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Reloading 10mm, looking for some guidance

6K views 18 replies 12 participants last post by  alwaysshootin 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi all, I am a proud new Glock owner as I just purchased a Glock 20 with graduation money. Being a poor college grad I decided it would be wise to get into the practice of reloading as the 10mm is not a cheap round. I was fortunate enough to have been given a Lee 3-hole turret press and a Lee primer tool to start reloading. I purchased a Lee 4 die set for 10mm/.40 and this past weekend reloaded my first 60 or so shells. These rounds that I have made are lower power rounds. The individual that is helping me get into this had some Unique powder so my rounds contain 6.5gr of Unique and the projectile is the 180gr Hornady XTP-HP. I realize that the bullets are premium and these were the only ones I could get a hold of at my local sporting goods store so I got them to reload these rounds. Has anyone ever used this load? I got this data from the Reloaders Reference and confirmed it in a Hornady manual. A couple of concerns I have moving forward are, assuming I decide to load hotter rounds, what kind of recoil springs would you recommend going with? I know wolf has everything up to a 24 lb spring I believe, and the factory I think is a 16lb spring, I have fired double tap ammo in this thing and thoroughly enjoyed it but I am worried about beating the gun to death if I fire stuff this hot. From anyone's experiences what is a good all around spring stiffness to go with for firing both hot and moderate rounds? or is it better to go with multiple recoil springs for different applications? Where do you guys buy your bullets? The best I have seen for .40/10mm fmj's price wise is 95.00 for 1000. In addition is it more cost effective to go with once fired reprocessed brass or new lets say Starline brass? Starline brass is 138.00 for 1000 shipped I believe and I have seen once fired for about 80.00. I would think once fired for plinking would be the way to go but what do you guys think? In the future I would like to get a progressive press the two I have in mind are either the Hornady LNL or the Dillon 650. Taking price out of consideration, which do you all believe is the better press?
 
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#2 ·
I dont know why you would need to replace the stock recoil spring.

I got blue dot and longshot for my 10mm, haven't been able to test out my handloads with 155gr XTP's 165 plated and 180 plated. 1000/95 shipped for FMJ is pretty good IMO. What i did is bought factory ammo and just used that brass so i know its been once fired.

How much are you going to be shooting/month? That will tell you what is the right press for you.
 
#3 ·
Well I have heard a stiffer spring would be necessary to keep the slide from moving back and forth with so much force that it would eventually cause cracks in the slide in addition to better recoil control (although I had no real problems with the recoil from the DT ammo and stock spring). Perhaps this is incorrect I have just heard it mentioned several times in various forums. Another concern with the 20 and hotter ammo is the issue of the unsupported chamber, is there a barrel preference from fellow glockers? I thought about going with a wolf which seems to be well priced.
 
#4 ·
Wow, OK. First of all I know this is an informal gun forum, but it helps to use proper grammar, punctuation, and paragraph breaks to better convey your situation.

So, with that out of the way:

Leave the gun alone. It's fine.

For powder, range ammo is WSF and full power stuff is Longshot.

Plated bullets like Xtreme, Berry's, and Rainier are cheaper than jacketed. Montana Gold bullets (jacketed) are pretty well priced too.

Fired brass is hard to find so go either Starline or Top Brass new. Then make sure to pick up your brass.

Next but first, I would advise you to get the book ABC's of Reloading from your library and read it cover to cover. It gives you a technical and process background of what's going on. Your reloading sidekick helps you apply that knowledge. Nothing against him, but know WHAT you are doing, WHY you are doing it, and WHAT can happen as a result.
 
#5 ·
Freakshow thanks for your post I have just been reading some of your stuff about reloading as a business, it was interesting and informative.

The book you mentioned is currently on my night stand and I have read it all the way through.

I'll be sure to take a look at the bullets you suggested.

I don't have much load data for Longshot in 10mm, any particular load you prefer?
 
#8 ·
9.2gr Longshot behind anything 180gr set to 1.250" OAL.
That is also my LS load w/ 175-180gr bullets. Stick w/ the stock springs. Resist the urge to reload beyond book data until you have a really good idea on how to read pressure signs & IMO, a chronograph is a must loading off the books. Any paper you shoot will not know the diff.:dunno:
 
#10 ·
9.5grns. LongShot w/180grn bullet is accurate and lethal.
I can't get that high, after 9.2 my velocities start to drop. 9.2 with the 180's is the max in my 10mm's.
 
#11 ·
A stiffer spring will lower your SD over the chrono a little bit. The G20 does open pretty fast with heavier loads. It frankly doesn't matter. I put the stock spring back in because the recoil feels much less intense like that. I use Power Pistol and it works fine with 180 gr bullets at 1150 fps. Thats plenty stout for me.
 
#14 ·
I can't get that high, after 9.2 my velocities start to drop. 9.2 with the 180's is the max in my 10mm's.
That is par for the course with Longshot in that combination.

Is freak show a retired english teacher?, language is important just read a Jeff Cooper Book.
Enjojing the 10 mleter discuszion.
Regards
No, I'm not a retired English teacher, though I prefer the term 'educator'. Teaching someone is showing the process. Educating someone is presenting the critical thinking skill set to allow others to teach themselves. I'm 29yo, family man, part time commercial reloader, full time laborer.

My point of using correct punctuation and grammar is to convey a concise message so the readers can comprehend easily thus rendering aid to such problem being articulated.
 
