New reloader looking for press advice - 9mm handgun

misterzr

misterzr

CGN Regular
Rating - 99.3%
139   1   1
Location
Saskatchewan
Just getting into handguns and would like to start reloading soon as well. I am looking for a press that will do 9mm handgun reloads as well as 45 ACP in the future. I would rather spend a little more and get something that will last and be adaptable to future needs.

Any suggestions?
 
A lot of people like Dillon .. but you can have success with a single stage to get started. depends how much you shoot and how much time and money you have to spend..
 
some things i would consider are as follows;

how much time do you have to invest in the shooting sports and reloading hobby?
are you a casual shooter or do you plan on getting into competition or lots of target practice?
do you have any rifles to reload for as well?
budget?
 
I would say that budget rules what gear people get when they start out. I would stay away from the single stage press for pistols, as it is painfully slow. I only single stage load my bolt rifle loads, and this is only 20 or so rounds at a time. Pistol rounds, you are going to need a higher volume of rounds produced in a shorter period of time. Nobody has all day to produce a couple hundred rounds.
I got a used Dillon years ago for about $500 and it paid for itself in a very short period of time. A few hundred rounds can be produced easily in an hour.
But cost wise, Hornady and other presses are cheaper in price and can most likely give you the same result.
One thing you will want to get is carbide dies. No lubing, cases don't get stuck and they last forever.
If i'm not mistaken, most presses will come with a set of dies these days, so you can buy a press and have your 9mm dies ready to go.
I use titegroup powder, and it gives me roughly 1700 rounds per pound of powder. It goes a long way, and its about $26 per lb.
Shop around for a progressive, and look for deals or sales.
 
If you are just looking at 9mm consider buying bulk ammo instead of reloading.. Take a website that actually stocks all the components that you need and get a quote with tax, hazmat fee and shipping included. Compare this to bulk 9mm pricing and take off the price of the used brass. People tend to ignore the price of brass on their reloads but include it when they buy it.

A lot of folks are going to now chime in about how much their loads save them and they are not lying. Reloading saves them money, but may not save you anything. Unless you have a delorean that can take you back to the future then you are stuck buying components in the present. I have a dillion 550 b set up for 9mm. Sometimes I load and sometimes I buy it in bulk.
 
If you are thinking of buying a Dillon, I suggest you go to Brian Enos forum. He has a great wealth of info about which press will suit your needs. I bought a 550 and I love it. I load 4-500 9mm/hr. It is easy to learn on because it can be run similar to a single stage when you are learning, and run much faster once you have it down.
 
That's a loaded question ! How deep are your pockets, how much are you willing to tie up in equipment and supplies, how many rounds are you going to load at a time , 100s of just 50 at a time? For the comp guys, they need a progressive press that's fast, for the casual shooter if you only run 50 rounds or so at a time and you enjoy your reloading time, you can use a single stage press, dam slow to a progressive but it all depends on what you want for output. All presses are quality made, they all stand behind their products , so do your research after reading all the opinions of others and pick out one that's fits your output demands .
 
I am looking at competition shooting and will need to produce quite a few rounds. Looking at brass pricing it might make sense to start off with factory round and build up a brass collection before starting to reload. Would like to keep the price around $500 for the equipment to start with.
 
silverfoxdj said:
$500 does not buy you much when you consider the accessories needed..
Click to expand...

^^ Yup. At $500. total for tools and dies, you're looking at a single stage press. Which is doable depending on how much time you have on your hands. I can crank out about 400rnds of 9mm in 2hrs 15mins (sizing and pre-priming my cases ahead of time) compared to 500rnds in an hour or so with a progressive press. You may find a Lee 1000 progressive press for around $150. used.
 
I picked up a Lee Classic Turret Press, it was $295 at my local. No complaints on using it for 30-06 and 45 ACP.

PM me and I can get you an estimate of what it took me to get started.
 
Last edited:
As mentioned, what do you call "a little more"? First thing to buy is a copy of The ABC's of Reloading. The kit is nearly all the same, but some is a bit better than others.
Dillon's are expensive, but their gaurantee is good. Don't like Lee kit myself and their warrantee isn't very good. RCBS will replace anything that breaks regardless of who bought the kit new or who busted it.
Look into one of the Beginner's kits. Gives you everything you need less dies and shell holder. $500 is plenty to start and most of the "tools" you don't need.
 
sunray said:
As mentioned, what do you call "a little more"? First thing to buy is a copy of The ABC's of Reloading. The kit is nearly all the same, but some is a bit better than others.
Dillon's are expensive, but their gaurantee is good. Don't like Lee kit myself and their warrantee isn't very good. RCBS will replace anything that breaks regardless of who bought the kit new or who busted it.
Look into one of the Beginner's kits. Gives you everything you need less dies and shell holder. $500 is plenty to start and most of the "tools" you don't need.
Click to expand...

While I seldom agree with Sunray, I'll agree with almost everything above with the exception of Lee's warranty. Lee's warranty is every bit as good as RCBS and Hornady. All three will replace broken parts regardless of owner and in most cases, regardless of how the item broke. This is from MY personal warranty dealing with LEE and RCBS in the past. Stop spreading bad rumors.
 
Unless you are the type that enjoys watching paint dry, you need a progressive press to reload for handguns in any quantity. Given the time it would take to load 100 rounds of 9mm (a typical weekly range trip for me) on a single stage press, I would rather buy commercial reloads. A progressive press allows me to take advantage of lower cost of components versus loaded ammo without consuming an inordinate amount of time reloading.

You will have to spend more than $500 (more like $800 for one calibre) to get set up initially, but a Dillon 550 will be worth it in the long run.
 
If your going into competition then definitely go with a progressive. Takes me about an hour and 15 minutes to do 200lbs of 9mm with a single stage, Lee hand primer and RCBS powder measure already setup.

It's great for load development, then move to progressive once a good load is found.
 
Get a progressive, initially load one round at a time, viola, you have a single stage and will know the pain of reloading handgun rounds with it.

The Dillion 550/650 and HDY LNL are good choices.

Only get a single for precision rifle. The Forster co-ax is nice.
 
misterzr said:
I am looking at competition shooting and will need to produce quite a few rounds. Looking at brass pricing it might make sense to start off with factory round and build up a brass collection before starting to reload. Would like to keep the price around $500 for the equipment to start with.
Click to expand...

Like the sign at the gunsmith says,
"You can have it fast, you can have it good and you can have it cheap. Pick any two."

With the criteria you list above, it will have to be slow. (Single Stage)

You other options are fast and good (But Not cheap)- Dillon / Hornady progressive.

or the least recommended; fast and cheap (But not good) Hint: They're red and have 3 letters in their name.

Nobody every posted on here that they were disappointed in the investment they made in a Dillon.
Just sayin'... :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom