I reloaded all my 9mm, .38 special and '357 magnum for years. I used a Lee single stage kit. If you're considering getting into reloading I feel that's a great way to get started. I loaded thousands of rounds with that rig and never had problem. You also MUST get a good reloading book. Once again Lee has a great book that takes you step by step through the entire process. I started as a means of saving money but I realized the real benefit was the ability to tune loads for optimum performance in my guns.
I agree with you completely. Starting with a single stage press allows the new reloader to develop a solid understanding of the reloading process. Speed is never as important as accuracy. Cheers!
@@sherlock1895 I also found the whole process relaxing. This is how I did it most of the time. Day one, get home from the range, throw the brass in the ultrasonic cleaner while I cleaned my guns. Next day, de cap, reshape and inspect cases. I did 150-200 rounds at a time, so that could take at least an hour sometimes even more with each caliber. Next day, recap and finish loading process. That's assuming I'm only doing one caliber at a time. If I'm doing all three calibers each one is the same process. I could do 9mm the first couple days, .38 the next couple, .357 the next couple. I loaded a lot less .357 than 9mm and .38. All in all I liked loading as much as shooting. Sadly I ran into some health issues and I had to give it up. The place I live now is strictly anti gun.
Very well done video. Strangely nostalgic for me. When I was 10 years old or so, my friend Jimmy’s dad was a duck hunter and hired us to reload his shotgun shells. This was in the early 70’s and I think he paid us about 5 bucks for hours of work. (So $2.50 each. Good money for having fun) Mostly, Jimmy’s father didn’t want to deal with this tedious task and taught us how the machine worked. There was like a carousel and you put the empty shell in the first position, pulled the handle and it pushed out the old primer. Then you put the new primer in place, pulled the handle and it pushed it in. Then you turned the carousel to the powder station and a push of a lever poured the exact amount of powder in the shell. Then the wad station. Then the birdshot station on the carousel. Then the crimper. Brand new reloaded shotgun shell. Me and Jimmy spent hours making hundreds of them and knew this was important but mostly just cool. We could hardly believe his dad let a couple 10 year olds alone in his basement with gunpowder and everything required for a complete disaster. But, this was the 70’s and nobody cared. And we took it seriously. Me and Jimmy got pats on the back for our fine reloading work and feasted on fresh duck. I’ve never reloaded cartridges after that, but somehow the algorithm decided I needed to see this, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Brought back memories. I became and engineer and a machinist and watching the closeups and tolerances you’re using reloading the 9mm rounds was amazing. Thanks for the very cool and nostalgic sort of childhood memory that sparked this long story.
I find it's the smells that really bring me back. I learned to reload with my grandfather in the 70s and his whole shop smelled of Hoppes and gunpowder, such a wonderful combination. I don't use hoppes anymore for anything but I keep a bottle just to open it and sail bak in time for a bit. Old .22 ammo in the cardboard boxes had a real distinct smell "back in the day" too. Hopefully yours were good memories also!!
@@High_Caliber, Sorry I missed your reply from a month ago, but I agree. It’s the smells of certain things that trigger memories. This is a primal thing we humans have and it’s more acute than sight or hearing because that can be situational and therefore abstract, when triggering a memory. Smells though, are concrete in their meaning. The smell of cordite triggers vivid memories in soldiers where the sight and sound of a gun, doesn’t. Your Hoppes memory is forever like many other smells associated with a time and place. The funny part is, it’s hard to remember which smells bring back memories. They just do, automatically. The smell is subconsciously recorded in your brain. Years later, that certain smell will trigger a memory that you may have consciously forgotten. But bam! There’s that smell and you’re back to where you smelled it first. The smell is related to a time and place. I find that fascinating. We’ve all heard stories of dogs being put on an airplane and flew hundred of miles, only to be lost somehow in baggage. Yet they walked home. It’s hard to believe they are navigating by magnetic means like birds, because they’ve never traveled this course before. A dog’s sense of smell is 20’000 times greater than ours, if the scientists are correct. Maybe it’s a million times better? We’ll never know. Maybe they “smelled” their way home. It’s hard for a human brain to grasp but it might be true anyway. What humans have by comparison is, you smell something in very close proximity and you’re immediately back at that place in your mind. Could be anything. Grandma’s biscuits that are decidedly different from all other biscuits. There’s a subtle difference your brain remembers and it might be the same ingredients but mixed in different proportions. So the new biscuits you smell are just a reminder but not the real thing. Your brain remembers things in exact detail even though you can’t describe the details explaining why you know these biscuits are close, but not exactly right. Our sense of smell is more general and not so specific. We couldn’t find our way from hundreds of miles, walking through towns where just similar biscuits are being baked, to find gramma’s exact biscuits. A dog can. Plus, they can smell the person behind the biscuits. Maybe where they walked last? So for us, it’s common smells that hold meaning. For me, I guess it’s things like certain oils, certain flowers, maybe steel being ground, certain brands of soap, gunpowder, copper solvent, and all that common stuff. Those aromas just trigger memories, they aren’t all that complicated. You’ll find them in certain places that are common but not specific exactly. Where a dog will smell his way across the country to a specific person, ignoring every interfering smell. Sorry I got on a tangent about dogs. I just love them. Peace and aloha my friend.
I have been shooting for over 40 years and always had free ammo (military than police department). Now that I am retired, I am going to start reloading since ammo is not free anymore. This was an awesome learning video for me. Thank you for your hard work and time spent on this video.
One of my best friends is a retired LEO, and I got him into reloading for competition. It's just SO hard to fire off 1000 rounds in practice if you are countring the cost in boxes of 50. Once you have the brass (and hopefully you hoarded some or still have a contact at your old range), it's really really inexpensive to keep shooting indefinitely. For me the cost of 9mm has paid for the reloading rig 10 times over, but the real saving was in the cost of .223, which around here was over $1 per round.
Theres nothing like fresh brass, and fresh copper jackets shining just for you. Then shooting it out at the range. What a time to be alive, and what an amazing place to live.
@@dotcombust7744 Me too, I had to put the M10x through the paces, and she made a lot of brass before the firing pin went. I believe I will have it done for a week this Friday. Cheers and keep plinking!!!
Que buena explicación, y muy buen tutorial de como se debe de reformar cartuchos de 9mm..!! Yo reformo cartuchos desde 1994 con una prensa RCBS modelo Jr .!! Y los cartuchos que reformo son 45acp 44Mag, 357mag, 38spl, 9mm y 380acp, y por supuesto que al calibrar la báscula lo checo varias veces, ya que es muy importante la carga de pólvora que se va a poner en los cartuchos que se van a reformar..!! Gracias por tomarte el tiempo de hacer este muy interesante documental..!! Excelente video..!!
¡De nada! Es un gran pasatiempo y muy divertido. Disfruto recargando casi tanto como los disparos..4acp y.44 mag son mis favoritos para recargar. ¡Me alegro mucho de que te haya gustado! ¡Bien!
This video is both informative and entertaining. Thank you for taking the time to put it together. For various reasons, I never went shooting nearly as much as I would have liked. I briefly entertained the idea of reloading, but decided that it wouldn't be worth the investment unless I were shooting on a regular basis. Maybe one day I'll get around to it. Beyond the potential cost-saving benefits, it just seems like an enjoyable hobby.
It's a fantastic hobby. I'll have to admit that I enjoy the reloading process sometimes more than the actual shooting. To take a pile of components and form them into something useful has a healthy helping of 'sense of accomplishment'. If you can put together a great combination for your personal rifle, a "secret recipe" that produces sub MOA ammo, it adds another layer to it all. Plus, it takes up less room than model railroading... :)
Great videos fine sir, I appreciate the time and effort you put into these. I am just now, finally, getting into the art of reloading and trying to learn as much as possible. I unfortunately, got to the art almost too late (wish I was born 20 years ago.) Much appreciation for your work. I watched a different video from you that had the reload press handle with " In Honor Of Fallen Soldiers." Freedom is not free. God, Guns and Guts set America Free. I pray that it continues to stay that way. God Bless
WOW, I don't know where to begin. Okay, at the beginning. Your videography is beyond compare. Your written are timely during the process of you reloading. The subject matter, i.e., 9mm is perfect for me. And the timing of my doing a reloading search on UA-cam is perfect in after literally decades of being out of the firearms world if you will, and selecting your channel is perfect. I used to shoot competitively back in the day and really, really got hooked on it and got into "making" my own match ammo. I've now reopened the door if you will, to getting back into handgun shooting and my first purchase was a S & W 9mm. So again your vid on th 9mm is what brought me here. Eventually I'll end with the three traditional calipers for competition shooting. The .22 cal, the .38cal and the .45cal which was my favorite. What your vid was bringing back memory-wise while watching the process got me thinking, okay, it's like riding bike. lol Well, not quite that easy. I've got a lot of reading to do before hand. Anyway, I could go on and on. So I'll end my mini-novel reply and say thank you and btw, i'm now a subscriber to your channel. Keep your powder dry and keep shooting. P.S. I'd be happy to receive you recommendation as to purchasing what I'll call "An Idiot's Guide to Re-loading" if such a publication exists.
Well thank you for the novella! I also took a decade or a bit more away from the hobby, left for the politics, returned because I realize politics are a constant and never going to improve. As for reading material, I used to use a speer reloading manual as the bible "in the day", then when I jumped back in I grabbed the latest Hornady manual, however, the hodgdon website has many more weights of bullets, and they update a lot of the "newer" powders. So really...online is probably your best resource. As for what you need to put together depends on what you want to shoot. I do mostly 3-gun, which currently for me is 147g 9mm, 55gr .223 and just bulk-lot federal 12ga ammo. Thing to consider these days is that at some competitions, they are going to chrony your handloads, so you have to keep them within the parameters more than you ever did "back in the day". So there is a LOT to consider, BUT also many more resources. Best of luck, and welcome to the channel ;)
I was lucky enough to have ordered by the case lot right after the LAST ammo shortage. I'll do the same once stock starts flowing in again, but yeah it's been brutal.
I use Hornady dies for 9mm. I have never been the biggest fan of lee dies even though I have a few sets. My preference is usually Redding, rcbs, hornady and then lee, although to be fair I've never had one of their precision die sets, and a lot of people like them. Back to point though, the 9mm really shouldn't get a crimp at all, is it possible you have the seating stem set wrong? Try adjusting the height of the die body and the stem, sort of just start from scratch and set it up with a manufactured round (although be careful of course). It just sounds like the die is coming down too far.
I honestly have no idea in this age of hyper inflation. I know "in the day" I got into a single stage for under $200, and the progressive cost somewhere around $500 to get up and running (but I already had some things from the single stage setup). I'd guess it would be over $1000 now, AND the cost of components is exploding. Powder prices are peaking again for some reason...a lb of powder used to be $20, now I see them over $50. Always say no to a government that prints money.
Find an RCBS rockchucker. There's almost always used ones online or on message boards. I started with the lee classic, but I would start with a rockchucker if I did it over again. The progressive press is great, but it's nice to learn all the steps one by one on a single stage press.
could you make an updated version of the .308? I'm looking to get a setup here in Vegas because its amazing open territory to go long shooting. but since you've been filming your videos for years now, better quality video, still no music and camera scooted back unlike the first one being all up in the camera lens. love your videos, very helpful!!
I have a 6.5 creedmore video filmed, but youtube has been really putting on the pressure lately, basically telling me that gun related videos will not be on the platform for much longer, and that I should "branch out" if I want to remain on the platform. They demonetized every video and shut my adsense account without any notification (and no strikes or anything), so it's kind of hard to justify doing any more videos on this platform until the wokeness dies. If I had a channel dedicated to men in dresses stripping for infants, then I would be fully supported by YT. Kind of tells you where their morals are.
