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I joined the reloading club! Check out my set up.

S

SWThomas

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 23, 2013
486
3
44
Fort Lee, VA
I finally got serious about reloading. Thanks to BrianEnos.com it was super easy and I got pretty much everything I need to get started. I know I still need bullets, primers, tumbler media, and powder but I'm getting closer to loading my first round. I went with the 9mm kit to start but will be getting conversion kits for 40S&W and 5.56.

Here's some pics of my set up. I put it all together today.















I set my resizing/depriming die and my powder/flaring die today. I'll set the seating die and crimping die when I get some bullets. How does my bell flare look? Too much or just right. It looks good to me based on what I've read and seen, but I'm still learning.





I'm planning to buy a case trimmer soon since I'll need it for reloading rifle cases. How important is it to trim pistol cases? All the videos I've seen show folks just cleaning and loading. The only brass I've seen people trim is rifle brass.

Is there anything else you guys think I should invest in before I get started?
 
I've never trimmed straight wall pistol.

That looks like a little too much belling to me. What does it measure? I can't remember the spec that was told to me what I was looking for with the belling, but you couldn't really see it with the naked eye when it was perfect. The less you can work the brass the longer it will last.
 
Hair too much belling. Congrats on the 550b!

Before you know it you'll have a shelf full of tool heads....
 
It looks like your setup is in your garage. The worst enemy of powder and primers is moisture. Be sure to empty your powder measurer when done and store your powder someplace dry.

I have a couple of 550s, they're great.
 
WAY too much belling.

You should be able to just feel it.

But you bought the wrong stuff. Blue is a horrible color. Just send it to me and I will save you from it.

:)
 
rjacobs said:
I've never trimmed straight wall pistol.

That looks like a little too much belling to me. What does it measure? I can't remember the spec that was told to me what I was looking for with the belling, but you couldn't really see it with the naked eye when it was perfect. The less you can work the brass the longer it will last.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I'll dial it back a bit.
 
308boltgun said:
It looks like your setup is in your garage. The worst enemy of powder and primers is moisture. Be sure to empty your powder measurer when done and store your powder someplace dry.

I have a couple of 550s, they're great.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip! I hadn't thought about that.
 
I have a setup in the garage and live in humid Florida. I built a shelf above the washing machine and placed a 75 pint dehumidifier with the drain line going into the washer drain. The humidity measures around 40% and temps from 70-85 degrees this summer with this setup, and I have absolutely no rust on any tools stored out there. I open the garage door several times a day, but I do close it as much as possible. This same room was well into the high 90% range prior to this appliance install. The unit first ran into a tank, and initially filled a couple gallons in just a few hours, but over a period of a few weeks slowed to about a gallon in 24 hours. i could see a difference in all my wood shelving out there as everything dried out. Tapping into the AC was also attempted but the wife was freaking the fuk out about that so this was a good compromise. I store all my powder and primers inside but there is no issue with leaving some out for any period of time. In fact my tumbled brass dries in about an hour or so just lying on a towel on my bench, I assume from the elevated temp combined with the dry air. I picked up the dehumidifier on craigslist for $20. I will also say that it just feels a hell of alot more comfortable out there since doing this, if I had known it was this nice I would have done this years ago.
 
I still like the ole rock chucker better, I also recommend getting reloading manuals for the bullets your using (ex berger, sierra, hornady, barnes, nosler, etc)
 
rjacobs said:
I've never trimmed straight wall pistol.

That looks like a little too much belling to me. What does it measure? I can't remember the spec that was told to me what I was looking for with the belling, but you couldn't really see it with the naked eye when it was perfect. The less you can work the brass the longer it will last.
Click to expand...

I was going to say the same thing, if you bell them too much you wont get the cases in the seater die, found that out when I started reloading 357Mag, but open the mouths just so you can start a bullet in the case a bit, and yes you never have to trim auto pistol cases.
 
The glaring problem with your setup is that it is waaaaay too clean. It's unnatural. Crank it a few thousands times.

