Help with Reloading 9mm

S

Sneakerh3ad

Inactive
I am new to reloading with minimal knowledge on the subject and have a few questions that should be fairly simple to answer for most. Will the Hornady FMJ 0.355 diameter and 115 grain for the 9mm work with the Hodgdon CFE Pistol Smokeless Powder on any old used 9mm casing?

also, how many times can you reload a casing, I was told mostly 2 or 3 times until it splits, so do you keep reloading until it splits or deforms?


thanks to anyone willing to supply the knowledge
 
What does your loading manual say: What does Hodgdon's website say? Both of those will answer your question. Are you using a scale to verify powder drops?
Some of my 9mm brass have been reloaded well over a dozen times without issue
 
I have a lee classic turret press i purchased but don't have any of the components needed to make it work. I just purchased a Lee Loader in 9mm, i believe the scale is pre measured, so you just level the powder to the top. I have a lee modern reloading manual, but i am not sure where to start looking.
 
Then you need to STOP until you have a clue as to what to do. A scale is not "premeasured", it is used measure what your powder drop is dropping.

read that manual cover to cover before proceeding
 
I believe fitasc is right. You need to stop and read your manual from the beginning. The lee manual is very good beginner manual to learn from.

It sounds like your talking about the lee dippers. That comes with a lee loader and the lee die sets. It is nothing more than a volumetric mearuing device similar to measuring spoons your wife might use when making a cake or food recipe. Very good devices i like them very much. Very safe. however you still need a scale to measure it on. I don't like the lee scale personally but it will of course work if u have it.

If it is the lee powder dippers u need to use your manual and look up how much volume the cfe pistol takes per scoop and do the math to equal the number of gr of powder needed. Here is a webiste that explains how to use the lee dippers

http://reloadboss.com/lee-powder-dippers/

Case life has varying factors including but not limited to how many times loaded, gun shot out of, type of load (heavy or light), weather when shot,etc. I have some 9mm brass that has passed a dozen loadings, and ive seen factory ammo split the neck on the first shot. It can be a crapshoot.

Next if u are using hornady bullets i would suggest getting a hornady reloading manual. It will have the specific bullet u bought and what powders worked best for it. Lee manual uses recycled info from manufacturers websites and books and may not have your soecific bullet.

Lastly, stop and read the first 9 chapters of Lees book. I say that because i want to make sure you are safe as possible while learning because a mishap can cost dearly.

To answer your last question as i understand it, yes if you have "any old" 9mm Parabellum case the 115 gr .355 diameter will work provided that:
1. The case is in good condition to be fired again
2. You use the correct primer
3. The correct amount of powder is used
4. The bullet is seated to the depth according to the proper reloading manual.

Get those 4 things right and every thing will be hunky dory. Happy loading and be safe!
 
Sneakerh3ad said:
I am new to reloading with minimal knowledge on the subject and have a few questions that should be fairly simple to answer for most. Will the Hornady FMJ 0.355 diameter and 115 grain for the 9mm work with the Hodgdon CFE Pistol Smokeless Powder on any old used 9mm casing?



also, how many times can you reload a casing, I was told mostly 2 or 3 times until it splits, so do you keep reloading until it splits or deforms?





thanks to anyone willing to supply the knowledge
Click to expand...



Not just any case can be reloaded. The primer pockets may not be compatible if they are military, surplus, steel cases or imported cases.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Sorry but I agree with others. It’s hard to remember what it was like at the beginning but you don’t seem to have a clear picture of everything that is going on. For someone just getting started the Lee manual is fine, especially for something simple like 9mm, but you need to read all of it and understand it. You might also try YouTube, I think they’ve got some good videos for beginners. As for cases, I’ve got 9mm that i’m sure have been reloaded 100 times.
 
""i believe the scale is pre measured, so you just level the powder to the top."" - not how that works at all -

Different powders need to be measured to the tenth of a grain after consulting a loading table for that powder and for the type and grain weight of your projectile. Also, cast lead rounds are typically undercharged so you don't lead your barrel - read about that before you go into casting your own rounds.

