9 mm dies

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Danb6177

New member
Im very new to this, actually still in the reading and learning phase. I did purchase a rock chucker single stage press and some other stuff. I wanna start with 9mm. RCBS has a die set that says 9mm luger 9x21/9x23. Is this the proper die set for normal 9mm semi automatic pistol rounds?
Thanks!
 
Hornady. It is affordable. Seating die has guide sleeve to keep bullet straight. Free bullets too.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
Look at your gun!

First off, you must look at your gun's cartridge stamped on its slide or barrel.
I think you most likely have a 9mm, 9x19, 9mm Luger (Those are all the exact same thing) as that is by far the predominant chambering.
Take a look at this https://www.starlinebrass.com/pistol-brass and note that Starline makes 8 different 9mm cases. Click on 9mm Luger, and see how many names that goes by. Starline's 9mm+P is also 9mm Luger (dimensions are identical).
If you have a 9mm Luger none of the other 9mm brass will work. You can gather free 9mm Luger brass at most ranges, as most people discard it because loaded ammo in 9mm is so cheap.
Then when you are clear on the brass for your gun, you can shop for dies. Assuming 9mm Luger:
https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/dept/reloading/dies/9-mm-luger
Lee dies work just fine, are cheaper and they make some innovations like their factory crimp die. All can be included in a one set. If you want top quality, finish and looks, I like Redding dies. They cost MORE, and they make even more expensive sets. Since you are starting you DO NOT NEED those.
You can load top quality loads in Lee dies.
 
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Danb6177,

Welcome to the forum. Please pop over here and introduce yourself to the community.

Yes, that die set will work, assuming it is their carbide set.

This topic is a little confusing to the beginner because, if you look at cartridge drawings, you will see your 9mm case is slightly tapered. Carbide sizing dies, with the exception described below, use a sizing ring that is a single diameter, so it resizes your case straight as far down toward the head as the die goes, rather than maintaining the taper. You can get steel dies that maintain the taper, but you then have to lube your cases to keep them from getting stuck, so it makes loading large numbers of the small cases more of a chore. An advantage to a die that resizes straight is it can resize longer cases that have the same head and mouth diameter, as the 9×19, 9×21, and 9×23 do. It means you only need to own one sizing die for all of those cartridges.

The only drawback to sizing tapered cases to a uniform diameter is the brass gets worked a bit more and will wear out sooner back near the head. However, 9mm brass is so plentiful, that the economy of going to the extra expense required to get a carbide resizing that maintains a bit of the taper (Redding NexGen dies) is questionable. You could also get an old-style tapered resizing die in steel, but I don't recommend this if you intend to produce much volume, as it means having to lubricate the cases before resizing, whereas the carbide sizing ring dies do not.
 
Danb6177 said:
Im very new to this, actually still in the reading and learning phase. I did purchase a rock chucker single stage press and some other stuff. I wanna start with 9mm. RCBS has a die set that says 9mm luger 9x21/9x23. Is this the proper die set for normal 9mm semi automatic pistol rounds?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Yes. The die would be adjusted differently for different lengths of brass (the x21 and x23 are nominal lengths of brass).

There several cartridges that can share die sets with different settings. Common are .38 Special / .357 magnum and .44 special/ .44 magnum.
Some of the RCBS .38 Special/.357 magnum and .44 special/44 magnum sets even include a washer that goes under the die in the press that is the case length nominal difference between .38 /.357 or .44 special/magnum. Theoretically a die adjusted for .38 with the washer under the body will work with .357 (and generally does if the brass isn't stretched from use)
 
Mehavey,

It's a little hard to read because of where the line "carriage return" occurs and there is a missing slash (I missed this on the first read-through, too), but the die is for: 9mm luger/9x21/9x23.
 
