Just ordered a hand press, first time reloader.

[angryGTS]

Hello everyone! 

Well I am finally getting into reloading and just ordered a Lee hand press.  I went with the hand press because me and my wife will be moving soon and most likely will be in an apartment, so there will be limited space which sucks because I really wanted a Hornady LNL press but I can upgrade later.

Anyway, I also picked up some of the required stuff for loading but still have to order some Starline brass and bullets.  My Lyman 49th book should be here today so I can get some ideas. 
Are there any recommended supplement books I should order or check out that has loadings for 10mm to cross reference, right now I have Long Shot powder and CCI 300 large pistol primers, so any loading with this combination would be helpful.  Oh yeah I am going to be picking up some 165 grain gold dots and 180 grain XTP.  For now these will be for personal defense, I know the Long Shot is a slower burning powder so I may pick up the 180 grain gold dots so I don't have such a big muzzle flash.  I do want to eventually pick up some Power Pistol too.

I am a research freak but I am sure there are things I have missed before going with reloading.  Any advice or ideas would be much appreciated, thanks! 

Edit:  I forgot to mention I have a Gen 4 Glock 20 with stock barrel.  May pick up a KKM or LWD though.

[The_Shadow]

angryGTS, Welcome to the forum and the intro to handloading.  The hand held press will work but it will have a learning curve.  By that I mean the first thing is brass sizing, for 10mm being a somewhat straight case walled casing it will be fairly easy to resize.  However resizing brass that has been shot in loose chambered guns will likely need pass through sizing because there is expansion in the area where the standard dies and shellholder meet and don't allow the carbide ring to smooth it out.  Pass through sizing may be difficult with the hand held press, but the LEE FCD with the guts removed, the die set high up in the press and a steel push pin to press the casing up and through the carbide ring will get that process done.  The precision needed for semi auto means very fine tolerances and attention to details.

The setting up and adjustments of you dies will be the crucial part of any handloading process with respect to case mouth expansion, bullet seating (best done without any crimp being applied) and crimp application whether taper crimp (best done with a separate step) or rolled.

Best regards and good luck! 

[sqlbullet]

If you can still change it, I strongly recommend you switch to the Lee Reloader Press.

I have two of these.  They are handy as all get out.  I mount mine to a section of 1X4 about 12" long, and use a couple of trigger clamps to clamp it to a coffee table, bar, kitchen table, desk, balcony rail.  I can even clamp it to the shooting bench at the range and load/shoot.

It offers way better leverage and it a lot easier to seat/crimp without spilling powder when the press is held upright.  And, if you use wing nuts to attach the press to the board, it breaks down into a similar size.

IMHO you should also pick up Lee's Modern Reloading.  It has the most data I have seen so far.  Sometimes you can find the manual and press bundled for about the same money as the press alone.

[angryGTS]

Shadow:  thanks for the tips, I have been on the fence for dies, whether I should get Lee's four die kit for .40 that includes the FCD or just the standard dies they offer for 10mm.  I was originally just planning to buy fresh brass after shooting for a while or until I pick up an aftermarket barrel.  The reason why I am on the fence about getting the .40 dies is because I am concerned with accurately sizing because with the .40 you have to back off an additional turn and 3/4 and for something like reloading especially starting out seems a bit off putting to me, I'm confident I would get it right but will always be in the back of my head until I go to shoot my first hand loads.  Maybe I should get the fully supported barrel sooner than later for the sake of my sanity but I believe since I will just be buying new brass anyway I don't think it should be that big of a deal except a little more money spent out of my pocket on some brass.

[angryGTS]

If you can still change it, I strongly recommend you switch to the Lee Reloader Press.

I have two of these.  They are handy as all get out.  I mount mine to a section of 1X4 about 12" long, and use a couple of trigger clamps to clamp it to a coffee table, bar, kitchen table, desk, balcony rail.  I can even clamp it to the shooting bench at the range and load/shoot.

It offers way better leverage and it a lot easier to seat/crimp without spilling powder when the press is held upright.  And, if you use wing nuts to attach the press to the board, it breaks down into a similar size.

IMHO you should also pick up Lee's Modern Reloading.  It has the most data I have seen so far.  Sometimes you can find the manual and press bundled for about the same money as the press alone.

Thank you for the suggestions, especially for the book, I could not for the life of me remember the name of Lee's book.

[The_Shadow]

With new brass you will not need to pass through size until you reload them.  The 40S&W is an 1/8" shorter casing than the 10mm so the same dies for 40 will work for the longer 10mm.  The Lee dies have a rubber o-ring to help the locking nut stay in place.  Other dies like RCBS have a set screw to lock the nut from moving and makes for repeatable setting.  As mentioned the 40 case is 1/8" shorter, so if you set your dies to do 40, rising the dies up with a 1/8" spacer the dies will be set for 10mm for case neck expansion and crimp settings. 

All of the dies are 7/8 x14 threads so locking rings can be changed if needing a better locking rings.  Redding makes the spacers that I use to change setting as mentioned.

