Reloading Pistol Ammo .45 & .357

[rwilson452]

Lee Case Length Gage and Shellholder 45 ACP

I think you will find this will not need to be used.

[Brick]

Originally Posted by FFEMT128

Just placed an order for my reloading equipment.

Frankford Arsenal Impact Bullet Puller
Lee Deluxe Handgun 4-Die Set 45 ACP
Frankford Arsenal Quick-N-EZ Case Tumbler Master Kit
Frankford Arsenal Electronic Caliper 6" Stainless Steel
Lee 4 Hole Turret Press with Auto Index Deluxe Kit
Frankford Arsenal Impact Bullet Puller 3 Collet Set
Lee Case Length Gage and Shellholder 45 ACP

I'll order the dies for the .38 spc and .357 at a later time.

Is there anything else I need to look into purchasing right off the bat?
Thanks

I don't see a scale (either electronic or balance) in your list. Do you have one? Likewise you should add some of the smaller items (unless you have them) such as primer flipper, powder funnel, reloading blocks, deburring tool and eventually a case trimmer. I'm not sure what you mean by the Lee Case Gage. I use a Dillion case gage to check my finished cartridges (sometimes), if the finshed round sits correctly in the gage it will fit the chamber correctly. It's a nice to have item, but you can use the dismounted barrel from your .45 in the same manner. Plus it's less of a problem if you're only reloading for one pistol. If you mean a little doo-dad gage for measuring the case length of various common cases, use your caliper instead, just set it to the maximum case length and cases too long to fit through must be trimmed (cut to the recommended "trim-to" length). There's other goodies that you might want to getalso but for now keep them open so your "significant other" doesn't have to guess what you want for Christmas/Anniversay/Birthday etc.

[FFEMT128]

Kit comes with a small scale. I had thought it included a funnel but upon closer inspection it doesn't. I can pick one of those up when I get my powder, primers and bullets. I'm sure there are other items I will need to pick up also. I was considering going with 230 gn round nose as that is what we have been shooting so far unless there are some other suggestions.

[Brick]

Your choices for primers, powders and bullets and combinations are almost limitless. Some will depend on your pistols, i.e. if your pistol barrels use polygonal rifling don't use lead bullets.

My personal choices for .45 ACP are Federal Large Pistol primers, 200 gr. lead bullet and 4.5 grs. of W231. But this is a load I developed for bullseye competition. It is a little underpowered for a defense load and will not make IDPA 165,000 power level. It is accurate and pleasurable to shoot in both my 1911s and Mod. 25-2. On the whole I prefer cast bullets because of cost and the 200 grainers can be used in both .45 ACP and .45 Colt reloads. I like W231 because it is cleaner than Bullseye and is usable in many calibers (although some might argue that it isn't the best in certain calibers). I use Federal primers because they seem to give more sure ignition to the lighter trigger pull/hammer fall in my revolver. Cases don't seem to make that much difference, I have a mix of military and civilian, some have been reloaded so many time that the headstamp is illegible. The only brand I avoid is AMERC.

Currently I am not reloading for .357 Magnum, but I do reload for .38 Spec. Fed. small pistol primers, W231 or AA#5, 158 gr. LRN. FWIW I have found that 5.6 grs. of AA#5 consistently exceeds the IDPA 125,000 power level with the 158 gr. bullet.

Have fun and remember that part of the fun is develing loads that work best for you and your guns.!

[FFEMT128]

Originally Posted by Brick

Your choices for primers, powders and bullets and combinations are almost limitless. Some will depend on your pistols, i.e. if your pistol barrels use polygonal rifling don't use lead bullets.

My personal choices for .45 ACP are Federal Large Pistol primers, 200 gr. lead bullet and 4.5 grs. of W231. But this is a load I developed for bullseye competition. It is a little underpowered for a defense load and will not make IDPA 165,000 power level. It is accurate and pleasurable to shoot in both my 1911s and Mod. 25-2. On the whole I prefer cast bullets because of cost and the 200 grainers can be used in both .45 ACP and .45 Colt reloads. I like W231 because it is cleaner than Bullseye and is usable in many calibers (although some might argue that it isn't the best in certain calibers). I use Federal primers because they seem to give more sure ignition to the lighter trigger pull/hammer fall in my revolver. Cases don't seem to make that much difference, I have a mix of military and civilian, some have been reloaded so many time that the headstamp is illegible. The only brand I avoid is AMERC.

Currently I am not reloading for .357 Magnum, but I do reload for .38 Spec. Fed. small pistol primers, W231 or AA#5, 158 gr. LRN. FWIW I have found that 5.6 grs. of AA#5 consistently exceeds the IDPA 125,000 power level with the 158 gr. bullet.

Have fun and remember that part of the fun is develing loads that work best for you and your guns.!

Thanks for another reply. As far as firearms both my son and I have XD45 and Taurus 357 revolver. I appreciate your preferred load info. I have been reviewing the 2 books that I puchased and for someone just starting out it can be somewhat overwhelming. I'm looking forward to getting the equipment this week and getting it set up in the shop. All necessary PPE is already on hand there. Goggles, ample light, fire extinguisher, etc.

[unclesam099]

For the XD45, look at a bullet that does not have any shoulder on it. I found with a 200gr Semi-Wadcutter that the gun will not feed it because the casings get caught on the shoulders of each other when trying to feed, jamming after every shot.

I got the 200gr Flat Point bullet from King's Shooters Supply locally. Very helpful there and I'm very happy with what I got for the price ($34/500).

[FFEMT128]

I have the press set up and also picked up some 200 gr Flat point Jacketed bullets. Loaded some with 4.6 grains of bullseye powder. I'm going to load some a little heavier 5 grains to see how they go also. OAL is set at 1.24 for now. So far other than having to do more cleaning in the shop it seems to be going well so far.