Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading reloading 9mm?

I'm relatively new to hand loading. I've reload the 45 acp and used mixed headstamp one-fired brass as a means to help lower my cost without issue. I only needed to sort by primer size.

I wanted to do the same with the 9mm, buy mixed head stamp, once-fired brass.

However from what I've read, is that due to the 9mm being a small, high pressure cartridge and due to variation differences in different brands of brass that I should sort my 9mm brass by brand?

So does this mean that since I bought the cheap once-fired mixed head stamp brass, now I'll need to sort them by brand and work up my loads for each different brand? This would takes away the frugality/economic of the cheap mixed head stamp brass of the 9mm.

The 45 acp seems like such an easy, straight forward cartridge to load for by comparison. Wondering what I got myself into with reloading the 9mm. It seems like such a fusy cartridge by comparison. Ugh! Helpful advice please.

I've been loading 9mm ammo since about 1973 and have never yet sorted brass. Nothing has blown up in my face yet. I see no need to do so unless you are operating on the ragged edge of safety, and at that point you have more problems than sorting brass can cure.

I do look at each case to make sure it is not mangled,cracked, home to a wasp nest or Berdan primed.

If your dies are set up properly, I find the 9mm to be no more or less fussy to load than the .45 ACP or .38 Special. I do like the Lee Factory Crimp Die in 9mm and use it as a final step in the loading process to ensure good feeding

I have never sorted any of my calibers by head stamp.

I do not shoot match grade stuff ether.

I do inspect ever case before I throw it in to the reload bin or can.

depends on loads, for just blasting and practice sorting unnecessary.

main difference is the mouth tension on the particular bullet, by different brands of brass. If you use a taper crimp die, you won't notice much difference. also the type of bullet, jacketed vs. cast vs. plated. can make a difference

lots of 9 loads give velocity above 1100 fps can lead the barrel if your using cast. 45 rarely goes above 1000 fps in cast loads so problem not seen much.

The 9 is versatile so hang in there and just have fun.

Unless I'm loading +P loads, I don't sort 9mm brass by brand. I have Starline brass exclusively for +P loads because (1) the cases are robust and long-lasting and (2) for high-pressure loads having cases with identical internal capacity is a good idea.

Shooting range brass reloads through the G19 at 100 yard distant clay birds, most shots are within a foot of center.
Every mag or so, one will deviate by 5 or six feet.

Brass?
Gun?
Me?

I have about 30 pounds of 9mm brass, it gets sorted by whichever is on top...

Thank you to all who have replied.

I will be using lee 4-set deluxe dies. Bullets with be Hornady124gr xtp-hp for self-defense and their 124gr fmj for practice/target/plinking.

I don't sort for any semi-auto. I just make sure that all the brass I've used, have been run through my pistols.

You may consider a "chamber checker" as brass shot thru a Glock can be bulged at the base. Run your finished rounds thru it. Not a very expensive part.

leomort, for range/practice loads you definitely do not need to sort 9mm brass, with two exceptions to pick out:
- the Berdan primed cases (recognizable by two small flash holes). Most of these I find have Israeli headstamps.
- and "FC NT" cases which have crimped primer pockets, and generally benefit from deburring the pocket for easy primer seating. These also have larger flash holes that can change ballistics a little and are not desirable for hot loads.

I sometimes do sort brass though for consistency in high pressure loads (I use Win brass for +P and +P+), or for deeply seated heavy subsonic bullets. For heavy subsonics (a 158gr RN is a good example), the base of the bullet can extend down into the case web and either bulge the case or swage the bullet down. FC brass has the most room for heavy bullets, Win is the worst. Most other common brands like PMC, CCI, and S&B are in between but usually closer to Win brass in length of the web.

I've never encountered a Glock-fired 9mm case that was bulged, other than severe over-pressure handloads that would bulge in any pistol.

I never bothered to reload 9mm. I only use my 9mm for plinking and I can buy white box stuff at Walmart too cheaply to make it worth my while to reload.

This^^^^^^^

All my 9mm reloads are stictly for range work & I keep the velocities around 1050-1100 with 115gr bullets & PowerPistol. If using lead bullets, the coated ones from Bayou Bullets just can't be beat either in 9mm or 45.

All my 9mm carry ammo is factory, either Fed HST or Gold Dots.

