Welcome Aboard !Love the green horns, but they clash with the blue SDB press.
Not to worry, you won't be wearing those long.
• Lots and lots of press setup/adjustment to do before reloading. Chief among these is the Sizing (1st station) and Taper Crimp (4th station). We highly suggest you practice on "dummy" rounds (no powder/ no primer) to do setup before going into production on the real stuff.
• You need a printed Load Manual. We highly suggest the Lyman #50 (
hardback edition). Websites go down. Data can change daily. Computers screw up. A printed book is always there with you. You can use a highlighter and make notes in the margins. You can add PostIt notes and thumb tabs to open the book quickly. You need a printed Load Manual.
But you can start with the Hodgdon load data...
if you make note of their OAL. In 9mm, the OAL is just as important as the powder weight. The load consists of powder weight
AND OAL.
• You also need a personal load notebook. It can have any form you like from 99 cent spiral bound subject book to 3-ring binder with index tabs. I highly suggest a format that uses 1 page per bullet. Put your own spin on it, but something like...
• We don't share load information on this forum, simply because there is no faster way for
you to get hurt. Instead we'll teach you to develop
your own data which you can then use to develop other loads, some not listed anywhere. It's the old "Give a man a fish, versus Teach a man to fish" routine.
• You can take some lessons from S&B ammo, but again, let's not "copy S&B", let's simply learn what we can and keep moving. You are not Seller and I and not Bellot, so let's be
better than them. Why copy someone who has the limits of needing to produce 10,000 rounds per minute ? I have no such restriction, and I suspect neither do you. Let your personal goal be
maximum quality ammo (which is really maximum safety ammo). And you simply can't get there by "
copying" factory ammo.
• You are quite correct. The Berry bullet has a
rather unique ability to load very long in a CZ chamber. (Don't get too accustomed to that length, because most other bullets are
not so forgiving.) There is a physical limit at 1.169" set by SAAMI. That's a
Maximum Limit for 9x19 Luger, meaning if you want the cartridges to elevate and feed from the magazine you'll need to be even shorter than that. Thus,
1.160" is the longest 9mm cartridge I'd ever want to load. But again, that's a
Limit. The interstate speed limit is 70mph, but that also allows cars to drive 55 and 60mph. 70mph is only the upper Limit or Maximum. Similarly, your useful
Max OAL is around 1.160", but that is not your loading OAL, only your upper Limit. If it suits you, you can load even shorter. And guess what ? It does suit you !
What I will share is that our testing here proves that
shorter OALs work better in the CZ. You really want to be loading this bullet at an OAL around 1.130". And notice... this is where the Hodgdon web site fails you. They list their load data at an OAL of 1.150" which is useless to you. (I would say "utterly useless", but it's too early in your career to bring in the cows. Even cows with green horns.)
• So because the OAL is going to be
shorter, the load must also start
lower. By starting at 3.8gr you'll be OK. If you'll carefully and methodically load up 5-8 cartridges using 1.130" at 3.8gr, 3.9gr, 4.0gr, 4.1gr, 4.2gr, 4.3gr, and 4.4gr and
mark them. It will look something like this...
Now, 3.8gr will probably shoot, but not operate the slide completely. You'll be looking for a load that not only shoots nicely, but operates the gun correctly. IOW, locks the slide to the rear on the last round. If you shoot each load at a different target you'll see the accuracy change and that makes it easy to pick a good load for your gun. Now understand this...
that load is only good for
that bullet with
that powder in
that gun. You put it in your Glock or Beretta and it could be poop. But that simple little test is going to find what works best in your CZ.
• As far as your press goes... You want the sizing die to come as far down as possible. With the Berry you won't need much flare. Use the RN seating stem (or course) and read the instructions on setting Taper Crimp in the Stickies.
Because those dies are not carbide, you'll probably want to start lubricating your brass. You can do it 5 at a time with a
Roll Pad, or 200 at a time with a spray. But lubrication will help you in several ways, including helping you keep a more consistent OAL. It's a good thing.
You most definitely want one of
THESE when you can get one.
Lastly, SBDs are bad to wear at the bottom-most pivot points. (The bottom of the ram, and the bottom of the "dog bones".) Be sure and keep motor oil or CLP on those 4 points.
We want to hear more about your adventures.
Hope this bit helps.