Congrats man, I have a RL550 too. Fantastic choice. I load everything from pistol to precision rifle rounds on it with the whidden toolhead.
 
Nice set up. I find that I adjust the flare on the expander die so that it just allows the bast of the bullet to enter without ANY shaving or hard starting. Also, I found you need to crimp the bullets gently to prevent feed jams in use. Some pistols are more sensitive to the feed jams than others....
 
VJJPunisher said:
reloading becomes a entire hobby all in itself, be warned
Click to expand...

It's like horses or boats. You should have a cash bucket that every time you head out to the bench, drop in $5. Before long, you'll be dippin' in to get more sh1t, adding more calibers, better tumbler, etc.

Welcome to reloading -- you're lookin' good.
 
Also get like a trim mate pro or something like that, that has the primer pocket cleaner, deburers and the neck cleaner, trust me it will make your hands not ache after doing 200+ brass
 
Pinecone said:
SWThomas said:
Yes, they have a large part of the case unsupported. It is called a Glock Bulge.

It is not recommended to reload and use multiple times in a Glock. I will reload once fired from a Glock, but it is not fired again in aGlock.

Lee makes a "Bulge Buster" kit to iron out those bulges.

Lee Bulge Buster Kit - Lee Precision
Click to expand...

So I went out and checked the cases again. That bulge appears to be from the resizing die not going all the way down the case. I measure an unsized/once fired case and it was the same measurement from top to bottom. Then I resized it and it shrunk down everywhere except where that bulge is. I don't know what's wrong and why it's not resizing the entire case. My resizing die makes very light contact with the shell plate when the handle is completely down so I can't go any lower on the die.

WHAT AM I DOING WORNG?
Click to expand...
 
Congrats on the Dillon! I agree, a little too much flair. Probably about right right for a cast bullet, but a little too much for a jacketed one. Most reloaders never trim straight wall pistol cases, but you will need a trimmer when you start loading bottle neck rifle cartridges. Lots of reloaders don't trust digital scales, you may want to consider a scale weight check set. They can be affected by air currents, cell phones, fluorescent lights, ect. I've had good luck with mine, this is just a heads up on things to watch for.

Watch for rust forming on your gear, sometimes garages can be damp or humid. Also consider keeping your powder and primers in the house. Once again, Congrats! Lightman
 
SWThomas said:
Pinecone said:
So I went out and checked the cases again. That bulge appears to be from the resizing die not going all the way down the case. I measure an unsized/once fired case and it was the same measurement from top to bottom. Then I resized it and it shrunk down everywhere except where that bulge is. I don't know what's wrong and why it's not resizing the entire case. My resizing die makes very light contact with the shell plate when the handle is completely down so I can't go any lower on the die.

WHAT AM I DOING WORNG?
Click to expand...

The answer is right there in your post. A sizing die does not "squeeze" the bottom of the case, so the bulge buster works with a (not included) Lee carbide crimp die and pushes the case all the way up through the carbide ring, thereby taking that bulge out of the bottom of the case. Despite the fact that this works the brass quite a bit more than normal, I know at least one reloader that has no problems doing this multiple times with his brass and no problems.
Click to expand...
 
redhooker said:
The answer is right there in your post. A sizing die does not "squeeze" the bottom of the case, so the bulge buster works with a (not included) Lee carbide crimp die and pushes the case all the way up through the carbide ring, thereby taking that bulge out of the bottom of the case. Despite the fact that this works the brass quite a bit more than normal, I know at least one reloader that has no problems doing this multiple times with his brass and no problems.
Click to expand...

So the bulge isn't from the Glock, it's from the die not sizing the case all the way. I don't see how that slight bulge at the bottom could become an issue if Dillon designed their dies to resize the brass and leave it there. Why would I need to get rid of that bulge if it gauges fine? I'm not challenging you (as I don't know anything yet) I'm just asking?
 