MM

My last powder purchase was during the great drought but even with that I am loading 9mm for $6 a box, powder was $160 for 8#, brass free, bullets $140 for 2k..

i probably have at least a five gallon can of 9mm brass, picked up on the desert.
i throw out the berdan primed stuff.
Mostly i have loaded, a lot, cast bullets made by moi.
mostly i do not load to the ragged edge.
my cost per box is around 2 bucks.
when i have loaded premium bullets, i have sorted by head stamp.
I priced out new componets, brass, primers, bullets etc then decided to buy that 9 or 10dollar a box new stuff.
i also use a taper crimp on this stuff.

I sort by headstamp, mostly because the brass varies so much in thickness, and I have to make minute adjustments in the seating die to get good consistency. But then, my 9mm "plinking" is on .5L water bottles at 50-120yds. You want a 20ft shooter at paper, no sorting is required.

I don't reload jacketed bullets in handguns, cast all the way. With a lee six cavity mold, it's cheap and relatively easy to load 9mm for pennies a shot. The only issue I've had is using lee 120 gr tc bullets and my dillon seating die. I need to machine a seating stem that matches the nose profile of the bullet as some of them load crooked and bulge the brass. More than likely I'll just get one of the 125 rf molds.

This^^^^
But maybe not at Walmart all the time.

The only time I shoot 9mm is with the Hi Powers. Mostly I shoot .45 ACP or .38 Super in auto's.

But being an avid hand loader, I would guess you would not have any problem with plinking loads. With the few exceptions mentioned already.

That tapered Lee Factory Crimp die used properly is a must with mixed brass IMO.

Need help gentlemen! I did not sort my brass per boards recommendations. However, when I flared the case mouths of mixed headstamp 9mm, I notice great variation to how much the case mouths were flared. Some where just right, others where so wide that the 124 gr hornady fmj could easily be push to bottom of cartridge during bullet seating.

Is the problem me? Did I not adjust properly? Not consistent on pressure of handle? Perhaps too vigorous on some and gentle on others? As far as I can tell, it's not specific to anyone one brand of brass. So that has me thinking it's something I'm doing wrong? Any suggestions or thoughts here?

If you're shooting a match, sort brass, if not just load and shoot. Yes I've experienced notable differences in various brass, but haven't seen an issue with function and reasonable accuracy for my uses.

If you're shooting a match, sort brass, if not just load and shoot. Yes I've experienced notable differences in various brass, but haven't seen an issue with function and reasonable accuracy for my uses.

If you're relying on pressure on the handle, then yes, it's you, and you did not adjust the die properly. Also, sort out the 9x18 brass, that might help.

More than likely due to different brass thickness and length. Not really a big deal for plinking loads.
As others have stated, if its is for a match or self defense load you should sort brass.

When I bell the case mouths I adjust the die to bell the amount I want with a full stroke of the ram. Different brands and even lots in the same brand can have different case wall thickness and case length which can affect the amount the mouth is belled.

Thank you, gentlemen! I thought perhaps it was due to difference cases wall thickness and case length. I'll be more careful with my die adjustment as well as use my case length gauge to check the brass. Didn't think I'd need to trim 9mm. It wasn't a problem with my 45acp brass, only sorting small primer from large primer in them. Definitely a learning process with the 9mm.

You don't. Just set the die correctly at full stroke of the ram instead of going by feel. You don't need a case length gauge either, just sort out the .380 and Makarov (9x18) brass.

Loading 9mm isn't any harder than loading .45 ACP and there shouldn't be that much of a learning process if you're already doing .45 correctly; don't let all the advice make it seem more complicated than it really is. Most everything said here would apply to .45 as well.

The only problem I've had with 9mm is the seating die stem on my dillon seater isn't friendly with the nose profile of the Lee 120 gr tc bullet. So the bullets often seat crooked and bulge the case which results in ammo not chambering. Other than that, the basics are the same as the 45 acp.

Why in the world does anyone buy once-fired 9mm brass? The stuff is common as dandelions and houseflys around here. Go anywhere people shoot, and it's all over the place. All I've ever used, and I've never seen a "Glocked" 9mm case (plenty of .40's though), and I haven't had accuracy problems. I usually load Ranier plated bullets, and still can load for significantly cheaper than any I can buy.

+1 on the Lee factory crimp die.

