Reloading Part I: Equipment and Components

I’ve had a few requests for a blog on reloading.   You know, not just favored loads for different cartridges, but how to go about reloading.  I know it can be a bit intimidating if you’ve never done it, but (trust me on this), learning how to reload adds an entirely new dimension to shooting, and many of us view reloading as being as much fun as shooting.  In fact, one of my friends often jokes about shooting…he says it’s what we do so we get to reload ammo again.

A very cool guy named Roy Johnson taught me how to reload when I was in the Army.   I was assigned to Fort Bliss, Texas, and Roy ran the Rod and Gun club there.  Roy was a colorful El Paso fixture, and they named the road to the Rod and Gun club Roy Johnson Lane when he died.  I was 22 years old when Roy taught me how to reload, and I’ve been reloading ever since.

I thought I would approach this topic in two or three parts, with the first blog focused on the equipment and components you’ll need to reload, and a subsequent blog or two on the actual reloading process.  I had to pick a cartridge, so I thought I would start with the first one I learned to reload:  The .45 ACP.

With that as a backdrop, here we go…

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Reloading reverses the process of firing a bullet, and reversing that process requires several pieces of equipment.

One part of the equipment list is the dies that force the fired brass case back into shape (the brass expanded during firing) and knock the used primer out of the case.

I stick with RCBS dies, as I’ve learned over the years they work best, but there are other manufacturers out there.  I also use Lee dies for a few of the cartridges I reload (they are typically less expensive than RCBS dies, and they are as good).  An added advantage of the Lee dies is that they include the shellholder with the die set, so you don’t have to buy a separate shellholder and pay extra for it.  I don’t care for Hornady dies, but as they say, your mileage may vary.  I’m the guy doing the writing here, so I’ll share my experiences and preferences, and I like RCBS and Lee.  A new set of RCBS carbide dies are a little north of $50; Lee dies are typically $10 to $15 less than the RCBS dies (and like I said earlier, the Lee dies come with a shellholder).

I use carbide dies for pistol cartridges.  A carbide die has a super-hard carbide insert that interfaces with the brass case, and it allows you to squeeze the case back to its unfired configuration without having to lubricate the case first.  The downside is that carbide dies are slightly more expensive than non-carbide dies.  For straight-walled pistol cartridges, there are three dies in a set.  We’ll discuss in more detail what each does in Part II of this series.

You will also need a reloading press and a shellholder for the brass cartridge case.   I use an RCBS Rockchucker press I bought new nearly 50 years ago when Roy Johnson taught me how to reload.  A good press lasts forever.

A scale is necessary for measuring propellant charges (also referred to as powder).   Several companies offer scales specifically designed for reloading.

It’s a good idea to have reloading trays for the cartridges.   These are relatively inexpensive, and they seem to last forever, too.

A powder dispenser allows you to dispense the correct amount of propellant in each cartridge case.

At this point, we’ve covered the equipment necessary; let’s now turn to the components.  One is the propellant you see in the photo above.  As seen in the photo below, for the .45 ACP cartridge, I prefer Unique.

You’ll need previously-fired cartridge cases.  You can also buy new brass that has never been loaded if you don’t have any, or you can buy factory ammo, shoot it, and save the brass.  I don’t think I’ve ever purchased new brass for the .45 ACP, mostly I had plenty available from my days in the Army.  The .45 ACP cartridge is a relatively low-pressure cartridge, and the brass seems to last forever.  I’ve been reloading the brass you see here for a long time.

You’ll need primers.  The primer is the little cap that the firing pin strikes when you pull the trigger.   There are two or three companies making primers these days.  I usually buy whatever the shop has in stock.  I haven’t found that primers make a difference in accuracy or reliability for handgun shooting.

And finally, you will need bullets.  I’m using moly-coated 230-grain roundnose lead bullets these days, like you see in the photo below, mostly because I have a bunch of them in my reloading locker.  Many other bullet configurations are available.

There’s one other item I strongly recommend you purchase, and that’s a reloading manual.  These manuals list different loads for different cartridges and different bullets and propellants.  The whole idea here is to experiment with these combinations (within the parameters provided by the manuals) to find the recipe that produces the best accuracy and reliability in your gun.  My preference is the Lyman manual, as it lists different bullet manufacturers and cast bullets, too.  You can buy manuals from the bullet manufacturers, but the downside there is they only show data for their bullets.

You can buy all of the equipment separately (as I did a long time ago) or you can buy a complete kit that has everything you need to get started.   RCBS has a kit that goes for about $350.  Lee has a similar kit for a lot less (about $150), and it will get you into the reloading game.  I have a friend who bought the Lee kit a few years ago, he uses it to reload .308 Winchester ammo for his Model 700 Remington, and the ammo he makes routinely delivers 1/2-inch groups at 100 yards.  With either kit, you’ll need to buy the dies required for the cartridge you wish to reload, and the components as described above.

You might be wondering:  Where do you buy this stuff?  Most gun stores sell reloading equipment and components.  Cabela’s and Bass Pro are two that come to mind.  You can also buy components and equipment online from places like Amazon, Midway, Natchez Shooter’s Supply, Grafs, and other places.  Buying the energetic components online gets a bit more complicated (propellants and primers), but the stores can fill you in on that.  In most areas, there’s usually a shop that is known for being the best in your neck of the woods for reloading stuff, and you can find these places with a quick Google search or by asking around.

So there you have it.  I’ve described the equipment and the dies you’ll need to reload the .45 ACP, but the procedures I’ll describe in subsequent blogs will be the same for nearly any handgun cartridge (.38 Special, .537 Magnum, .380, 9mm, .40 S&W, .44 Magnum, and .45 Colt).  All you need will be different dies and shellholders, and of course, different types of bullets.

Our next reloading blog will cover the first steps of the reloading process.  Stay tuned; it’s coming up!

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Read our other Tales of the Gun stories for the loads we prefer.  Disagree with anything above or want to toss your $0.02 into the discussion?  Hey, there’s a comments section below and we’d love to hear from you.

One last thing…ever wonder what the “ACP” stands for in .45 ACP?  Well, here you go…wonder no more.