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If military (and most factory ammunition) powder, it won't match up with any commercial powder. It will have been made in large batches specifically for the cartridge and loading adjusted for that specific batch.

The Co-Ax is my top choice. "Universal" shell holder and dies just insert into the slot. Once dies are set, they are set for life. Only downside is the priming system, but as RCBS bench-mounted primer takes care of that duty very quickly. After that would be the Lee Challenger with the breech locks. Really nice to not have to do anything with the dies once locked down and the price will let you buy other stuff, maybe even the RCBS bench-mounted primer. I had a RockChucker and hated it. It threw spent primers all over the place. With the use of Hornady bushings, it would be sort of OK, except for chucking spent primers all over..

First of all, don't call the loaded round a bullet. The bullet is the projectile that leaves the barrel. Second, in the position you postulate, a round going off in the mag is the least of your concerns.

Early in my reloading career, I found that, with both 9x19 and .44 Rem Mag, the start load in one manual was actually MAX or even over MAX in my gun with my bullet and my lot of powder. Since then, I have always checked several manuals and I start at the LOWEST start load. Safety, to me, is more important than saving a few components. You don't need to fire 5-10 rounds at each increment of powder working up--just enough to know if anything "strange" is happening. Of course, for accuracy, I do shoot 10 rounds per increment. Be aware that changing the lot number of powder or the bullet can make a difference.

COL can be critical. Ignore COL in manual. Load an inert dummy round at longest COL that fits magazine and, with barrel in hand, decrease until the dummy round "plunks." Load another inert dummy round, put both in mag, and see if they cycle and chamber. All my 9x19s feed JHPs and L-SWCs flawlessly--even mil P-08 Lugers a mil P-38 Walthers.

>I'm sorry I don't follow your logic. You're admitting the Dillon is an upgrade over the LnL, yet you'd get a LnL again? It seems circular to me. Just what is your point for this attack? My point, for those that can't comprehend the world as it is, is that I bought my 1050s over time at very good prices and could NOT, in the next month, duplicate that. I certainly can not afford to pay the MSRP for a 1050. Thus, if you can understand this, I would buy a press that I CAN AFFORD and I CAN HAVE ON THE BENCH almost immediately that I have GREAT EXPERIENCE WITH. A press that I taught my son and SIL how to reload with. Would you NOT drive while you waited to save up for your ideal car or would you consider buying a used car that you have experience with and were quite happy with? I don't go out and buy a Harley new at full retail, but if I find a great deal on one... I don't go out and buy a Lexus new at full retail, but if I find a great deal on one...

>I'm just curious if you liked the Hornay press, why get a 1050? Read your question and tell me the answer. I liked my old Honda 500, but got a Harley when the Honda was stolen. I liked my Nissan, but got a Lexus to replace it. There were ads with our electric bill and one was for a Dillon 1050 for about $650 that my wife showed me. Checked it out and it came with three tool heads and about five caliber conversion kits. My wife "suggested" that I should now give my Hornady to my son (otherwise, believe me, I would STILL have it) as he had just asked for recommendations on what to buy as he wanted to get into reloading, so I set him up. Then, I found another and then a third one on eBay at a good price (that one came completely disassembled and was so much FUN to put together). As I have said before, if someone stole all three 1050s, I would have a new L-N-L on the bench real fast, but I would look for good deals on 1050s (but nothing BLUE).

The width of a bullet determine’s its caliber. Here, we are talking about cartridges, not calibers.

Yet, I have used Hornady progressives almost since day one (when Dillon only had a 4-station press) and have NEVER had to tweak it. Before Hornady, is was the Star progressive (more than I needed or could afford) or the Dillon 4-station that just did not meet my desires for a progressive press. I have had to help tweak a friend's two 650s and I have had to tweak my 1050s. All I ever did to my Hornady's was to replace a pawl I broke and Hornady replaced free--and that was drop in and lock. There is no color to worship and no color is problem free.

Again, I NEVER said anything about the manual age. I said to use a powder that had been around for several years so there are multiple sources of data. Start with something that is well known first. Do you actually throw away manuals that are more than 5 years old, because that seems to be your argument? None of your "arguments" mean anything against what I WROTE, rather than what you want to read into them. Yes, buy 100 jacketed bullets from a major brand, where you can find data for THAT exact bullet, load from start and work up and NOT worry about everything else. Buy 100 jacketed bullets from Montana Gold, Precision Delta, Zero, or RMR, for all I care—but you won't find data for that particular bullet in your manuals. After the first 100 or so, move on to other bullets, but first LEARN TO RELOAD WITH KNOWN JACKETED BULLETS. It seems clear to me. I don't even know where "pressure" comes in to it. You start at the start load and work up, same with ALL load development. All I am saying is: 1) start with jacketed bullets as they are easier to work with. At the VERY beginning, using bullets from a source the also has a load manual is not a bad idea. 2) start with a powder that has a history of successful use over at least a decade such that you can easily find multiple data sources.

I don't care about the AGE of the data, I care about having many data sources. I think I WROTE that. Yes, I did, twice, use ONE manual for a start load and found that the load was max or over-max in my guns with my components. Thus, why a beginner needs to use a powder with lots of data history so you can look at several manuals and start low. If you only have ONE data source, you have that same issue of how YOUR components match with the ONE data source. Jacketed bullets don't have to be groove diameter or 0.001" over groove diameter (or, for the HARD alloys, even 0.002" over groove diameter). They can be as much 0.003" smaller than actual groove diameter and still make nice round holes in a target. As a beginner, why start with bullets that need special handling. Why not start with the bullets that are both, in general, most accurate and easiest to load? You are just learning about crimping, so start with a bullet that can take over-crimp and still shoot well. Just look at how much is written about loading plated vs jacketed or problems with plated vs jacketed. Sorry if you don't like my advice, but it was worth every cent you spent to read it.