The bulge is from the glock chamber. Its unsupported around the feed ramp and makes a guppy-belly in the fired brass. The sizing die doesn't go that far down, so get a G-RX die from Redding to remove it. This ensures positive feed/function; while I'm not sure what the likelihood is, I imagine the glock bulge could prevent a round from being fully chambered (headspacing on bulge instead of case mouth). I buy once-fired pistol brass and run it all through a G-RX before I use it in a fully supported chamber multiple times. You may want to look into a lone-wolf or similar aftermarket barrel for better brass life. FWIW I also taper-crimp autoloader rounds as a separate operation. Your case mouth expansion is very excessive. It should hardly be visible, and needs to just be enough to accept the base of a bullet.
 
Big Z said:
The bulge is from the glock chamber. Its unsupported around the feed ramp and makes a guppy-belly in the fired brass. The sizing die doesn't go that far down, so get a G-RX die from Redding to remove it. This ensures positive feed/function; while I'm not sure what the likelihood is, I imagine the glock bulge could prevent a round from being fully chambered (headspacing on bulge instead of case mouth). I buy once-fired pistol brass and run it all through a G-RX before I use it in a fully supported chamber multiple times. You may want to look into a lone-wolf or similar aftermarket barrel for better brass life. FWIW I also taper-crimp autoloader rounds as a separate operation. Your case mouth expansion is very excessive. It should hardly be visible, and needs to just be enough to accept the base of a bullet.
Click to expand...

I'm still not seeing how the bulge is from my Glock. How can that be when the case measures exactly the same from top to bottom before I resize it? If the unsupported chamber in my Glock was causing the back of the case to bulge, it would show when I measure the case before resizing.

And Redding doesn't offer that die for 9MM.
 
Last edited:
SWThomas said:
So the bulge isn't from the Glock, it's from the die not sizing the case all the way. I don't see how that slight bulge at the bottom could become an issue if Dillon designed their dies to resize the brass and leave it there. Why would I need to get rid of that bulge if it gauges fine? I'm not challenging you (as I don't know anything yet) I'm just asking?
Click to expand...

Sorry I didn't catch that was 9mm. Carbide dies are flared at the mouth, so they won't remove that bulge. Ever. You have 2 choices (that I know of) with 9mm, find an old non-carbide die that is straight walled (the old RCBS is one), or you can order an undersized die from Evolution Gun Works-but they are months out as you are not the only one experiencing this problem. You can reload and shoot the cases like that but eventually you will have a problem with the cases getting stuck in the chamber.

ETA-I just caught you said the bulge comes after sizing/belling? If thats the case you have a different issue altogether related to your sizing die setup.
 
Last edited:
I think that is what my 9mm cases look like after being sized in my Dillon dies, slight bulge at the bottom. I think the giant belling is making it look worse than it is. That is why I hate questions like "does this look right" because in reloading everything goes off of dimensions down to the thousandth. Sizing is to get the portion of the case that the bullet seats in back to the proper dimensions to hold bullet tension IMO. Is the "bulge" all the way around the case? If it is I wouldnt be worried about it. If it was the Glock bulge you would only see it on a section of case about the size of the feed ramp in the Glock.

I have reloaded and shot probably close to 20k rounds of 9mm out of my 550b and Dillon 9mm dies with zero issues and we dont segregate brass from or to guns(shoot Glocks and M&P's) and it feeds and functions in everything.