Recommend you read a handgun round reloading manual - paying particular attention to the load tables for your caliber.

You'll want a powder scale - I use a digital lyman myself.

Recommend you stick with a standard metal jacketed or plated round - I like Berrys Bullets - widely available and relatively inexpensive.

When shopping for powder - great idea for you to find one with a loading chart on the label - Hodgdon Titegroup Smokeless Powder is a good brand I'm fond of - in 9mm depending upon the weight of the projectile, say 125 grain FMJ - you'd use 2.8 to 3.2 grains of powder - not the lee powder dipper filled to the top....... Most powder manufacturers will have loading charts on their websites - http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/pistol <<< there's a calculator

hey - if you don't do your homework here, you might only destroy a $500 handgun, or you could lose a finger or two and possibly part of your face.

So this isn't something to take lightly.....

As to how many times you can reload a piece of brass - depends on the brass and the caution exercised by the reloader. You are responsible for every round.

I doubt I've ever reloaded anything 100 times. 5 times is very realistic - 40 times is not out of the question. I've got some Winchester brass I've reloaded at least a dozen times with no issues. On the other hand I've stopped reloading Blazer brass because I've found cracked once fired shells. There is no absolute rule on how many times pistol brass can safely be reloaded. Inspect all brass you intend to use both before and after cleaning and know the "feel" of your press when things go right and what to look for when it "felt" wrong - you will begin to learn this after about 2000 to 3000 rounds.
 
Sneakerh3ad said:
I meant it comes with a powder measure. No reason to stop anything, i am trying to learn
Click to expand...
Yes, it comes with a powder measure -- a tiny little dipper that holds a fixed volume of powder when filled and then carefully scraped off across the top to make it dead level. But each powder has a different density, so a dipper full of one type of powder is going to be a different weight than the same dipper full of some other powder. Somewhere in Lee's instructions there should be a chart that tells you what weight of various powders that dipper equates to.

For the Lee Loader, if the 9mm is like others I've seen, they only tell you that the dipper they provided is used for a couple of powders. If CFE Pistol isn't one of the powders listed in the instructions for your Lee Loader, then put the dipper aside and buy a scale.

The loading recipes are given by powder weight, not by volume. You have a Hodgdon powder -- their loading data are available on-line at

http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/

For CFE pistol powder, they list loads for two 115-grain bullets, neither of which is the exact bullet you're using. So you would need to start at or slightly below their starting load and see what kind of results you get.

As mentioned, you really need a scale. Somebody mentioned the Lee scale. It's a low-end beam balance type scale. It's a bit awkward to use, but it's affordable and it gets the job done. You should not load even one single cartridge until you have some kind of scale to tell you what you're putting into those cases.
 
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I looked up CFE pistol in this chart:

https://leeprecision.com/cgi-data/instruct/Dippers.pdf

The answer is NO, you can't use any dipper and this powder to load 9mm 115 bullets.

The chart shows 2.3 grains of CFE Pistol powder for a 0.17 cc dipper,
4.0 grains for the 0,3cc dipper.
6.6 grains for the 0,5 cc dipper.

If you look in a reloading manual, it will show for 9mm and a 115 grain bullet a starting load or minimum of 4.7 grains CFE pistol and a maximum of 5.8 grains of CFE pistol powder.

If you have not bought the powder yet, good.

You have options, buy a scale (BEST OPTION) or
get a SET of dippers and different powder.

If you go under the recommended charge weight, your gun will not function.
If you go over the recommended charge weight you WILL blow things up.

This will work out and you will have a lot of fun.
Just use common sense, be careful and read at least one manual on the entire loading process.