#15 ·
Besides the ABCs(of which I quit buying at about volume 4-5, been doing this since late '70s) Get a Lyman manual first, then buy others. I have at least a couple dozen manuals, but it is not like I bought them all at once. A mistake I have seen many times is people sometimes want to load really hot, well you have to be careful, work up a load, and if you get a good warm load and change anything, reduce and start over. Wear safety glasses, I have seen 3 blown up lee auto primes, two brought in when I worked at a gun shop, and one blew up on a good friend of mine, happened in his living room, his wife bout killed him, he was wearing glasses. The gun should be fine stock, unless you want to shoot cast bullets out of it, I shoot plated out of my 20, and I am a caster.

Glock makes a 6 inch IIRC hunting barrel, as a lot of states require hunting handguns to have a 5 inch barrel. A buddy of mine has killed deer with his. Oh, buy some mags, I have had my 20 a while and at the height of the clinton foolishness used mags were close to 100$

My favorite powders , not in order are AA#9, Power Pistol, Blue Dot, stuff like that. I have a surplus of Longshot I need to work up a load for, it has given me problems, worked up a tack driving load that had enough juice to hit at 50 yards out of my G-35, but the same load in an HK USP Compact 40 nearly keyholes, and the load I worked up for the HK, AA#7 I think, is more accurate than the longer Glock, and shoots just as bad out of the Glock as the Glock ammo shoots out of the HK, I hate that, have grabbed the wrong ammo on the way to where I shoot- it pays to experiment. BTW, I taught myself to reload, with the help of manuals and magazines, of which Handloader is by far the best, most gun rags I hate myself for buying, They have gone down hill bad in the last 30 years. Congrats on the 20, my favorite Glock I own, and take it slow and careful reloading and you will be fine.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Thanks guys this is great info keep it coming. As I stated earlier I use some software called Reloaders Reference it is a database that works with Microsoft Access and it has a lot of load data for most any round you can think of. I plan on using that to put in additional stuff that I find over the years from other load manuals and what not to consolidate everything and make it easy to get to. I'm sure I will buy a manual at some point just to have one but I think that this software will make it easy to add new data and pull stuff from everywhere without having to spend a ton of money on a number of different manuals. If anyone is interested in this software you can google it or I can post a link its free so I would encourage everyone to check it out I think it could be a great tool then again I am just starting out so maybe not.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Thanks guys this is great info keep it coming. As I stated earlier I use some software called Reloaders Reference it is a database that works with Microsoft Access and it has a lot of load data for most any round you can think of. I plan on using that to put in additional stuff that I find over the years from other load manuals and what not to consolidate everything and make it easy to get to. I'm sure I will buy a manual at some point just to have one but I think that this software will make it easy to add new data and pull stuff from everywhere without having to spend a ton of money on a number of different manuals. If anyone is interested in this software you can google it or I can post a link its free so I would encourage everyone to check it out I think it could be a great tool then again I am just starting out so maybe not.
Load Data is only as good as it's source. You don't need a bunch of manuals but I would not trust a internet source that is not a manufacture. Between my Lyman manual and the Manufacture websites I have not had a burning need to find data anywhere else. And I would never trust something other then the manufacture on the internet if I didn't have a chrono. Brian Enos often has enough people doing similiar loads that I can trust them to get me some starting data that I can then work up on the chrono.
 
#18 ·
That is par for the course with Longshot in that combination.


No, I'm not a retired English teacher, though I prefer the term 'educator'. Teaching someone is showing the process. Educating someone is presenting the critical thinking skill set to allow others to teach themselves. I'm 29yo, family man, part time commercial reloader, full time laborer.

My point of using correct punctuation and grammar is to convey a concise message so the readers can comprehend easily thus rendering aid to such problem being articulated.
Hear, hear! How can it not be important to use the correct and precise forms while trying to communicate about guns and reloading?

"The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names."

- Chinese proverb
 
#19 ·
Just a couple things to add from my enjoyment of shooting the 10. Unique is a wonderful powder for most any caliber, but, you cannot achieve the 10's potential with it. For that task I use Longshot, and have been so pleased with velocities, accuracy, grains needed for hot loadings, doubt I'll try any of the other good powders. If you can achieve the power level you desire with 9.0 grains of LS, why use another powder that requires 15 grains to achieve the same. Only 7000 grains to a pound of powder, why not get as many loadings out of your pound?

I invested in a Lone Wolf barrel so I can shoot lead, which is my preference only because of price. After 2000 rounds of lead, the barrel payed for itself. If jacketed is a must, Hornady also makes a HAP bullet which comeing out of a ten will do everything nicely to meet your demands, except expand.

I also found it beneficial to get the stainless LW guide rod with the 22 LB wolfe spring. Reason being, I found the factory guide rod/spring was throwing my " have to be retrieved brass" :supergrin: 25 or more feet away. With the after market set up, light loads, hot loads, all brass drops about 6 ft away, and functions every bit as reliably as the factory.

As far as reloader, you are already set, right? When you find yourself shooting hundreds of rounds weekly, then, it's time to upgrade to a progressive. Either of the two you chose would be good ones, until it's time to get one search the adds on different forums, and try to find one used. They don't wear out, and can be had for considerably less money.

Brass? Starline new all the way. You know what you have, and thats top of the line.

Good shooting
 
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