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Newbie to Reloading Looking for Insight Learned by Those More Experienced

2K views 43 replies 17 participants last post by  Southernguns 
#1 ·
As a relatively old-timer, chronologically, I am a newbie to reloading. I've read a couple books on the subject, namely: Lyman 4th Reloading Handbook; Lyman Shotshell Reloading Handbook; Richard Lee's Modern Reloading, 2nd Edition, and I have also purchased, and lightly used, some basic equipment.

Having talked my wife into jumping through all the hoops and paying all the fees the State of MD has put in place to discourage the exercise our 2A right to purchase/use a gun. and to regularly go to the range with me, I am ready to seriously get into reloading.

I think this website looks to be a good place to learn from the "experienced reloader".
 
#4 ·
chocolatedogman,
First of all, please go to the Introduction Section. Glad to have you join us and from Tennessee.
I guess my first question being a Lab lover is your name referring to a Chocolate Lab?
But also, what are you planning on loading? We will be glad to assist you on your venture. And with suggestions on equipment from experience. There are many of us here who have been loading and reloading for years. Including Shotgun, Rifle and Pistol.

03
 
#7 ·
Yes. We're living with our 4th Labrador retriever, a yellow... the other three were chocolates... my favorite color. But, when the last one passed at 11 1/2 yrs old, my wife said "No more. It's just too much when they pass." But, she had also fallen in love with a neighbors yellow Lab, and after a few months she remarked "If we ever get another I'd like it to be yellow." That was it. That night I began a search, and we ended up with a yellow lab that is now almost 22 months old. I've had the moniker "chocolatedogman" for too long, though, to go changing it now. Besides... personality wise a lab is a lab, is a lab... the only kind of dog there is IMHO!

I've loaded a few 9 mm Luger and some 12 ga loads. Currently I'm looking to load some 380 ACP for my wife's new S&W M&P 380 Shield EZ. From things I've read online, Hodgdon Titegroup seems to be a popular powder, and 75 grains seems to be a midrange bullet weight. Hodgdon's website gives clear data for powder loads. Before going through purchasing components for the 380 loads, however, I'm wondering if Titewad is the best powder.

Also, I'm aware that in shot shell loading the hull type is a significant factor in determining other appropriate components. Of course I understand case caliber is a factor, but Is the case manufacturer a factor in determining pistol loads?

I've used CCI small pistol primers in the 9 mm loads. Are these suitable for the 380 loads?

Thanks for any assistance you can provide.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Good luck finding the powder. It's out there but costly unless bought at an LGS and it still costs too much. Yes, it's good powder and it doesn't take much of it. Any brand small pistol primer should work for both 9mm and 380. Never used Titewad. It takes a tiny difference in Titegroup to make a significant difference in velocity. Make sure the OAL is right on 9mm and 380. May have to adjust but I'm not familiar with those guns.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for the guidance. I'll be sure to check OAL. Any recommendations for an appropriate powder I can use that might be easier and/or less costly than the Tightgroup? (I incorrectly wrote "Titewad" in the last paragraph, when I meant "Tightgroup". WOW! I guess I better take care not to make that mistake when I load!) BTW whats an "LGS"?
'
 
#9 ·
Chocolatedogman,
Yes! both hunting, a companion and as part of the family! Labs cannot be beat.
I have had 5 of them over the years Czar, Poco who were Black and Cocoa who was Chocolate. And then Angel and Baby Girl who were yellow. Czar and Poco were hunters as also being great family dogs. Cocoa, Angel and Baby Girls were just part of the family. We had to put Baby Girl to sleep in 2018 due to Cancer. As you guys it broke our hearts she was 12. But as your Wife mine waited about a week and she advised me, Honey I have to fill this hole in my heart! So. we got on the Internet and typed in Yellow Labrador Puppies. You would not believe what happened! Every time she entered the search for a Yellow Labrador puppy, this yellow labradoodle pup kept popping up even though it was typed in Yellow Lab Pups. It must have happened at least 6 times. So thinking it must be fate so we drove to Kentucky to see the pup. When I drove down the lane to the Kennel Office. I saw three yellow labs in a large outdoor wooded pen area. When I contacted the owner at the Office, I advised him we had come to look at a pup. But I wanted to look at one of the Yellow Labradors in the front pen. He advised I do not have any Lab Pups for sale. I only have one female lab and she is my breeding dog since I raise Labradoodles and a couple of other breeds. I said what about the Labs in the first pen. He advised those are first generation labradoodles. The mother is a Yellow Lab and their father (Sire) was a full-size standard poodle. Well, the rest is history. He opened the pen and her, her sister and brother came running out. And as you know how it would happen, one of the females came straight to us. So, we now have Mollie but other than having Poodle type Hair and a little Gotee she looks like a Yellow Lab. By being a first generation, she does not have curls like a repeated later bread generation of Labradoodles have.

Now as far as your question. Yes, Hodgdon Powder is good powder. And the primers are the same for the 380 and the 9mm Luger rounds. The best thing to do is find a powder that is good for several different calibers you will be loading. And especially with some powders being a little scarce or pricy today as well as primers. The IMR Powders and Alliance Powders are also excellent. I have never heard of the other powder you mentioned.