David
 
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NO YOU CANNOT LOAD EVERY CASE YOU PICK UP AT THE RANGE. Check inside each case, if you see a definite kind of shelf where the bottom 2/3 of the case becomes very thick, throw them away. The reduced volume will jack pressures up to a dangerous level if you load them with the same charge as a regular case. I forget the brand name on this brass but perhaps someone with a better memory than I can chime in on this. Pretty much all other 'normal' brass is fine. Also, very rarely in my experience you may encounter 9mm brass with a crimped primer. If so you need to remove the crimp, or I would just chuck them since they are fairly rare and not worth the time to fool with. The way to tell this is if you feel a case where it seems like it's much harder to deprime, just look at the primer pocket and you'll see a slight ring around it. If you want to save the case you can easily remove this ring with something like a countersink bit, I use my RCBS chamfer and deburring tool. Just a couple twists with the chamfering part and it's good to go.
 
Sneakerh3ad,

Welcome to the world of reloading.

The only thing to keep in mind with your Lee Loader powder scoop is that it is meant to be used only with the powders Lee lists for using it with. With other powders, especially very fast ones like Clays or N310, it can produce an overcharge and excessive pressure. With slower powders, it can produce rounds with too little pressure and that can get a bullet stuck in your barrel, creating a dangerous condition in which the next round fired can develop excess pressure against it. Stick to the powders in the instructions and you will be fine. Lee has sized the scoop to create good starting loads with them.

As to which cases you can reload, you want to stick to brass, Boxer primed, full-capacity cases. Avoid the variants. These include:

  • White metal cases that are lighter than brass cases (Blazer brand white metal cases) are aluminum and are not meant to be reloadable. Though some reload them anyway with very light loads, I would not do that because they can develop cracks that leak gas and do damage to your chamber.

  • Any case that a magnet will attract is steel rather than brass and should not be reloaded not only because it stresses your sizing tool but because steel cases, like aluminum ones, tend to develop micro-cracks in the pressure ring area that will gas cut the chamber of your pistol barrel in a ring inside. I know someone who pitted the chamber of his .45 Auto barrel reusing steel cases. It's not worth the damage risk.

  • If you look down into the case and see two or three small flash holes instead of just one in the center, that is a Berdan primed case and is not going to work with your standard reloading equipment.

  • Finally, as mentioned earlier, there are some special light load brass cases once made by MAXXtech (no longer in production, AFAIK) that have a step in the brass where it becomes thickened. Some folks may still be shooting old ammo of theirs, though, so watch out for it and don't use it. Looking down inside will tell you immediately if that's what you have as they have a sort of step in the brass thickness below where the bullet base seats.

Finally, when you can, get the dies and powder measure for your turret press. You will be amazed by how much faster and easier it is than the Lee Loader. I own several Lee Loaders, but I look at them as backup emergency tools. The press-operated tools are just way too much easier to use.
 
Your best bet would to buy a reloading manual, and read it. You could hurt yourself, or others near you at the range. Smokeless powder is not something where you can guess what amount you can use, it needs to be exact, and Lee dippers are not exact.
 
The Lee Loader will work if he follows the instructions and uses the bullets and powder and primers it lists. If he uses some component that is not listed, especially a powder that isn't listed for the scoop, then it can become a safety issue. This is why I wanted to make it clear in my post that all powders are not interchangeable.

My concern with some of the responses here is that if someone new comes to the membership with a direct question and instead receives multiple lectures on what he still needs to buy and read before he takes another step, he may be discouraged from asking questions. It is correct to mention that getting a manual is best, but try to save it for after answering the direct questions. Getting a reloading mentor is also a highly desirable thing that could be mentioned. But when all you have in hand is a Lee Loader and its directions, the rest is going to take second priority until the resources free themselves up to make them happen. So let's help him use the Lee Loader.
 
The Lee Loader is usable, but very labor intensive. It also relies on YOU heavily to prevent over/under charges.

Frankly, I would buy dies, a scale and something to prime with on your press as a bare bones operation. PS, don’t buy the Lee scale. The RCBS is much more reliable. Also, the scale needs to be isolated from press movement.


