gonna start reloading 45 acp

[Ron Padilla]

I might be wrong but the pistol drum is what is tnstalled along with the metering stem that goes with it so only one size that I know of

[Ron Padilla]

been working on my reloading bench some, got in the bully adapter that adapts the lee bullet feeder to the hornady bullet feeding die

[Jonnin]

 

Yup....you can hold on to it. I'm trying 380 auto now, and it's like castrating gnats. Anyone who reloads 25acp has my utmost respect.

 

 

whats wrong with 380?  Its the same as 9, pretty easy to do?

I tried 25 acp but the lead bullets I found were the wrong size and the copper plated bullets I found cost as much as a box of loaded ammo.  I tried to squeeze the lead down to fit but it didn't.  The best success I had was with shot (yes, for a shotgun, one of the pellet sizes is exactly 25 sized) but it loaded too short and caused a lot of jams in the pistol.   That has been a nightmare, not because its hard to make the ammo (its a little tricky to sit the bullet on the case, but otherwise its all the same) but because I can't fine a reliable projectile for cheap.   Grumble.

[tercel89]

Same here. So far, I've yet to find a split 45acp case. Perhaps they last forever? Don't sweat it. A case split at the mouth will not damage you or your gun.

 

I don't recall how much reloading experience you have, but I'll share with you and everyone else a couple of things I've learned about reloading auto pistol cartridges.

 

1)Bell the mouth of the case after resizing only enough so the bullet will start easily. The bell should be barely visible when looking at it.

 

2)When seating the bullet, crimp the case only enough to remove the bell, as the case headspaces on the mouth.

 

3)An easy trick to adjust your bullet seater die:  a) put a factory round with a similar bullet in the shellholder of your press.

                                                                            B) Back the bullet seater nearly all the way out of the die, and screw the die into the press a bit.

                                                                            c) Pull the handle all the way down so the factory round is as far in the die body as it will go.

                                                                            d) Screw the die into the press until you begin to feel resistance, and lock it in place. This will provide the same crimp as factory.

                                                                             e) Screw the bullet seater into the die until it stops. At this point, you should be adjusted to where your press will produce a round with the same dimensions as factory stuff. This means it should function reliably.

 

 

 

 

Sorry if everyone but me knew this. I've seen a lot of threads here and elsewhere where people were fussing over how much to crimp and case overall length.

 

 THIS is great advice and great information !