Loading pistol vs rifle ammo

[Mark Walker in TX]

Loaded a few decent rifle rounds in my reloading career, never a single pistol round.

Been thinking about starting to load some pistol rounds and wondering what is different between them, if anything.

How do you know how far out to seat a bullet in a pistol case? Reloading manual?

What do I need to watch out for?

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

I loaded far more pistol rounds than rifle rounds over 30+ years of loading ammo. Competing in IPSC in the 1980s just consumed gobs of ammo.

There is an extra step in pistol ammo compared to rifle and that's the expansion of the mouth, also known as flaring. It is important to do it enough so as to not shave the heel of the bullet but not so much that you over work the brass. Pistol cases will break here first. If you do this properly, your cases can last a very long time.

The other aspect is crimping. For pistols like 9mm or .40 or .40 or similar, the cartridge headspaces on the mouth so you will be taper crimping these. What you might want to do is after crimping the cartridges, just insert them in the barrel of the pistol to make sure they chamber properly. This will tell you if you have crimped them enough to remove the flare.

As for the depth of the bullet, it really depends on the magazine for many of these cartridges; make sure the bullets are in far enough to function flawlessly through the magazine.

Revolver rounds are somewhat different; they use roll crimps and you can seat them long as long as they do not extend beyond the cylinder.

 

[Preacher]

Are you looking to load for long range pistol used for hunting, as in XP-100's, or revolver stuff for closer range....

 

[Mark Walker in TX]

Thanks Dennis! Extra steps, hum...

Preacher - just some plinking stuff - nothing fancy. Figure I have the press and most of the stuff, might give it a try.

 

[bheadboy]

Dennis has the answer, i too have loaded for Ipsc, auto and revolver, maybe 50-100,000 rounds in 65 years of loading. more than 1/2 as cast bullets.

Cast bullets are fun, easy and using good molds sized/lubed, provide a lot of cheap foder. they need to be crimped for revolver and a solid taper for auto so the lubed bullet does not move in recoil.

consider castin as bullets are scarce and lead easy to come by, used Lyman, Rcbs, H& G molds as you choose, i have shot them in revolvers, autos, rifles and even my M1. shot them in xp-100 7br for fun and kept in the 38-39 down - dont discount the advantages of cost, and availability for plinking and anything else.

one very important thing, pistols usually take between 2.7gr (38spcl) and 15 gr 44mag so an accurate powder measure and care in loads is important if you load to the max levels.

Bob

 

[spclark]

I started reloading with pistol cartridges, both rimmed (44 Mag & smaller) & rimless (40S&W, 357SIG, 45ACP) then moved into rifle as my awareness & interest grew.

"Belling" case mouths is nothing compared to annealing/trimming/de-burring/chamfering bottleneck rifle cases. Lee's Type M dies make it a simple operation particularly if you have access to a progressive press. I just bought myself a Hornady machine last spring out of desperation when reloading 45ACP & 40S&W for indoor practice during our winter off-season here.

Cartridge OAL is measured front-to-back with calipers, no "in the lands" for pistol. Use the recommended dimensions in bullet supplers reloading guides until you get comfortable with the loads you're developing. Compared to rifle loads, with some cartridges & certain powders 0.2 grains up or down makes a big difference.

My only caveat is to avoid AA #2 if possible. My only reloading mishap (my own fault) was when using it but I've heard of others who've had problems due to its speed....

+1 on the cast bullets thing too but if you choose to DIY remember lead vapors are hazardous to your health. Cast bullets also aren't recommended for polygonal rifling either, as in Glocks, H-K & particularly IMI'S Desert Eagle barrels & some others.

 

[brian427cobra]

IMHO, as long as the correct components are used

Pistol reloading is 100 times easier than loading super accurate repeatable rifle ammo

Pistol reloading is 1000 times more dangerous, I have seen 3 pistols blow up at the range, one was from a total retard who couldn't comprohend using the correct powder in the pistol, and the other 2 have the same thing in common which is a double charge while using a Dillon 550b(NON Auto Indexing Press), first one a high dollar 9mm 1911, and the other was a Glock 45.

My advice is develop a good sound reloading process using a single stage press before going progressive, and get a auto indexing press like a Dillon 650.

 

[Mark Walker in TX]

Thanks Brian, and you're right, safety first as always.

It will just be plinking ammo, likely 9mm and .45, and I'd take my time.

I'm pretty sure I can keep up with the powder and charges. Question on throwing the powder, as I'd just use my single stage presses, is a thrower like a Harrells the preferred, or can you use a Chargemaster?

 

[Duster_360]

I started loading pistol ammo with a single stage press but now do it on both Dillon 550 and 650 presses to provide the volume I tend to shoot. 9mm and 45 are two of my most shot cartridges, shooting both lead and jacketed bullets. I cast as well, but prefer to buy as long as they prove to be plenty hard and have no leading issues.


I don't have any experience with either thrower, but as long as they are accurate and repeatable, would seem to be ok. I get pretty repeatable charges with the Dillon throwers.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

Thanks Brian, and you're right, safety first as always.

It will just be plinking ammo, likely 9mm and .45, and I'd take my time.