I will post a link... the design works great, EXCEPT I made a miscalculation and 2 of the bullets bump into the lid. I've been prepping for a cross continent move so haven't had the time to tweak it... but it's on the todo list (along with a lot of other calibers). I'll post the link here shortly, but just know it's a 48-round carrier ;)
www.thingiverse.com/thing:4972113 Remember, it needs a tweak, and the lid is pretty tight, but they do fit with a little elbow grease, and the lid shouldn't just slide off. V2 will have a few refinements, it's just finding the time :)
I just realized I didn't use my fancy schmantzy new design in this vid, I used another one... Here is a link to the one seen at the end of the vid: www.thingiverse.com/thing:2267403
Well thank you. There are more like this coming. Just did a big move and just surviving has taken a LOT of my free time and energy. I have a dozen more calibers to do, but until I have the time to first go shooting, I don't have the brass to process into more 'new' rounds :)
Looking to get in to reloading, both pistol (9, 40, and 10) and rifle (5.56, 270, various .30s, and 350) cases. For rifle, I am thinking of doing two press set-up assembly. First would be a single stage to decap, then tumble, then back to the single stage to neck size, following with a trimmer. Changing neck sizing dies to match caliber. Second press would be a progressive set up to prime, charge, seat bullet, and crimp neck. Changing the turret with dedicated dies mounted for each particular caliber. Buying a new caliber components and turret set up each year until I have what I need to load for the rifles I have. Would Lee's loadmaster progressive be acceptable for a budget minded, able to grow set-up?
I have exactly this. I do prefer to de-prime on the single stage, because you can better feel if there is a foreign body in the case, like a rock. I've broken more than my fair share of decapping pins in my day, so I kind of have a groove I get into, and often I can "feel" if a case is really damaged or split (if I didn't see it). The progressive decaps/resizes much more quickly, but as said, leads to more broken parts and missed bad cases. If I didn't process the brass, I'd just run it all on the progressive, decap/resize, then re-prime and load, but I found more issues with the flash holes that way, and more misfires, which isn't good for competition. If new... just be very very very careful. I suggest to most newbs to start with the single stage so that you get a real feel for what is involved in the process, then move up to a progressive after your 10,000th round (or so). Especially with 10's, that cartridge has a hell of a punch.
On rifle cases, I would only chamfer if I had trimmed them, and I'll be honest, been reloading 9mm since the late 70s, and have never trimmed a pistol case. Now if you mean flaring, you do have to flare the case mouth on the pistol brass or you could crush cases when trying to seat the bullet. So for me it's deprime, clean, flare, prime, powder, seat, crimp. I also only kiss the cases with the taper crimp die, just to uniform the brass, and I really only started doing that step after I started competing and really want to minimize any malfunctions while running matches. Hopefully that answers the question, and welcome to the wonderful world of freedom from ammo shortages :)
@@High_Caliber thank you very much. And yes you answered my question. The Brownell guys said they never resized 9mm either. Priming some nines right now ;-)
@@High_Caliber So I have the Lee factory crimp die and not sure how far down I need to crimp. Seems like I need to to go all the way down the cartridge for it to chamber.
Excellent step by step video, very informative. I've a question, while on topic of reloading 9mm.. Is it normal or unusual that when the 9mm case is rammed up for the resizing step, for the case to come down with sorta an abrasive or scratchy micro lines on it, and not look like it did when it went up at first? I did remove the decap pin from die and wiped it with alcohol rag, also ran a small piece with alcohol thu die body. Looking thru it, it looked shiny smooth, didn't see any scratches. I did 20 cases, light lube and they all had those marks. When I did my 30-06 and 30-30 cases I never experienced this. And this whole rock chucker press equipment I bought from an army buddy who bought it new when we bought our rifle's back in 89. The dies were new too. Now, 34 yrs later, I have purchased my 9mm p320 and I aldo want to reload this round, I bought this two-die set from another person on ebay. I'm wondering if there's a solution, or should I just return it?
The Rock Chucker is a great press, and honestly, my brass really looks rough after the resize stage (scratches likely as you are seeing). That's why I do the extended wet tumble, it polishes out faint lines and whatnot. Otherwise, I wouldn't really worry about it too much unless you experience problems with extraction...tiny lines like that shouldn't do anything to a 9mm case (they aren't under all that much pressure compared to a bottleneck case). At the very worst you could try using a new die set, but very likely you would see the same things on a new one. Personally, I would just ignore it and enjoy.
@@High_Caliber @man_1911 Thank you for your input. I did contact RCBS yesterday about this. Just a few minutes ago I received an email saying they have created an order for me, covered under the warranty,, wow. I'm left wondering if its just the die in question or a whole new set. I'm impressed. I hope, I hope..lol.
My mistake, that email was for a replacement primer cup,spring pin. But I called today, and they said I can send it in to them, bcuz it would be inspected, polished and if that doesn't fix, they'll send replacement. I shipped it out today.
I reload them until they split. How many times you can reload depends on the brass. Winchester brass I find splits after ~4 reloads, PPU is much longer lasting, and most federal stuff lasts well. It is important to inspect each piece prior to loading, but as long as you are attentive, you usually will catch any that you miss during the cleaning, when you are seating a bullet.
I have a video in the works about the tears, I'm finally set up to make videos again... The mix is water, green palmolive dish soap (just a dollop!) and of course you can't get the shine without a shake or two of those tears. Stay tuned ;)
I am just getting started with reloading and have all of my hardware assembled. Thanks so much for the video. I am sure I will watch it dozens of times in conjunction with reading the numerous books I’ve purchased. I am a task oriented individual who loves finicky precision work, so this appeals to me a lot. There is a large similarity between dispensing medication to a patient and reloading (I was a paramedic for 30 years). In both instances you have to check, check, and re-check or people get hurt or die. Again, thanks for helping give me a start into what will be hours of satisfaction for me (not to mention cost savings). Best wishes from Louise.
There is a certain appeal to there being consequences to doing a task improperly, it somehow makes successful completion have an even higher "sense of accomplishment" when done correctly. This isn't really AT ALL an in depth tutorial of the process (obviously), because I think you're likely the kind of person who understands when I say you really never learn something by simply being shown, you have to do it yourself, on your own, to lock in the nuances. I get the odd "this is a shit tutorial!" comment, but those are definitely not the kind of people I want to be teaching something as hazardous as reloading. This isn't a hobby that you can pick up in 5 minutes on tik tok . Anyway, glad you enjoyed it, and feel free to ask questions as you progress. "It's not rocket science, but it's also not making popsicles" ;)
The real pandemic 9mm reloading is 1. Become a brass goblin 2. Wipe down brass or let it be 3. Use in same gun and hope it hasn't become oversized or to long 4. Make primers from scratch or revive old ones with cap gun caps 5. Charge with appropriate amount of unobtainable powder 6. Seat in sideways upright vice 7. Crimp, crimp? 8. congratulations! Your ready for pandemic reloading!
I have tried reloading .22 lr by making primer powder, and I imagine that would be as much fun as rebuilding primers :) I haven't gone into the SHTF prepping level of reloading yet. I'm more of a "have more ammunition than you can use in a year of frequent shooting, and keep enough components on hand for a couple of years of frequent shooting, then if you have to conserve, you're set. I mean, my eyes aren't going to be happy if I have to start reloading primers with caps! I'd actually want to figure out how to make smokeless powder from components, but I think that it's probably a) dangerous to just start trying to make gunpowder, and b) probably something youtube would come down like a pile of bricks over. As well, I've never had to resize pistol brass, I find it just fails and splits instead of stretching like bottleneck brass. Excellent comment through, have a great weekend!!
If you are just loading average training ammo for 9 mm to shoot at the range, does the manufacturer of the bullet make much of a difference, or is all 124 grain/147 grain more or less the same?
It's really personal preference. I shoot bulk bullets even in matches, but I do have friends that swear by "brand name" bullets. I find it's more important to find a gun that you shoot well. I can't shoot a glock well for the life of me, but have no issues with a 9mm colt or the CZs. The only reason I shoot 147gr bullets is for the steel targets and poppers. Hope that helps!
Each die set is different, but a good starting point is to raise the plate up to the top, and bring all the dies down flush to that, and from there, you have to start doing it with brass in place, and slowly, adjust each until each "station" is doing it's part with one pull of the lever, if that makes sense. I also buy locking rings for the dies, so that once I have them set, they won't "wander" too much. Feel free to ask questions, I've run a heck of a lot of rounds through this press since I upgraded from the lee single stage. :)
Do you mind sharing the cost per round to produce 9mm. If you have all of the equipment and tools. I’m trying to do the cost analysis and figure out my break even. I’m starting to shoot a lot with my son. It’s double the cost every outing. He’s very handy, so I’m thinking 🤔 I may have a sweatshop worker in house, so labor costs won’t be an issue. Great video. Your obviously super meticulous. Much respect!!!
I buy components in mad quantities, but I think I'm right around $.15 per round. The best I can find in pre-loaded is $.35 a round. I practice quite a bit for IPSC and IDPA, so reloading just makes the most financial sense. I don't count any cost to the brass since I've just scrounged thousands of cases (and bought preloaded) over the years, but you could add a few cents for the expected life of 9mm cases..... With .223 and other calibers, the difference is much bigger (9mm is generally one of the cheapest calibers to buy). So it really depends on how much use over how many years you would get out of it :)
@@High_Caliber even with 9mm that is very substantial. I’ve fly fished all my life and tying my own flies increases my enjoyment of the experience. I would think that certainly comes into play as well. Greatly appreciate the input and quick response. Subscribed.
@@cg4164 You're lucky enough to have a spot for fly fishing. I used to fish a lot when I was younger, but it took so much time that I just never seem to have since I tried grown-upping. I guess also the time I'd spend in a boat is now spent at the range practicing, or finding a perfect spot to try my luck at 1000y shooting. I never did try fly fishing, way too much work. I like a bit of trolling, but fly fishing is an upper body workout! ;)
Interesting! May i ask, how and what Reloading press you got there? Is your reloading process has a similar set up if I use a Lee Loadmaster Reloading press?
I have a lee single stage and a hornady pnp progressive press. Generally I use the progressive for bulk (lots of .223 or .45), and the single stage for precision rounds, or things I only need a few of. Either will work, and it's best to learn on a single stage is my thought, it makes you pay attention to each step so you get a real feel for the process.
How would you clean them with the tarn-x? It would likely shine them up well, but you wouldn't want to so each one individually. I used to use a dry tumbler years ago, but then I had a blood test done and the lead levels in my blood were concerning, so I took steps to keep contact and dust to a minimum, so wet tumbling is perfect. It's harder to use than the dry tumbling, but no airborne lead is a huge bonus.
I buy in crazy quantities, so I'm still running on 2016 prices, if that makes sense. The bullets are bulk, and I'm not buying brass anymore, so I'm at ~11¢ a round. Reloading 9 only makes sense if you're shooting a lot, otherwise buying some bulk ammo, and not buying the press, would be more sensible. The real savings come in with the rifle rounds.
Lol, The case feeder is free on thingiverse, although I think the designer sells completed kits as well: www.thingiverse.com/thing:2488944 As for primers... I order them by the case, and I lucked out and did that just before the shortage...ordered 9mm bullets at the same time, so I just lucked out. The press is fantastic. I don't really have any major complaints about it at all. Couple of small things, but it just cranks out consistent rounds, really hard to hate on it at all. Cheers!!
The problem I have when I clean the brass, is that there is always some corn cob stuck in the flash hole. How do you deal with that problem? Why don’t you do a video about what happens when you reload a rifle round and tumbling media remains/lodged in the brass. How it effects pressure, accuracy, and how likely it is to blow up the gun. You make awesome videos and I'm most grateful for all the work you do.😙
I use magnets. I do a quick tumble with some ceramic magnets, and it pulls the pins out. If stuck in the flash hole, the whole case sticks to the magnet. With the magnet method, I've yet to miss any (but not saying I never will). I will try and remember to bring that up in the future, I have some more rifle calibers planned (6.5 creedmore is next, as it is a love/hate caliber). Cheers!
Legit trying to gather as much data for reloading munitions and maintence of firearms due to youtubes bullshit rules. This video helped alot with the reloading aspect.
