Reloading Handgun Advice

[clintbailey]

+1 for J&K Bullets in Moore, nice place to deal with. I've shot his cast bullets in 9mm, 40, & 45 and not had any problems with them, plus he now carries the plated bullets as mentioned above. If you have yet to buy dies, definitely go with the carbide type dies, and the Lee 4 die sets are awesome since they come with the factory crimp dies. If you already have another brand, you can also purchase the Lee factory crimp die separately as well; I think they are worth their weight in gold, especially when loading for semiautos. Good luck, I just started loading for pistols this year myself.

 

[WessonOil]

Use J&K Bullets for the 45, and you may want to start with RN for reliability.

FYI, J&K's 200 grain SWC is just as reliable as a RN in my Taurus 1911 and is a bit less expensive and quite accurate.

You may want to pick up a small box of the SWC just for giggles and see if it'll feed through your 1911.
I use only he finest range brass in my 9mm and 45.

My Kahr PM9 is not finicky about brass length, nor is my 1911.
HP38/231 is what I use for both 9mm and 45 acp, but there are others that are just as popular and well loved.

I have heard only good things about Tula primers.

By and large, you don't have to be as anal about 9mm and 45 acp as you do loading rifle, unless you're doing very specific bullseye shooting, which I doubt you are with the Kahr.

 

[NoMoreOldNo7]

Great info, I really appreciate it. Will give SWC a try and let you know how they feed. So far I've only been shooting 230 RN and haven't had any problems

 

[WessonOil]

Great info, I really appreciate it. Will give SWC a try and let you know how they feed. So far I've only been shooting 230 RN and haven't had any problems

There are some who feel that the SWC is a more accurate round than a RN.

Because it has a beveled edge, you may want to play with the overall length of the bullet.

You might want to ask Mitch what length he recommends.

By and large, it can vary a bit from gun to gun, so don't worry if it's a bit different than what he suggests.

 

[Blitzfike]

As stated above, straight wall pistol cases for semi autos headspace on the case length. When seating lead bullets (and most plated bullets as well...) expanding the case and flaring the case mouth is a necessity to get the bullets in the case and properly seated without shaving lead or plating and affecting the headspace by having the gunk build up where the bullet enters the case. A taper crimp or Lee factory crimp is the way to go with those. Some SWC type cast bullets will cause misfeeds if the shoulder is left sticking out beyond the case mouth. Experiment with a few for correct feeding before you load a large batch. Also, be aware that some powders like AA#5 are very sensitive to reduced case volume, like seating the bullet too deeply, and this can jack pressures very high very quickly. After a million or so rounds, I am still learning... Good luck

 

[criticalbass]

Bullseye is a nice clean burning powder, but it is possible to double, and sometimes even triple charge a case. I have loaded thousands of .38 special with small amounts of Bullseye, and had one squib load. If I could make a mistake in that direction, I could make one in the other direction.

I load nothing, rifle or pistol, that doesn't more than half fill the case. I know you are experienced, but one difference with pistol ammo is that you use much more of it, so will be looking for ways to speed up your production.

Another recommendation is to check out the Lee final crimp die. It assures proper feeding in autos.

 

[WessonOil]

Also, do be aware that SWC's (as are many bullets) are manufactured in different shapes, so that overall length (OAL) of a 200 grain SWC that Mitch casts may be different than that of another company using a mould made by a different manufacturer.

 

[NoMoreOldNo7]

OK Guys, been busy lately but loaded my first batch and test drove them, things went well. No problems with the process, ammo loads just fine and is fairly accurate. So thanks for the help, it was appreciated

 

[WessonOil]

Just fairly accurate?