The single-stage press like this RCBS is a good entry point into reloading, and it works great for most tasks. (Photo courtesy of J. Scott Rupp)
October 31, 2024
By J. Scott Rupp
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Shooters take up handloading for a variety of reasons. Volume shooters do it to save a couple bucks. Weirdos like me who gravitate toward cartridges like the .41 Magnum and .44 Special do it because it ensures we aren’t completely dependent on the retail ammo market. And if we learned anything from the pandemic and the massive shortages caused by hoarding, maintaining a supply of handloading components can bring peace of mind for rounds like 9mm. But don't fret, RCBS is currently running the "Buy Green, Get Green" rebate through the end of the year, which provides an excellent opportunity for you to stock up on vital reloading supplies.
While handloading pistol and revolver cartridges requires no less care, in many ways it’s easier than reloading bottleneck rifle cartridges. The nice thing about common handgun cartridges is you can use dies that eliminate the need to lube the cases beforehand, typically through the use of carbide or titanium on the inner die surfaces.
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The dies you need are: sizing/decapping, which knocks out any spent primers and brings the case back to its proper dimensions; expander, which bells the case mouth for bullet insertion; and seating, taper crimp or seating/crimping dies, which I’ll touch on later—although crimping is a topic that requires a lot more space than I have here.
Dies go into a press, and unless you’re using a hand press—which is actually what I started on—the press needs to be bolted to a sturdy table or workbench.
Type of Press What kind of press? For revolver loads, I use a single-stage press because I don’t need that many at a time. Thread the appropriate die into the press body and cycle all the cases through each step of the process. The single stage can do everything you need and costs only $150 to $300.
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While I’ve not used one, the turret press has all the necessary dies installed in a rotating head (the turret). This allows you to perform multiple steps on a single cartridge. They’re typically a couple hundred bucks more than a single stage.
If volume is what you’re after, a progressive press is the way to go. Here the cartridges rotate through each station, producing a loaded round with every pull of the handle. Progressives feature on-board priming and powder charging, and on most you can add time-saving devices like case feeders and bullet feeders. Progressive press prices run the gamut from $500 to well over a grand.
Pros and Cons? Like I said, for revolver loads the single-stage press does all I need and costs considerably less than a progressive. When it comes to 9mm, on the other hand, I do all my practice and competition loads on a progressive press. Once it’s properly set up, I can knock out a hundred or so rounds before dinner and by the end of the week, have enough to train for a week or two or to shoot a match.
Regardless of which press you opt for, there are a few things you need besides the necessary dies and components. It starts with references. Handloading can be dangerous. All the warnings you see in the reloading world aren’t just CYA legalese. But if you stick to accepted practices and follow published reloading data religiously, reloading is a safe hobby.
Bullet and powder makers publish data in book form, online, and through various apps. These are your gold standards. Shooting books and magazines do publish load data, but I always compare their recipes against the aforementioned sources. Data you see posted online on discussion forums and the like? Absolutely check those against published data.
While I don’t find it necessary to weigh each charge like I do for most rifle rounds, where I’m striving for accuracy, you still need a scale to check whatever powder-handling device you end up with. I started with a balance beam scale, and it’s really all you need. However, I will say today’s digital scales are a heck of a lot handier and faster, and there are models out there that don’t cost much—from the mid $30s to mid $70s.
Precise Measurements and Priming You’ll want a caliper for measuring cartridge lengths. I’ve used metal, plastic, and digital ones, and they all work fine. And surely you have a set of extra shooting glasses you can leave on your bench, right? Safety glasses are essential.
From here, the rest of what you need depends on your setup. I’ll take the single-stage option first, skipping past turrets since I don’t have any experience with them. Shellholders are cartridge-specific metal fittings into which you slide a cartridge base on your press or priming tool. Because they’re inexpensive, I keep two on hand for each cartridge I reload a lot, allowing me to have one in my priming tool and one on the press and not have to move a single one around for each operation.
Handheld priming tools make quick work of inserting a new primer. In fact, many experienced handloaders prefer handhelds so they can feel the primer seating. Cost runs from $25 to $70 or so.
Going way back, I started hand-loading .45 ACP with a powder scoop that dispensed a fixed charge into a case. Lee still makes these, and its scoop kit comes with a guide listing how many grains of powder each one delivers—although you should confirm with a scale.
Powder Dispensing Options and Kits Simple manual powder dispensers are inexpensive. Once you confirm with a scale that it’s throwing the proper charge, you only need to check it every 10 or so charges to make sure it’s holding true.
The all-in-one electronic scale/dispenser units are great if you choose to weigh each charge. Just enter the charge weight you want to throw, and the unit dispenses powder in the pan until it hits the chosen weight. You’ll pay several hundred dollars for one, and they’re slower than a manual dispenser.
You’ll need a reloading funnel to transfer weighed charges into your cases. I also keep a flashlight handy to peer into charged cases for a visual check on powder levels. Cartridge loading trays make life easier by holding cases upright for various tasks. Both of these items can be had for just a few bucks.
If all this seems like a lot of stuff, you can simplify your entry into single-stage reloading by buying a kit that includes all the essentials. Hornady ’s Lock-N-Load kit sells for $420, and the Rock Chucker Supreme from RCBS is $460. Companies like Lee and Lyman offer kits as well.
Progressives and Semiautos But if volume is important to you, a progressive like this Hornady Lock-N-Load AP is the way to go. (Photo courtesy of J. Scott Rupp) Let’s talk progressives and also semiauto cartridges next, tying them together because it’s most likely that if you’re running a progressive, it’s for a semiauto. Here, priming and powder charging are done on the press, and instead of a single-cartridge shellholder, cases are placed in a shellplate that rotates through the stations. You still need a scale to set and check the powder drop, as well as a caliper to measure cartridge length.
Semiauto cartridges get a taper crimp. I started with separate seater and crimp dies, but now I use a combo seater/crimp die. This saves a station on the press, which allows me to add a “powder cop” die as a safety check on case powder levels.
There’s one other aspect to consider, and that’s case cleaning. I don’t worry about this with revolver cartridges because when I’m shooting these, I usually dump empties right into a five-gallon bucket. But with a semiauto your brass is hitting the ground, and if you’re shooting outside, that means a lot of dirt and grit ends up on and in your cases—dirt and grit you don’t want working its way into your dies.
I use Hornady’s original sonic cleaner, and it works fine, although I would opt for a larger-capacity model nowadays. A case dryer will save you lots of time, especially if, as I do, you clean twice—an initial cleaning before decapping and then an additional cleaning to get the primer pockets clean, which I find helps eliminate hangups on the progressive.
That’s reloading in a nutshell. I find it a rewarding hobby in its own right, and it can be a practical one depending on how much—and what—you shoot.