UA-cam is BRUTAL about these videos. They've already been demonetized completely (but I'm sure THEY still run ads on it), and they have told me I won't show up in most searches or suggested videos.
dang i had a tumble like that when i was 10 or maybe little younger 40 years ago,, ha iit was a rock tumble for me.. but it was awesome kicked butt... ive been trying to find one like it nowadays.....mine was a 2 container and little longer.
That IS a rock tumbler! :) Harbor freight, 2 container rock tumbler. I also had one as a kid, but it was a small plastic thing, didn't do much more than make noise.
@@High_Caliber mine was metal,(the machine) the rock holders was thick plastic, and had a big rubberband that covered the whole tumbler. wasnt to terrible loud..worked great on rocks...i think it was from sears,
8:40 What is that accesory used for the reloading press to dispense the casings automatically? I've seen other progressive reloading press videos but it lacks that.
The case feeder is free on thingiverse, although I think the designer sells completed kits as well: www.thingiverse.com/thing:2488944 Once it's dialed in, it works almost flawlessly, I've used it for 9mm and .223, and combined with that bullet drop, it's almost an ammo factory :)
Curious how hard it is to find ammo right now. Like can I go pick up a couple boxes when I get my first gun? In person stores say the limit is 5 boxes per item but is there even 5 boxes on the shelf? I'm looking at the G2C in 9mm because I have read good things about it and it's super cheap. Also looking at the the m&p EZ shield but I don't know if I want a grip safety. Awesome video btw.
IT all depends on the region you're in. In cities with increasing crime rates, ammo is scarce, but that also creates shortages in other regions as manufacturing struggles to keep up with demand. 9mm is a popular round because almost anyone can shoot it confortably and accurately. As for choice of pistol, if you can find a shop that lets you try-before-you-buy, just shoot a few until you find something that feels "good" to you, and then see if you can shoot it relatively accurately. (LOTS of videos on YT about proper shooting technique). I've been shooting for years and still can't make a glock group well for me, but a CZ or a good 1911 I have no problem with, yet I know people who can shoot a glock like a laser.
Harbor freight rock tumbeler, stainless steel pins, and you can use a mix of 1 drop of green palmolive dish liquid, and if you can't dry your own soyboy tears, you can substitute lemi-shine dishwasher cleaner. Starbucks has made some new rules about making their patrons cry just for their tears, so they have been harder to get as of late.
Sorry I'm late to the party. I've never used dry medium. I've only washed and dried mine. They always came out good. I've been reloading since I was a kids with my grandad and father. And i still reload approx 1000 round a year.
I wish I could recall how my grandfather did it. He had some nice brass but by the time my interest really piqued he was already gone. Years of PTSD and war wounds take their toll. He likely had a really simple method too, he didn't like to "fart around" too much.
@@High_Caliber I remember my grandfathers. Very simple. Wash with soap and water rinse off and let dry. No need to driers, media, etc. Usually did on a Tuesday night and we were good to go on Friday night! Loaded very precise powder grain, bullet type and grain, and shot each one multiple times to find which one our guns liked. I bought a .308 and was throwing them out beyond 800y in competition. And reloaded again. Knew exactly how what where each shot would preform at any distance from 50y to 1000y. Still have my logs from when I competed. Still use them today but have adjusted for modern powders, bullets, and casings. My 5 year old loves to deprime them. I reload 9mm, 270, 308, 30-06, 44mag, 357 mag and some others for friends who want to learn. And I'm in my mind 40s and still keeping the family tradition alive! On the holidays "The boys would reload, solve the problems of the world, reload more and then range time! The smell of gun powder so early in the morning..... aahhhhh.
I am thinking about buying a 1889 Bodeo revolver. However the ammo (10.4mm Ordinanza Italiana) is no longer produced, so I would almost have to get into reloading since the vintage ammo goes for around 3.10 Euros a pop...
I add most of them to thingiverse, but you'd need access to a 3d printer. I don't do anything on the channel for money (as you can tell by my questionable posting schedule and all over the place format!) :) www.thingiverse.com/high_caliber/designs Cheers!!
I 3d printed the case feeder, and the bullet drop is hornady. The bullet feeder took a little bit to get working reliably (I had to flare the cases a bit more, and really tweak the depth on the die, but then it was 100%). The case feeder works almost flawlessly, and the most expensive part was the acrylic drop tubes ($30 off amazon or something like that). www.thingiverse.com/thing:2488944
@@spock1017 No, but I do believe the originator does sell complete kits, here is a link to what you get with his upgraded kit: ua-cam.com/video/2G6Vt3TEOew/v-deo.html (plus I'm sure he would be better with any troubleshooting than I would be lol). It's a great design, and it's worked perfectly for over 1000 cases (I've had 2 small parts break, but I may have just screwed up printing them). As well, the tubes I found won't do .45 cases, and I think his will. Mine does .223 and 9mm, which honestly is what I shoot the most of.
I use an RCBS 5-0-5 for everything except precision rifle cartridges. I have a set of Lyman checkweights (actually 2 sets), so it’s quick and easy to verify the scale very close to my actual load weight. Once I’ve dialed in the throws from my powder measure, I typically check every 10th throw on the scale.
I’ve been doing a ton of research but haven’t found a straight up answer for the age old question does reloading help save money in the long run or should I still buy from the store?
The answer depends on how much ammo you actually go through. When I practice for 3 gun, or am just out for a day plinking, I can go through 1-2000 rounds of 9mm and several hundred .223 so the savings per round quickly pays for the setup, but if you only shoot a little bit, or just hunt, then the cost of the rig doesn't make sense. As well, you have to factor in the price of components vs the price of bulk ammo, it's been difficult to find decent prices on powder lately (for example) which changes your cost per round, and you just do the math. You need a brass case, a primer, a projectile and 5-40 grains of powder (depending on what you are filling). Just price out the components from reloading shops online, add the cost of the press and extras (probably $500 minimum). That's why the question has many answers! :) Cheers!
The bullet drop is from hornady, you can get them on amazon, I don't think they are terribly expensive. The case drop is a free file on thingiverse, and the guy who created it does sell them as a kit I believe. www.thingiverse.com/thing:2488944
It's a split question. If you want to reload 9mm, and need a lot of ammo (and can afford it), go with the progressive press. If you want to do lots of different calibers, and not many of each, go with a single stage. If you get the progressive, just do one round at a time, making SURE your powder drops are correct, bullet is seated properly, and keep them marked until you are comfortable with your process. Underpowered loads can leave bullets trapped in barrels, and only bad things happen then. Take your time, double and triple check everything, watch every video on the subject you can find, and you will be fine.
I agree with High Caliber's response(s) and would like to add my 2-Cents worth. A Single Stage Press exemplifies the KISS Principle (Keep It Simple Stupid). It allows the reloader to focus on each step of the process and inspect the results of each step before going on to the next. You do change Dies between each step but if you Batch Process (50/100+ cases at each step), it's fairly efficient. I recommend using Hornady's Lock-N-Load Die Bushings to maintain Die Adjustments between die changes/reloading sessions. A Good Quality SSP cost between $100/$200 while some High Quality SSP Presses push $500. A decent SSP can be found for
@@rjinnh3933 wow, that's a lot to read bit it's all good info. I'm not going to be reloading any brass today but I want 9mm ammo and if this the only way I might be looking into this. Thank you.
@@badgermetal Better start looking for primers now because they are like trying to find a strand of hair in the woods… Good luck it is possible calling places all the time and jumping on the first yes we have some.
I buy in huge bulk, and I haven't had to buy components in a while...as well I have pails of 9mm brass, so at this point I'm running around 9 cents for 124g rounds and up to 11 cents for the 147gr (I go through those quicker in competition season).
The case feeder is free on thingiverse, although I think the designer sells completed kits as well: www.thingiverse.com/thing:2488944 The dried soyboy tears is lemi shine for dishwashers ;)
Every firearm is unique. Every one can shoot a little bit better depending on bullet weight and powder charge. So yes, playing around with loads and bench-fire-testing is the only way I know to get the absolute most out of any firearm.
I'm relatively young in reloading. I'll ask forgiveness now for the lack of details. I have a similar setup except I use lee instead. I have a seater crimp die instead of separates. My issue. There is typically a bulge in my 9mm reloads. It happens at the seater crimp process. As a result I have a round that does not just slide into the barrel. It not fitting may be an issue where I am not putting enough arm muscle on it. Sending them through that stage again will resolve the bullet barrel seating issue, but that bulge remains. Where can I put my focus to eliminate the bulge and the fitment issue This does not happen with my 40s, just the 9s. Thanks in advance
It sounds to me that one of the dies, likely the bullet seating die, is coming down too far and impacting the rim of the case before the bullet is fully set. Back off the die in the press and make sure that it doesn't come anywhere near the rim when you are at the furthest point of the downstroke. I had something similar with .45 acp years ago and it was how I had my depths set. Basically pull it all apart and reset everything, hope this helps.
Shotshell reloading setup, and a cast mold for 12 ga slugs, or 00 buck. Nothing is as good at de-braining zombies than 12 ga slugs. Otherwise... I'd say forget reloading and just buy a backhoe. I swear, if people just made proper moats around their houses, you could pick off the zombies with almost anything while they flounder around in the water. :)
Can a 148 grain be used with a tapered bullet butt.. like a boat tail for a rifle.. I have a security 9 compact.. and will a standard barrel fit the compact.. using this round... Use brass..for the case..
Everyone should know how to shoot properly/safely, care for their firearms, and reload their own ammunition, which is what I'm trying to show in this series. Plus, it's fun :)
I think I was somewhere around $700 to be up and reloading 9mm, with shell plate, press, scale, dies etc etc. It's not a huge savings on 9mm, but I paid for the press a few times over by reloading .223, 308, 6.5 creedmore. Plus, I really enjoy it :)
i loaded (by mistake) .380 acp with 147 grain ...found out the bullet slipped into my batch of 90 grainers (wich are heavy in 380 realm also) but i kept the round it had right amount of powder it fitted into the chamber (wich is supposed to NOT fit there cuz it has small freebore) shot it and it barely pooped the boulder outta barrel :D
It's honestly surprising that I don't hear of more occurances like this... so many bullets will "fit" into other cases. I always buy the same 147gr bullets with flat noses and round noses for 115gr so that I can tell what is a practice round, and what are competition rounds. Glad you didn't get a squib.
Thanks for the video... I'm familiar with reloading (my dad was a savante, unfortunately now deceased), and I am thinking about getting into it in my old age... I'd like to please request a couple guesstimates: a) how much did all your equipment run you+-? b) how reliable would you say the loads are as a percentage of total? (e.g. 80% consistently running', etc.); and c) how much would you estimate you are saving presently over boxed range ammo, at say $0.46 per round ($23 per 50)? Thanks in advance.
I bought the equipment over 20+ years, and when I started, reloading equipment was plentiful on the used market, and cheap on the new market. As people are realizing that there is not only component shortages, there's the real possibility that government regulations may at some point regulate ammunition (especially in communist countries like Canada), prices have increased. You could likely get a really good setup by visiting local gun shows or online marketplaces, for under $500US, but $1000 would be a realistic guestimate (depending on what you want to reload). As for accuracy, I run 99.9% functional rounds, as I have eliminated most of the problems I have experienced in the past. Most common was issues with primers, so I always use CCI now (if possible) and I get into counting rythms when I run ammo so that there isn't a missed step (eg 1-brass 2-flare 3-primer 4-powder 5-bullet) I just keep running that through my head, and visually check each powder load before the bullet gets seated (hopefully that makes sense). Checking the powder load every ~10-20 rounds on the scale makes sure I'm getting extremely accurate rounds. As for savings, it depends on the current price of factory ammo, and the price I find the components at (prices now are sky high), so it's not a constant. You have to shoot a fair bit to justify if you don't want to look at it as a hobby, but I have saved literally thousands over the years quite literally. Hopefully this helps, and feel free to ask more questions :)
I have a block somewhere (lyman?) that checks these as well, but I kind of gave up using it after a few thousand rounds, as long as the steps are followed it honestly is kind of hard to screw the process up :)
Well made video! Can you explain COL: 1.130 vs Reading: 1.123 ? Unless I am mistaken, there are many acronyms that means the same, COL, AOL … etc all mean Cartridge-OverAll-Length. Why is your reading different from AOL ?
