Pistol Reloading Question

[motown]

I have been handloading for rifles for roughly 20 years now and am planning on starting for handguns now as well. I just picked up a Ruger SBH 41 mag that I would like to try some different loads for.

My question is are there any additional steps for reloading handgun cartridges than rifle that need to be done. I have always reloaded for bolt action rifles so never found the need for crimping, so that will be new for me, but other than that is there anything else I should know about?

 

[mtwarych]

A straight walled cartridge will require a sizing belling step to keep from crushing the case.

Normally, The first die decaps and resizes the outer dimension of the case.

The second die will resize the interior mouth of the case to accept the new slug and will slightly bell the mouth of the case to accept the base of the bullet easier.

The third die will seat and crimp the finished round. It is suggested to seat and crimp in different steps. I have found I make much better pistol loads using the two step seat and crimp process.

One of the biggest differences between rifle and pistol loading is that a double charge of powder is possible in most large handgun cases. BOOM.

Good luck with loading.

 

[barefooter56]

I have been handloading for rifles for roughly 20 years now and am planning on starting for handguns now as well. I just picked up a Ruger SBH 41 mag that I would like to try some different loads for.

My question is are there any additional steps for reloading handgun cartridges than rifle that need to be done. I have always reloaded for bolt action rifles so never found the need for crimping, so that will be new for me, but other than that is there anything else I should know about?

motown,
All I can add to mtwarych's post is. When you set up the die that bells the case mouth. Adjust it to the least amount of belling of the mouth you need . Just to where you dont shave any lead or jacket off the bullet when seating. To much case mouth belling affects the case grip on the bullet (too loose). On a taper crimped round this can be a major issue. With the roll /profile crimp die you MAY find that trimming the brass to all the same length ( to the shortest piece of brass you have) will help with getting the crimp rolled into the cannelure of the bullet every time without messing with the die setting. That issue may depend on how hot your load is and if you are using different makes of brass. Enjoy! Pistols are great for helping with trigger control issues and make you that much better on your rifle!

 

[Trickymissfit]

I load that same 41 mag in a Black Hawk too (well the last batch was over four years ago). The posters here told you right.

Die selection is really up to you, but my favorite is the Lyman "M Die". But a generic RCBS or Lee should do you well. One poster remarked about the slight bell mouth at the tip of the case lip. You can fudge a lot here, but still don't go overboard. Start out with just barely enough bell mouth to start the bullet, and then make very slight adjustments to make it work for you. I tend to go slightly deeper than some guys, yet we're also not looking at .015".

The bullet crimp scared me to death at first. You just seat the bullet to where the crimp fits in the groove. You'll know you got it right when the case crimp fits the groove perfectly (not even close to rocket science)

gary

 

[flashhole]

Crimping for revolvers and auto pistols are a bit different.

The 41 Mag will be like loading a small 45-70. The revolver bullet will have a crimp grove and the standard is to roll the brass into the crimp groove securing the bullet, thus the name roll crimp. The 41 Mag case has a rim so you want the round to drop into the cylinder without undue resistance and rest on the rim. You need to be careful you don't flare the neck too deep to the extent a roll crimp can't reduce the flare and leave a bulge in the case that would make it difficult to insert the loaded round into the cylinder.

The auto pistol works with a taper crimp and essentially forms the brass case around the bullet a significant length of the bullet by comparison to the roll crimp that only impacts the top few thousandths of the case. That being said, I prefer to taper crimp whenever I can. I get excellent results using a taper crimp on my 45-70.

 

[g0rd0]

A straight walled cartridge will require a sizing belling step to keep from crushing the case.

Normally, The first die decaps and resizes the outer dimension of the case.

The second die will resize the interior mouth of the case to accept the new slug and will slightly bell the mouth of the case to accept the base of the bullet easier.

The third die will seat and crimp the finished round. It is suggested to seat and crimp in different steps. I have found I make much better pistol loads using the two step seat and crimp process.

One of the biggest differences between rifle and pistol loading is that a double charge of powder is possible in most large handgun cases. BOOM.

Good luck with loading.

2 more suggestions, choose your powder well, you will want a powder that uses most of your case capacity. For instance Bullseye powder is cheep BUT, you use so little of it that it is easy to double charge.
If you have a progressive or turret press disable the indexing and single stage it for a year

 

[motown]

Thanks for all the in depth responses guys this really helps. I just ordered 500 pcs of Starline Nickel brass to get started. Since this is new brass I assume that all of the normal prep work is needed as well. I will probably have more questions down the road but this info will definately help get me started for sure.

 

[billm67]

One other little bit of info. If you are planning on using lead or hard cast bullets...invest in a Lee dedicated crimp die. Seating a bullet and crimping is in one step often shaves a small (or sometimes large) shavings of the bullet depending on how much crimp you put into the rounds. On any big bore magnum loads you will want a pretty good crimp to avoid the bullets being set back when other rounds in the cylinder a fired. I have seen 44 mag loads where there was too little crimp and by the time the first five rounds have been fired the bullet on the sixth round had set back pretty significantly. This can create excessive pressure. Using a separate crimp die will let you crimp the bullet after it has been seated. This eliminates the shavings and lets you put a good crimp in the rounds. The shavings just get to be a mess and can mike it a pain to load into the cylinder.

 

[barefooter56]

Thanks for all the in depth responses guys this really helps. I just ordered 500 pcs of Starline Nickel brass to get started. Since this is new brass I assume that all of the normal prep work is needed as well. I will probably have more questions down the road but this info will definately help get me started for sure.

Do NOT chamfer the inside of the case mouth!!! Or deburr the outside! Its not necessary on a pistol case. Good luck ! Oh ! and dont use large rifle primers. They are thicker than large pistol primers.
Good Luck!

 

[Trickymissfit]

once again listen to these guys as they are telling you right. I shoot a lot of cast lead bullets, and the grooves are larger than with a jacketed bullet. I from the school that I want a good crimp on a bullet going thru a revolver. Have yet to find a die that does all this better than the M die system. Yet reading one of the posters on here, makes me want to try the tapered crimp on a .444 Marlin case as well as the .450 Marlin. Yet I wonder if it will be tight enough in the .450. Recoil can get serious with that round.

One issue with just about every sizing die out there is that they tend to oversize the case causing other issues. I found an older Lyman steel die set at a gun show, and honed it out three or four thousandths. Really works well (45LC), and the rounds have about .0025" clearance in the cylinder. Now looking for a steel 44 mag and 41 mag!
gary

 

[AKGuide]

If worried about bullet jump I would invest in a redding profile crimp die. It will taper crimp jacketed bullets and also step crimp cast. I have not had a problem with my 454 casull and bullet jump after starting the use of this crimp die. For powders I would go with Lil'gun, H110 or W296, and Longshot in that order. 265 grain gas checks at 1200-1500 fps, depending on barrel length, will take anything that North America has to offer.

Reuben