Rather than resurrecting an old reloading thread, I thought I'd start a new one. I see several of you regulars are reloaders so maybe you can answer my question. I've reloaded many thousands of shotshells back during the trapshooting days and I've reloaded a few hundred rifle shells. But recently, new pistols have been popping up in the family. I know what powder is available in my area and I know what a couple of friends prefer but before we get into pistol reloads, I need to know if all the components are available.
What powder do you recommend for MM and 357 Sig? My friends prefer blue dot and unique but I can't find any hercules powder anywhere. What else is good? No point in buying the manuals and dies if a good powder isn't available.
Grandpa, welcome back to the wonderful world of reloading. Overall reloading supplies are much easier to find than last year. In Oklahoma I can find bullets and primers on a regular basis. Powder is still in short supply but is getting better. I am at the range at least once a week and I always check to see what they have. It can be difficult to walk in and find one specific powder but I can usually find a substitute.
I usually buy most of my powder on line in bulk. I have signed up to be notified when the powder I want is back in stock and buy as soon as I get the E-Mail. If you order powder or primers on line UPS charges a Haz-Mat fee on top of regular shipping. I usually buy at least 16 lbs of powder or 10K primers to offset the extra charge. I have bought on line from Sinclair, Midway and my favorite is Powder Valley.
Both powders you mentioned are good Powders, however it can be difficult to find loading data for the Sig. As I am sure you know from loading shotgun and rifle the best powder often depends on the intended purpose. For general shooting I also like Universal Clays for both the 9MM and the .357 Sig. It is great for practice and general plinking but is not a hot load.
.357 Sig can be more difficult to load than straight wall pistol cartridges but I would not expect you to have any problems since you have loaded for rifles before. Although it uses a 9MM bullet, many will not work because it is a bottle neck case. Several companies make a bullet for the .357 Sig. I like the 124 gr HBFP from Berry's Mfg.
For both 9MM and .357 Sig I recommend carbide dies. For the Sig you will still need to lube the cases because it is a bottle neck.
Good luck finding what you need and the good news is that powder is easier to find than .22LR.:tinysmile_fatgrin_t
