I am extremely limited on both physical space and on budget, but I’m going to see how I like reloading.

backstory

I like learning how things work, and being able to make stuff under challenging situations. Homebrewing beer (all-grain, ranching yeast), baking bread, whatever. I like activities that require attention to detail and knowledge. I measure my cooking ingredients and coffee grounds with a gram scale. :-)

I’ve always thought I would enjoy handloading (aka reloading) both as an activity and as a way to get useful product on the end. Seems like the kind of thing my father and I would have done together but we didn’t and now he’s gone. He raised me around useful and potentially dangerous items and expected I would respect them. When he would teach me some new skill he’s start off with “remember, son, a [fill in the blank]1 is a tool, not a toy”.

intent

  1. learn another useful skill
  2. make 8x57mm in the configuration I want. It is not a popular round, and the ammo that is available is often derated or corrosive.
  3. make 9mm so I can practice more. Specifically I want to practice with ammo that is the same or similar to what I actually carry.

bucket list

  • make reloading “stool”
  • learn to clean brass
  • build cheap tumbler

  • learn to deprime

  • .380 acp
    • work up FMJ load
    • work up hollow point load (of dubious value?)
  • 9mm
    • make first minimal loads
    • fire first handloads first minimal loads with FMJ, work up to normal loads, practice shooting
    • 9mm carbine? 124gr normal? 147gr with reduced throw?
    • bookmarks
      • https://forums.brianenos.com/topic/245972-best-powder-for-9mm-blowback-carbine/
      • https://www.rugerforum.net/threads/reloading-specifically-for-9mm-pc-carbine.377749/
  • 8x57mm Mauser
    • make first minimal loads
    • fire first handloads with FMJ, work up to normal loads, practice shooting
    • reform .30-06, .270, etc brass into 8x57

working assumptions

… until I see evidence to the contrary

  • conservatively, plated bullets are loaded as plain lead. Plated manufacturers demonstrate a bit more confidence:
    • X-treme: “Our Copper Plated Bullets can be run at mid-range jacketed velocities or higher end lead velocities. We recommend keeping velocities to less than 1500 FPS (Feet Per Second) and using only a light taper crimp”
    • Rainer: “We recommend a starting powder charge directly between the listed minimum and maximum load [for FMJ) found in various published and reputable reloading manuals.”
    • Berry’s: :Full-metal jacketed, lead bullet, or plated bullet load data can be used… Load data containing bullet descriptions such as Plated (P,) Berry’s Bullet (BERB,) Total Metal Jacket (TMJ,) Copper Plated (CP,) or CPJ (Copper Plated Jacket,) refers to plated bullet data. “
    • thick plated load like FMJ?
  • plated Berry’s should run <1250 fps . Reminds me a bit of the decisions made when going from round-nose larger calibers to smaller spitzer bullets.

blue sky

If I won the lottery I’d pick up a Garmin Xero chronograph.

to research / comprehend

If the bullets are the same weight and shape (other than the truncation), then it would seem plausible that the OAL should be equal to the “normal” OAL of the RN bullet minus the difference in bullet lengths, plus a small amount which compensates for the fact that more of the weight is included in the full-width base of the bullet rather than in the rounded tip.

While you are PROBABLY safe using HP data for FMJ of the same weight this is NOT TRUE for HP using FMJ data

Some data suggests that plated and jacketed bullets produce about the same velocity with the same load. It’s less clear if they produce about the same pressure with the same load.

Pistol loads are hard to evaluate pressure because most of the traditional signs don’t show up until you’re into ‘oh shit’ territory.

FBI paper; handgun wounding factors and effectiveness

any increase or decrease in mass is something like 95% offset by a corresponding change in pressure.

Increased bullet mass will increase penetration. Increased velocity will increase penetration but only until the bullet begins to deform, at which point increased velocity decreases penetration. Permanent cavity can be increased by the use of expanding bullets, and/or larger diameter bullets, which have adequate penetration. However, in no case should selection of a bullet be made where bullet expansion is necessary to achieve desired performance. (FBI)

Bullet selection should be determined based on penetration first, and the unexpanded diameter of the bullet second, as that is all the shooter can reliably expect

Probably more people in this country have been killed by .22 rimfires than all other calibers combined, which, based on body count, would compel the use of .22’s for self-defense. The more important question, which is sadly seldom asked, is what did the individual do when hit?

Srsly: do not take my word (or anyone else’s) on matters of reloading. Read the manuals and be safe.

  1. gun, tractor, hand tool, frog gig, trot line, knife, stove, fire, etc ↩