I really mean this nicely, but: As a new reloader, save yourself a lot of problems and LEARN first. Buy some JACKETED, not plated, bullets from a major maker. Buy a powder that has been around for at least 10 years and is well known for working in the cartridge you want to load. You can look at several manuals and most will tell you what powders worked best for them. I am not sure how long CFE Pistol has been around, but I don't have much data for it. I expect it is very good for 9x19. After a few hundred rounds of success, you can then move to plated or lead bullets and start trying different powders. Instead, you start off with plated bullets (that have almost no data available and need special handling) and what is, to me, a relatively new powder so there is very little data to go on. So, your first time out learning to drive, do you take a Mercedes F1 W08 EQ Power+ or a Corolla to learn how to drive? Do you take a Yamaha SCR 950 or a Suzuki DR 200 motorcycle for your first lesson? Hey, I load 9mm. 9x19, 9x21, 9x23, 9x18, and 9x17. Which one of the almost 50 different 9mm cartridges are you loading for? Oh, of course, 9x19... >The difference in the start grain loads is due to the different OAL's, is that correct? NO. All the start load is usually is a 10% reduction in the max load. The max load is determined by the components used and, when comparing your data, I'll bet NONE of the components were the same. COL is NOT the driver of start loads, other than the start load is safe for any normal COL used. The manual's COL may be no more than a short COL they used for testing, to be a worst case, and you should use a longer COL. Learn to determine the COL for yourself. The sheer fact that they note it as a "MIN COL" tells you not to go shorter. In reality, first work out in your gun what COL works and then start loading. If shorter, you might want to reduce the start load by 2-5%, but I have never found that necessary—but, then again, I always check multiple sources and start at the LOWEST start load. 1) Bullets of the same weight vary in dimensions. The COL in a manual, if it really means anything, only applies to THAT bullet. The dimensions of the bullet determine the max COL before the bullet ogive or shoulder hits the lede. Your COL (Cartridge Overall Length) is determined by; your barrel (chamber and throat dimensions) and your gun (feed ramp) and your magazine (COL that fits magazine and when the magazine lips release the round for feeding) and the PARTICULAR bullet you are using. What worked in a pressure barrel or the lab's gun or in my gun has very little to do with what will work best in your gun. Take the barrel out of the gun. Create two inert dummy rounds (no powder or primer) at max COL and remove enough case mouth flare for rounds to chamber (you can achieve this by using a sized case—expand-and-flare it, and remove the flare just until the case "plunks" in the barrel and lock the die body down temporarily). Drop the inert rounds in and decrease the COL until they chamber completely. This will be your "max" effective COL. I prefer to have the case head flush with the barrel hood (or a few mils higher than where the head of an empty case aligns with the barrel, as all cases are too short and I prefer to minimize head space). After this, place the inert rounds in the magazine and be sure they fit the magazine and feed and chamber. Adjust COL until the inert rounds feed and chamber. Note any set-back and note the COL or redo the dummy rounds if need be. You can also do this for any chambering problems you have. Remove the barrel and drop rounds in until you find one that won't chamber. Take that round and "paint" the bullet and case black with Magic Marker or other marker. Drop this round in the barrel and rotate it back-and-forth. Remove and inspect the round: a) Scratches on bullet--COL is too long b) Scratches on edge of the case mouth--insufficient crimp c) Scratches just below the case mouth--too much crimp, you're crushing the case d) Scratches on case at base of bullet--bullet seated crooked due to insufficient case expansion (not case mouth flare) or improper seating stem fit e) Scratches on case just above extractor groove--case bulge not removed during sizing. May need a bulge buster. 2) Loading data: If you look at two manuals, you'll see very different start and max loads. This should tell you that: a) NO manual is perfect and b) COMPONENTS have an effect. Unless you have the same LOT of powder, the same LOT and manufacturer of primers, the same cases, the same LOT and manufacturer of bullets, the same COL, and, of course, the same GUN, your results will vary. You can "always" use the start load for any bullet of the same weight and construction. For plated bullets, back when I thought they might be worth using, I always used lead bullet data and never had a problem (other than horrible accuracy) For this reason, and the fact that twice in my life I found the start load in a manual to be max or over-max with my components, I check multiple sources and start at the lowest start load. I never guess, estimate, or anything else. I start at the lowest start load and work up. So, I would start at 4.4gn and work up (with MAX probably being somewhere between 5.0 and 5.5gn), watching for pressure and either tracking group size or velocity, whichever is your goal.

Remember years ago, Sportsman's Warehouse had a one cent sale. Well, I thought, I'll buy two guns for the price of one. Turned out you had to buy at least 10 items and the least expensive item was a cent--and it wasn't available for guns...

Oh, yes, a L-HBWC should never be shot over 800 fps as it can separate the skirt from the rest of the bullet and you'll either get two holes in the target or you'll stick the skirt in the barrel. Also, 650-750fps is best for target accuracy. Do not ever push any HBWC.

The last things you need are jacketed, plated, or HARD cast bullets. A 10-13 BHN is more than hard enough. Did you inspect the barrel for leading? For a L-HBWC to keyhole at 5 yards, there is something wrong. They aren't much good beyond about 35 yards, but they are as accurate as anything at 25 yards. The main problems I have are: 1) getting any reload to be as accurate as factory (the only cartridge I have this issue) and 2) Having to weigh very small powder charges For any lead bullet, be sure the bullet is a snug slip-fit in the cylinder's throats and is at least 0.001" over actual measured groove diameter. Get a Redding Profile Crimp die to apply a light roll crimp.