Yes, those are the dies you want. But that is a 3 die set. In other words, your bullet seating die also crimps the case. However, this can be a little tricky to do in one operation. It’s better to seat the bullet with the (seater die) and crimp the case in a separate die (taper crimp). A stand alone taper crimp die are relatively cheap and simplifies the process.

1. Size and decap brass (sizer die).
2. Expand brass case (expander die).
3. Seat bullet (seater die).
4. Crimp case (taper crimp die).
 
UncleNick, your are correct
I have amended my post both above to indicate the RCBS set can do all three cartridges.
 
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Look for a used RCBS 9mm luger 3 die set in the grey box, a rock chucker and a uniflow powder measure with both drums and a stand. 5-10 scales are better than 5-05s but even a lee scale or newer calibrated digital scale is fine. Used equipment can be from the 80s and still last the rest of your life. Yes, RCBS is that good. 70s sets with the round split long ring are more of a crap shoot. Hornady has the sliding seater that I hate and lee equipment has lousy lock rings that won't stay adjusted. Lyman is solid stuff but they have rougher machining.
 
...and Redding has all the right features and good machining, which is why I love their stuff, but there is no pretending it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

The Lee dies actually are usually quite good from a functional-but-not-pretty standpoint. Some hate their lock rings and some love them, but the haters have an easy out. Lyman sells their cross-bolt lock rings (the split type, but my favorite kind since they can't score a die thread) separately. Currently on sale at Midsouth for $4.49.
 
All my pistol cartridge reloading dies are Lee. I like them, but would likely be just as happy with more expensive dies if I felt the need to spend more. When I first started reloading for handguns (38/357), I used non-carbide dies. That mistake was corrected as fast as I could.
 
Thank you all for the replies. Its alot to digest but im excited to learn all of this. I read alot tonight and perhaps it isnt the best idea to start with 9mm. It seems reloading 9mm might not be a great option. Semi autos eject the casings where revolvers do not. And 9mm ammo isnt that expensive anyway. I may start with 38s. I have a 38 revolver and might try and get a 357 so maybe that would be a better place to start. I was thinking 9mm because we shoot them alot but I dont shoot my 38 often due to ammo being more pricey
 
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Yes for sure I would but I would not trust myself just yet to use casings from an unknown source. I purchased the 9mm dies so that I have them and also purchased 357/38 special dies. I’m excited to start soon
 
Reading the Lyman 51st addition handbook right now. I was trying to get a few things I knew I’d need and saw a discount on the rock chucker. So wanted to get the dies at same time.
 
I use RCBS 9mm dies. works fine for me. I don't use Lee dies, I don't like their features or their look. They do work, I just don't like them, and in the end, a few dollars difference in cost doesn't matter.

I did add a Dillion taper crimp die some years back. Just "kissing" the loaded rounds in the taper crimp die seems to make them feed a tad bit better in MY guns.
 
Roll crimp dies and taper crimp dies work differently so you need to learn the nuance of adjusting them. With taper crimp you seat a bullet to the desired depth without crimping by backing the die and turning the seater in so it can't crimp. Then back out your seater stem and with the press ram at the top of your stroke screw the 9mm seat/crimp die in until the turning becomes snug. Then back off the ram, give another 1/4 to 1/2 turn and lock your adjustment ring so the crimp is set and screw the seater stem in until it is snug on top of your bullet nose. Then run a second round though and check your final crimp/seat adjustments. With roll crimp dies you do the same basic thing but you watch the roll on the case as you adjust your crimp die down until it is sufficient to hold your revolver bullet. Then set the seating stem down and lock it in place. Always test a second round to make sure the die is adjusted correctly. 38 Roll crimps are a lot more sensitive to brass length and trimming is more of a necessity to get uniform crimp but may not be a big deal depending on your accuracy standard. 357 revolvers are the most useful handgun chambering since they also use 38s.
 
I have had a number of die brands over the years. If i need something cheap that i am going to reload for infrequently i get lee. If its something i will be loaded for regularly or in bulk, i get Hornady.
 
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