I never sort 9mm brass except for my carry gun & I've never trimmed a 9mm case in over 50 years, who would do that! When I'm teaching a class I show everyone how to use a case gauge but I also show them how to use their barrel in case someone doesn't want to spend a few bucks on a gauge.
Dick

Please give yourself a break or two. It is not hard to load mixed brass although you will have a few belled to much and some with less than optimum case tension (different from crimp tension) because of differences in case thickness of some domestic brass compared to European brass. So what, just set them aside and go back to loading (even if you don't catch the problem until the bullet is seated. It won't be to much of a problem when you get several hundred loaded to take the few rejects and examine for repeat problems if you even have enough to worry about.

Mike_kerr, Thank you for your helpful feedback. Yes, I probably needed to take a break. I was also processing LC 5.56 military brass along with my mixed headstamp 9mm. The LC 5.56 military brass still had crimped primers and I had broken my decapping pin which was very frustrating so had switch to my 9mm brass while await a new decapping pin from RCBS.

Compound this with some of my 9mm also having berdan primers as well as crimped primers also cause decapping pin problems for even more frustration. Surprisingly, Lee's replacement decapping pin was much longer than what was in the original die set. Once I set it up, the resizing/decapping die has worked fantastically. That was why I was wondering if perhaps I got a bad set of dies from Lee?


Apparently I did not do a good job with my RCBS swagger as I didn't remove the crimp from the brass. I just discarded to save me aggravation and time. Fortunately, both cartridge has cheap once fired brass.

Reason for buying once fired 9mm brass is because I've only shot/have 45acp brass. Most ranges frown upon you picking up other shooters brass as they like to salvage the brass for themselves. Either to sell back to reloaders or for sell for salvage. I'm sure sell to vendors who process it and re-sell it back to customers.


Chalk it up as learning curve/experience.

I find after swaging the primer pocket on the RCBS die that cutting a small chamfer with a deburring tool makes it much easier to seat primers.

A deburring tool is what I use for crimped primer pockets too, no swaging necessary. I use an L.E. Wilson case deburring tool, it seems to work a bit better for primer pockets than my lathe/mill deburring tools.

Leomort - just something to watch out for on that 5.56 brass: crimped primer pockets don't break decapping pins, but Berdan primed brass can. Make sure to check them. If you broke a pin, chances are it was from a berdan primed piece of brass in the mix; where there's one there may be more.

Never sort just load and shoot. I do taper crimp all as it seems to help consistency all the way around.

It is possible to break a decapping pin with a swaged primer, BTDT. Some primers are swaged in so well they will not come out, and if there is no give in your depriming stem you will break it. Rare, but can happen.

When dealing with crimped primers I recommend a 10 pack of decapping pins

Swaged, or corroded? Not the same thing. I've been loading over 1K rounds per month of 9mm alone using old range pickup, and have yet to find one swaged in so hard that it'll break a decapping pin or refuse to come out. It's common to find some that are corroded in place, but even then the face of the primer comes out without breaking the pin.
YMMV of course.

Dunno, I couldn't get the primer out so the case got binned. If i have it happen again I'll take a pick. Don't recall the headstamp, but man those primers did not want to come out!

I had similar experience as 458Lott on with some of my 5.56brass. I broke my decapping pin twice on the 5.56, both times it wasn't LC but some markings/stamp I did not recognize. Perhaps foreign military brass? I've learned to go slowly when reszing/depriming. Also look at the headstamp, too! If it doesn't have headstamp I recognize such as LC, TAA, etc. I'm extremely cautious when depriming.

The RCBS swagger I have is the free standing one with ram-rod style. I think I did not have it set up properly despite watching youtube videos.


With regards to the 9mm, I quickly learn about berdan primer pockets. The lee resizing/depriming die had a decapping pin way too short. When encounter crimped primer pocket, it push the decapping pin back up into the tie causing it too be too short to deprime remaining pieces of brass. Biggest issue now, it my flaring die. The issue it probably me, not setting it up properly. Fortunately, 9mm brass is cheap enough to make mistakes

Thank you all the feedback! This newbie handloader greatly appreciates your help!

when getting primers out, i found the lee universal decapping die works pretty good. I have used it on a bunch of 30.06 crimped primer milsurp. I only broke a pin once, and lee replaced it.

The odd headstamps you don't recognize are likely to be Berdan primed; that's what I was trying to point out above. Sure, it's harder to see into a .223 case, but it's worth looking.

Definitely not a berdan primer in my case. The primer was well bulged out of the case but the ring crimp was so strong it would not release the primer.

