First try at reloading

[Raoul]

Well I made my first attempt at reloading today with the help of a pal.

Here's my first product.

[ftncityfatboy]

do you crimp the casings??? doesn't look like it, but nice looking stuff. Reloading is loads of fun...very relaxing and enjoyable....

[Raoul]

do you crimp the casings??? doesn't look like it, but nice looking stuff. Reloading is loads of fun...very relaxing and enjoyable....

No crimp.

[56FordGuy]

Just curious, what're the specifics of the load? Charge, bullet, OAL, any chance to shoot it yet?

[ftncityfatboy]

Well I made my first attempt at reloading today with the help of a pal.

Here's my first product.

they are so cute, looks like little toy soldiers all lined up...

[Raoul]

3.9 gr of Bullseye

115 gr Winchester FMJ

OAL is +/- 1.15 - 1.155

Probably won't get to the range until Friday at the earliest.

Edited July 7, 2009 by Raoul

[Guest Jeremey]

Can you push the bullets further into the brass with hand pressure? I also noticed the flare is still present. It could just be how close up and clear the picture is.

[Raoul]

Can you push the bullets further into the brass with hand pressure? I also noticed the flare is still present. It could just be how close up and clear the picture is.

No they are very tight. we got them sized about right apparently.

[timcalhoun]

No they are very tight. we got them sized about right apparently.

Do yourself a favor......chamber the same round a few times from a magazine and then measure the oal again. Just to make sure you won't have bullet push back. I don't want your gun to blow up.

[ghawk249]

Why no Crimp?

[ukerduker]

Your rounds look good, but that one (2nd from the right) appears to have a nice bell on the casing. One good item to have is a case gage. After you load a round, you can check the overall dimensions simply by sliding the case into the gage.

MidwayUSA - L.E. Wilson Case Length Gage 9mm Luger

Also, as mentioned before, chamber a round and check the OAL again to see if the bullet has moved down into the case. Easy to do- just mark the bullet with a Sharpie around where the bullet meets the top of the case.

This will give you a visual indication that the bullet has moved.

[Raoul]

Excellent info. Thanks.

I'll let you know how it goes.

[Raoul]

Your rounds look good, but that one (2nd from the right) appears to have a nice bell on the casing. One good item to have is a case gage. After you load a round, you can check the overall dimensions simply by sliding the case into the gage.

MidwayUSA - L.E. Wilson Case Length Gage 9mm Luger

Also, as mentioned before, chamber a round and check the OAL again to see if the bullet has moved down into the case. Easy to do- just mark the bullet with a Sharpie around where the bullet meets the top of the case.

This will give you a visual indication that the bullet has moved.

A random selection of 15 rounds chambered 3x each showed no movement. Also I checked for the bell casing and it was OK. Probably just a light effect in the photo from shooting closeup.

As for the crimp, does anyone know if the seating dy on an RCBS does or does not crimp?

[timcalhoun]

A random selection of 15 rounds chambered 3x each showed no movement. Also I checked for the bell casing and it was OK. Probably just a light effect in the photo from shooting closeup.

As for the crimp, does anyone know if the seating dy on an RCBS does or does not crimp?

All my RCBS seating dyes do not crimp (I use them to seat the bullet only and I crimp them with a seperate die). BTW, I really like the Lee factory crimp dye.

Lee Precision, Inc. Reloading Tools and Equipment: Lee Crimping Dies

Edited July 7, 2009 by timcalhoun

[timcalhoun]

RCBS seating dyes will do a taper crimp (you set the crimp first then the OAL) . I just prefer the Lee FCD.

[DWARREN123]

Best gauges to use is the magazine and chamber. Make sure they work in your mag. Disassemble your firearm and chamber and unchamber a few rounds with you fingers, should be able to do this very easily.

Keep them between min and max OAL.

Reloading is a lot of good fun, have fun and be safe.

[gregintenn]

Yes. The seating dies, when properly set, will taper crimp and seat the bullet all in one operation. I would recommend you crimp ALL handgun ammo. Most high power rifle bullets have ample surface area to resist movement from handling and recoil without crimping. Many pistol projectiles do not. Your die instructions should outline the process of ajusting your dies to do this. It takes longer to explain than it does to perform.

[Raoul]

Yes. The seating dies, when properly set, will taper crimp and seat the bullet all in one operation. I would recommend you crimp ALL handgun ammo. Most high power rifle bullets have ample surface area to resist movement from handling and recoil without crimping. Many pistol projectiles do not. Your die instructions should outline the process of ajusting your dies to do this. It takes longer to explain than it does to perform.

Yes. That is what we did. The pics are a little deceiving due to the proximity of the lens and the flash. All of the bullets are well seated and will not move. I'm gonna remove the barrel from my G19 and size test them all since this is my first attempt. Then on to a range test.

Much thanks to everyone for your feedback.

[Raoul]

So I thought I'd revisit this thread with some info and an interesting occurrence.

My reloads were 9mm with 115 gr Winchester FMJ, and 3.9 gr of Bullseye powder.

I shot the first 50 some time back and had problems with the G19 cycling the rounds. Obviously they were a little undercharged.

About a month ago I changed from using Remoil to militec-1. Today I took the last 50 rounds I had loaded to see what would happen. Every round cycled perfectly. I think that speaks well of the militec-1.

My interesting problem today was with a Blazer brass 9mm round. There was apparently no powder in the shell. This is why I always take a wooden pencil in my range bag. Great tool to remove a lodged bullet.

[Guest tnvolfan]

I was taught that you do not crimp semi-automatic loads. If you do crimp, you crimp very little. How much is very little? I get a commercial load, feel it with my thumb, and try to duplicate the same feel -- very, very gradually adjusting the tightening of the crimp die, until it's where I want it. However, I would like to hear more discussion on how others do this.