Powder Recommendations

[RNG]

Greatings all --
Been lurking for some time and taking in all the GREAT information. Getting ready to get back into reloading after 35 years. Grew up with a MEC 600 (I think this was the model) reloading shotgun. A few years later, while in the Marine Corps, I hand loaded .357's for awhile. I've pretty much decided on a Lee Classic 4 hole turret which will allow me to use as a single stage until I can learn the basics then easily use it in "turret" mode once I get comfortable with the loading process. Will consider a progressive down the road after I get the wife hooked on shooting (almost there) and will be easier to "Justify" it.

I plan on reloading .45, 9mm, and .380. Thinking of getting the following hardware.

Lee Classic 4 hole turret Press
Lee Carbide 4 Die sets for .45, 9mm, .380(not sure if .380 comes in 4 die set)
3 turrets for the above die sets.
Lee Auto Prime (Large & Small)
Lee Pro Auto Disk Power Measure
Harbor Freight Digital Caliper
RCBS 505 Scale
Frankford Arsenal Tumbler with separater
Frankford Arsenal Kinetic Bullet Puller

This weekend theres a gun show in Savannah, Ga. Will run down there and take a look to see if their prices on the above equipment are any better than Kempf or Midway. Will also see about picking up powder, primers and bullets.

Any suggestions as to the recommended brand/type of powder and primers? Will most likely pick up either Rainer or Berry plated bullets. In reading the forums(I'm really dangerous now) it appears that the Berry may be a "little" better. The reloading I'm going to do is for the wife and I to "practice" at the range.

Just a side note, a friend recommended Winchester 231 w/ Winchester primers. Not sure if he meant this for all three calibers or just the .45.



ANY recommendations/thoughts are welcome and will be considered.

Kindest Regards,
Richard

 

[Jim Watson]

I have loaded all three of those calibers with Win 231 and see no reason for anything else. Somebody will come along to recommend something else and he might be right, too. There is a lot of overlap in powder applications.

Get a book. Or several. The Lee manual naturally plugs Lee products, Lyman is helpful.

 

[RNG]

Thanks for the quick reply. Already picked up the ABC's of Reloading, 6th edition. This is the first of many that I'll be getting. Lymans will be next.

Thanks Again.

Richard

 

[45Marlin carbine]

I reload all those, haven't used 231 but I've heard it's good. Bullseye would do the job as well as others.

 

[Sevens]

I have a tough time recommending powder as I haven't yet found the magic dust yet myself. All I can say with confidence is, at one pound per can, it takes a LOT of reloading to use up one if you find that you don't particularly care for it! I find myself with a can of Green Dot right now that I can use, but it's not great for anything I load. It doesn't meter well and it's gotta be amongst the dirtiest of any powder you can buy. Clouds of smoke and carbon black all over your guns.

I would like to make a recommendation on your powder meter, though-- I'd skip the auto disk powder measure and go for a unit that will toss a settable charge. That may be tougher to find one that works well with your turret setup, but I'd feel tied down with the auto disk powder measure. I'm sure others have had success with it, but I prefer a device that's more flexible.

And find yourself somewhere local for powder and primers. I'm seeing about $20 for a pound of powder, and $2.75 per 100 primers. It's not cost effective to order them online as they dink you heavily with the "hazardous material" shipment fee. Unless you go in with a few buddies on a volume buy, you can expect at least $20 extra in hazardous fees.

Back in after 35 years! Where does the time go?! You'll realize how much you've missed it!

 

[FM12]

Go over to www.handloads.com register & join. You'll find a lot of specialized info there, and can ask specific questiuons...Lots of good guys there, just like here on TFL.

BTW, WELCOME to the forum! FM12

 

[CrustyFN]

I would recomend the safety prime over the auto prime hand primer. The Safety Prime system works very well on the Classic Turret. I have the Classic and think it is a great press. Welcome.
Rusty

 

[Edward429451]

Harbor Freight Digital Caliper

I would steer you away from this item. Junk. Get a standard SS caliper from RCBS and save your money from not having to buy another later.

WW-231 gives great results for me in 45. Power Pistol is showing real promise in my 45's also.

 

[Trapper L]

I have found that HS-6 and AA5 give the best accuracy in the 45 and 9mm but I haven't tried it in the 380- yet. It will load in the 380, I just can't say how well it works. I haven't had all that much luck with the 231 powder for accuracy and for my pistols- it's dirty. If you are looking for a one fits all powder, the 231 might be your best choice but the results may not be what you are looking for. Another to look at in your manuals would be Unique. Unique works in everything including a 45-70.

I load both the Berrys and the Rainiers. They are about the same with the Rainiers having the edge with a little more plating but you really can't go wrong with either one. I'd buy whichever was the cheapest.

Primers are going to be pretty much whats available. Primers are in short supply and you may not find the ones you want and have to settle for what you can get. All of the name brands are good- CCI, Winchester, Remington, Federal, etc. I use mostly CCI for pistols and Winchester for standard rifles. Federal Match for the bench guns.

 

[amamnn]

I use pretty much the same equipment for loading non-match handgun ammo as what you have on your list. I have found W231 to be a good all purpose powder and I use it in both the calibers you have mentioned. I find it meters more accurately than any flake powder I have used, and I have used a fair number. I would look into the Frankford Arsenal digital caliper. I have one and it has worked fine for a long time. The only comments I have ever heard about the Harbor Freight version are negative. I use both the PACT BKII and the PACT pro digital scales. I like the PACT pro dispenser/scale combo.