AOL is america online ;) OAL and COL are interchangeable terms, that's how I've always thought of it, whereas I have seen people talk about OAL when talking about the different height/shape of bullets. The MAX COL that a loaded 9mm bullet can be is 1.169". Meaning anything longer than that will likely have issues with loading and feeding. So loading short of that is fine, ALTHOUGH at a certain point you will again have feeding issues, and you are changing the size of the case combustion chamber, so your numbers for pressure and velocity might change. Basically a hollow point bullet has to put the material somewhere, so you might load the bullet a little proud of your normal loading depth of 1.130" for example. I load at ~1.131 because that feeds reliably in my shadows, and I always buy the same 147gr bullets. Also, some bullets weigh a lot less, so seating them the same depth in the case will result in a shorter OAL/COL. Hopefully that makes sense, I'm typing this on my phone in a parking lot! :)
When I got my Dillion 550 Hornady wasn't making the Lock and Load. They see to be pretty nice, but I am assuming the bullet loader and the case loader are separate purchases. Thanks very satisfying to watch.
Nothing wrong with Dillon, that's for sure. I used to prefer their die sets "in the day" but when I went to re-equip years later their prices were just too much. The bullet feeder was extra, but the case feeder was 3d printed, so very inexpensive (and works great!).
9mm I have used up to 10 times depending on the manufacturer of the brass. Winchester tends to fail the quickest, and PPU or hornady seems to last a lot longer. When I start seeing a lot of split cases, I usually order another 1000-2000 rounds of "once fired" brass online, and just cycle it into the mix.
@@Edemce1 Sorry missed this... Yes I have used a lot of starline brass, but in rifle calibers. For 9mm I just have so many from range scrounging and pre-manufactured rounds from competing, that I just use anything. For competition the targets are never more than 60 yards away at most, so they don't need to be sub moa accurate :)
That background is awesome, although the gulls would have me looking for a 12 gauge. That bench top flex as you worked the (repainted?) press at the beginning freaked me out a bit. I'd fix that or go nuts😁
I -just- this second finished building the new reloading bench/area. I now have almost 2 solid inches of countertop to bolt into, and the bench itself was out of a machine shop. I knew that setup was temporary until we moved. As a bonus, I can now record a vid on reloading .22 hornet, because I've never done any, and I just bought a new rifle in .22 hornet. So do check back. Cheers!!!!
@@High_Caliber Love 22 hornet! Addicted (officially)! I've loaded and shot a Browning A-Bolt, Anschutz Exemplar pistol and own a Ruger 77/22H a beautiful Ruger #1 and stupidly sold a very old Savage single shot break open rifle. It was very well made with ZERO slop in the action. Excellent news on the bench. I wish I could share some loads but I have data on old lots of H110 powder with old lots of Federal 205m primers (I have enough for a lifetime) in Win brass (brass effects max charges in the hornet!) with moly coated 40gr Vmax bullets (which require more powder) so I'm over book maximums. the factory Hornady 35gr loaded ammo was hilariously accurate for me also. Watch out for the thin case necks if you use the progressive press, no big deal once you get used to it. Next time you load a pistol round with a taper crimp please show everyone how you set the crimp/seat die. I remember I had a hell of a time with pre-primed factory Nosler 40 S&W brass 'till I figured out Nosler shipped them with no neck tension, had to size part way with a carbide die with primer pin removed then bell the mouth & all was good. Thanks for not shooting another "talking head shot" video.
I inherited a bunch of reloading equipment from my father. I've looked at some of it and tried to set it up but I honestly have no idea where to begin. I'm not even sure what the different items are in the 9 mm die set that I have. I did figure out the one that punches out the used primers, and I was hoping I'd be able to follow your video and perhaps figure it out so I could at least reload 9 mm since that is a majority of what I shoot. But it looks quite confusing to someone who's never done it. I'm kicking myself for never sitting down with my father before he passed so that I could have learned the process. 😡
Just keep at it, TONS of info on the internet. I didn't intend this one to be a tutorial, more of a showcase of the process. UA-cam has some funky rules about teaching anyone how to manufacture ammunition unfortunately.
What would be a decent progressive press to buy for 9mm but I can grow into other calibers later? I see the Dillon 550c for like 700. I need dies and it says it's manually indexed
@@High_Caliber I'm gonna keep watching your videos and see if I can get into this smoothly. Need to reload 50 bmg in the future, but interested in reloading 9mm subs right now
I actually buy them by the case lot lol. Shooting is a crazy addictive hobby. I think a healthy heroin addiction would be cheaper (but less fun). Cheers and keep plinking brother!!
@@High_Caliber also wouldn't be a positive steal of your life. Can't sell all the dope you did but can def let go of some guns if need be. Seem to be always gaining value now too
I think you can use small rifle primers instead of small pistol, look it up, they just have little bit thicker cups, and have to make sure your firearm will work with them
Using pins to clean brass is such an awesome thing but what a pita it is… nothing cleans like using steel media, but the extra work isn’t worth it for most reloaders… I’ve wasted hours, months, years to get my brass as clean, shiny, etc as possible only to shoot it at a local match or range 🤦♂️ clean is good enough it doesn’t have to be perfect 😏 ocd may vary… 😆
I did a separate video dedicated to the joy of brass polishing. From my perspective, the only time it's REALLY a PITA is with narrow neck rifle brass, because the pins get inside and don't want to come out. However, I have discovered that if I remove all the loose pins, then put the pin filled brass back in and tumble for a bit in justr water, that 90% will work themselves out. With pistol brass, it's not an issue, and with the amount of rounds I go through during competition season, I just do mass batches over the course of a couple of days.
Get southern shine media!! It is small tear drop size Ss media and it never gets stuck in any case size and cleans the primer pocket spotless!! That’s one less step on cleaning out the pocket.. You’ll love it!
Oh I hear you brother. I had to order by the case, and I'm being literal. A CASE of primers, in each of what I needed. Small rifle, large rifle, small pistol. Even a year ago, that cost some $$. Adding all the bullets to the order made the shipping $ crazy, but at the end of the day, a click=paperweight, and with the way the world is going, primers are more important that 401K. :)
Great video, I like the camera angles. Adds a certain element of Hollywood or something. I know it took some time and effort to make this. Thanks for doing it.
YOU get it. It's ASMR for gun nutz. Production has been sidelined by a big move (bigger than I expected), but I have so many more calibers to do, and so many more guns to break down. I haven't perfected the formula (yet), but I look at these and go "would I sit with a scotch or a blunt and watch this?".
It's a free print from thingiverse (although I think the creator also sells kits). I think I only needed acrylic tubes and some nuts and bolts to get it to work (and it works near flawlessly). www.thingiverse.com/thing:2488944
This is a great video! I just came here to look for one specific thing and ended up watching the entire video. So every now and then I come across factory new 9mm and 40 caliber bullets that have a ring around the tip of the bullet. I'm presuming these rings are from the tooling and I think it is from the seating die, but I don't reload so I was hoping maybe you HIGH CALIBER could let me know if you've seen this before and what causes the ring. Also, do you mind if I use maybe 5 - 10 seconds of this video? I will give you full credit of course directly in the video and I will also link to your video and channel in the description. If not, that's cool, but wanted to ask.
Yes the ring will be from the seating die pushing the bullet into the case, It's usually something that you will see in batches of factory ammo sometimes, but more commonly with home releaded, due to fluctuations in resizing and flaring. Oh and of course you can use a clip, I don't do this for $$ (obviously!) Cheers and glad you enjoyed it. :)
I reloaded all my 9mm, .38 special and '357 magnum for years. I used a Lee single stage kit. If you're considering getting into reloading I feel that's a great way to get started. I loaded thousands of rounds with that rig and never had problem. You also MUST get a good reloading book. Once again Lee has a great book that takes you step by step through the entire process. I started as a means of saving money but I realized the real benefit was the ability to tune loads for optimum performance in my guns.
And as soon as you get sick of Lee-Dipping, upgrade to an RCBS powder measure. Will save a lot of aches.
@@Capt_Killingfield I never used the dipper, I used the scale for my loads.
I agree with you completely. Starting with a single stage press allows the new reloader to develop a solid understanding of the reloading process. Speed is never as important as accuracy. Cheers!
@@sherlock1895 I also found the whole process relaxing. This is how I did it most of the time. Day one, get home from the range, throw the brass in the ultrasonic cleaner while I cleaned my guns. Next day, de cap, reshape and inspect cases. I did 150-200 rounds at a time, so that could take at least an hour sometimes even more with each caliber. Next day, recap and finish loading process. That's assuming I'm only doing one caliber at a time. If I'm doing all three calibers each one is the same process. I could do 9mm the first couple days, .38 the next couple, .357 the next couple. I loaded a lot less .357 than 9mm and .38. All in all I liked loading as much as shooting. Sadly I ran into some health issues and I had to give it up. The place I live now is strictly anti gun.
Can you make your own powder? Or is it regulated?
Very well done video. Strangely nostalgic for me.
When I was 10 years old or so, my friend Jimmy’s dad was a duck hunter and hired us to reload his shotgun shells. This was in the early 70’s and I think he paid us about 5 bucks for hours of work. (So $2.50 each. Good money for having fun) Mostly, Jimmy’s father didn’t want to deal with this tedious task and taught us how the machine worked. There was like a carousel and you put the empty shell in the first position, pulled the handle and it pushed out the old primer. Then you put the new primer in place, pulled the handle and it pushed it in. Then you turned the carousel to the powder station and a push of a lever poured the exact amount of powder in the shell. Then the wad station. Then the birdshot station on the carousel. Then the crimper. Brand new reloaded shotgun shell. Me and Jimmy spent hours making hundreds of them and knew this was important but mostly just cool. We could hardly believe his dad let a couple 10 year olds alone in his basement with gunpowder and everything required for a complete disaster. But, this was the 70’s and nobody cared. And we took it seriously. Me and Jimmy got pats on the back for our fine reloading work and feasted on fresh duck.
I’ve never reloaded cartridges after that, but somehow the algorithm decided I needed to see this, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Brought back memories.
I became and engineer and a machinist and watching the closeups and tolerances you’re using reloading the 9mm rounds was amazing.
Thanks for the very cool and nostalgic sort of childhood memory that sparked this long story.
I find it's the smells that really bring me back. I learned to reload with my grandfather in the 70s and his whole shop smelled of Hoppes and gunpowder, such a wonderful combination. I don't use hoppes anymore for anything but I keep a bottle just to open it and sail bak in time for a bit. Old .22 ammo in the cardboard boxes had a real distinct smell "back in the day" too. Hopefully yours were good memories also!!
@@High_Caliber, Sorry I missed your reply from a month ago, but I agree. It’s the smells of certain things that trigger memories. This is a primal thing we humans have and it’s more acute than sight or hearing because that can be situational and therefore abstract, when triggering a memory. Smells though, are concrete in their meaning. The smell of cordite triggers vivid memories in soldiers where the sight and sound of a gun, doesn’t. Your Hoppes memory is forever like many other smells associated with a time and place.
The funny part is, it’s hard to remember which smells bring back memories. They just do, automatically. The smell is subconsciously recorded in your brain. Years later, that certain smell will trigger a memory that you may have consciously forgotten. But bam! There’s that smell and you’re back to where you smelled it first. The smell is related to a time and place. I find that fascinating.
We’ve all heard stories of dogs being put on an airplane and flew hundred of miles, only to be lost somehow in baggage. Yet they walked home. It’s hard to believe they are navigating by magnetic means like birds, because they’ve never traveled this course before. A dog’s sense of smell is 20’000 times greater than ours, if the scientists are correct. Maybe it’s a million times better? We’ll never know.
Maybe they “smelled” their way home. It’s hard for a human brain to grasp but it might be true anyway.
What humans have by comparison is, you smell something in very close proximity and you’re immediately back at that place in your mind.
