk 9mm ammo so cheaply that you really can't reload it for less. At the moment bulk ammo is a bit scarce but it's normally inexpensive and easy to obtain. I reload everything except for 22 rimfire and 9mm.
I reload 40 S&W but there is only a very small savings because it cost more than 9mm even in bulk ammo sales.

True-ish^

I can typically load 9mm for about $0.13/round. A screaming deal for bulk is usually $0.18 out the door. So how much is the four hours it takes me to spin up 1k of ammo worth? It depends. I still load most of it but I also don't pass up many screaming deals.

Second for Dillon dies for pistol ammo. Love the decapper clicking and they seem smoother than RCBS and Hornady dies to me but I've never run them head to head.
 
good info here to help choose powder



Lee die set including FCD is not a bad way to go.

To save most money coated bullets are a good way to go and buying bulk gear prices down.
Black Bullet International or Acme are good
 
Haven't started reloading 9mm ....YET.... For me to purchase a progressive press to save $30.00/1000 hasn't appealed to me (I'd rather shoot than reload for pistol). But when I shoot, I spread out a large tarp to collect my brass for when I decide to start. Now may be a good time. Shelves around here are empty and when you do find it, most have a 2 box (of 50) limit. For what it is (9mm), I wouldn't fuss much over the components or equipment. Use what you have and buy cheap as possible.
 
What do you shoot for bulk ammo?

I just purchased my first pistol, so I have no idea about it. I know I will purchase self defense ammo, but not sure about price of bulk ammo.

I figure I can load Berry bullets, CCI 500 primers with Bullseye for about $175 per 1,000 if I get 4 reloads out of Starline brass.

Can you buy cheaper full metal jacket than that?

Thanks,
Steve

Yes you can. Targetsport.com has many different boxes of 9mm that they sell for 16 cents per round. If you buy in bulk they usually ship for free. It just doesn't make sense to reload 9mm to me. Like I posted ^^ I reload my 40 S&W but that's not very practical either. I only save a few bucks and it takes a lot of work. During this PITA pandemic I have plenty of down time so that's not an issue.

The only problem with buying bulk ammo right now is its out of stock almost everywhere. But then again, components are fairly hard to find now too. I couldn't find any Berrys bullets yesterday and had to order whatever powder was available. No small pistol primers were around either.
 
What do you shoot for bulk ammo?

I just purchased my first pistol, so I have no idea about it. I know I will purchase self defense ammo, but not sure about price of bulk ammo.

I figure I can load Berry bullets, CCI 500 primers with Bullseye for about $175 per 1,000 if I get 4 reloads out of Starline brass.

Can you buy cheaper full metal jacket than that?

Thanks,
Steve
That'll all work fine, I load 9mm all the time. You will lose your brass before you wear it out. I check around for some once fired brass since it's practice ammo, that'll work fine too.
 
I use cheap Lee dies. I like AA#5. Not because it's the perfect powder for the 9mm but because it works well for just about any pistol caliber you can imagine, short of high pressure magnum loads. I'm sure some others have similar powders they like to use because they are so useful across a wide range of cartridges.

You'll never go wrong with Starline brass. I love the stuff.
 
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