Anyone load 5.7 subsonic loads

[HK SD9 Tactical]

next question what do I need to get started $500-$1000 lead me in the right direction so I dont have to buy it twice.
loaded, scale etc. is there any videos on reloading 5.7

First. Read some reloading books. Not just one, but several. The Hornady 8th has a good section on the process and you will need the load book anyways, sorry to say though that there is no 5.7 X 28mm data in it. Same with the Lee's Modern Reloading, Second Edition. The Lee has alot of information but tends to pimp the Lee products (well, what do you expect?).

Then you need the equipment. And there are lots of good and gread equipment out there but the better the equipment, the tighter tolerances. A presses have to be able to handle very fine measurements so it is a precision instrument. We are talking thousands of an inch.

Press - RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme, Lee single stages and a Hornady Progressive AP with case and bullet feeders. I use different presses for different things. If you are going to load more than 5.7 X 28, you will want to look at press capabilities. Single stage, Turret, Progressives, Indexing and non-indexing. There are hundreds of presses out there. You are going to have to buy a press.

Primer - You are going to need a way to handle your primers. There are small trays that help with this depending on the setup you choose. But you need a primer tray of some type to load the primers into the primer feed systems for the press. Most presses have a primer feeding system of one type or another.

Scale - Don't be chincy here. There are a vast amount of different scales. Some are digital and count the charges as you go along to verify the count. Some are beam scales. Some self dispense. But you will have to buy powder and dispense it, ie charge the case.

Case Trim - These are bottleneck cases and will lengthen when they are fired. I also have the Hornady Cam Loc Trimmer that I use. If you use the RCBS you will have to but a trim plate from Elite. If you get the Hornady, you are going to have to enlarge the hole of the shell holder so that it will fit on the cam on the trimmer. There are more than a few ways to trim brass.

Case Prep - You need to clean and prep your cases for sizing them. You will need caliber specific dies for sizing them. If A case gets stuck in a die, your stuck unless you have another die or a die repair tool.

Case Cleaner - You can use Simple Green. The 5.7 cases has a protective coating on them that is needed for extraction. You can not use a dry media tumbler for this. But you will need one if you are going to load multiple calibers. I use stainless steel pins for all brass except for 5.7X28mm. I like it alot.

Case Media Seperator - For seperating your cases from the cleaning media.

Loading Blocks - Something to hold your cases while you work on them.

Case Lube - You need a type of lubricant to lube the cases prior to sizing them. Learn to lube because you inspect at the same time. There are dies out there for straight walled cases that you do not need a lubricant for, there are usually carbide.

Dial Calipers - You need to be aboe to take all sorts of case measurments. This is precision loading so you need precision tools.

Dies - Die sets for all your calibers that you intend to load.

Shell Holders - Shell plates depending on press. But shell holders are needed in the press. Some can be used for different calibers, others can not.

Powder Funnel to pour the powder into the case if not done on the press.

Load Data - There is alot of Load data available on the net. Remember, it comes off the net. Pick the load that you want to use then pick the primers, powder, bullets. If ANY THING IS SUBSTITUTED, the load data becomes invalid for maximum loads. The consensus is if you change something, you have to back the load down 10% and build up again. You need a chronograph to do this.

Primers - Depends on the load data being used. Sold in trays of 100 to 5000. Haz Mat fee.

Powders - Depends on load data used. Sold in various weights - lb, 4lbs, 8lbs. True Blue and others. Must be smokeless and suited for the purpose of the round. So yes, there are different powders for different uses. Haz Mat fee.

Bullets - Any .224 between 27 grain and up to 55grain inclusive will work. Sierra Game King 55 grain is what is used by FN for their subsonic ammunition.

Cases - 5.7X28 cases are not available so you will either have to tear dowm some ammunition to get the casses or collect your used cases or buy some online.

A means of mounting your press to some type of table, desk, bench, ets.....

Peace and quiet. You make a mistake with powder and you can have a very bad day.

If you have a girlfriend or wife, get her/him involved.

There are sets of equipment out there that have most of the basic needs for a reloader. That will probably be your best bet to start with. Lee is the low end, RCBS, Hornady, Dillons are all good machines. Look around on the net for some of these kits, compare them, and then ask specifics as you go along.



I am sure that I forgot something trivial.

[HK SD9 Tactical]

Starting Kits:


Single Stage Kits.