Could be anything. Grandma’s biscuits that are decidedly different from all other biscuits. There’s a subtle difference your brain remembers and it might be the same ingredients but mixed in different proportions. So the new biscuits you smell are just a reminder but not the real thing. Your brain remembers things in exact detail even though you can’t describe the details explaining why you know these biscuits are close, but not exactly right.
Our sense of smell is more general and not so specific. We couldn’t find our way from hundreds of miles, walking through towns where just similar biscuits are being baked, to find gramma’s exact biscuits. A dog can. Plus, they can smell the person behind the biscuits. Maybe where they walked last?
So for us, it’s common smells that hold meaning. For me, I guess it’s things like certain oils, certain flowers, maybe steel being ground, certain brands of soap, gunpowder, copper solvent, and all that common stuff.
Those aromas just trigger memories, they aren’t all that complicated. You’ll find them in certain places that are common but not specific exactly. Where a dog will smell his way across the country to a specific person, ignoring every interfering smell.
Sorry I got on a tangent about dogs. I just love them.
Peace and aloha my friend.
I have been shooting for over 40 years and always had free ammo (military than police department). Now that I am retired, I am going to start reloading since ammo is not free anymore. This was an awesome learning video for me. Thank you for your hard work and time spent on this video.
One of my best friends is a retired LEO, and I got him into reloading for competition. It's just SO hard to fire off 1000 rounds in practice if you are countring the cost in boxes of 50. Once you have the brass (and hopefully you hoarded some or still have a contact at your old range), it's really really inexpensive to keep shooting indefinitely. For me the cost of 9mm has paid for the reloading rig 10 times over, but the real saving was in the cost of .223, which around here was over $1 per round.
Theres nothing like fresh brass, and fresh copper jackets shining just for you. Then shooting it out at the range. What a time to be alive, and what an amazing place to live.
The sounds of rotating machinery with the bullet getting pressed into its casing is satisfying.
Currently working on a 7.62x29 video, all to help those poor souls affected by the current ammo shortage. Enjoy!
Very interested in reloading x39 thank you!
@@dotcombust7744 Me too, I had to put the M10x through the paces, and she made a lot of brass before the firing pin went. I believe I will have it done for a week this Friday. Cheers and keep plinking!!!
3:05 I knew I was in the right place when i saw the tabs on the manual! Great vid.
Not even sure how I got here, thanks you tube, felt like I watched an episode of “how it’s made”. Weirdly enjoyable, but fascinating. Thank you!
I used to really like 'how it's made'. Probably had a subliminal effect. The rest was likely attributable to the whiskey. Cheers!
Que buena explicación, y muy buen tutorial de como se debe de reformar cartuchos de 9mm..!! Yo reformo cartuchos desde 1994 con una prensa RCBS modelo Jr .!! Y los cartuchos que reformo son 45acp 44Mag, 357mag, 38spl, 9mm y 380acp, y por supuesto que al calibrar la báscula lo checo varias veces, ya que es muy importante la carga de pólvora que se va a poner en los cartuchos que se van a reformar..!! Gracias por tomarte el tiempo de hacer este muy interesante documental..!! Excelente video..!!
¡De nada! Es un gran pasatiempo y muy divertido. Disfruto recargando casi tanto como los disparos..4acp y.44 mag son mis favoritos para recargar. ¡Me alegro mucho de que te haya gustado! ¡Bien!
This video is both informative and entertaining. Thank you for taking the time to put it together.
For various reasons, I never went shooting nearly as much as I would have liked. I briefly entertained the idea of reloading, but decided that it wouldn't be worth the investment unless I were shooting on a regular basis.
Maybe one day I'll get around to it. Beyond the potential cost-saving benefits, it just seems like an enjoyable hobby.
It's a fantastic hobby. I'll have to admit that I enjoy the reloading process sometimes more than the actual shooting. To take a pile of components and form them into something useful has a healthy helping of 'sense of accomplishment'. If you can put together a great combination for your personal rifle, a "secret recipe" that produces sub MOA ammo, it adds another layer to it all. Plus, it takes up less room than model railroading... :)
Great videos fine sir, I appreciate the time and effort you put into these. I am just now, finally, getting into the art of reloading and trying to learn as much as possible. I unfortunately, got to the art almost too late (wish I was born 20 years ago.) Much appreciation for your work. I watched a different video from you that had the reload press handle with " In Honor Of Fallen Soldiers." Freedom is not free. God, Guns and Guts set America Free. I pray that it continues to stay that way. God Bless
WOW, I don't know where to begin. Okay, at the beginning. Your videography is beyond compare. Your written are timely during the process of you reloading. The subject matter, i.e., 9mm is perfect for me. And the timing of my doing a reloading search on UA-cam is perfect in after literally decades of being out of the firearms world if you will, and selecting your channel is perfect. I used to shoot competitively back in the day and really, really got hooked on it and got into "making" my own match ammo. I've now reopened the door if you will, to getting back into handgun shooting and my first purchase was a S & W 9mm. So again your vid on th 9mm is what brought me here. Eventually I'll end with the three traditional calipers for competition shooting. The .22 cal, the .38cal and the .45cal which was my favorite. What your vid was bringing back memory-wise while watching the process got me thinking, okay, it's like riding bike. lol Well, not quite that easy. I've got a lot of reading to do before hand.
Anyway, I could go on and on. So I'll end my mini-novel reply and say thank you and btw, i'm now a subscriber to your channel. Keep your powder dry and keep shooting.
P.S. I'd be happy to receive you recommendation as to purchasing what I'll call "An Idiot's Guide to Re-loading" if such a publication exists.
Well thank you for the novella!
I also took a decade or a bit more away from the hobby, left for the politics, returned because I realize politics are a constant and never going to improve.
As for reading material, I used to use a speer reloading manual as the bible "in the day", then when I jumped back in I grabbed the latest Hornady manual, however, the hodgdon website has many more weights of bullets, and they update a lot of the "newer" powders. So really...online is probably your best resource. As for what you need to put together depends on what you want to shoot. I do mostly 3-gun, which currently for me is 147g 9mm, 55gr .223 and just bulk-lot federal 12ga ammo. Thing to consider these days is that at some competitions, they are going to chrony your handloads, so you have to keep them within the parameters more than you ever did "back in the day". So there is a LOT to consider, BUT also many more resources. Best of luck, and welcome to the channel ;)
Do you have a list of the tools/machines you used and where I can find them or the alternative?
Yes! In the video description I listed out everything I think :)
Reloading is incredibly satisfying.
It is indeed.
Great video! I'm all setup to reload 9mm & 45 ACP finally after doing tons of research and here I am wishing on a star for powder and primers
I was lucky enough to have ordered by the case lot right after the LAST ammo shortage. I'll do the same once stock starts flowing in again, but yeah it's been brutal.
What brand of dies are you using ? are they Lee I'm trying to find a seating die that doesn't crimp ( I hate that ) but simply seat .
I use Hornady dies for 9mm. I have never been the biggest fan of lee dies even though I have a few sets. My preference is usually Redding, rcbs, hornady and then lee, although to be fair I've never had one of their precision die sets, and a lot of people like them.
Back to point though, the 9mm really shouldn't get a crimp at all, is it possible you have the seating stem set wrong? Try adjusting the height of the die body and the stem, sort of just start from scratch and set it up with a manufactured round (although be careful of course). It just sounds like the die is coming down too far.
@@High_Caliber Thank you very much .
VihatVuori N350 what the best weight and powder load for 9mm ?
Easy enough: www.vihtavuori.com/reloading-data/handgun-reloading/?cartridge=89
About how much does a progressive setup like that cost?
I honestly have no idea in this age of hyper inflation. I know "in the day" I got into a single stage for under $200, and the progressive cost somewhere around $500 to get up and running (but I already had some things from the single stage setup). I'd guess it would be over $1000 now, AND the cost of components is exploding. Powder prices are peaking again for some reason...a lb of powder used to be $20, now I see them over $50. Always say no to a government that prints money.
whats the cheapest/reliable reloader that I could get to start with?
Find an RCBS rockchucker. There's almost always used ones online or on message boards. I started with the lee classic, but I would start with a rockchucker if I did it over again. The progressive press is great, but it's nice to learn all the steps one by one on a single stage press.
could you make an updated version of the .308? I'm looking to get a setup here in Vegas because its amazing open territory to go long shooting. but since you've been filming your videos for years now, better quality video, still no music and camera scooted back unlike the first one being all up in the camera lens. love your videos, very helpful!!
I have a 6.5 creedmore video filmed, but youtube has been really putting on the pressure lately, basically telling me that gun related videos will not be on the platform for much longer, and that I should "branch out" if I want to remain on the platform. They demonetized every video and shut my adsense account without any notification (and no strikes or anything), so it's kind of hard to justify doing any more videos on this platform until the wokeness dies.
If I had a channel dedicated to men in dresses stripping for infants, then I would be fully supported by YT. Kind of tells you where their morals are.
@@High_Caliber lol yea that’s pretty much sums it up. Understandable
also all that powder looked like a dangerous cannon.. why not only put in like half that or something? do you use that much powder in a session?
Yes. I compete in IPSC I do thousands of rounds at a time, but for the average reloader, definitely not needed.
Is there a way I can copy that box for my 3D printer, that is a amazing design
I will post a link... the design works great, EXCEPT I made a miscalculation and 2 of the bullets bump into the lid. I've been prepping for a cross continent move so haven't had the time to tweak it... but it's on the todo list (along with a lot of other calibers). I'll post the link here shortly, but just know it's a 48-round carrier ;)
www.thingiverse.com/thing:4972113
Remember, it needs a tweak, and the lid is pretty tight, but they do fit with a little elbow grease, and the lid shouldn't just slide off. V2 will have a few refinements, it's just finding the time :)
I just realized I didn't use my fancy schmantzy new design in this vid, I used another one... Here is a link to the one seen at the end of the vid: www.thingiverse.com/thing:2267403
This is one of the best videos I've encountered on here! Very well done!
Well thank you. There are more like this coming. Just did a big move and just surviving has taken a LOT of my free time and energy. I have a dozen more calibers to do, but until I have the time to first go shooting, I don't have the brass to process into more 'new' rounds :)
Looking to get in to reloading, both pistol (9, 40, and 10) and rifle (5.56, 270, various .30s, and 350) cases. For rifle, I am thinking of doing two press set-up assembly. First would be a single stage to decap, then tumble, then back to the single stage to neck size, following with a trimmer. Changing neck sizing dies to match caliber.
Second press would be a progressive set up to prime, charge, seat bullet, and crimp neck. Changing the turret with dedicated dies mounted for each particular caliber. Buying a new caliber components and turret set up each year until I have what I need to load for the rifles I have.
Would Lee's loadmaster progressive be acceptable for a budget minded, able to grow set-up?
I have exactly this. I do prefer to de-prime on the single stage, because you can better feel if there is a foreign body in the case, like a rock. I've broken more than my fair share of decapping pins in my day, so I kind of have a groove I get into, and often I can "feel" if a case is really damaged or split (if I didn't see it). The progressive decaps/resizes much more quickly, but as said, leads to more broken parts and missed bad cases. If I didn't process the brass, I'd just run it all on the progressive, decap/resize, then re-prime and load, but I found more issues with the flash holes that way, and more misfires, which isn't good for competition. If new... just be very very very careful. I suggest to most newbs to start with the single stage so that you get a real feel for what is involved in the process, then move up to a progressive after your 10,000th round (or so). Especially with 10's, that cartridge has a hell of a punch.
Other than cleaning and inspecting the brass, do you need to chamfer the edges for the bullet to seat like rifle cases? 1st time reloading pistol ammo
On rifle cases, I would only chamfer if I had trimmed them, and I'll be honest, been reloading 9mm since the late 70s, and have never trimmed a pistol case. Now if you mean flaring, you do have to flare the case mouth on the pistol brass or you could crush cases when trying to seat the bullet. So for me it's deprime, clean, flare, prime, powder, seat, crimp. I also only kiss the cases with the taper crimp die, just to uniform the brass, and I really only started doing that step after I started competing and really want to minimize any malfunctions while running matches. Hopefully that answers the question, and welcome to the wonderful world of freedom from ammo shortages :)
@@High_Caliber thank you very much. And yes you answered my question. The Brownell guys said they never resized 9mm either. Priming some nines right now ;-)
@@High_Caliber So I have the Lee factory crimp die and not sure how far down I need to crimp. Seems like I need to to go all the way down the cartridge for it to chamber.