03
 
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#11 ·
Thanks for the response. That's a good idea... to select a multi-use powder. I'm thinking the case is irrelevant. I mean as long as the caliber is what you want to load, the dimensions, both exterior/interior, should be the same. No?

I think you're right about it being "fate" that brought you and Mollie together. And, I'll bet you don't have to deal with all the hair a Lab drops!
 
#14 ·
Titegroup powder and all powders are expensive BUT it takes so little of it in 9mm and 380, the cost is spread out over a lot of rounds. Be very careful you measure it correctly given the small amount it takes for a properly loaded round. If you don't have some good scales, get some. I use an old "balance beam" scale and it works perfect. You can also spend more money for electronic scales but they aren't necessary. I use them to calibrate an RCBS powder measure which you'll appreciate.

Speer makes a good reloading manual I like. Everyone has their preference. Probably better to read unbiased manual(s) as well as depend on experienced people's opinions (they haven't blown themselves up). There IS definitely a lot of good advice on this forum.
 
#17 ·
Titegroup powder and all powders are expensive BUT it takes so little of it in 9mm and 380, the cost is spread out over a lot of rounds. Be very careful you measure it correctly given the small amount it takes for a properly loaded round. If you don't have some good scales, get some. I use an old "balance beam" scale and it works perfect. You can also spend more money for electronic scales but they aren't necessary. I use them to calibrate an RCBS powder measure which you'll appreciate.

Speer makes a good reloading manual I like. Everyone has their preference. Probably better to read unbiased manual(s) as well as depend on experienced people's opinions (they haven't blown themselves up). There IS definitely a lot of good advice on this forum.
Southernguns,
Thanks for the info/advice.
I have a balance beam scale. Used carefully, nothing is more accurate. My powder measure is also an RCBS.
 
#22 ·
Only a suggestion - you might want to start by reloading round-nose, full metal jacket bullets the first go-around. Not only for practice (target) shooting but also to get the "feel" of reloading that small caliber round. Don't know where you shoot, but finding those little devils (empty cases) in the grass and/or gravel frustrates me. Have Fun!
 
#26 ·
Welcome aboard from AZ!
Lots of handloaders here. Folks can be a little cautious when it comes to sharing specific loads. They are worried about the perceived liability.
Best advice is to stick to published loads in manuals. All the manuals will give you each piece of info for each cartridge. Case, primer, powder, and bullet, overall length, etc. Follow that. Pay attention to the test barrel length used for their velocity numbers. Generally, this will explain why your numbers are somewhat different.
Titgroup is a great powder, i use for multiple pistol cartridges. You get a LOT of bang for the buck with it. Tx is right though, it's pretty fast and a little bit goes a long ways. Double charges are a real concern. Even a few flakes of it accidentally mixed with other charges can KABOOM a gun.
My tip for the day is this: make sure you have only 1 powder on your bench at a time. If you need to switch to another load, another powder, ensure that the 1st powder is completely cleaned off the bench, and out of all equipment, then put away completely before you introduce another powder to the bench.
Good luck! Check out the handloading section here:

Ask questions. Most here are more than happy to help if they can.
PS: don't be afraid to start new threads. Just title them well, and you'll be able to easily reference them.
 
#27 ·
Ditto. Super well articulated advice from Cliff here. Hand loading is fun but you're dealing with a propellant that burns pretty darned fast (not an explosive). It can burn and propel when confined, as in a bullet case with a seated bullet in the case. Simple but not so simple. Take your time and don't get in a hurry. Ask questions.
 
#28 ·
Chocolate,
IMO the cases for a pistol are mostly the same. I have Winchester and Hornady Cases.
For my rifles I have Lapua and Hornady. Normal reloading for rifles as long a s the cases are of the same manufacture one is good to go. Back in the day when I was Bench Rest Comp. shooting, I was a fanatic and always have been when it comes to accuracy and especially rifle.
I check the capacity of the Comp. 5 rounds and kept those 5 rounds together when loading them until I couldn't load them safely anymore. And kept the rest I used in 5 round groups.
Since I have also a story to tell I will move it to a new Thread called Labradors and Beloved Pets.
 
#29 ·
I've been reloading since 1968, in UK, Germany, USA and Canada. I remember being called out on one occasion by a gentleman in Fla. about one of the particular loads I mentioned [it had come straight out of the Speer manual], and advised that 'those figures are only for people reloading in the US of A, you furriners need to check out your own book seeing as how you do things different'.

Well, the only thing I do different these days is that I don't reload five pistol calibres apart from .38Spec/.357 Magnum. But I DO reload around fourteen rifle loads.

And welcome, from East Anglia UK.
 
#30 ·
Hey, welcome Chocolatedogman!

You've definitely come to a great place. I'm relatively new on these forums, only been here about a year, but I have been on lots of forums over the years and I don't think I've been on a better one than this one here.

The wife and I love labs too, but we've decided we aren't going to get another dog until we fully retire. We just aren't home enough or have the time to properly care for one, so 3 cats are it for now.

