Loading Manual question got me thinking..

[AJMD429]

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I've never reloaded 9mm, and with the current price so low I may never bother, depending on the $$ I can get for old brass, but If I were to reload for 9mm, I'll bet I have enough cases (nearly all once-fired) to fill a five gallon bucket or maybe even two. Quite a few brands of brass - Blazer Brass, Remington, Winchester, Fiocchi, Federal, PMC, and who knows what.

I do have dies for my Dillon RL550 so could probably load pretty efficiently once set-up.

Most of the shooting is in CCW guns for practice, so I'd probably just want to load cheap FMJ or actually I'd be fine with cast bullets.

For most of my rifle and even other handgun reloading, I tend to sort brass by brand - figuring for the rifle it may help accuracy and consistency, and for the 44 Mag, 357 Mag, and 45 Colt, I guess I mostly just sort cases out of habit.

How important will that be for 9mm...? I'd think with that tiny case, a small variation in manufacture (maybe even within manufacturer's different products) might make a big difference in case volume and/or pressure. I've heard that just a small seating-depth issue can raise pressure tremendously (which makes me think the headspacing-on-the-mouth like a 45 ACP means maybe I can't crimp a softer lead vs FMJ bullet well enough to be secure.

I've never reloaded for 9mm (or 45 ACP now that I think about it), even though I got dies for it long ago, and do save my brass.

Thoughts...?

[stretch]

Not something I'd worry about. Unless you're loading to max levels and
seating bullets to less than the recommended OAL, there's plenty of
safety in the 9mm round, IMHO. For plinking or CCW training, load 'em
up to a mid-range power level, check you OAL, and you'll be fine.
And you have a tremendous excuse if your accuracy is less than stellar......

NOTE: On some Berettas, the grooves in the barrels are not polished, and lead bullets
are contraindicated because the machining marks left in the grooves literally strip
the lead off the bullets. Bulged barrels and the like have been reported in
extended range sessions. ONE box of lead makes an AWFUL mess, and unless
you think an evening of scrubbing lead strings out of barrels is a good time,
check your Beretta 9mm pistol BEFORE loading lead bullets!

I have also read that 9mm can be finicky about trim-to-length if you're finicky
about accuracy. (As trimming cases is my least favorite job in the reloading process,
the thought of trimming two 5 gallon buckets full of 9mm brass is daunting, to say the least!)
Another valid "explanation" for less than stellar accuracy is yours, though!
Case length variation can affect the crimp, but as long as they chamber, they'll be fine.
I've never had setback issues in 9mm reloads. In theory, yes. In practice, not so much. YMMV.

I DID run into a problem with some 10mm brass. Some rounds just wouldn't chamber
in my old Delta Elite. They all went into the gauge all right. Drove me nuts.
I finally figured out that the wall thickness of some brands of cases was a thou
or so thicker than the others. When loading lead bullets at .401 dia., the rounds
wouldn't quite chamber. Jacketed bullets at .400 would! Sorting the brass by brand
solved the problem - thick wall for jacketed, and thin wall for lead. Chamber must be
on the tight side.

-Stretch

[Mark in MO]

I reload 9mm's for practice and plinking. Like Stretch, I do not sort by brand and unlike my rifle and magnum reloads, I don't normally trim them either. I do check each round by dropping them in a case gauge to confirm overall length, etc. Super easy to do before dropping them in the ammo box. Any culls, honestly very few, get set aside to check and pull later. My loads usually consist of mid pressure loads of Unique or Titegroup. I usually run Glocks and choose to shoot plated bullets like Berry's in deference to their polygonal rifling.

[earlmck]

I have not loaded 9mm but have loaded plenty of 40 s&w and 45 auto. All using range pick-up brass of many different makes and ages. Never bothered sorting and have never even thought of trimming such brass. I load my casties for general practice and tin can shooting with satisfactory results (minute of can near as I can tell...)

I have somewhat sorted my 45 stuff-- I cut down to just using brass with the small primer pocket which limits the number of brands of brass considerably. My 40 stuff, however must have a jillion or so different headstamps and they all feed and shoot flawlessly in a Glock and a S&W.

[stretch]

Good point by Mark - it's recommended not to use lead in polygonal rifling, either.

-Stretch

[marlinman93]

I have everything to reload 9mm including molds to cast bullets for 9mm too. I started out reloading them early on, then ammo got down to around $4.00 a box for bulk so I quit. When it took a sudden jump about 5 years ago and I either couldn't find it, or it was insanely priced, I dug everything out and loaded for it again. I've occasionally found cheap jacketed bullets, or cheap cast bullets, so I rarely cast for it anymore. And now that I've found ammo inexpensive again I've begun to stock up at sales so I put my reloading on hold for 9mm.