[angryGTS]

Is a crimp (from a Lee FCD) necessary for 10mm?  Either I am getting confused or there are conflicting opinions on it.  I have heard people say it's necessary and that it isn't because the bullet seating also closes the bell enough to not need it.  Let's say I just have the three standard Lee or Hornady dies, is the fourth die necessary for some loads for 10mm?

An example load would be:
New Starline brass
CCI 300 primer
9.3 grains of Long Shot under a Hornady 180grain XTP
Stock Glock 20 barrel.

[DM1906]

Get the 4 die set. The 4th die is the Lee FCD (Factory Crimp Die). Not only does it crimp, it is also used for full length sizing, such as Shadow described. A Lee Bulge Buster kit makes that simple (and inexpensive), but isn't necessary if you are creative. For case crimping, which is still necessary in most cases, you can use either the bullet seating die or the FCD. Using the FCD for crimping eliminates the need to reset the seating die for 2 operations. As mentioned, bullet seating and crimping should be 2 separate steps. Note, "crimping" doesn't necessarily mean crimping, such as with revolver cartridges. "Crimping" also included closing the case mouth against the bullet, which is often necessary after case mouth expansion for bullet seating. The case mouth isn't "crimped" into the bullet much, if at all.

[sqlbullet]

FCD is useful not to crimp, but to pass through size fired brass.  Very useful. You remove all the crimping guts of the die and push the brass all the way through the carbide ring at the base of the die.

You are correct, a FCD is not needed for any straight wall case that uses a taper crimp. 

As far as brass, just reload it.  Chances are brass from your Glock 20 Gen 4 won't have any issues at all, especially if your loads stay "on book".  There are exceptions, but in most cases full-bore loads are less accurate, harder on brass, more prone to stoppage, etc than a load that is 25 or 50 fps/.5 grains lower.  Seems like a false economy to me.  Yeah, it is fun to chase the hottest load, but not for your day in, day out plinking load.

I started with an RCBS 40/10 three die set.  I still use it most of the time.  I have a Lee 10mm only set, but the RCBS is just "smoother". 

As far as the backing off, I screw my size dies in till they just touch the shell holder and leave them.  In all my presses the shell holder compresses just a bit into the ram, so it isn't like I am hitting when I actually resize.  Works just fine.

Seating and crimping, IMHO, are best left to separate steps.  It is a pain on single stage, so sometimes I take the effort to adjust it.  I load mostly lead though, and it is a really good day when I get it set up so I don't get a little lead shave if I do the two steps together.  I recently added a Dillon Super 1050 to my bench, and plan to get a 10mm shell plate for it and load there.  With the extra stations, I will definitely seat and crimp in separate steps.  (And make 1200 rounds and hour  )

For now, just get the stuff and load some rounds.

Your example load is over the recommended starting load.  We all have done it, but it is a bad practice.  Start at 8.5 and work up.  Keep going up until: 
    1.  You hit the advertised max load of 9.5 grains
-or-
    2.  your groups start to grow unacceptably (because why load inaccurate ammo, and this may mean velocity irregularities.)
-or-
    3. You hit the advertised max velocity (Except I would bet that you, like me at the start, don't have a chrony)

In theory there is some headroom in the Longshot data as the advertised velocity and pressure are below the max you would expect for a 180 grain in 10mm.  But, that may mean that pressures spiked at 9.6 grains.  Or that they were erratic in the test barrel.  Or that they were generally fine, and the average was fine, but on the high temp test they were over book.  Lots of things this data doesn't tell us.  So, until you have more experience, I strongly urge you to start with starting loads, and work up, not exceeding max load data.

[angryGTS]

Thank you for the informative post!  Yes that load was just mainly an example load that is definitely hotter than the starting grain.  I would love to get a chrony and have a place to use it, the closest outdoor range near me is ~70 miles away and Florida just passed a "no backyard range" law so unless I have over an acre worth of land shooting outdoors will be sparce for now, damn suburban living haha.  I will eventually get a chrony though and really fine tune a load for my stock barrel and eventually an aftermarket barrel and make a proper self defense and hunting load for 10mm.  Right now since I do go to indoor ranges quite often I want to a medium power plinking round that is affordable to shoot but still has a punch.

Thank you everyone for advice and helping a noob decide on things.  I just put the order in for the Lee four die set, at only $5 more than the three piece its a steal.

[Greg_Peeples]

If you can still change it, I strongly recommend you switch to the Lee Reloader Press.

I have two of these.  They are handy as all get out.  I mount mine to a section of 1X4 about 12" long, and use a couple of trigger clamps to clamp it to a coffee table, bar, kitchen table, desk, balcony rail.  I can even clamp it to the shooting bench at the range and load/shoot.

It offers way better leverage and it a lot easier to seat/crimp without spilling powder when the press is held upright.  And, if you use wing nuts to attach the press to the board, it breaks down into a similar size.

