Bought a whole lot, not sure what to do next

[6290988]

I just bought a big lot of reloading stuff. It’s all setup for .45 and .38. I’m attempting to find parts to convert to 9mm since I don’t shoot .45. I have over 8,000 rounds of cast .45. Is it possible to size down? May be a stupid question, sorry if it is.

277186

[frkelly74]

Get a 45... Someone was bound to suggest it. Sorry

[WebMonkey]

no, there's no sizing .45 diameter to .356/7/8.

not with an acceptable end result.

(i mean you can find equipment to swage/squish the lead but then you have an overweight squished 'cylinder' of .356/7/8 diameter, not a loadable projectile)

sell/trade/melt recast.

good luck!

[TNsailorman]

Sell them on this swap and trading site on here and buy 9mm that you need. The .45 guys(me included) will thank you. james

[Scrounge]

I just bought a big lot of reloading stuff. It’s all setup for .45 and .38. I’m attempting to find parts to convert to 9mm since I don’t shoot .45. I have over 8,000 rounds of cast .45. Is it possible to size down? May be a stupid question, sorry if it is.

Probably easier to trade for what you want. Local would probably be better so you don't have to add postage costs, but I'm sure there are folks here who can use the .45's you don't need. No matter where you live, there is likely to be at least one person who needs .45's. Do you know how many pound of .45 bullets you have? Other option is to recast to what you want, though you'll need to get set up for that. Let us know the general area where you live, might have a whole bunch of folks could help you.

Bill

[6290988]

I’d love to but doubt I’d ever shoot it. I have a ton of 9mm handguns and AR pistols.

[6290988]

Roughly 250lbs, Over 8000 rounds.

[Scrounge]

Sell them on this swap and trading site on here and buy 9mm that you need. The .45 guys(me included) will thank you. james

He's only got one post so far, will take him a bit to be eligible for Swappin' and Sellin'. But yes. I'm a .45 guy too. ;)

Bill

[6290988]

no, there's no sizing .45 diameter to .356/7/8.

not with an acceptable end result.

(i mean you can find equipment to swage/squish the lead but then you have an overweight squished 'cylinder' of .356/7/8 diameter, not a loadable projectile)

sell/trade/melt recast.

good luck!


Thanks, that’s what I figured.

[6290988]

If I sell I figured I’d go with Pre-paid usps boxes and sell on gun broker.

[Green Frog]

Forty five caliber bullets (.451”) cannot be sized down to nine millimeter (.356”) by any normal means... better to trade them off to another reloader to save a lot of work. Failing in that, they could be melted and recast in the smaller size, but that’s another whole process, and those bullets are worth more as cast bullets than as a simple source of lead alloy.

What press do you have with this lot of stuff? Any regular press that can be changed from 45 to 38 can just as easily be changed to 9mm with the addition of a set of dies and a shell holder. In normal times these could be quickly obtained from any seller of reloading supplies and equipment, but right now you might have to look around a bit. BTW, your 9mm bullets you need are actually closer to those for the 38, and some of those could perhaps be resized maybe.

More information is needed, but if you actually got a complete setup for 38 and 45, switching over to 9mm shouldn’t be too difficult.

Green Frog

PS I’ve got to learn to type faster!

[6290988]

Forty five caliber bullets (.451”) cannot be sized down to nine millimeter (.356”) by any normal means... better to trade them off to another reloader to save a lot of work. Failing in that, they could be melted and recast in the smaller size, but that’s another whole process, and those bullets are worth more as cast bullets than as a simple source of lead alloy.

What press do you have with this lot of stuff? Any regular press that can be changed from 45 to 38 can just as easily be changed to 9mm with the addition of a set of dies and a shell holder. In normal times these could be quickly obtained from any seller of reloading supplies and equipment, but right now you might have to look around a bit. BTW, your 9mm bullets you need are actually closer to those for the 38, and some of those could perhaps be resized maybe.

More information is needed, but if you actually got a complete setup for 38 and 45, switching over to 9mm shouldn’t be too difficult.

Green Frog

PS I’ve got to learn to type faster!

Star Machine Works. I’ll need to find a 9mm conversion for it, or sell/trade it for a different progressive press.

277192

[ryanmattes]

Depending on the specific weight and shape, the .38 bullets might be able to be loaded for 9mm. Got to be careful about bigger .38's seated too short in 9mm, though, because you can get bad pressure spikes.

If you can tell us what the .38's are, if there's info on the packaging, stuff like weight, profile, and base diameter, we can tell you if they'd be good for 9mm.

In the pic below, on the left is a 9mm and on the right is a .38/.357, both ~125gr. I successfully loaded and shot those .38's in my 9mm, just being a little careful about the seating depth. Grouped pretty well.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210208/be3b16eccf06858caba27db42800ce6e.jpg

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

[onelight]

You really are at the place where a 45 would be a wise purchase :bigsmyl2:

[dverna]

Silly to buy a gun you do not want to shoot bullets you can easily sell.

I sold 9000 .45's through a post on our state gun site in the first few days.

[JimB..]

I spent the better part of an hour on the phone with him yesterday or the day before. I suggested that he join up and ask about the value of the press. He’s mostly interested in 9mm so I nudged him to Dillon SDB or 550 rather than buying the conversion parts for the Star about which I know little.

[gwpercle]

Don't convert nothing , sizing down from 45 to 9mm isn't possible ...
Get A 45 acp !
Life will be a whole lot easier and every American shooter needs to have at least one ... I'm a 1911 person myself . It's on the table next to me as I type this ... keep it close .
Gary

[pworley1]

You can always recast them into whatever you want.

[Chihuahua Floyd]

Add a location to your profile. Someone may be close enough for a face to face purchase or swap.

[onelight]

Hey did you Star press guys notice the improvements to that fine press :kidding:

[Bashby]

You can always recast them into whatever you want.

That’s what I was going to suggest.

[reddog81]

I just bought a big lot of reloading stuff. It’s all setup for .45 and .38. I’m attempting to find parts to convert to 9mm since I don’t shoot .45. I have over 8,000 rounds of cast .45.

8,000 rounds or 8,000 projectiles? There’s a big difference between the two.

[cwtebay]

Resizing is actually quite easy:
1) have a resizing die made for you
2) get a 9mm mold
3) heat up your smelting pot
4) throw away the resizing die
5) throw in the undesired bullets and cast away!
(Well I guess you could sell them too....)

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

[charlie b]

I spent the better part of an hour on the phone with him yesterday or the day before. I suggested that he join up and ask about the value of the press. He’s mostly interested in 9mm so I nudged him to Dillon SDB or 550 rather than buying the conversion parts for the Star about which I know little.

Gave him good advice. I think trying to find caliber conversion parts may be difficult for a new reloader. An early progressive and it looks like it might be a bit 'different'.

There is a Star website for more info.
https://starreloaders.com/

And when he puts the Star up for sale he could also sell the .45 and .38 bullets that he can't use.

[hornetguy]

Yes, let everyone know where you are located. I'm sure there are a bunch of "45 guys" that would like to work some kind of deal with you.

[GregLaROCHE]

With the current shortage of components, you can probably sell them pretty quickly for a fair price.