Lee TL 356-124-TC in 9MM

[tomf52]

Alliant's chart shows a minimum overall length for this load at 1.150. If I leave the bullet seated at that length, the top two lube grooves are exposed. I am not tumble lubing this, the bullets drop at .359 from the mold so I am sizing and lubing with Felix lube and don't like the bullet hanging out that much. The powder range for Bullseye for this is 4.5 to 4.9 grs. I've loaded these with 4.5 seated to an overall length of 1.050 to put all grooves in the case. Do you think pressures will get too high with the bullet seated this deep? Thanks for any help you can give with this. Tom

[mag_01]

Tomf52---I use that Lee boolit in 9MM and 38 and 357--Performs well in all----I leave it as cast and tumble lube because most 9's like the larger dia.---If you size and lube it you will find as you have a few groves are out of case and this is normal---I would not seat them deep enough to cover all groves----and I have found 3.8 bull works well. If you have to size and lube them adjust your die so you don't lube top two groves other wise I would shoot as cast---If it fits the chamber gun will be happy to size it for you----I do like this boolit----Mag

[leftiye]

There is only about 1/8' difference bteween the length of a .38 special and a .357 magnum. Seating a .38 special to The .357 length turns it into a popgun. Seating the .357 to .38 special length just may blow up your gun.

The 9mm being a much smaller capacity case might just go KABOOM if you restrict the interior space. Especially with Bullseye! The pressures will ramp up muy pronto!

[tomf52]

Mag 01 and Leftiye - Thank you both for your prompt replies. Your answers are right in line with my concerns and suspicions. I thought the pressures might jump up with the deeper seating. I wonder why Lee designs and sells a bullet like this that looks like it should be seated deep. I think I'll do as Mag suggests and tumble lube it with the Lee Liquid Alox and load it as cast to the proper depth. I just am not crazy about the LLA as it is a dirt attractor although I have had fairly good results with it's lube qualities. Thanks again for the help, Tom.

[jrfixer]

Hi everyone - Long time lurker first time poster :D

I have the Lee TL365-124-2R mold. I have been loading them in 9mm for my Sig P239. I TL them lightly with LLA and then run them thru the Lee sizer with a 357 die. Then I re:TL them with more LLA(set in hot water for a minute or so) and stand them on wax paper over night. All this is done with nitrile gloves on by the way.

I have been using unique powder with CCI primers. My Lyman book calls for 4gr to 5gr for this with an OAL of 1.065. The first time I tried the cast lead bullets I had lots of leading. I started at 4.6gr with this OAL (bullet was fully seated past all groves) and the results were not to good as a matter of fact they were real bad - keyholed the target a few times, and had lots of leading. I found that I did not have enough lube on them (I had hand lubed them instead of TL lubing them per the instructions). So I went to the 3.9gr with a 1.160 OAL which leaves the top lube grove exposed, TL lubed them and they were much better, but still some(very little) leading. So now I'm moving back up to the 4.6gr range to see if I can get the alloy to obturate properly and get rid of all the leading. I will note that so far the 3.9gr and 4.2gr at the 1.160 OAL are grouping very good (2.5" @ 15yrds)

I also found that running a mag of FMJ's will clean out any leading that you may have due to testing ;-)

JR

[USARO4]

I also use this TL bullet in 9mm and .38 spcl, my alloy has a BHN of 10. For .38 I load it as cast, for 9mm I size to .356, both are tumble lubed with Johnson's paste wax. It is seated to 1.100 and taper crimped with just a hint of the last lube groove showing. I've loaded it over 5.7gr of AA#5 for a warm load and 5.2gr of Herco for a lighter load in 9mm. Both loads are shot through a Ruger Blackhawk convertible and show no signs of high pressure. Fired primers are rounded and show no signs of flattening. Both are fairly accurate in the Blackhawk's .357 barrel so I think pressure is just enough to bump them to fill the bore. Of course the Blackhawk is brute strong gun. Good luck.