If your reloads with this bulge cause function issues than look further into it. Dont load up to many rounds before you go check them at the range like my old man does. I love getting these calls from him "hey I loaded up 500 rounds of .45 with this new powder(he likes to tinker)" then we go to the range and I find out he loaded to the bottom of the powder charge range and the guns barely function and I make him pull apart all 490 of the remaining rounds. He STILL does this after doing it 3 or 4 times. He doesnt understand loading 10 rounds of one charge, 10 of the next up, 10 of the next and FUNCTION CHECKING them. Once I get him dialed in on a recipe and dimensions and what not, his ammo is outstanding, but he doesnt understand load workup.
 
rjacobs said:
I think that is what my 9mm cases look like after being sized in my Dillon dies, slight bulge at the bottom. I think the giant belling is making it look worse than it is. That is why I hate questions like "does this look right" because in reloading everything goes off of dimensions down to the thousandth. Sizing is to get the portion of the case that the bullet seats in back to the proper dimensions to hold bullet tension IMO. Is the "bulge" all the way around the case? If it is I wouldnt be worried about it. If it was the Glock bulge you would only see it on a section of case about the size of the feed ramp in the Glock.

I have reloaded and shot probably close to 20k rounds of 9mm out of my 550b and Dillon 9mm dies with zero issues and we dont segregate brass from or to guns(shoot Glocks and M&P's) and it feeds and functions in everything.

If your reloads with this bulge cause function issues than look further into it. Dont load up to many rounds before you go check them at the range like my old man does. I love getting these calls from him "hey I loaded up 500 rounds of .45 with this new powder(he likes to tinker)" then we go to the range and I find out he loaded to the bottom of the powder charge range and the guns barely function and I make him pull apart all 490 of the remaining rounds. He STILL does this after doing it 3 or 4 times. He doesnt understand loading 10 rounds of one charge, 10 of the next up, 10 of the next and FUNCTION CHECKING them. Once I get him dialed in on a recipe and dimensions and what not, his ammo is outstanding, but he doesnt understand load workup.
Click to expand...

Rjacobs, I agree with you on the bulge. I have shot several hundred of my own 9mm----I got a 9mm because I got so much free brass at the range. I have had zero problem with the "bulge" at the bottom, and won't chase a way to "correct" it, as I think that will only cause more brass working. They chamber and feed well, so, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The flare is too much.

I am looking into a separate crimp die, but for now have good success with taper crimping while bullet seating.


Cheers,
Tim
The Right to Keep and Bear Arms Shall NOT be Infringed
 
Sniper Uncle said:
Rjacobs,
I am looking into a separate crimp die, but for now have good success with taper crimping while bullet seating.
Click to expand...

The Dillon dies are already setup this way so the OP doesnt have to worry about seating and crimping in the same die. I dont like dies that do this, my buddy has a set of Lee dies that do this and it took me FOREVER to get it setup correctly. Get the crimp set right and the bullet was being seated deeper than I had just set. Seat the bullet out just a little further and then re-work the crimp and now the thing tried to crimp the bullet instead of the case. I finally got it, but it took like an hour of tinkering and God knows how many rounds I pulled apart. I can setup a 2 die pistol set(seating and crimp in different dies) in about 10 minutes generally.
 
Measure the bulge. It may just be that part of the case is not sized. But try chambering a few and see how they work.

My .45 reloads look wasp waisted. It is narrower in the middle and bigger at top and bottom.

Bulge Buster will not work on 9mm, as it is a tapered case.
 
Ahh! I remember how sweet it was getting all those boxes delivered

DillonOrderSized.jpg


It looks like you blew the wad doing a one stop shop with Mr. Enos also. Smart move. I found a home for it all

FinishedBench006.jpg


ask plenty of questions as you move ahead and read everything you can. I head back to the Brian enos Forum often as just about every problem a Dillon can have is covered on that site. Don't hesitate to call Dillon customer service with your questions.
 
SWThomas said:
Pinecone said:
So I went out and checked the cases again. That bulge appears to be from the resizing die not going all the way down the case. I measure an unsized/once fired case and it was the same measurement from top to bottom. Then I resized it and it shrunk down everywhere except where that bulge is. I don't know what's wrong and why it's not resizing the entire case. My resizing die makes very light contact with the shell plate when the handle is completely down so I can't go any lower on the die.

WHAT AM I DOING WORNG?
Click to expand...

Redding makes a push-through die. The brass goes in the bottom and comes out the top, completely resized.
Click to expand...
 
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