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View Full Version : Reloading 9mm and .45ACP



NewbieAKguy
11-04-2018, 12:57 PM
Hello one and all. I'm hoping to break my reloading cherry this winter and thought I would start with something "easy" like 9mm or .45ACP. So I hope you don't mind if I ask a few questions (yes, I'll be reading up on manuals and guides too).

Do you guys separate the brass by brand, or is all basically the same (minus nickel plated, etc.) and just mix all together?

How long do you tumble the brass?

Do you tumble with the old primer in or out?

Should I still lube the cases even if I have carbide pistol dies?


Thanks for the help, and I hope you don't mind if I ask more in the future once I get to rifle.

Helen Keller
11-04-2018, 03:33 PM
on 45
you need to separate small and large primer brass.



tumble before you put them in your dies.
depending on your tumbler size/capacity ='s time. I don't go past 10 minutes usually.


don't lube cases uses in carbide dies.

NewbieAKguy
11-04-2018, 05:23 PM
on 45
you need to separate small and large primer brass.



tumble before you put them in your dies.
depending on your tumbler size/capacity ='s time. I don't go past 10 minutes usually.


don't lube cases uses in carbide dies.

Good call on the .45 brass. I forgot about that.

NAPOTS
11-04-2018, 08:58 PM
Hello one and all. I'm hoping to break my reloading cherry this winter and thought I would start with something "easy" like 9mm or .45ACP. So I hope you don't mind if I ask a few questions (yes, I'll be reading up on manuals and guides too).

Do you guys separate the brass by brand, or is all basically the same (minus nickel plated, etc.) and just mix all together?

How long do you tumble the brass?

Do you tumble with the old primer in or out?

Should I still lube the cases even if I have carbide pistol dies?


Thanks for the help, and I hope you don't mind if I ask more in the future once I get to rifle.


Mix it all together (do you think you'll get an accuracy difference due to case variations in a handgun that you'll notice?) as mentioned, you'll learn to curse the asshole that thought small primer pockets on a .45 were a good idea.

I tumble for a while sometimes over night sometimes for an afternoon, probably longer than needed.


other questions were already answered. I'll add, I don't like seating and crimping in the same die. the default 3 die set up would have you do this. I backed the seating die off so it seats only and use a lee factory crimp die. I like this much better and the factory crimp die sort of re-sizes the case after the bullet is seated, its not as big of a deal in .45 but in cartridges like .38 special or .357 mag sometimes the case wall gets a little wonky and the lee factory crimp die irons it out so it is nice and smooth.

watch your taper crimp and make sure you have enough. .45 is a big heavy bullet. it doesn't take much force to push the bullet back into the case with a light crimp, I ruptured a cartridge that way and it wasn't fun.