Pistol reloading on single stage press.

[janfred]

So, you want to start reloading for your trusty 9mm and got talked into a reloading kit, or you have reloaded for rifle and now want to start with pistol. Chances are that you have only a single-stage press and better than even chance that it is a Lee press. If you are smart, you would have a reloading manual as well. Before starting to reload ammunition it is a great idea to understand the process from start to finish. This is where the manual helps. With the equipment you also got instruction pamphlets giving you important setup instructions. Be familiar with those as well. I will not be covering the basics.

What follows is what I was doing when loading for 9mm on my single stage.

Very important! Before processing any range pick-ups, inspect every case individually. Check for berdan brass, S&B NX brass and damaged cases. When in doubt, throw it out.

Firstly, because I pick up my cases from the ground there is a good chance that sand and mud will be mixed in there as well. This is not good for the press or cases so I clean this out first. I toss the cases, 300 at a time, in my trusty vibratory tumbler for around 30 minutes.

Around 30 minutes later I turn the tumbler upside down and catch the tumbling media in a bucket. The almost clean cases are then placed in a suitable container. By almost clean  I mean that all sand and mud is off the cases. There may still be some soot marks on the outside and definitely will be soot inside. I do not think it matters and it hasn't been an issue in thousands of cases that I have reloaded so far. But I digress... When the first batch comes out, I insert the next batch

Then I deprime and size using my sizing die of choice. In this case a Lee carbide sizing die. Take note,it is important to size the case down as far as the die and press will allow. This is to ensure that the web expansion stays under control. To process 300 cases takes around 15 to 20 minutes so I have time to have a coffee before the next 300 cases are reasonably clean and ready for removal from the tumbler. Always pay attention to the effort required to size a case. If a case sizes very easy, it is either already sized or the case is split or cracked. If the press stops suddenly, do not force it. You may have let a berdan brass case through. Thankfully Lee decapping pins are more robust that their competitors. Further inspection is required.

When all my cases have been deprimed it is time for the next step. Here I differ from the conventional method. I flare all the cases before continuing to the next step. To set the amount of flare, I use the shortest case I have in my batch of cases and set the flare to comfortably hold a bullet without falling off when I tilt the case and bullet. Once again, pay attention to the effort required. A case that is easier to flare than the rest has either already been flared or split. Further inspection will answer that question. Takes me around an hour to flare 1000 cases.

When all the cases have been flared, I prime the cases using my trusty Lee hand primer. Takes me about 1.5 hours to prime 1000 cases. After priming each case I put it primer-up in a cartridge box. That way I can see if I missed any cases and that primers are in the right side up. Also run my finger over the head to feel if the primer is deep enough. It is easier to correct a proud primer now.

If everything has gone well, I now have a 1000 primed cases ready for powder and bullet. I have already worked up a load for my ammunition so now I will be loading for volume. First to set up the powder thrower. I use a Lyman cast unit. Bit finicky to set up but does not feel as flimsy as the Lee. The Lee Perfect Powder Measure is adequate and throws just as, if not more, accurate than other brands. Powder selection makes a huge difference; more so than the powder measure. Ball powders, like S121, throws much more precise than flake or extruded powders. During load development I have worked up my required load and the maximum charge weight that I do not want to exceed. I then set my powder measure to throw  as close to my required charge weight as possible, but not exceeding my maximum at any time. Before loading I weigh at least 50 charges to make sure. During loading, if in any doubt I weigh the charge again.

Next, I have to set up the seating die. My dies are all marked so that I don't have to redo all the setups. Basically just check when starting. To load, I take a case, dispense the powder from the measure directly into the case, visually check that the level is as expected and place a bullet on top. From there it goes into the press to seat the bullet before being placed into the cartridge box. If the powder level is not as expected, check the weight on your scale. If in doubt, check the weight. Chances are that the powder hopper is close to empty. Takes me around 2.5 hours to load 1000 bullets.

When all the cartridges are loaded, they can now be crimped if required or desired. When flaring mixed brass I set the flaring die to flare the shortest cases enough. This means the longer cases may be flared more than optimal and can cause a failure to feed if used in a tight chamber pistol. These cartridges have to be worked through a taper or factory crimp die to remove the flare. For single batch brass where all the cases are very close to the same length, you do not have to crimp 9mm cartridges provided you have set the flare correctly. When in doubt, do the plunk test.

The last batch of cartridges that I reloaded, I averaged 25 seconds per cartridge which includes fumbling a case every now and then, but excludes tumbling, setup and refilling time. Approximately 7 hours in total to size/deprime, flare, prime, load and crimp.