[fecmech]

Tom--Are you using these in an auto?? If so you may find out with those lube grooves exposed particularly miking .359 that your slide will not close because the bullet will be jammed into the rifling. It will all depend on the length of your throat. It sure would not work in my Hipower. BTW Alliants load oal is not for that bullet but for a rn lead bullet I believe. I use the same Lee bullet with the lube groove and my standard oal is 1.065 with no pressure problems running book max loads with numerous powders. Primers are not flattened and velocities are pretty much where they should be over my chrono.

[cohutt]

Funny thing i loaded up a batch of 300 of this tonight- except i dropped 3.7g of unique. top lube ring shows, no big deal. I size with the lee set up directly from the tumble pan & wet after a spin with warm and diluted lube (mineral sprits). When the bin over the die gets pretty full i dump it back into the lube pan and spin them around a little more before dumping onto wax paper. I don't add any more lube after the sizing, i just touch them again with the lube left on the sides on ther pan. I stopped trying to stand those little suckers up- i just roll them around on the wax paaper a couple times ar they are drying to aboid anything of note coagulating on one side. Shoot through g17 & lone wolf stainless barrel
btw 5.0 grains of unique through 16" Uzi barrel clock out at 1400 fps and i have very little leading using 3:1 pure to lino alloy. 4.4 gr run 1250-1275.

Hi everyone - Long time lurker first time poster :D

I have the Lee TL365-124-2R mold. I have been loading them in 9mm for my Sig P239. I TL them lightly with LLA and then run them thru the Lee sizer with a 357 die. Then I re:TL them with more LLA(set in hot water for a minute or so) and stand them on wax paper over night. All this is done with nitrile gloves on by the way.

I have been using unique powder with CCI primers. My Lyman book calls for 4gr to 5gr for this with an OAL of 1.065. The first time I tried the cast lead bullets I had lots of leading. I started at 4.6gr with this OAL (bullet was fully seated past all groves) and the results were not to good as a matter of fact they were real bad - keyholed the target a few times, and had lots of leading. I found that I did not have enough lube on them (I had hand lubed them instead of TL lubing them per the instructions). So I went to the 3.9gr with a 1.160 OAL which leaves the top lube grove exposed, TL lubed them and they were much better, but still some(very little) leading. So now I'm moving back up to the 4.6gr range to see if I can get the alloy to obturate properly and get rid of all the leading. I will note that so far the 3.9gr and 4.2gr at the 1.160 OAL are grouping very good (2.5" @ 15yrds)

I also found that running a mag of FMJ's will clean out any leading that you may have due to testing ;-)

JR

[mag_01]

Tom I remembered two other light target loads that I used with great success---one being 3.5gs. of 231 and 4.1grs. of herco with an overall length of 1.150 would be ok . But I have shot a great deal of 3.8 Bullseye and we are talking the 125gr. Lee boolit----Mag

[tomf52]

All this is done with nitrile gloves on by the way.

jrfixer - If you know somebody in an emergency room have them grab you a pair of tissue tweezers. You can grab the bullets wet with lube at the forward lube groove and gravity will swing them into a vertical position for drying on the wax paper. You won't have to handle them at all this way. Tom

[yodar]

I have half dozen semi autos and a marlin Camp carbine in 9mm and the 120 gr lee truncated cones are OAL'ed here at 1.163" with home made lubes and no leading and excellent performance with Hodgdon universal (3.9 - 4.5 gr)

yodar

[tomf52]

yodar - You say 120 gr truncated cone, this is a 124 TC or are you in error. If so howmany lube grooves stick out of the case and would you mind telling me what is your homemade lube? At 1.150 OAL they just fit in the mag of my 5906 S&W> Thanks, tom.

[6622729]

I'm using this mold. Firing as cast of WW lead in Glock 19 with KKM barrel. lube is 45/45/10 at oal of 1.050 and 4.2gr Ramshot Sillouette. One last run through the chrono tomorrow and I can load a quantity. I saw about 925fps ave from the first test batch. Very happy with what I am seeing in accuracy and lack of leading so far. These are for target on paper. I have factory JHP's for defense.

[williamwaco]

I use this bullet at OAL of 1.160.

I don't use gloves. Put the bullets into a one quart zip lock bag. Squirt in a little LLA. Zip it up and knead it like bread dough.
Dump them on the wax paper and spread them with the bag.
Nothing ever touches your hands.