sources of empty brass?

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destrux
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sources of empty brass?

Post by destrux »

I picked up a die set for 9x18 so I could reload for my P64, but I havent seen 9x18 brass anywhere. I have a little bit of once-used brass sitting around, but I have been shooting alot of wolf poly coated steel to save money... and well, you cant reload those.

One thought I had was that normal 9mm brass is only 1mm longer, couldnt it be trimmed to 9x18 length, resized, and loaded with the proper 9x18 caliber bullets?
I have piles of 9mm parabellum brass laying around already, and it's so cheap to buy factory ammo that I dont reload it, I recycle it.

Any thoughts from experienced reloaders?
saands
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sources of empty brass?

Post by saands »

the 9x19 conversion to 9x18 is possible but is a royal PITA! The 9x19 mouth diameter is much smaller than the 9x18 so you have to grind down a trimmer pilot. The other thing is that a millimeter of trimming is ALOT! MidwayUSA sells the brass and that is what I use for all my 9x18 reloading.

Saands
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sources of empty brass?

Post by 918collector »

I have done the 9x19 conversion, but I didn't do that many. If you have a power trimmer it shouldn't be that bad. But then again, I have made 7.62x25 out of .223 brass. THAT'S a pain.
My last re-forming project was making .455 Webley for my Mk VI from 45 Colt brass. Worthwhile considering the scarcity of brass but labor-intensive.

Bottom line: Make brass when you have no other choice. Buy it when it's reasonably available. Time spent re-forming brass is better spent shooting. I buy Starline from Graf & Sons and Midway.
destrux
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sources of empty brass?

Post by destrux »

I have a manual case trimmer. I might try a few conversions just to say I've done it, but I guess I'll stick to picking up my empties when I shoot brass or buy a bag of new stuff.
arex
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sources of empty brass?

Post by arex »

There's someone selling a big sackful of 9x18 brass on eBay right now...
kempin
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sources of empty brass?

Post by kempin »

destrux,

I have weighed in on this in the past, so for what it is worth . . .

I personally use trimmed luger brass. I have yet to see any noticeable difference in performance, and the availability of 9X19 brass makes it a slam dunk.

I gave it a try initially just to see how it would work in case the 9x18 brass supply dried up or became even more pricey. It worked so well for me that I have gone that route completely.

Saands has a point, though. 1mm is a lot to trim. However, Lee has a trimmer setup that uses a power drill and is very simple and inexpensive. (between $10-20) Ironically, this setup is ideal for trimming down luger brass. I trimmed about 500 cases last spring in maybe a couple of hours. If you do a bigger batch, you start to get pretty efficient. (tip: use a drill with a clutch and a pair of pliers.) Now I don't mind shooting in the woods and losing cases in the grass, (I can never find those little buggers--it's like nature's camouflage), because I have an unlimited supply of brass that only costs the time it takes to trim them up.

A potential downside is that they will still be headstamped as 9x19. That is not a problem for me, as I do not load for the 9x19, and whenever I go to a range, I mark my brass for safety.

So in the end, my vote is for trimmed brass. You will end up with cheaper ammo than the steel cases, you will be able to control your own load, (a particular advantage with the p-64), and you don't need to get too upset if you send a few into the weeds. I used to hoard and gather my supply of 9x18 brass like a miser, but now I say, "shoot all you want--we'll make more."

And in my opinion, this is one of those rare cases where the cheap solution is the best one! I bought two of those Lee trimmers in 9x18 for when the first one failed/broke/wore out, but after over 500 cases trimmed, I can hardly tell it has been used.

God bless and straight shooting,

-Kempin
nbender
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sources of empty brass?

Post by nbender »

Kenpin, any chance you could photograph that case trimming setup?
kempin
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sources of empty brass?

Post by kempin »

nbender,

Sorry, not set up for pictures. You can see better pictures than I would take at Leeprecision.com, though.

I though it was a very clever idea. You basically have three parts: A cutting blade, The guide for your particular caliber, and a shell holder. The guide screws right into the cutter so that if you put a deprimed casing in it, it will center it and let it come down onto the cutter until it hits the stop. It is essentially a jig. The shell holder chucks into a drill so that it is the casing, and not the cutter, that spins. You rev the drill up and push it down on to the cutter until it stops. The trimming itself takes about 2 seconds. You can therefore trim about as fast as you can change the casings in the shell holder.

There are just a few quirks. The casings must be deprimed, and there is a bit of a trick to using the shell holder. For my purposes, though, it suits me fine.

Good luck, if you go with it.

-Kempin
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sources of empty brass?

Post by 918collector »

Yeah, I have an old Lyman case trimmer but usually just buy the Lee stuff. That way there's no set-up to speak of. Hard to make a mistake. You will need a trimmer some day anyway, even if it is 9x18 brass. It takes a while to show up with low-pressure cartridges but they still stretch. Some new brass is a little long, too.

As I DO load 9mmP, I quit using trimmed brass. Strangely enough, I can buy bulk Winchester white-box 9 luger by the 100 from Wal-mart cheaper than I can buy new 9 luger brass.
abwehr
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sources of empty brass?

Post by abwehr »

I like the idea of using 9 x 19 brass converted to 9 x 18! The trimming does appear to be a PITA, but I was thinking this morning that using a grinder wheel to rough trim and then final trim on my Lyman trimmer may be the "trick". I have a bunch of 9mm brass I can use.

Now I need to think of something to "xxx" out the 9mm Luger stamping. I may just "ping" them with a center punch to destroy the markings. Also, the entire cartridge looks different that the 9mm Luger, so by pinging and the bullet, it should be difficult to get them mixed up.

I guess I will have to order a die set and bullets from Midway tomorrow.......more money spent, LOL
normsutton
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sources of empty brass?

Post by normsutton »

There maybe some good deals on brass on ebay
http://search.ebay.com/FIRED-BRASS-bras ... rchZSearch

and you can even buy lead on ebay to cast your own or if you need lead bad enough you can always go to a parking lot with a pair of pliers ( by the way thats a joke the paking lot and pliers)


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kempin
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sources of empty brass?

Post by kempin »

Abwehr,

I would really recommend the Lee trimmer. It would be MUCH quicker and easier than using a grinder. Honestly, it is really perfect for this.

One other thing that I have discovered from experience is this: It is easier to compare case length than it is to read a 9x18 headstamp. Seriously. I don't even bother trying to deface the headstamp on my trimmed cases anymore, because it is easier to tell the difference of a millimeter in length than it is to see the headstamp. I sort by length.

Of course, there are two important caviats: One, I don't load for 9x19, so I don't have to worry about putting a hot load in the wrong case. The worst mistake I could make would be to load an untrimmed case for 9x18. Therefore, my approach might not be right for you if you load 9x19 as well. Two, whenever I shoot at a range, I DO mark my brass with a red marker, just in case someone else picks it up.

But I would recommend the Lee trimmer for this. You will have a bench full of brass shavings in no time.

God bless,

-Kempin
abwehr
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sources of empty brass?

Post by abwehr »

Kempin,

I normally use a Lyman trimmer, and I checked Midway yesterday for a carbide cutter and they have them in stock. I was going to order one today, but a friend of mine wants some stuff, so I will wait until mid next week to make order. I get the dealer pricing from Midway so I am the "local dealer" at work for Midway products, LOL. I don't make anything on my friends orders, but it keeps us all in reloading supplies.
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