Newbie question on brass, propellant etc

[Thor357]

I know this isn't what you are asking but ...............

9mm is probably the only cartridge that doesn't make sense to reload IMO. If you look online at places like Targetsportsusa.com, you will see that bulk 9mm ammo is rather inexpensive. If you look at the cost of reloading components, you would be lucky to break even with your reloads. Loading 9mm ammo may be a hobby but it won't save you any money and may actually cost more than just buying bulk ammo.

Just my 2 cents and I "was" a 9mm reloader.

Umm...I agree to a point. If you only shoot maybe a few hundred rounds per year, then reloading makes no sense other than being able to make a better round than can be bought. If, on the other hand, you shoot hundreds per week/month then reloading makes perfect sense and in short order you will recoup your investment. The caveat is, you will probably end up shooting more rounds more often. At that point, reloading becomes a labor of love.

 

[Doom]

You mention personal protection rounds. I am not a lawyer and this should not be considered as legal advice but every CCP/CWP trainer that I know of recommends not loading your own rounds for that purpose. They state that doing so gives the prosecution several arguments that could be used to sway a jury in their favoring the event you should ever be involved in a self defense situation.

 

[SmallFunGroups]

1- I have used all the major ammo manufacturers' brass for 9mm handloading, and I haven't any major problems. I would say that I have had some issues with seating primers in military issued cases (winchester) because of the crmped primer pocket, this is usually solved by using a reamer hand tool. Rifle brass is another story, I have a brand or two that I avoid like the plague.

2- Powder: I started out using CFE pistol, as it fills the cases more than some other powders and would have really made a double charge apparent. I gravitated towards titegroup later on for handgun loads, as it is allowed me use less powder and seemed to produce less recoil. It is easy to have a double charge with titegroup, so i check diligently for that. You will get a feel for what you like as you go, start with 1 lb bottles of powder to experiment with.

3- Primers - for small pistol sized primers, they all tend to work equally well. I think Sellier & Bellot was a little bit tougher to seat than winchester or cci in one of my primer seating tools, but they still worked fine. Make sure you seat them as indicated in the loading manuals, I watched a gentleman (new to handloading) get very frustrated at a competition who kept having failure to fire issues. I looked at his ammo, the primers were protruding many thousands from the case head!

4- bullets....for target shooting with handgus I like Montana Gold jacketed hollow points in the 124gr variety. Other FMJ bullets are fine for close range target practice.

I recommend defense/carry loads be from a reputable manufacturer. There are legal reasons, but my main reason for choosing factory ammo for defense/carry is to have a reduced risk of powder and primer compromise from oil/sweat/water. I had a situation with a hand loaded rifle cartridge that I left chambered for many months in a clean, lubricated rifle (caused a malfunction). I learned my lesson and I swear by factory loads for carry and home defense now.

Good luck and have fun. Factory 9mm makes the most sense when it is available for me, as the cost savings is not worth the time spent loading tons of 9mm ammo (lots of kids, busy job). During political panic seasons, handloading makes a lot of sense due to availability and price gouging issues; I will always maintain the ability to load my own 9mm during panic seasons. 2008-09 were really rough, handloading was the solution for that mess.