I'm pretty sure I can keep up with the powder and charges. Question on throwing the powder, as I'd just use my single stage presses, is a thrower like a Harrells the preferred, or can you use a Chargemaster?

I use an old powder measure when I load pistol ammo. It's all extruded flake powder not like the Varget logs and flows nicely through any old measure. Chargemaster would be too slow for this stuff. 9mm is something around 5 or 6 grains and 45 is around 8 grains or so. This is from memory, but I have it written down in my loading room.

I always loaded with a single stage and I would process 50 or 100 cases at a time. Size them all and decap. Prime them. Flare them. Charge them, then verify powder levels with a flashlight. Seat all bullets and taper crimp. I had several hundred (thousands) 9mm cases in various stages of processing; this is not unlike F-class rifle ammo, come to think of it.

 

[Cochran]

Mark
This is the best way to go for pistol bullets
http://www.precisionbullets.com/
Way cheaper that jacketed. A little more than other cast bullets but no leading.

Why take the chance on clogging up a Harrels measure. Get a cheap small capacity measure. The Lee 'perfect powder measure' works great. It uses a rubber/plastic wiper so it doesn't cut or crunch. Its dirt cheap.

Good advice to be careful not to double charge. I use just a few grains of Bullseye in light 45's. Its similar to AA#2. You can double charge it and not see much difference.
Its easier to see if your using slower powders to make major power factor.

Also get carbide dies. No lubing.

 

[Outrider27]

One thing I always do is buy a 4 die set or get a second seat/crimp die for pistol ammo loading. I prefer to seat and crimp in two separate steps rather than have the seater plug still moving the bullet into place as the die starts to apply the crimp; just a personal foibal...

I arrange my brass in 50 round reloading blocks for each step, starting with a full block on the left side of the press (I'm right handed) and an empty block on the right side - makes it real easy to keep track of where you're at in the process.

Using Bullseye (probably the worst case example of the powders with loading density such that you can double charge without coming near overflowing a case), I have found that a quick but thorough row by row survey of the cartridges in the loading block with Ye Olde Mark I eyeball (be sure lighting is adequate) after the charging stage will spot a double charge every time.

Since I commonly reload in lots of 200 or more cases at a time, I decided some time ago that I wanted to speed things up, but I didn't want to invest in a progressive loader as I did like the control a single stage press gave me. Since my basic setup for all pistol and rifle reloading was (and remains) a 1971 vintage RCBS Rockchucker, which suffices for all work requiring brute force (sizing/decapping/case forming) and decent precision, I simply purchased 3 more single stage C type presses, since expanding/bellmouthing, seating and crimping don't require a lot of force, and there is a basic low buck Lee C type press (Reloader Single Stage Press, $25.00 or less on sale) that goes on sale from a number of suppliers several times a year. With the dies preset for the specific press they are used in, you just whip them into the 4 presses in a row on my work bench and go for it. With the powder measure charged and the primers and bullets ready to go, loading well over 100 rounds an hour is a puff, even with perodic QA checks like charge weight, and higher rates are relatively easy to acheive with a little practice and care.

 

[bheadboy]

i started with Lyman tong tools, bulleye, then single stage Rcbs and lyman measure, then rcbs ammo master 2 auto advance, now Horn LNL -i use the Rcbs or Hor measure and bst, and for normal velocity loads (1000fps) lyman top lub is fine. i size .001 over bore as the lead will conform and seal, on revolvers check the cylenter throat as that is the crytical point for size diameter, not he bbl, if there is a major difference in cylender throat and the bbl dia, split the diff, they should be close.

For Glocks, with their rifling not accepting cast bullets, you can go to an after market rifled bbl and they are amazingly accurate, i have two.

Bob

 

[DBailey]

Hey Mark,

If you decide to equip for bulk pistol ammo loading, make a trip up here and you can test drive a progressive setup. After all the stress of loading perfect team ammo it's amazing how much fun it is to see loaded rounds clicking out every time you operate the handle.

 

[jwink]

I started with an old rock chucker, went to a Lyman turret then up graded to dillion 450. now have a hornady progressive, no way can I see ever giving it up, it's really sweet for loading rounds for my 40 S&W, M&P. I still use the rock chucker for my rifle rounds due to weighing all charges and it is easier to be careful with the single stage, but for knocking out 500 hundred rounds of ammo in an evening, it's hard to beat a progressive.

 

[spclark]

I started with a Rock Chucker kit too, then bought a second RC press used. Then came a Harrell's turret w/extra 4-hole wheels (3 currently) which was "enough" for several years & entirely adequate for loading rifle and some pistol ammo.

Then came the Hornady LNL (used off eBay) with a new case feed attachment.

+ 1 on the convenience aspect for fast production of rimless rounds and the entertainment factor in watching a real Rube Goldberg contraption doing its thing in my face!

Also +1 on the separate crimp die. Seating & crimping in one die never worked to my satisfaction.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

Before you buy dies for the pistol calibers, I think you should consider the latest version from Redding. Earlier this year, I bought their Dual Ring Carbide sizer for the .45ACP and I was astounded at the results. The no-lube thing is nothing new, but the way it sizes the case is just great.