IMHO you should also pick up Lee's Modern Reloading.  It has the most data I have seen so far.  Sometimes you can find the manual and press bundled for about the same money as the press alone.

That's the press I have. I've loaded on it for 12 years. And would buy another. Over 2000 .243 , over 1000 .270 . Not to mention all the pistol ammo. Omg it's the one I started on and like that I'm not tied down. Watch tv while sizing .45 or 10 10mm. I also used it while moving in with the wife's aunt til our house was finished. Not a lot of space. Keep it. It will last.

[sqlbullet]

Over 2000 .243 , over 1000 .270 .

I hope that was neck sizing!  I have full length sized on mine, but I much prefer a press with a bit more leverage if I have to full length size bottleneck rifle brass.

But I completely agree.  If I had to have just one press, this would probably be the one.

[Greg_Peeples]

Did I mention make 8x57mm out of .30-06?


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[kilibreaux]

Hello everyone! 

Well I am finally getting into reloading and just ordered a Lee hand press.  I went with the hand press because me and my wife will be moving soon and most likely will be in an apartment, so there will be limited space which sucks because I really wanted a Hornady LNL press but I can upgrade later.

Anyway, I also picked up some of the required stuff for loading but still have to order some Starline brass and bullets.  My Lyman 49th book should be here today so I can get some ideas. 
Are there any recommended supplement books I should order or check out that has loadings for 10mm to cross reference, right now I have Long Shot powder and CCI 300 large pistol primers, so any loading with this combination would be helpful.  Oh yeah I am going to be picking up some 165 grain gold dots and 180 grain XTP.  For now these will be for personal defense, I know the Long Shot is a slower burning powder so I may pick up the 180 grain gold dots so I don't have such a big muzzle flash.  I do want to eventually pick up some Power Pistol too.

I am a research freak but I am sure there are things I have missed before going with reloading.  Any advice or ideas would be much appreciated, thanks! 

Edit:  I forgot to mention I have a Gen 4 Glock 20 with stock barrel.  May pick up a KKM or LWD though.

The 10mm is a superb cartridge that even yet has not been recognized for what it brings to the power table.
The Lee Hand Press is just fine for "take your time" reloading, which is really the best way to reload, especially when crafting top loads because it breaks down all the processes and gets you "hands on" with the brass and the powder charging portion.
There is no mystery to hand loading the 10mm.  The key is picking the right powder and probably the best place to start for a Glock 4.6" barrel is AA-7 which was created for the 10mm.
Since the Glock's ramped barrel leaves a tiny crescent of unsupported case head, be mindful that under pressure, brass flows almost like a "plastic" and can give way...having said that, recently produced Glocks seem to come with much smaller areas left unsupported...I have the OEM barrel in my G29 because it has very good case head support...I won't say "full" but it's pretty close.  As for aftermarket barrels...that can be iffy...I have a Lone Wolf 5.15" Tactical for my G20 that has a significant unsupported area over the ramp and when firing top-loaded Underwood ammo, I've seen "Glock smiles."  On the other hand, my Lone Wolf 6.61" .460 Rowland barrel for my G20 (with LWD .45 LS), has FULL case head support!
Speaking of barrels....with the 10mm, an inch makes a LOT of difference in ballistics!  I've seen a full 100 lb-ft of KE difference between my 3.7" G29 barrel and 4.6" G20 barrel, and a noted difference between the LWD 5.15" versus stock 4.6".  This is the genesis behind the evolution of the G40 6" barrel 10mm...because users figured out a long time ago that a 6" barrel really extracts a lot more out of the 10mm cartridge!  You can see 180 grain bullets pushing 800 lb-ft of KE from long barrels and you don't "need" a long slide to get there...just drop in a LWD 6" barrel...or even buy a 9" barrel and slice it down to a more manageble 7" length from a factory slide.
A heavier recoil spring helps retard breech opening which also boosts velocity.  A longer barrel also gives you more velocity at lower powder charges which keeps your brass "young."

Be aware that any brass with a bulge where it was unsupported is not suitable for reloading.  The brass case at that point has become thinnned, and even when fed through a sizing die will still have a weakened section that could blow-out if it happens to align over the feed ramp on the next loading.  The idea of using a "bulge buster" die is to squeeze in that small area not normally resized with a conventional shell-holder and die setup, but it still isn't a corrective action for a grossly bulged case.

The 10mm is by far the BEST OTC, OTS, OEM, factory auto pistol "magnum" round of the latter portion of the 20th, and first portion of the 21st century.  Being a straight walled case it has a proven functional track record as opposed to various upstart shouldered pistol rounds such as the .400 Corbon, .40 Super, and 9x25 Dillon, and even the anemic .357 SIG.  The only real competition to the 10mm in the Glock platform is the .460 Rowland, and even here...the Rowland demands a compensator...and longer, heavier gun that only beats the 10mm by a few hundred fpe in the same length barrel.
Thanks to companies like Underwood and Buffalo Bore, full-power loads are within easy reach, and one need not push their hand loads to obtain excellent performance....though one CAN if they so chose.