I'm not a fan of Lee powder or primer handling equipment, although I do use a much modified pro auto disk. For small powder drops like the .380 and 9mm will be using, you must never trust the thing to drop accurately and it can be prone to bridging. Lee's attempt to stop bridging by a sharper angle of the reservoir/drop tube is negated by the shape and constriction of the smaller holes in the disks or charge bar. Also, you should probably use only Lee expander dies as the auto disk is designed to work with the "bump" or stick in the down stroke of the ram. The idea behind this is to shake the powder down into the hole in the charge bar or disk for the next load. This does not always work. The w231 works a lot better in the auto disk than flake powders, but I have caught many potential squib loads in the past and although I have not seen one since going to 231, I still check the powder level in each case visually and weigh every 10th charge. The worst powders for bridging I have used in the thing were Alliant flake powders. I really like Unique, especially since it burns cleaner now, but I never could get it to meter in the auto disk.

If you get the Lee die sets with the Factory crimping die, do not be alarmed if they also seem to stick on the down stroke of the ram. Lee designs the dies to "post size" the bullets to try to get them back in shape after crimping. This is especially useful when using non-cannelured bullets. A light touch on the crimp adjustment is usually best, anyhow. Sounds like you're off to a good start. Have fun.

 

[amamnn]

correction

*all three calibers you mentioned*

 

[RNG]

Thank you very much for the replys and recommendations. Will be modifying my purchase list as recommended. Looking forward to getting back into this.

Kindest Regards,

Richard

 

[joneb]

RNG, WLP or Winchester large pistol are large pistol/ magnum primers, a upper end load using Fed. 150 primers should be decreased when using WLP, but WSP are just small pistol primers.

 

[DWARREN123]

I do 40 S&W, 9mm and 380. I like Federal primers and HP38. I don't know if one powder will do all and give you the best results so you may need two or three powders. I use Lee 3 die sets for my reloading, I really see no need for 4 die sets for these cartridges.
Have fun and be safe.

 

[RNG]

Thanks once again for the quick responses.


DWarren, Interesting about the 3 die sets. Do you think the 4 hole turret press is overkill? Should I go for the 3 hole or get the 4 hole for future expansion?

Thanks,

Richard

 

[subierex]

I just re-read your equipment list and got a chuckle. It's exactly, to the piece, the same as what I have/use. Well, almost. I don't reload .380. I think you'll be very happy with that setup. FYI... Kempf's was the lowest price I found when looking for my setup. YMMV.

If you are getting a Lee setup I might also suggest you get his reloading book.

With the three cartridges you list, I think W231 is a good choice. I use only Winchester primers right now mostly because I don't need to worry about magnum vs. standard.... just use one primer type. W231 seems to be one of those "do all" powders like Unique. It used to be all I'd use for target loads. I've since switched to Titegroup, mostly because I shoot a lot of .45 Colt and need a non-position sensitive powder.

 

[HankB]

You mentioned loading shotshells . . . in that case, 700-X is a good powder. It will handle 12 ga target loads just fine, and it's my regular powder for loading standard (not +P) loads in .45 and 9mm P.

I used to shoot trap & skeet competitively, and bought the powder in 12 lb kegs - using it in handgun cartridges made for some cheap loading, and it worked very well.

 

[Sevens]

I guess I don't really see the attraction to a turret press. It's not quite a progressive press, but it makes "swapping out" dies a quick operation.

Loading single stage as I do, I'll screw in a sizing/decapping die and put 50, 100, 150 pieces of brass through it. Typically, I'll then unscrew that die, shut off the lights and pick it up again later. Or if I have a whole lot of free time, I'll then screw in the ram prime and prime a bunch of cases, or maybe grab a box or three of a different caliber and resize those.

More free time? I'll screw in the flare die and pound out 50 or 100 flared cases. Then it's time to set the powder drop for whatever charge I'll be using. When it's time to seat bullets and crimp, I screw in a new die.

Loading in this manner, I can't see how a turret press saves me a whole lot. Unless I only ever loaded in one single caliber... I don't gain much.

If you use a turret press and love it, then there's no doubt-- that's the device for you and I wouldn't say otherwise. But I don't see it as a "must have", especially for a low-volume, single stage handloader.

 

[crowbeaner]

I like my old Dillon RL450B. I set it up for the caliber of the day and just keep cranking until I'm done. Yeah, it's not a 550, but I only paid $100 for it with 3 caliber changes at a gunshow and it sure has put out a LOT of ammo over the years. Most times I FL size my rifle brass with the RCBS JR single stage to take the strain off the 450 and do everything else on the 450. I have some Lee equipment but I don't use it much. I still have to figure out how to change the shell holder in the hand primer before I can use it. I usually prime with the press anyway. Just my .02. CB

 

[DannyAbear]

Don't forget to order the 'riser' for the powder measure, you need it for the measure to clear the top of the dies. I have the same set up and have no problems with it; buy the auto prime system with both large & small setups, its cheaper than buying them individually. I also reload 380, 9mm, and 45acp and use Win 231 for plinking loads and Alliant power pistol for full house rounds. Good luck.