I just purchased a Sig Sauer 220R Match Elite in .45 ACP.

Although I've been reloading rifle cartridges for over 30 years, I'm new to handgun reloading.

Any tips or recommendations anyone willing to share with me? Dies? Brass? Powder? Primers? Bullets? C.O.A.L? Whatever.

Bobby B.

Try the reloading forum on here and check the classifieds on here. I would try the same manufacture of the dies you use now for the 45
also give the carbide dies a look less lubing required

Use carbide dies .Remember to clean cases before sizing as even carbide dies can be ruined by dirt and sand on the cases. Use a taper crimp. See that the expander die doesn't open up the case too much.Most are for larger lead bullets rather than jacketed.

Bobby
I load for the Colt Gold Cup and a S&W model 25.
Back when I was competing in IPSC and Bullseye I found that one load worked for me. Actually I've not found any reason to change for the past 30 years.
I use 210 - 220 grain cast bullets, sized .452, most any case that I have, Winchester LP primers and 4.5 grains of Bullseye or 231.
The same load works with 45 auto rim cases.

Jim

For the first 20 years of my reloading hobby I was a diehard RCBS guy and if it wasn't green (their corporate color)I wasn't buying it. Lately I've been using some Lee Precision dies and have been more than impressed with the quality, and the innovations that they are coming up with. In my opinion they are leading in the reloading equipment now.

Teancum--If you are going to do much pistol shooting, I'd say start casting bullets if you don't already. Many try to make bullet casting rocket science, but it isn't. Get a Lyman manual and read a little and go to it.

quote:

Originally posted by carpetman1:
Teancum--If you are going to do much pistol shooting, I'd say start casting bullets if you don't already. Many try to make bullet casting rocket science, but it isn't. Get a Lyman manual and read a little and go to it.

Great Idea.

I helped out a neighbor kid whose father had recently died when he had a garage sale. The father had purchased a room full, literally, of reloading components and had never used one of them. Unopened boxes of primers, bullets, and powders and all kinds of tools and dies. My wife had found out about the garage sale and the kid said that he was going to price out the reloading stuff that night and have it on sale the next morning.

The kid, 25-27 years old, knew me and asked me if I would help him price out the stuff. I answered sure and that it would be fun and I went over to his house after he closed down the sale for that day and we spent the evening going through the items one by one and putting tape on them with a price meant to sell. As we were going through the stuff I put aside about 10 pounds of powder and about 5,000 bullets and at the end of the evening I told the kid that I would buy the stuff I set aside for the same price that we had been putting on the other things for sale the next morning.

The kid said to me, "Thanks for coming over and helping me with the pricing so......why don't you just take your stuff and it will be a thank you from me". I told him that it was worth a lot of money and again offered to buy it from him but he was resolute. So I guess it pays sometimes to be a good guy.

I'm running through that stuff and previously I came across some linotype at a client's print shop that he was throwing out and got that stuff. A bullet caster in town was all excited when I told him what I had and I ended up trading him around 6,000 cast bullets for a bunch of linotype.

Once I get through or close to through with those bullets, I am heading toward the casting equipments and learning more about that end.

When that time comes I'll be looking for some experienced help. Thanks again.