Excellent step by step video, very informative. I've a question, while on topic of reloading 9mm..
Is it normal or unusual that when the 9mm case is rammed up for the resizing step, for the case to come down with sorta an abrasive or scratchy micro lines on it, and not look like it did when it went up at first?
I did remove the decap pin from die and wiped it with alcohol rag, also ran a small piece with alcohol thu die body. Looking thru it, it looked shiny smooth, didn't see any scratches. I did 20 cases, light lube and they all had those marks.
When I did my 30-06 and 30-30 cases I never experienced this. And this whole rock chucker press equipment I bought from an army buddy who bought it new when we bought our rifle's back in 89. The dies were new too.
Now, 34 yrs later, I have purchased my 9mm p320 and I aldo want to reload this round, I bought this two-die set from another person on ebay.
I'm wondering if there's a solution, or should I just return it?
The Rock Chucker is a great press, and honestly, my brass really looks rough after the resize stage (scratches likely as you are seeing). That's why I do the extended wet tumble, it polishes out faint lines and whatnot. Otherwise, I wouldn't really worry about it too much unless you experience problems with extraction...tiny lines like that shouldn't do anything to a 9mm case (they aren't under all that much pressure compared to a bottleneck case). At the very worst you could try using a new die set, but very likely you would see the same things on a new one. Personally, I would just ignore it and enjoy.
@@High_Caliber @man_1911 Thank you for your input. I did contact RCBS yesterday about this. Just a few minutes ago I received an email saying they have created an order for me, covered under the warranty,, wow. I'm left wondering if its just the die in question or a whole new set. I'm impressed. I hope, I hope..lol.
My mistake, that email was for a replacement primer cup,spring pin. But I called today, and they said I can send it in to them, bcuz it would be inspected, polished and if that doesn't fix, they'll send replacement. I shipped it out today.
Ok the nerd in me is loving the 3d printed items
The nerd in me loves making them ;)
Yeah ! "dried soy boy tears" LMAO
How many times can you reload Brass? And How do you know how many times you have reloaded a piece of brass?
I reload them until they split. How many times you can reload depends on the brass. Winchester brass I find splits after ~4 reloads, PPU is much longer lasting, and most federal stuff lasts well. It is important to inspect each piece prior to loading, but as long as you are attentive, you usually will catch any that you miss during the cleaning, when you are seating a bullet.
@@High_Caliber Thank you for the answer
What are dried soyboy tears, and where do you get them? Also what is your recipe for the tumbler solution?
I have a video in the works about the tears, I'm finally set up to make videos again... The mix is water, green palmolive dish soap (just a dollop!) and of course you can't get the shine without a shake or two of those tears. Stay tuned ;)
I am just getting started with reloading and have all of my hardware assembled. Thanks so much for the video. I am sure I will watch it dozens of times in conjunction with reading the numerous books I’ve purchased. I am a task oriented individual who loves finicky precision work, so this appeals to me a lot. There is a large similarity between dispensing medication to a patient and reloading (I was a paramedic for 30 years). In both instances you have to check, check, and re-check or people get hurt or die. Again, thanks for helping give me a start into what will be hours of satisfaction for me (not to mention cost savings). Best wishes from Louise.
There is a certain appeal to there being consequences to doing a task improperly, it somehow makes successful completion have an even higher "sense of accomplishment" when done correctly. This isn't really AT ALL an in depth tutorial of the process (obviously), because I think you're likely the kind of person who understands when I say you really never learn something by simply being shown, you have to do it yourself, on your own, to lock in the nuances. I get the odd "this is a shit tutorial!" comment, but those are definitely not the kind of people I want to be teaching something as hazardous as reloading. This isn't a hobby that you can pick up in 5 minutes on tik tok . Anyway, glad you enjoyed it, and feel free to ask questions as you progress. "It's not rocket science, but it's also not making popsicles" ;)
The real pandemic 9mm reloading is
1. Become a brass goblin
2. Wipe down brass or let it be
3. Use in same gun and hope it hasn't become oversized or to long
4. Make primers from scratch or revive old ones with cap gun caps
5. Charge with appropriate amount of unobtainable powder
6. Seat in sideways upright vice
7. Crimp, crimp?
8. congratulations! Your ready for pandemic reloading!
I have tried reloading .22 lr by making primer powder, and I imagine that would be as much fun as rebuilding primers :)
I haven't gone into the SHTF prepping level of reloading yet. I'm more of a "have more ammunition than you can use in a year of frequent shooting, and keep enough components on hand for a couple of years of frequent shooting, then if you have to conserve, you're set. I mean, my eyes aren't going to be happy if I have to start reloading primers with caps! I'd actually want to figure out how to make smokeless powder from components, but I think that it's probably a) dangerous to just start trying to make gunpowder, and b) probably something youtube would come down like a pile of bricks over. As well, I've never had to resize pistol brass, I find it just fails and splits instead of stretching like bottleneck brass. Excellent comment through, have a great weekend!!
If you are just loading average training ammo for 9 mm to shoot at the range, does the manufacturer of the bullet make much of a difference, or is all 124 grain/147 grain more or less the same?
It's really personal preference. I shoot bulk bullets even in matches, but I do have friends that swear by "brand name" bullets. I find it's more important to find a gun that you shoot well. I can't shoot a glock well for the life of me, but have no issues with a 9mm colt or the CZs. The only reason I shoot 147gr bullets is for the steel targets and poppers. Hope that helps!
I have the same AP press. Very very new to this I’m not sure about setting up my dies!
Each die set is different, but a good starting point is to raise the plate up to the top, and bring all the dies down flush to that, and from there, you have to start doing it with brass in place, and slowly, adjust each until each "station" is doing it's part with one pull of the lever, if that makes sense. I also buy locking rings for the dies, so that once I have them set, they won't "wander" too much. Feel free to ask questions, I've run a heck of a lot of rounds through this press since I upgraded from the lee single stage. :)
Do you mind sharing the cost per round to produce 9mm. If you have all of the equipment and tools. I’m trying to do the cost analysis and figure out my break even. I’m starting to shoot a lot with my son. It’s double the cost every outing. He’s very handy, so I’m thinking 🤔 I may have a sweatshop worker in house, so labor costs won’t be an issue. Great video. Your obviously super meticulous. Much respect!!!
I buy components in mad quantities, but I think I'm right around $.15 per round. The best I can find in pre-loaded is $.35 a round. I practice quite a bit for IPSC and IDPA, so reloading just makes the most financial sense. I don't count any cost to the brass since I've just scrounged thousands of cases (and bought preloaded) over the years, but you could add a few cents for the expected life of 9mm cases..... With .223 and other calibers, the difference is much bigger (9mm is generally one of the cheapest calibers to buy). So it really depends on how much use over how many years you would get out of it :)
@@High_Caliber even with 9mm that is very substantial. I’ve fly fished all my life and tying my own flies increases my enjoyment of the experience. I would think that certainly comes into play as well. Greatly appreciate the input and quick response. Subscribed.
@@cg4164 You're lucky enough to have a spot for fly fishing. I used to fish a lot when I was younger, but it took so much time that I just never seem to have since I tried grown-upping. I guess also the time I'd spend in a boat is now spent at the range practicing, or finding a perfect spot to try my luck at 1000y shooting.
I never did try fly fishing, way too much work. I like a bit of trolling, but fly fishing is an upper body workout! ;)
Interesting! May i ask, how and what Reloading press you got there? Is your reloading process has a similar set up if I use a Lee Loadmaster Reloading press?
I have a lee single stage and a hornady pnp progressive press. Generally I use the progressive for bulk (lots of .223 or .45), and the single stage for precision rounds, or things I only need a few of. Either will work, and it's best to learn on a single stage is my thought, it makes you pay attention to each step so you get a real feel for the process.
The first step with the single stage press, are you removing the old primer with that?
Yes, I deprime and resize before the cleaning step so that the flash holes and any stuff caught in the cases gets removed.
How about Tarn-X to clean the brass? Dad didn't have a tumbler and as I recall never buffed up his brass before reloading.
How would you clean them with the tarn-x? It would likely shine them up well, but you wouldn't want to so each one individually.
I used to use a dry tumbler years ago, but then I had a blood test done and the lead levels in my blood were concerning, so I took steps to keep contact and dust to a minimum, so wet tumbling is perfect. It's harder to use than the dry tumbling, but no airborne lead is a huge bonus.
@@High_Caliber Tarn-X is instant, drop a dirty penny or a dirty key blank in see how fast it works, rinse , dry, repeat.
We shoot a ton of 9mm here. I know the reloading stuff is a bit pricey. But once what you need is purchased, what is your average cost per round then?
I buy in crazy quantities, so I'm still running on 2016 prices, if that makes sense. The bullets are bulk, and I'm not buying brass anymore, so I'm at ~11¢ a round. Reloading 9 only makes sense if you're shooting a lot, otherwise buying some bulk ammo, and not buying the press, would be more sensible. The real savings come in with the rifle rounds.
Who makes the case feeder that you use? You have my dream progressive Hornady press, and where did you find primers?
Lol, The case feeder is free on thingiverse, although I think the designer sells completed kits as well: www.thingiverse.com/thing:2488944
As for primers... I order them by the case, and I lucked out and did that just before the shortage...ordered 9mm bullets at the same time, so I just lucked out.
The press is fantastic. I don't really have any major complaints about it at all. Couple of small things, but it just cranks out consistent rounds, really hard to hate on it at all. Cheers!!
Honestly, it is really cool to see this from an outside perspective. Very involved, but definitely cool.
You should have your license, arsenal and reloading setup by now.
The problem I have when I clean the brass, is that there is always some corn cob stuck in the flash hole. How do you deal with that problem? Why don’t you do a video about what happens when you reload a rifle round and tumbling media remains/lodged in the brass. How it effects pressure, accuracy, and how likely it is to blow up the gun. You make awesome videos and I'm most grateful for all the work you do.😙
I use magnets. I do a quick tumble with some ceramic magnets, and it pulls the pins out. If stuck in the flash hole, the whole case sticks to the magnet. With the magnet method, I've yet to miss any (but not saying I never will). I will try and remember to bring that up in the future, I have some more rifle calibers planned (6.5 creedmore is next, as it is a love/hate caliber). Cheers!
Tumble before deprime.
The "battle box" you put your loaded ammo in. Where did you get it?
3d printed, that design was direct from thingiverse. www.thingiverse.com/search?q=battlebox&type=things&sort=relevant
Legit trying to gather as much data for reloading munitions and maintence of firearms due to youtubes bullshit rules. This video helped alot with the reloading aspect.
And for those who question why Im gathering data. I have memory issues. Yes, I'm legally allowed to own a firearm and ammo for said firearm.
UA-cam is BRUTAL about these videos. They've already been demonetized completely (but I'm sure THEY still run ads on it), and they have told me I won't show up in most searches or suggested videos.
dang i had a tumble like that when i was 10 or maybe little younger 40 years ago,, ha iit was a rock tumble for me.. but it was awesome kicked butt... ive been trying to find one like it nowadays.....mine was a 2 container and little longer.
That IS a rock tumbler! :)
Harbor freight, 2 container rock tumbler.
I also had one as a kid, but it was a small plastic thing, didn't do much more than make noise.
@@High_Caliber mine was metal,(the machine) the rock holders was thick plastic, and had a big rubberband that covered the whole tumbler. wasnt to terrible loud..worked great on rocks...i think it was from sears,
Well done but did anyone notice the 9x21 dies & 9x19 load data?
Very good eye. Some of us really hate it when the officials chrono our ammo.