As for loading your 380, there are a number of powders suitable for it, and all them require very little powder, so any of them could be very easily over charged. Titegroup (not Titewad) is a good powder, I load 9mm and 380 with it (and practically every available bullet weight for the 380 has a Titegroup recipe).

I think the guys were getting a little confused over the powder name because in one of your posts above you did interchange Titegroup and Titewad. Titewad is a shotgun powder (although 380 loads using 100 grain bullets do have some shotgun powders that will work).

Although I have a few reloading books, I still find myself jumping on Hodgdon's online reloading center (Hodgdon Landing | Hodgdon) as my powder stash consists mostly of Hodgdon powders and it's easy and convenient.

Anyway, I don't think you'll go wrong with Titegroup. It isn't the velocity king in the list (not that the spread is that much across all the powders), but it is a consistent performer...and usable in nearly every pistol round you can think of from 25 ACP all the way up to the big boy S&W 500 magnum.
 
#31 ·
Welcome to the forum from Louisiana !
I started reloading and casting bullets in 1967 , shooting and reloading have been my hobbies all these years and I look forward to helping others . I learned a lot "the Hard Way" so if I can help you I look forward to doing so .
No interweb or forums when I started , you learned how to reload by reloading . I read the Lyman Cast Bullet Manuals , and Elmer Keith and Skeeter Skelton books and writings ...
Glad to have you on board ... it will be fun !
Gary
 
#40 ·
Welcome to the forum from Louisiana !
I started reloading and casting bullets in 1967 , shooting and reloading have been my hobbies all these years and I look forward to helping others . I learned a lot "the Hard Way" so if I can help you I look forward to doing so .
No interweb or forums when I started , you learned how to reload by reloading . I read the Lyman Cast Bullet Manuals , and Elmer Keith and Skeeter Skelton books and writings ...
Glad to have you on board ... it will be fun !
Gary
Ha! That's where I learned a few years later. Getting out of S. La. was the best thing that ever happened to me. You had to read back then and be really careful. I still use a lot of the same loads and powder and it hasn't changed any. Just some new powders to try. I used to cast boolets and declared, "never again". Too much work for me for just a bullet. I have more money now too, so no more casting for me.
 
#32 ·
Welcome from west Texas!
I have been reloading since I was 20 yrs old and in the Air Force. Retired from USAF more than 20 years ago…been reloading a while I guess. I tend to agree with TxHillbilly regarding the use of Tightgroup for the beginner. It is relatively fast burning which makes an overcharge, even a little, more dangerous. And the case will easily hold a double charge without overflow. I would recommend a slower powder that uses more grains per charge to start with until you are used to the process. And a 90 grain round nose would be a good bullet to learn the process with. You don’t need to load maximum loads, in fact I would avoid them and stay middle of the road as far as powder charges…this will make it easier on your wife to shoot also. I do not have my load data in front of me right now, but I will take a look later at some good powders for .380 that are a bit safer to load because they fill the case a bit more. Okay, I looked; I would suggest trying Hodgdon Universal, HS-6, or CFE Pistol. Also AA#5 is a good powder. All of these will use a little more powder but give a little more flexibility of range and not so fast burning as to be a potential danger until you get more used to the reloading process. They will work with smaller bullets later too.

Assuming you are not starting out with progressive equipment, an important step to take after charging the cases with powder and before you seat bullets, is to look at the cases all lined up in a loading block (do use a loading block) and make sure you did not fail to charge one (empty) which would likely give a squib (bullet stuck in the barrel) and look for any that may seem to have more powder (overcharge). In other words, look for uniformity of powder levels in each case. A good way to avoid over or lack of charge is to put your cases in a loading block upside down (primers up) and turn them over as you charge them; this minimizes the possibility of missing a charge or a double charge as you will be taking the next empty and upside down case from the block each time.
With small powder charges, never fully trust the powder measure and always use a baffle no matter the powder charge or type of powder. Once the powder measure is set accurately, check it with the scale at least every tenth charge. Be consistent with the manner you throw the powder measure handle. Inconsistent handle throws can give inconsistent charges no matter how carefully you set the measure. Don’t let the powder measure level drop below the baffle; this too can cause variances in the charge. And realize that some powders being larger flakes or cylindrical powders can cause variations in charge weight too.

Obviously, all of this is my suggestions based on my own knowledge and experience. You gotta do what suits you best, but please be careful!
 
#33 ·
Lately I’ve been doing things a little different than I normally did. My empty cases sit to my right and are picked up and powder charged and bullet set and seated immediately. I look in the case before seating the bullet. I don’t know if this method is any quicker or safer but if you get called away in the middle of a reloading session when you return you know exactly where you were at.
 
#35 ·
I've loaded 380 with Titegroup and AA#2 using lead and FMJ bullets. I tare each case and weigh after filling. My tolerance is plus or minus 0.1 grains. Yes, it takes a little more time, but I've never had a double charge and I'm not in a hurry when loading. I recommend the Lyman test block to be sure the reloaded cartridge will chamber correctly. I also like the Lee Reloading manual and cast my own lead with the Lee molds.
 
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