9mm Diameter

[30yrcaster]

Hi Guys,

I must really be out of things. Haven't casted 9mm for awhile but see many use bullets unsized or sized larger than the normal .356 I've always used. I read some use .357 even .358 in the 9mm pistols. My old Lee mold from the 80's drops bullets @ .3565-.3568. Don't know yet what my new 6 cavity Lee does.

What diameter are you guys finding best for 9mm pistols ie. Sig, Browning, S&W etc? Am I safe using as cast .357 or .358?

Thanks

[thehouseproduct]

My guns run great with bullets sized to 0.358". I'm happy it allows me to use one boolit for my revolver and my 9mm pistols.

[454PB]

As always, you should slug the barrel(s). I own two Rugers and a P-35 Browning in 9mm, and I size .357" for all.

[marvelshooter]

My Lee 2 cavity 125gr RN 9mm mold casts just big enough that my .358 sizer die makes nearly full contact around the bullet. I use it because it's what I have right now and rounds loaded with this bullet work fine in my Beretta 92 and my KKM barreled (tight chamber) 1911. Just for fun I tried some in a .38 special case in a Security Six .357 and it was okay at short range.

[Bullet Caster]

Personally, I'm using a Lee mold .356 124 grain and plan on not sizing 'cause they're the tumble lube type. I'm not really gonna tumble 'em--but plan on usin' my finger until it gets tired. Then I'll try to find another way. I've cast nearly 400 124's which weigh approx. 6 lbs. I've also cast 400 some od 255 grain for my .45 colt clone. Haven't shot any of my castings yet as I'm savin' up for powder & primers. Doggone primers cost a small fortune. Wish I could learn how to make 'em. If I have to I'll burn some black powder in my .45 and save the smokeless for the 9mm.

[plmitch]

I'm using a Lee .356-124gr-2R in our Browning Hi Power. It drops a .3568 +/- 1

[MT Gianni]

Sort your brass. My lighter brass has thinner sidewalls and can accept a larger diameter boolit than others. I also size 9mm to 358.

[sabrecross03]

I'm using the Lee TL .358-105 SWC mold and the Lee TL .358-158 SWC in my M&P 9c with good results.

[Ole]

My 9mm pistols both love the Lee 358 125 RNFP sized to .357".

Both are Smith and Wesson. One is a Model 59 and one is a 6906.

[MtGun44]

Mostly .357. .356 works in my Browning HP but not in most of the rest of the 9mms. I
wouldn't even try .356 these days. May work in a fraction of the guns out there, but .357 or
.358 will run in the guns that will work with .356 AND in the rest of them.

.356 fails in A LOT of 9mms, hitting sideways is a common situation until they go to .357 or
.358 diameter.

Bill

[30yrcaster]

I measured the ID of my old 1980's lee 2 cavity mold and the new 6 cavity one and it's .002" larger. If everyone's using .357-.358 for 9mm instead of the .356 I can see why they opened it up.

[williamwaco]

I have two 9mm 1911 Kimbers.
I have not sluged either of them.

I use the Lee 124 grain truncated cone TL bullet.
They drop .357 - .359 from my six cylinder mold.

I have sized them to both .356 ( .3564 ) and to .357 ( .3573 ) with the Lee push through sizing dies. Both sizes work equally well. I can tell no difference in accuracy. Neither produces any leading.


.

[30yrcaster]

Slugged the barrel this morning. It's .3567 according to my digital Starrett Mic.

[fecmech]

A Browning HP that I owned had a .3575 groove barrel and required a .358 bullet to work well. I also had an Olympic Arms replacement barrel for that gun that was .356 and it shot very well with the .358 bullets(2-2.5" groups@25 yds) in the 1100-1200 fps range. I had very light streak leading in both barrels that never built up or seemed to affect accuracy. The barrels looked the same after 100 rds as they did after the first round.

