Need some load data for Lee 9mm 120gr TC

[thauge]

Hey guys, I could use some load data for the Lee 9mm 120gr TC. Any help would be great. Just looking for standard 9mm velocities.

[Ausglock]

G'day. 4.2gr WST works great in my G34.

[ku4hx]

My favorite cast boolit load for 9mm using that boolit is 5.5 grains Power Pistol. Works very well in my BHP and my models 17, 19 and 26 Glock.

These clock at about 1,100 fps, there are no excessive pressure signs and brass resizes quite easily.

This load may or may not be safe in your guns(s). Always follow standard and accepted precautions when loading.

[Wally]

I use 3.5 grains of HP-38 in my Taurus 99AF. 3.0 grains of Bullseye or Red Dot also work well.

[wcp4570]

The Lee 120TC is my high volume bullet because my son and grandson shoot IDPA competition. I load it over 4.0 grains Titegroup for my son and 3.0 grains for my 10 year old grandson. The 3.0 grain load clocks just under 900fps with little recoil in a M&P Pro. My son cast 80 pounds of this boolit using 2 pots and 2 six cavity molds this past weekend. The large peanut butter jars each hold 15 pounds of boolits.

wcp

[blikseme300]

4.2 grains of HP38. These are launched from a variety of pistols including BHP, CZ75, Beretta and Stoeger. All work fine with no leading and hits POA. Lower charges were problematical in functioning and hitting below POA.

Bliksem

[MtGun44]

Look on Hodgdon's web site, loading data for Hodgdon, IMR and Winchester powders.

Do you not have multiple loading manuals? If not, you really should buy a few. This is
a serious safety issue.

Bill

[ku4hx]

The Lee 120TC is my high volume bullet because my son and grandson shoot IDPA competition. I load it over 4.0 grains Titegroup for my son and 3.0 grains for my 10 year old grandson. The 3.0 grain load clocks just under 900fps with little recoil in a M&P Pro. My son cast 80 pounds of this boolit using 2 pots and 2 six cavity molds this past weekend. The large peanut butter jars each hold 15 pounds of boolits.

wcp

I love shooting and I love peanut butter; empty PB jars are perfect boolit storage containers. But might I ask you a question. Somehow I lost count of how many I cast of this Lee boolit. Do you have any idea how many the 40 oz. jar holds when filled to the top?

[wcp4570]

Each large jar has 15 pounds in them. The jar is not quite full and may hold another pound or so, that makes each jar holding 875 boolits. Peanut jars are what I use to store all my cast boolits in. I have an endless supply of new jars because my 4 grand kids eat allot of it. I also use them in the garage for nuts, bolt, screws and other assorted small items.

wcp

[ku4hx]

Each large jar has 15 pounds in them. The jar is not quite full and may hold another pound or so, that makes each jar holding 875 boolits. Peanut jars are what I use to store all my cast boolits in. I have an endless supply of new jars because my 4 grand kids eat allot of it. I also use them in the garage for nuts, bolt, screws and other assorted small items.

wcp

Thank you. My old bathroom scales gave me a full jar weight that calculated to about 900 boolits so I feel I'm in the ballpark.

I've used jars for decades to store small things. Just last week I was looking for a small do-dad and found it in my large glass metal top peanut butter jar my mom must have bought. That jar has to be 50 years old. At one point screwed small jar lids to the underside of wall studs in the unfinished garage. Neat way to store stuff; boolits are a mite heavy for that though.

Again, thanks.

[wcp4570]

Yes they are on the heavy side. I nail 2x4's between wall studs to set my boolit jars on. The bolts and other small things just get layed on the side with the lid to the wall so I can see the contents plus I stack them 2 high to get more jars in a small space. I probably have a hundred jars in use right now. Your old glass jar is very old, I can't remember the last time I got peanut butter in glass.

wcp

[EMC45]

3.5gr. Bullseye With CCi SPP. Seat the bullet til there is about .030 of the front driving band showing above the case mouth. Just enough crimp to iron the case mouth "bell" out and let 'er rip! Shoot great out of my BHP and my Pastor's G19.

[ku4hx]

Your old glass jar is very old ...