Been reloading 9mm for 50 years. Can honestly say this caliber has never given me problems. I try to sort by brand of case, and if I don't, its no big deal.
Never had 9mm kaboom, blow out primers, break any guns, etc. Just use the same care reloading as you would any other caliber. Load and enjoy, and
its cheap shooting, too!

I think you're overestimating what a primer crimp can do. That tiny lip won't hold the primer in place while it bulges out. That's got to be corrosion.

9mm is definitely cheap(er) to reload/shoot! I can reload quality 9mm jhp for almost the same price of 45acp fmj-rn.

Just took delivery of 1000 rounds of 9mm practice ammo for under $200.

Carry factory +p gold dots for possible social issues.

Despite every "reloading loony" gene in my body, I can't even justify buying dies, much less components ...

GE

I'd have to tabulate, but pretty sure I have about $200 in my 9mm dies, dillon conversion, 3000 once fired cases and a Lee six cavity mold. For less than $100 I can put together 3000 rounds on that equipment.

Where I think you get the bigger cost savings on reloading the 9mm is when you're using quality jhp self-defense bullets. For cheap practice rounds, I agree with Gaviidae, that sometime you can get cheaper buying bulk. The 9mm still seems the cheapest of the centerfire handgun cartridges to reload for but I have only handloaded for:44mag, 45acp, 38spec/357mag, and now 9mm. I have not yet reloaded any centerfire rifle cartridges.

Loading 9mm practice ammo costs me ~$.05-$.06 per round, plus my time, vs $.20 per round mentioned above. I'd be spending $200+ per month on 9mm alone if I didn't reload it, so it's worthwhile to me, and enjoyable.

yonderling, that's pretty good! Primers are around $.03 per round. What bullets are you using? cast lead bullet? or you making them yourself?

almost cheaper to buy factory 9mm ammo.......

yes I reload......not 9mm....just a thought.......$190 per 1000 shipped

https://www.targetsportsusa.com/magtech-sport-9mm-ammo-115-grain-fmj-9a-p-2830.aspx

Yep, about $.03 per primer, and half that for powder. Using my own cast bullets; casting and loading 1,000 rounds takes me about 4 hours (2 hours for casting/coating/sizing, and 2 hours loading on a Dillon 550).

I've never bought 9mm brass but have accumulated thousands over the years; it's pretty much a "renewable resource" since it's so easy to find laying around, so that doesn't figure in to the $ amount.



No, it's not "almost cheaper" unless you're buying new brass and premium components for all your reloads. 5-10 cents per round vs 19-20 cents per round is not "almost", in fact it's not even close.

There's also the quality factor to consider; if you learn how to make good ammo it doesn't cost any more for all your reloads to offer premium accuracy in your pistol, compared to whatever you get with the bottom-end cheap factory ammo you're comparing to.

What it really comes down to is whether you shoot enough to make reloading worthwhile. If you think 1,000 rounds of practice ammo is enough to last you a long time, maybe it's not worth your time to reload. If you shoot a lot though, that same $200 case of ammo may only last you a month or so, or even less. Personally I have better things to spend $200/month on than ammo I could load myself.

It costs me 12.5 cents a round to load jacketed 9mm bullets using recycled brass. It takes me about an hour to do 100-200 and to run them through a case gauge. I can get new ammo with new brass for 20 cents a round. Right now, it is more cost effective to buy ammo, and I am stocking up on once fired brass in case the economics go the other way.

Anyone use EGA (EverGladeAmmo) headstamped brass in their 9mm? My guess is it's just starline brass that's private label?

I haven't run across any. Do you notice anything different about it?

I have used plenty of Starline 9mm brass (as well as other calibers), no issues.

Yonderling, I have not used EGA. Google searches had a few hits. Reviews seem to be positive and indicate that EGA is private label starline brass. Since new EGA is cheaper than new starline, I was debating whether it was worth it to reload my xtp-hp bullets. Or just save the $$ and use the mixed head stamped once-fired brass?

If nothing else, it is worth it to me to reload 9mm so that during a crunch, I don't have to look so down hearted when the store shelves are empty.

JMO but I can't see buying new 9mm brass for anything. If you want everything to be consistent for hot loads, feel free to sort fired brass by headstamp, otherwise just load 'em. Buying new brass for this won't gain you any tangible benefit.

Thanks, Yondering!