You win the clever award today smartguy. Well done. :)
By far best video on reloading information
8:40 What is that accesory used for the reloading press to dispense the casings automatically? I've seen other progressive reloading press videos but it lacks that.
The case feeder is free on thingiverse, although I think the designer sells completed kits as well: www.thingiverse.com/thing:2488944
Once it's dialed in, it works almost flawlessly, I've used it for 9mm and .223, and combined with that bullet drop, it's almost an ammo factory :)
battlebox?
Search it on thinkiverse. Free 3d prints. I upload some of mine here www.thingiverse.com/high_caliber/designs
Love the ammo case! Where do you find them?
3D printed it myself. Plans are on thingiverse. I used multicolor filament. I use that when I want to be flashy at IPSC competitions :)
@@High_Caliber Very nice sir!!
Curious how hard it is to find ammo right now. Like can I go pick up a couple boxes when I get my first gun? In person stores say the limit is 5 boxes per item but is there even 5 boxes on the shelf? I'm looking at the G2C in 9mm because I have read good things about it and it's super cheap. Also looking at the the m&p EZ shield but I don't know if I want a grip safety. Awesome video btw.
IT all depends on the region you're in. In cities with increasing crime rates, ammo is scarce, but that also creates shortages in other regions as manufacturing struggles to keep up with demand. 9mm is a popular round because almost anyone can shoot it confortably and accurately. As for choice of pistol, if you can find a shop that lets you try-before-you-buy, just shoot a few until you find something that feels "good" to you, and then see if you can shoot it relatively accurately. (LOTS of videos on YT about proper shooting technique). I've been shooting for years and still can't make a glock group well for me, but a CZ or a good 1911 I have no problem with, yet I know people who can shoot a glock like a laser.
Where I am at in the Midwest ammo is readily available at all times. Still pretty pricey though.
1000 rnds of anything can be found online. Skip the local guys if they are out. So much misinformation out there.
That brass!!!😳. What type of tumbler is that? And what is in the shaker?
Harbor freight rock tumbeler, stainless steel pins, and you can use a mix of 1 drop of green palmolive dish liquid, and if you can't dry your own soyboy tears, you can substitute lemi-shine dishwasher cleaner. Starbucks has made some new rules about making their patrons cry just for their tears, so they have been harder to get as of late.
Does it matter on 9mm to sort brass by headstamp? Or just remover primer and move through process?
I personally only separate out ppu brass because I like it for IPSC rounds, but otherwise I just mix n match.
Best video I even seen on reloading ! Congratulations
Thanks 👍
Sorry I'm late to the party. I've never used dry medium. I've only washed and dried mine. They always came out good. I've been reloading since I was a kids with my grandad and father. And i still reload approx 1000 round a year.
I wish I could recall how my grandfather did it. He had some nice brass but by the time my interest really piqued he was already gone. Years of PTSD and war wounds take their toll. He likely had a really simple method too, he didn't like to "fart around" too much.
@@High_Caliber I remember my grandfathers. Very simple. Wash with soap and water rinse off and let dry. No need to driers, media, etc. Usually did on a Tuesday night and we were good to go on Friday night! Loaded very precise powder grain, bullet type and grain, and shot each one multiple times to find which one our guns liked. I bought a .308 and was throwing them out beyond 800y in competition. And reloaded again. Knew exactly how what where each shot would preform at any distance from 50y to 1000y. Still have my logs from when I competed. Still use them today but have adjusted for modern powders, bullets, and casings. My 5 year old loves to deprime them. I reload 9mm, 270, 308, 30-06, 44mag, 357 mag and some others for friends who want to learn. And I'm in my mind 40s and still keeping the family tradition alive! On the holidays "The boys would reload, solve the problems of the world, reload more and then range time! The smell of gun powder so early in the morning..... aahhhhh.
Love how you're utilizing 3D printing. Badass
I am thinking about buying a 1889 Bodeo revolver. However the ammo (10.4mm Ordinanza Italiana) is no longer produced, so I would almost have to get into reloading since the vintage ammo goes for around 3.10 Euros a pop...
I’d like very much almost all things made in 3D printing process! Cool!!!!
I add most of them to thingiverse, but you'd need access to a 3d printer. I don't do anything on the channel for money (as you can tell by my questionable posting schedule and all over the place format!) :) www.thingiverse.com/high_caliber/designs Cheers!!
@@High_Caliber Thanks!!! I’ll print some of them. I have some printers here and my UA-cam vídeos are all about 3D Printing, filament testing, etc.
Who makes the case and bullet feed? The Hornady feed jams on me at times
I 3d printed the case feeder, and the bullet drop is hornady. The bullet feeder took a little bit to get working reliably (I had to flare the cases a bit more, and really tweak the depth on the die, but then it was 100%). The case feeder works almost flawlessly, and the most expensive part was the acrylic drop tubes ($30 off amazon or something like that). www.thingiverse.com/thing:2488944
@@High_Caliber awesome! You sell that?
@@spock1017 No, but I do believe the originator does sell complete kits, here is a link to what you get with his upgraded kit: ua-cam.com/video/2G6Vt3TEOew/v-deo.html (plus I'm sure he would be better with any troubleshooting than I would be lol). It's a great design, and it's worked perfectly for over 1000 cases (I've had 2 small parts break, but I may have just screwed up printing them). As well, the tubes I found won't do .45 cases, and I think his will. Mine does .223 and 9mm, which honestly is what I shoot the most of.
*Works great, comfortable too*
Nice video. I find it a bit odd though that you have all this great equipment but use a manual scale.
Personal preference really. I actually have a hornady digital scale packed away somewhere, but I have had that old balance scale a long time. :)
I use an RCBS 5-0-5 for everything except precision rifle cartridges. I have a set of Lyman checkweights (actually 2 sets), so it’s quick and easy to verify the scale very close to my actual load weight. Once I’ve dialed in the throws from my powder measure, I typically check every 10th throw on the scale.
Had me watching this like Cinemax after dark...then you loaded a single stack mag and it turned into 2 girls 1 cup.
What has been seen, cannot be unseen!
What did you add to the water before you wet tumbled????
Palmolive dish soap, and just a dash of lemi shine (dishwasher cleaner). Cheers!!
I’ve been doing a ton of research but haven’t found a straight up answer for the age old question does reloading help save money in the long run or should I still buy from the store?
The answer depends on how much ammo you actually go through. When I practice for 3 gun, or am just out for a day plinking, I can go through 1-2000 rounds of 9mm and several hundred .223 so the savings per round quickly pays for the setup, but if you only shoot a little bit, or just hunt, then the cost of the rig doesn't make sense. As well, you have to factor in the price of components vs the price of bulk ammo, it's been difficult to find decent prices on powder lately (for example) which changes your cost per round, and you just do the math. You need a brass case, a primer, a projectile and 5-40 grains of powder (depending on what you are filling). Just price out the components from reloading shops online, add the cost of the press and extras (probably $500 minimum). That's why the question has many answers! :) Cheers!
can we get a list of links to the products and tools you use
Sure! Added to the video description!
You need to hire that How It’s Made narrator
I tried! His prices are OUT RAGEOUS ;)
How can I get a bullet drop like the one you have. I would love to purchase one. Thank You
The bullet drop is from hornady, you can get them on amazon, I don't think they are terribly expensive. The case drop is a free file on thingiverse, and the guy who created it does sell them as a kit I believe. www.thingiverse.com/thing:2488944
As a beginner reloader, many experienced people tell me to start with single stage, as turret or progressive cause mistakes, is that true? Thanks!
It's a split question. If you want to reload 9mm, and need a lot of ammo (and can afford it), go with the progressive press. If you want to do lots of different calibers, and not many of each, go with a single stage. If you get the progressive, just do one round at a time, making SURE your powder drops are correct, bullet is seated properly, and keep them marked until you are comfortable with your process. Underpowered loads can leave bullets trapped in barrels, and only bad things happen then. Take your time, double and triple check everything, watch every video on the subject you can find, and you will be fine.
I agree with High Caliber's response(s) and would like to add my 2-Cents worth.
A Single Stage Press exemplifies the KISS Principle (Keep It Simple Stupid). It allows the reloader to focus on each step of the process and inspect the results of each step before going on to the next. You do change Dies between each step but if you Batch Process (50/100+ cases at each step), it's fairly efficient. I recommend using Hornady's Lock-N-Load Die Bushings to maintain Die Adjustments between die changes/reloading sessions. A Good Quality SSP cost between $100/$200 while some High Quality SSP Presses push $500. A decent SSP can be found for
@@rjinnh3933 wow, that's a lot to read bit it's all good info. I'm not going to be reloading any brass today but I want 9mm ammo and if this the only way I might be looking into this. Thank you.
@@badgermetal Better start looking for primers now because they are like trying to find a strand of hair in the woods… Good luck it is possible calling places all the time and jumping on the first yes we have some.
when reloading 9mm, what is your cost per round?
I buy in huge bulk, and I haven't had to buy components in a while...as well I have pails of 9mm brass, so at this point I'm running around 9 cents for 124g rounds and up to 11 cents for the 147gr (I go through those quicker in competition season).
Hi, thanks for the great videos! Would you mind telling me who makes your case feeder and what are dried skybox tears? THANKS again. Shalom/gw
The case feeder is free on thingiverse, although I think the designer sells completed kits as well: www.thingiverse.com/thing:2488944
The dried soyboy tears is lemi shine for dishwashers ;)
@@High_Caliber Thanks!
Is there any difference in reloading pistol rounds compared to rifle rounds?
Every firearm is unique. Every one can shoot a little bit better depending on bullet weight and powder charge. So yes, playing around with loads and bench-fire-testing is the only way I know to get the absolute most out of any firearm.
I'm relatively young in reloading. I'll ask forgiveness now for the lack of details. I have a similar setup except I use lee instead. I have a seater crimp die instead of separates.
My issue. There is typically a bulge in my 9mm reloads. It happens at the seater crimp process. As a result I have a round that does not just slide into the barrel.
It not fitting may be an issue where I am not putting enough arm muscle on it. Sending them through that stage again will resolve the bullet barrel seating issue, but that bulge remains.
Where can I put my focus to eliminate the bulge and the fitment issue
This does not happen with my 40s, just the 9s.
Thanks in advance
It sounds to me that one of the dies, likely the bullet seating die, is coming down too far and impacting the rim of the case before the bullet is fully set. Back off the die in the press and make sure that it doesn't come anywhere near the rim when you are at the furthest point of the downstroke. I had something similar with .45 acp years ago and it was how I had my depths set. Basically pull it all apart and reset everything, hope this helps.
Any tips on reloading in case of a Zombie Apocalypse?
Shotshell reloading setup, and a cast mold for 12 ga slugs, or 00 buck. Nothing is as good at de-braining zombies than 12 ga slugs. Otherwise... I'd say forget reloading and just buy a backhoe. I swear, if people just made proper moats around their houses, you could pick off the zombies with almost anything while they flounder around in the water. :)
Can a 148 grain be used with a tapered bullet butt.. like a boat tail for a rifle.. I have a security 9 compact.. and will a standard barrel fit the compact.. using this round... Use brass..for the case..
Make a cup in the bottom of the projectile.. to make room for the heaver load..
Man you could hook up all the boys doing this 😂. They’d save a lot of money too.
Everyone should know how to shoot properly/safely, care for their firearms, and reload their own ammunition, which is what I'm trying to show in this series. Plus, it's fun :)
Great video. How much did your press setup cost?
I think I was somewhere around $700 to be up and reloading 9mm, with shell plate, press, scale, dies etc etc. It's not a huge savings on 9mm, but I paid for the press a few times over by reloading .223, 308, 6.5 creedmore. Plus, I really enjoy it :)
i loaded (by mistake) .380 acp with 147 grain ...found out the bullet slipped into my batch of 90 grainers (wich are heavy in 380 realm also) but i kept the round it had right amount of powder it fitted into the chamber (wich is supposed to NOT fit there cuz it has small freebore) shot it and it barely pooped the boulder outta barrel :D
It's honestly surprising that I don't hear of more occurances like this... so many bullets will "fit" into other cases. I always buy the same 147gr bullets with flat noses and round noses for 115gr so that I can tell what is a practice round, and what are competition rounds. Glad you didn't get a squib.