[Lee W]

My Glock 34 slugs at 0.356, so 0.357 works fine for me. Water dropped WWs and I have shot 500 rounds with out cleaning. (40-50 rounds per week during leagues in the winter.)

[bobthenailer]

IMO i would try .357 dia and work up a good load and then try .356 &.358 dia and see what your gun likes . all of my 38 supers & 9mms shoot .357 dia cast bullets the best and in some .356 does as well but i size all at .357 dia for all guns

[casterofboolits]

I too, size alll my 9mm and 38 Super boolits to .357. My BHP would tumble and lead with .356 dia.

[timkelley]

Try something simple, load a few dummies with the biggest boolit you have. If they will chamber then shoot some live ones. If there is one thing I've learned around here, an over sized (couple thousands oversize) with adequate lube boolit will be the right size when it exits the muzzle.

[30yrcaster]

Thanks for all the posts. I've learned a ton on this one.

Slugged my 70's HiPower this morning and it's .3572. I never even thought about it being the leading problem back then. Light loads didn't cycle the action and the ones that did leaded the barrel. Didn't have many choices though. The Speer 9mm 125's are .356. My old Lee 356-125-2r put out .3568 so even had I slugged it back then there wasn't much I could do to get .357 or .358 9mm bullets. It was pretty much standard knowledge at the time from everyone I talked to that if you want your 9mm to function with lead bullets you had to put up with the leading.

It will be cool to see how .357 or .358 do in both of mine regarding the leading once I get my pot fired up.

[EMC45]

I have a High power (Belg./Port. MK3) that runs great with 124gr. TC Lee bullets sized to .358 over 3.5gr. Bullseye.

[Freischütz]

.357 makes my P.08 happy. My Steyr 1912 does best with .359.

[Will]

9MM is actually .354330 inches. Some 9MM were this dia but most now are nearer 38 cal or 357 dia. This is especially true for the cheaper guns such as 380 (9mm Short).

[30yrcaster]

9MM is actually .354330 inches. Some 9MM were this dia but most now are nearer 38 cal or 357 dia. This is especially true for the cheaper guns such as 380 (9mm Short).
Why is this?

[Will]

9MM was originally made in Europe (primarily Germany) and they used metric sizes. Why makers increased the bore size I don't know. My son has a new high quality 9MM that slugs to .3545. I have a 380 (which is a 9MM short in Europe) that slugs 357. Go figure???

[MtGun44]

9mm seems to be the champion of non-standard barrel sizes! All over the map and makes
it a real PITA for us boolit shooters.

OTOH, the designers, esp the Eurodesigners probably never, ever imagined that anyone would
shoot handloads through their design let alone Pb boolits with no full length condom.

Bill

[30yrcaster]

9mm seems to be the champion of non-standard barrel sizes! All over the map and makes
it a real PITA for us boolit shooters.

OTOH, the designers, esp the Eurodesigners probably never, ever imagined that anyone would
shoot handloads through their design let alone Pb boolits with no full length condom.

Bill
Haven't slugged any other pistol calibers. Are calibers like 45acp more on the mark?

[marvelshooter]

For whatever reason .45 ACP is quite easy to get to shoot lead well and all the ones I have come across are happy with a .452 bullet.

[Will]

My 380 shoots a 7" pattern with factory ammo .355 Jword and 3" with lee 356-112r sized .358 or lee 358-102swc.

this is a cheap little handgun with a 357 bore. There's no way it will ever shoot factory loads with any accuracy

[30yrcaster]

We slugged a Series 80 Gold Cup 45acp at our club today and it was .4505. Does that sound right? We tried it 2 times with the same results.

[454PB]

.4505" seems a bit small, but could just be the person handling the micrometer.

[MtGun44]

.45 ACP guns seem to be all very close to .451" groove diam, far closer than 9mms from
different makers or even the same maker years apart. I have also gotten .4505 from
two different Gold Cups. Perhaps Colt sorts barrels and the ones that wind up at .4505
are marked "match" and diverted to Gold Cups.

Bill