[Treeman]

Your post -----If a case sizes very easy, it is either already sized or the case is split or cracked. If the press stops suddenly, do not force it. You may have let a berdan brass case through.
like so should be a #1 Rule

[ARK]

So, you want to start reloading for your trusty 9mm and got talked into a reloading kit, or you have reloaded for rifle and now want to start with pistol. Chances are that you have only a single-stage press and better than even chance that it is a Lee press. If you are smart, you would have a reloading manual as well. Before starting to reload ammunition it is a great idea to understand the process from start to finish. This is where the manual helps. With the equipment you also got instruction pamphlets giving you important setup instructions. Be familiar with those as well. I will not be covering the basics.

What follows is what I was doing when loading for 9mm on my single stage.

Very important! Before processing any range pick-ups, inspect every case individually. Check for berdan brass, S&B NX brass and damaged cases. When in doubt, throw it out.

Firstly, because I pick up my cases from the ground there is a good chance that sand and mud will be mixed in there as well. This is not good for the press or cases so I clean this out first. I toss the cases, 300 at a time, in my trusty vibratory tumbler for around 30 minutes.

Around 30 minutes later I turn the tumbler upside down and catch the tumbling media in a bucket. The almost clean cases are then placed in a suitable container. By almost clean  I mean that all sand and mud is off the cases. There may still be some soot marks on the outside and definitely will be soot inside. I do not think it matters and it hasn't been an issue in thousands of cases that I have reloaded so far. But I digress... When the first batch comes out, I insert the next batch

Then I deprime and size using my sizing die of choice. In this case a Lee carbide sizing die. Take note,it is important to size the case down as far as the die and press will allow. This is to ensure that the web expansion stays under control. To process 300 cases takes around 15 to 20 minutes so I have time to have a coffee before the next 300 cases are reasonably clean and ready for removal from the tumbler. Always pay attention to the effort required to size a case. If a case sizes very easy, it is either already sized or the case is split or cracked. If the press stops suddenly, do not force it. You may have let a berdan brass case through. Thankfully Lee decapping pins are more robust that their competitors. Further inspection is required.

When all my cases have been deprimed it is time for the next step. Here I differ from the conventional method. I flare all the cases before continuing to the next step. To set the amount of flare, I use the shortest case I have in my batch of cases and set the flare to comfortably hold a bullet without falling off when I tilt the case and bullet. Once again, pay attention to the effort required. A case that is easier to flare than the rest has either already been flared or split. Further inspection will answer that question. Takes me around an hour to flare 1000 cases.

When all the cases have been flared, I prime the cases using my trusty Lee hand primer. Takes me about 1.5 hours to prime 1000 cases. After priming each case I put it primer-up in a cartridge box. That way I can see if I missed any cases and that primers are in the right side up. Also run my finger over the head to feel if the primer is deep enough. It is easier to correct a proud primer now.

If everything has gone well, I now have a 1000 primed cases ready for powder and bullet. I have already worked up a load for my ammunition so now I will be loading for volume. First to set up the powder thrower. I use a Lyman cast unit. Bit finicky to set up but does not feel as flimsy as the Lee. The Lee Perfect Powder Measure is adequate and throws just as, if not more, accurate than other brands. Powder selection makes a huge difference; more so than the powder measure. Ball powders, like S121, throws much more precise than flake or extruded powders. During load development I have worked up my required load and the maximum charge weight that I do not want to exceed. I then set my powder measure to throw  as close to my required charge weight as possible, but not exceeding my maximum at any time. Before loading I weigh at least 50 charges to make sure. During loading, if in any doubt I weigh the charge again.

Next, I have to set up the seating die. My dies are all marked so that I don't have to redo all the setups. Basically just check when starting. To load, I take a case, dispense the powder from the measure directly into the case, visually check that the level is as expected and place a bullet on top. From there it goes into the press to seat the bullet before being placed into the cartridge box. If the powder level is not as expected, check the weight on your scale. If in doubt, check the weight. Chances are that the powder hopper is close to empty. Takes me around 2.5 hours to load 1000 bullets.

When all the cartridges are loaded, they can now be crimped if required or desired. When flaring mixed brass I set the flaring die to flare the shortest cases enough. This means the longer cases may be flared more than optimal and can cause a failure to feed if used in a tight chamber pistol. These cartridges have to be worked through a taper or factory crimp die to remove the flare. For single batch brass where all the cases are very close to the same length, you do not have to crimp 9mm cartridges provided you have set the flare correctly. When in doubt, do the plunk test.

The last batch of cartridges that I reloaded, I averaged 25 seconds per cartridge which includes fumbling a case every now and then, but excludes tumbling, setup and refilling time. Approximately 7 hours in total to size/deprime, flare, prime, load and crimp.

This is so helpful for a noob like myself, my first run without any assistance took me 40 min to decap and resize 100 cases, tomorrow evening I will know how long it takes me to prime 100 case's

[Ds J]

With a single stage press one can produce 100 cartridges per hour from start to finish. This is possible if one works fast, and if the cases have been washed or tumbled previously.
That said, I do not always clean the flash holes.

I once did 150 cartridges in an hour, but then one works fast enough to sweat.