Lyman Products Your Primary Source for Reloading Equipment

Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Reloading :: Metallic Reloading :: Presses and Kits :: Reloading Press Kits :: Lock-N-Load® Classic Kit Deluxe

https://shop.rcbs.com/WebConnect/Mai...&route=C04J148

50th Anniversary Breech Lock Challenger Kit - Lee Precision



Turret Presses:

Classic Turret Press Kit - Lee Precision

https://shop.rcbs.com/WebConnect/Mai...productId=2840

Lyman Products Your Primary Source for Reloading Equipment


Progressive Presses:

Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Reloading :: Metallic Reloading :: Presses and Kits :: Lock-N-Load® AP™ :: Lock-N-Load® AP™ Reloading Press

https://shop.rcbs.com/WebConnect/Mai...productId=2845

Dillon Precision: Reloaders, Reloading Equipment, Bullet Reloading, Bullet Reloaders

[Visceral_Malice]

HK offered pretty spot on advice. I'd say outside of necessities to assemble the cartridges the most important thing you can own are good measuring tools. Calipers and scales are probably the most important part of your set up as they are what will keep you from disaster, so don't skimp on them. I got a frankford arsenal digital caliper and it has worked very well for me.

The Lee reloading manual is chocked full of invaluable advice, but honestly, skip their load data. Most of it is erring on the extreme side of caution if you ask me. The beginning of the book covers in detail everything you need to know. Although he exaggerates a little on the dangers of federal primers. I started out with the anniversary kit by Lee and it was a great purchase to begin. It gives you most everything you need and costs a fraction of what the others cost. That being said, I wouldn't purchase any of their other equipment after. I have and their "higher end" reloading stuff is cheap and fragile. And for gods sake DO NOT buy that new crappy auto prime. Its terrible. Get the RCBS hand primer if you get any. Its an amazingly smooth piece of equipment and no need for separate shell holders.

I have been continually updating my setup to RCBS products and shortly a Dillon press. I got the Lee auto turret and while it speeds up my reloading a lot, the auto-index feature sits out of timing some times. I have broken 2 decapping pins off my dies from the turret not being in line properly. This was while the auto-indexing rod was out and it shouldn't have been moving. I still use the Lee dies for everything except 5.7 because I couldn't get them, so I sprung for the RCBS which have worked well for me. If you can splurge, the rocker chucker kit is supposed to be really nice and can be updated to a progressive later on.

As far as load data, use the powder manufacturer's websites. Its the most current and updated loads. You won't find much for the 5.7, but you will find loads for just about everything else. I think Accurate and Ramshot are the only manufacturer's with published 5.7 load data if I'm not mistaken. I can only get alliant and hodgdon powder in my area and hodgdon has by far the most amount of load data of all. The 5.7 is a tiny, high pressure cartridge, so it requires extra attention to detail and care.

Anyway, good luck with beginning. Its a fun and addicting hobby. You may almost all together quit buying factory ammo.

[Ferris2son]

Awesome. This thread should be copied, trimmed and made into a sticky.

[124C41]

I'd start reloading something more forgiving than 5.7 first. You can use the same .224 bullets and small rifle primers to reload 223, so you might start with 223.
Also pick up a chronograph.

[HK SD9 Tactical]

I'd start reloading something more forgiving than 5.7 first. You can use the same .224 bullets and small rifle primers to reload 223, so you might start with 223.
Also pick up a chronograph.

I used to say the same thing. The 5.7 is a very unforgiving round and minor mistakes can cost you big time. IF you are serious and IF you are careful and IF you are anal about things and IF you are mechanicly inclined and IF you are super cautious you can do this, IF you start slowly and ask tons of questions BEFORE you do anything. However, 124C41 is correct, make a simple mistake and you will have a bad day so it is not bad advice to learn to load something else first. You can be set up for the 5.7 and only need a couple more things to load .223, dies, cases, different powder (in most cases).

Also look at estate sales, ebay and other used shops. Very rarely does a press go bad, it does happen but most of the mid to high end manufacturers will rebuild the press or even replace it if it goes bad.

[Visceral_Malice]

I will agree with everything said here. 5.7 is a tough little round to load. It was the 6th cartridge I started loading and by then I had a lot of experience under my belt with bottleneck cartridges for rifles and pistols. IMO one of the easiest cartridges to start loading is .45 acp. Its big so its easy to work with, low pressure, and you can save a good bit of money by loading it. I actually don't save with a lot of cartridges, but I load high quality ammo for the same price as the cheapest crappy plinking ammo. There are reloading calculators all over the internet that will break down your cost per round and actually tell you how long it will take to recoup your equipment costs. Although most of us never catch up as we add new stuff to our set ups frequently.

[Ivegotscars]

Dillon is the way to go. 550 or 650 you won't be disappointed. These presses have all the best features and support from the manufacturer that can't be beat. One of the coolest features is the electric case trimmer set up on a seperate tool head with a case feeder. Wow you can really take care of some serious business here. I would not mess around with the 5.7 reloading to you become an experianced reloader. Stick to the simple stuff first and work your way up to the specialty ammo later.