# ready to take the plunge



## flyinpolack (Dec 16, 2009)

A friend of mine recently got me re-hooked on shooting. I used to shoot & reload with my dad back when I was a kid, so I know that I want to reload. I picked up an old dillon 550 press, & digital scale. The scale dosn't seem very consistant, if I put a nickle on it 5 times the weight will be slightly off +/- .001gram. Will that make a big difference? A local gun shop has a 9mm die-set for it, so I'll be picking it up in the next couple of weeks (that's what I'm shooting atm). The press is currently set up for .45acp. Will I need a different bottom plate to go along with the new dies?

I think that the next stuff I need is:
A good reloading book
bullet puller
primer tray
luber? (i forget the real name..)

I think that I'll buy the lead pre-made for now, just to get going.

I have a 5 gallon parts cleaner, will this work for cleaning the brass, or should I get a tumbler or something else?

Is there anything else that I'm missing?
I have most of the shop tools that I need, including verniers, & mics. I can't wait to get started :smt023


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

flyinpolack said:


> A friend of mine recently got me re-hooked on shooting. I used to shoot & reload with my dad back when I was a kid, so I know that I want to reload. I picked up an old dillon 550 press, & digital scale. The scale dosn't seem very consistant, if I put a nickle on it 5 times the weight will be slightly off +/- .001gram. Will that make a big difference? A local gun shop has a 9mm die-set for it, so I'll be picking it up in the next couple of weeks (that's what I'm shooting atm). The press is currently set up for .45acp. Will I need a different bottom plate to go along with the new dies?
> 
> I think that the next stuff I need is:
> A good reloading book: *The Hornady Manual is nice, but a little "heavy" on data if you're only doing one or two calibers.*
> ...


*Start looking for primers and projectiles ASAP, there's been a run on them over the last year and they are hard to find in quantity. *


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## flyinpolack (Dec 16, 2009)

*ah, good point*

thanks for the info!
I hadn't thought about clumping. I'll go another route.

Is there a shelf life on primers, & powder?


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

flyinpolack said:


> thanks for the info!
> I hadn't thought about clumping. I'll go another route.
> 
> Is there a shelf life on primers, & powder?


As long as they are stored properly, they should last forever it not darn near close to.


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## flyinpolack (Dec 16, 2009)

Ok, I picked up the dies, baseplate, puller, primers, bullets, & a hornady book yesterday.
I think I have everything but the powder now.

The book says Winchester action pistol AA#7, or Alliant action pistol, So I'll pick some up today hopefully.
Any other good recomendations?

I made a table yesterday & have most of the stuff set up. I'll post a pick when I'm good to go.


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

flyinpolack said:


> Ok, I picked up the dies, baseplate, puller, primers, bullets, & a hornady book yesterday.
> I think I have everything but the powder now.
> 
> The book says Winchester action pistol AA#7, or Alliant action pistol, So I'll pick some up today hopefully.
> ...


A friend is using HS6 for 9mm, I'm using it for .45ACP. I haven't got to run any test loads, but when I do I'll let you know. I will say that the HS6 flows well into smaller cases like the 9mm.


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## TOF (Sep 7, 2006)

A quick light spray of Hornady One Shot case lube makes 9MM case resizing much easier. It may not be necessary but I like using it. 9MM is a tapered case, not straight.

tumbleweed


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## flyinpolack (Dec 16, 2009)

*more noob questions for ya*

Should I clean the brass with the old primers in still? or pop the primers out & size (while dirty), then clean the shells?

I read in my hornady book that graphite powder makes a good lube for sizing, is this just "lock" graphite, or something different?
It's a pretty good book by the way, I've learned a lot from it so far.

I also noticed that some of my once shot shells have a bulge (about .005" bigger in dia.)toward the bottom of the shell (115 gr. 9mm. federal brass). is is safe to reload these or should I just scrap them?


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## TOF (Sep 7, 2006)

flyinpolack said:


> Should I clean the brass with the old primers in still? or pop the primers out & size (while dirty), then clean the shells?
> 
> I read in my hornady book that graphite powder makes a good lube for sizing, is this just "lock" graphite, or something different?
> It's a pretty good book by the way, I've learned a lot from it so far.
> ...


1. I tumble cases for 30 minutes to knock loose any major crud then size and punch primers followed by a more thorough cleaning. I like them shiny.
It is not necessary however to punch before cleaning.

2. I can't imagine the amount of graphite powder you would go through trying to lube cases with it. Get a can of Hornady One Shot, lay your cases out on a piece of news paper and give them a quick spray. You don't have to cover all of the case surface, a little dab will do it.

3. The case bulge is most likely because the brass was used in a Glock. The bulge can be re sized just be certain you size full length.

tumbleweed


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## rccola712 (Aug 26, 2008)

TOF said:


> 3. The case bulge is most likely because the brass was used in a Glock. The bulge can be re sized just be certain you size full length.
> 
> tumbleweed


What causes a Glock to bulge the brass? Does it happen on extraction? I've never heard of this before... interesting.


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## flyinpolack (Dec 16, 2009)

actually the glock's brass was fine, it was all out of my sig. those shells (empty brass) were actually 6 grains lighter in weight than all of the others.


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## TOF (Sep 7, 2006)

flyinpolack said:


> actually the glock's brass was fine, it was all out of my sig. those shells (empty brass) were actually 6 grains lighter in weight than all of the others.


The brass is probably reusable but if you have a small quantity that is significantly different than the rest it would make sense to isolate it and either pitch it or accumulate more like it for later use.

Do Sig's have unsupported chambers similar to Glocks?

tumbleweed


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