You can reload pistol brass many times at safe pressures. Always inspect for damage before loading a case.
 
I hadn’t really thought about it, but Unclenick’s comments are dead on on our answering the question and avoiding lectures on, as my late MiL used to say and my wife now says, “what you ought to do is”. I started reloading long before the internet, so I got it all out of books - primarily the Lyman manual. Lectures on the Internet forums would likely have confused me as much as educated me. The problem is not knowing who to believe, because info given is often not consistent and would often be too detailed for a true beginner.

Once the internet gave me access to forums such as this one, I found that I was reloading properly (which wasn’t a huge surprise), but I did pick up some knowledge that resulted in better accuracy. And better accuracy, in my case, varied by decade. In the 1960’s and 70’s, I was happy with 2” groups and my old Marlin 35 Remington. In the 80’s I transitioned to a Remington 700 in 270 and 1” groups made me happy. Then I bought a used Ruger 77V in 220 Swift and a good group could be covered with a dime. And here we are in 2018 and i’m Still chasing the dime sized groups.
 
"...2 or 3 times until it splits..." Nope. If the case splits after only 2 or 3 reloads it was bad brass to start with. However, case life is entirely dependent on the load used. That's one of the reasons to not use 'range brass'. It's 100% unknown as to what has been done to it and how often.
Like FITASC says, buy a manual(think Lyman) are read it. Your Lee Modern Reloading Manual will do though. Lee does no testing of any kind themselves though. They republish the powder maker's data. Still a manual and it still has a How-To chapter. Read it.
"...Lee dippers are not exact...." They can vary the powder charge plus or minus a full grain. And they're calibrated in CC's(Cubic Centimeters) for some daft reason. CC's are a metric unit of liquid measure. Nothing whatever to do with reloading. Pitch the scoops and use a scale or proper powder thrower.
"...Blazer brand white metal cases..." Are AL and are Berdan primed. Neither of which is reloadable. Steel is reloadable because it's not elastic like brass. Doesn't resize right.
 
Mr. O'Heir seems to think bakers never measure sugar or flour in a measuring cup because, after all, it's a liquid measure, being calibrated either in cc's or fluid ounces or both.

The Lee Loader scoop is chosen to be a starting load precisely because some people don't dip as accurately as others. I've never seen one that would throw excessive charges as long as you stick to the powders listed for it.

There have, indeed, been Boxer-primed aluminum cases. I have some somewhere, but the point is moot. Whether the priming is Boxer or Berdan, either way, you don't want to be reloading with them if you don't want gas cutting of your chamber to occur. Steel is NOT reloadable if you are sensible, but I've seen it run through the aforementioned Dillon 1050 by mistake. It just resizes a lot harder and you feel it in the handle. But it will sprout gas leaks if you do it more than once. It fatigues from resizing too easily and starts to crack.
 
When I was young, I started loading with the Lee Loaders (now called the Lee Classic).

I loaded handgun, rifle, and shotgun with them.

I used the Lee dippers to measure the powders that were listed on the enclosed chart.

I never had any problems, not even a popped primer.

Shot a fair amount of game and an even larger number of cans, bottles, paper targets, and hand thrown and machine thrown clay targets.

It was April, 1962 or 3 (can't specifically remember) when I got my first one. I had my Mom drive me to OE Dunlap's reloading store and I was off and running.

I still have all of them, but hardly ever use them any longer.

They guys are correct in that if you are going outside the box (loading something that is not listed on the Lee charts), you need to be more familiarized before you do so. Get a load manual (the ABCs of reloading is a good one to start with) and a powder scale at the minimum.

The 115 gr FMJs will work with CFE Pistol IF it is on the Lee chart included with your loader.

Most times, when semi-auto handguns are in the mix, the number of times a brass case can be loaded is circumvented by loosing the brass at the range or in the field depending on where you shoot. But, I have some that has at least 10 loading to their legacy. I load them until the case mouth splits.
 
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