@@High_Caliber .380 is same as 9x19 except its 9x17
You crushed this video my friend. Keep up the great content!
Thank you! We're in the middle of a big move, but have no plans to stop these kinds of videos, they're fun to make. Glad you enjoyed it. Cheers!
Thank you!!!! Need Americans like you!!
Heh, I'm actually Canadian...but one of the sane non socialist ones. ;)
Thanks for the video... I'm familiar with reloading (my dad was a savante, unfortunately now deceased), and I am thinking about getting into it in my old age... I'd like to please request a couple guesstimates: a) how much did all your equipment run you+-? b) how reliable would you say the loads are as a percentage of total? (e.g. 80% consistently running', etc.); and c) how much would you estimate you are saving presently over boxed range ammo, at say $0.46 per round ($23 per 50)? Thanks in advance.
I bought the equipment over 20+ years, and when I started, reloading equipment was plentiful on the used market, and cheap on the new market. As people are realizing that there is not only component shortages, there's the real possibility that government regulations may at some point regulate ammunition (especially in communist countries like Canada), prices have increased. You could likely get a really good setup by visiting local gun shows or online marketplaces, for under $500US, but $1000 would be a realistic guestimate (depending on what you want to reload). As for accuracy, I run 99.9% functional rounds, as I have eliminated most of the problems I have experienced in the past. Most common was issues with primers, so I always use CCI now (if possible) and I get into counting rythms when I run ammo so that there isn't a missed step (eg 1-brass 2-flare 3-primer 4-powder 5-bullet) I just keep running that through my head, and visually check each powder load before the bullet gets seated (hopefully that makes sense). Checking the powder load every ~10-20 rounds on the scale makes sure I'm getting extremely accurate rounds. As for savings, it depends on the current price of factory ammo, and the price I find the components at (prices now are sky high), so it's not a constant. You have to shoot a fair bit to justify if you don't want to look at it as a hobby, but I have saved literally thousands over the years quite literally. Hopefully this helps, and feel free to ask more questions :)
Thanks for the detailed info, very helpful!
Nice video…love your sense of humor! As an added step I drop my cartridges in to a Wilson’s Gage to double check it sits right 👍🏻
I have a block somewhere (lyman?) that checks these as well, but I kind of gave up using it after a few thousand rounds, as long as the steps are followed it honestly is kind of hard to screw the process up :)
Very nice video. All the essential elements without endless bloviating! New sub.
haha, that's great... personally i always reload in the sauna.
I tried that, the damn powder kept getting soggy!
Well made video!
Can you explain COL: 1.130 vs Reading: 1.123 ?
Unless I am mistaken, there are many acronyms that means the same, COL, AOL … etc all mean Cartridge-OverAll-Length.
Why is your reading different from AOL ?
AOL is america online ;) OAL and COL are interchangeable terms, that's how I've always thought of it, whereas I have seen people talk about OAL when talking about the different height/shape of bullets. The MAX COL that a loaded 9mm bullet can be is 1.169". Meaning anything longer than that will likely have issues with loading and feeding. So loading short of that is fine, ALTHOUGH at a certain point you will again have feeding issues, and you are changing the size of the case combustion chamber, so your numbers for pressure and velocity might change. Basically a hollow point bullet has to put the material somewhere, so you might load the bullet a little proud of your normal loading depth of 1.130" for example. I load at ~1.131 because that feeds reliably in my shadows, and I always buy the same 147gr bullets. Also, some bullets weigh a lot less, so seating them the same depth in the case will result in a shorter OAL/COL. Hopefully that makes sense, I'm typing this on my phone in a parking lot! :)
When I got my Dillion 550 Hornady wasn't making the Lock and Load. They see to be pretty nice, but I am assuming the bullet loader and the case loader are separate purchases. Thanks very satisfying to watch.
Nothing wrong with Dillon, that's for sure. I used to prefer their die sets "in the day" but when I went to re-equip years later their prices were just too much. The bullet feeder was extra, but the case feeder was 3d printed, so very inexpensive (and works great!).
About how often do you re use the same brass ? I’m thinking about getting into reloading . Thank you .
9mm I have used up to 10 times depending on the manufacturer of the brass. Winchester tends to fail the quickest, and PPU or hornady seems to last a lot longer. When I start seeing a lot of split cases, I usually order another 1000-2000 rounds of "once fired" brass online, and just cycle it into the mix.
@@High_Caliber Excellent, thank you . Have you used any starline products ?
@@Edemce1 Sorry missed this... Yes I have used a lot of starline brass, but in rifle calibers. For 9mm I just have so many from range scrounging and pre-manufactured rounds from competing, that I just use anything. For competition the targets are never more than 60 yards away at most, so they don't need to be sub moa accurate :)
@@High_Caliber Where do you order your brass from online?
That background is awesome, although the gulls would have me looking for a 12 gauge. That bench top flex as you worked the (repainted?) press at the beginning freaked me out a bit. I'd fix that or go nuts😁
I -just- this second finished building the new reloading bench/area. I now have almost 2 solid inches of countertop to bolt into, and the bench itself was out of a machine shop. I knew that setup was temporary until we moved. As a bonus, I can now record a vid on reloading .22 hornet, because I've never done any, and I just bought a new rifle in .22 hornet. So do check back. Cheers!!!!
@@High_Caliber Love 22 hornet! Addicted (officially)! I've loaded and shot a Browning A-Bolt, Anschutz Exemplar pistol and own a Ruger 77/22H a beautiful Ruger #1 and stupidly sold a very old Savage single shot break open rifle. It was very well made with ZERO slop in the action. Excellent news on the bench. I wish I could share some loads but I have data on old lots of H110 powder with old lots of Federal 205m primers (I have enough for a lifetime) in Win brass (brass effects max charges in the hornet!) with moly coated 40gr Vmax bullets (which require more powder) so I'm over book maximums. the factory Hornady 35gr loaded ammo was hilariously accurate for me also. Watch out for the thin case necks if you use the progressive press, no big deal once you get used to it. Next time you load a pistol round with a taper crimp please show everyone how you set the crimp/seat die. I remember I had a hell of a time with pre-primed factory Nosler 40 S&W brass 'till I figured out Nosler shipped them with no neck tension, had to size part way with a carbide die with primer pin removed then bell the mouth & all was good. Thanks for not shooting another "talking head shot" video.
I inherited a bunch of reloading equipment from my father. I've looked at some of it and tried to set it up but I honestly have no idea where to begin. I'm not even sure what the different items are in the 9 mm die set that I have. I did figure out the one that punches out the used primers, and I was hoping I'd be able to follow your video and perhaps figure it out so I could at least reload 9 mm since that is a majority of what I shoot. But it looks quite confusing to someone who's never done it. I'm kicking myself for never sitting down with my father before he passed so that I could have learned the process. 😡
Just keep at it, TONS of info on the internet. I didn't intend this one to be a tutorial, more of a showcase of the process. UA-cam has some funky rules about teaching anyone how to manufacture ammunition unfortunately.
Thanks, I'll definitely hang on to the equipment and maybe one day figure it out. @@High_Caliber
Do you have links for the 3d printed items?
Yes! some items here: www.thingiverse.com/high_caliber/designs
Case feeder: www.thingiverse.com/thing:2488944
What would be a decent progressive press to buy for 9mm but I can grow into other calibers later? I see the Dillon 550c for like 700. I need dies and it says it's manually indexed
I reload 7 different calibers on the Hornady. You just need the shellplate (and the shellplates usually cover more than one caliber).
@@High_Caliber I'm gonna keep watching your videos and see if I can get into this smoothly. Need to reload 50 bmg in the future, but interested in reloading 9mm subs right now
Question: Do we need to be certified or does ATF require lic for this? 😅 Or is reloading unregulated so far...?
Good job man love u from India Punjab Amritsar sport Indian farmer
Well met! Cheers and salutations from the great white north of Canada. Glad you enjoyed it! Cheers! :)
Dude! Nice setup 👌🏻 I'm insanely jealous that you have a brick of cci #500. Oh, and the fact that you shoot a thousand rounds a week.
I actually buy them by the case lot lol. Shooting is a crazy addictive hobby. I think a healthy heroin addiction would be cheaper (but less fun). Cheers and keep plinking brother!!
@@High_Caliber also wouldn't be a positive steal of your life. Can't sell all the dope you did but can def let go of some guns if need be. Seem to be always gaining value now too
I think you can use small rifle primers instead of small pistol, look it up, they just have little bit thicker cups, and have to make sure your firearm will work with them
Informative (no apology necessary) and satisfying to watch. Thanks for the video!
Using pins to clean brass is such an awesome thing but what a pita it is… nothing cleans like using steel media, but the extra work isn’t worth it for most reloaders… I’ve wasted hours, months, years to get my brass as clean, shiny, etc as possible only to shoot it at a local match or range 🤦♂️ clean is good enough it doesn’t have to be perfect 😏 ocd may vary… 😆
I did a separate video dedicated to the joy of brass polishing. From my perspective, the only time it's REALLY a PITA is with narrow neck rifle brass, because the pins get inside and don't want to come out. However, I have discovered that if I remove all the loose pins, then put the pin filled brass back in and tumble for a bit in justr water, that 90% will work themselves out. With pistol brass, it's not an issue, and with the amount of rounds I go through during competition season, I just do mass batches over the course of a couple of days.
@@High_Caliber Do you have a link to that video? Most likely it's in your video upload page but I'll have to check and verify~
Get southern shine media!! It is small tear drop size Ss media and it never gets stuck in any case size and cleans the primer pocket spotless!! That’s one less step on cleaning out the pocket.. You’ll love it!
I'm ready to start! Oh wait, no primers. Shoot! or rather "Click".
Oh I hear you brother. I had to order by the case, and I'm being literal. A CASE of primers, in each of what I needed. Small rifle, large rifle, small pistol. Even a year ago, that cost some $$. Adding all the bullets to the order made the shipping $ crazy, but at the end of the day, a click=paperweight, and with the way the world is going, primers are more important that 401K. :)
Great video, I like the camera angles. Adds a certain element of Hollywood or something. I know it took some time and effort to make this. Thanks for doing it.
Well thank you, and I am very glad that you enjoyed it!
Best softcore pron out there!
YOU get it. It's ASMR for gun nutz. Production has been sidelined by a big move (bigger than I expected), but I have so many more calibers to do, and so many more guns to break down. I haven't perfected the formula (yet), but I look at these and go "would I sit with a scotch or a blunt and watch this?".
Any info on the case feeder you have?
It's a free print from thingiverse (although I think the creator also sells kits). I think I only needed acrylic tubes and some nuts and bolts to get it to work (and it works near flawlessly). www.thingiverse.com/thing:2488944
Terrific video. Why dont they lube pistol cartridges?
You can, but smooth walled brass doesn't often get stuck in the dies, so it's not needed if you use carbide die sets. Just more stuff to clean off.
This is a great video! I just came here to look for one specific thing and ended up watching the entire video.
So every now and then I come across factory new 9mm and 40 caliber bullets that have a ring around the tip of the bullet. I'm presuming these rings are from the tooling and I think it is from the seating die, but I don't reload so I was hoping maybe you HIGH CALIBER could let me know if you've seen this before and what causes the ring.
Also, do you mind if I use maybe 5 - 10 seconds of this video? I will give you full credit of course directly in the video and I will also link to your video and channel in the description. If not, that's cool, but wanted to ask.
Yes the ring will be from the seating die pushing the bullet into the case, It's usually something that you will see in batches of factory ammo sometimes, but more commonly with home releaded, due to fluctuations in resizing and flaring. Oh and of course you can use a clip, I don't do this for $$ (obviously!) Cheers and glad you enjoyed it. :)
@@High_Caliber Awesome! Thanks so much for making your great videos and sharing your expertise, it really, really is appreciated.