Yeah, so is its owner.:veryconfu

Some of the pieces in the jar are from the house of my youth that was built in 1955 in South Georgia. Marking the years by peanut butter jar ... I gotta get out more even in this heat.

Anyway, thanks for the nudge down memory lane. Have a great day!

[captaint]

I'm on a Red Dot kick right now - so, 4.0 is working well with that boolit. Mike

[Larry Gibson]

4 gr Bullseye is my standard load with 115 -125 gr cast in the 9mm. It has functioned flawlessly and always been accurate in any handguns and a few subguns. The Lee 120 TC has been my cast bullet of choice in the 9mm for some time now.

Larry Gibson

[MakeMineA10mm]

4.4-4.5 grs of W231/HP38 will work wonders with that boolit.

[Cherokee]

WST, Power Pistol and HS6 are great powders in my loads with that bullet. Check your reloading manual.

[thauge]

Thanks for the info guys. I'll get something figured out, but this is great starting data.

[OlavM]

If you have access to Vithavouri powder, 3,9gr of N320 gives me exelent accuracy in my Sigsauer. And this bullet also serves well in .38spec calibrated to .357. It`s my "universalbullet"

[dougader]

4.4-4.5 grs of W231/HP38 will work wonders with that boolit.

Same here. Thousands of the Lee TL bullets went down range in my G19 when I was competing in IPSC with this load.

[Mohavedog]

4 gr Bullseye is my standard load with 115 -125 gr cast in the 9mm. It has functioned flawlessly and always been accurate in any handguns and a few subguns. The Lee 120 TC has been my cast bullet of choice in the 9mm for some time now.

Larry Gibson

I have a lot of respect for Larry and used his go to 4.0 gr of Bullseye in my first attempt at loading for 9mm (I've purposely avoided 9mm for yrs because I'm a .45 guy). I couldn't be more satisfied, no leading and accurate in a p94. Haven't chrono'd it yet but it doesn't feel hot. But, the p94 is heavy. Mohavedog

[mistermog]

I jus came up with a load for these tonight, pretty light loading but 4.13gr of Win231 at OAL of 1.075. Estimated about 1010 fps.

I havent tried these yet but MIGHT need to load a bit deeper to clear the lube groove.

[Southpaw198486]

new caster here, i have this same mold. lee 90387 6 cavity mold. However after lube and size it weighs closer to 126 gn. have you ever experienced this? I have a lyman 4th edition book coming but I couldn't wait to start casting.

[Kraschenbirn]

new caster here, i have this same mold. lee 90387 6 cavity mold. However after lube and size it weighs closer to 126 gn. have you ever experienced this? I have a lyman 4th edition book coming but I couldn't wait to start casting.

What are you using for alloy? Nominal boolit weight for Lee molds (like Lyman) seems to be for Lyman #2 or similar. If you're using COWW or, like me, COWW mixed with range scrap, your finished weight will come out slightly heavier. For example: I cast the Lee 356-124TL from 2 parts range scrap, 1 part COWW plus a bit of Sn and after powder-coat and sizing, they weigh in at a consistent 126-127 gr.

Bill

[Taterhead]

For the Lee 120 gr TC I load 4.8 gr Unique or 4.5 gr WSF in 9x19 cases. Whatever standard SP primer.

[jsanch03]

With this profile of boolit, 3.9 grains of alliant sport pistol is working really well for me in my Glock 17 gen 4 and a pistol build with a kkm barrel and Comp. Sport pistol burns pretty clean and doesn’t warm the barrel as fast as other powders during rapid fire. I also powder coat my boolits with smokes powders.

[bangerjim]

If you haven't noticed....... 3.9-4.5 grains of just about ANY "fast-ish" pistol powder will work great! Use what you can find these days. I use at least 5 different powders for that boolit load, all within that grain weight range. Load and shoot. Do't get lost in the weeds of load data, that is mainly for accurate rifle boolits!!!!!!!

banger :guntootsmiley:

[RKJ]

If you haven't noticed....... 3.9-4.5 grains of just about ANY "fast-ish" pistol powder will work great! Use what you can find these days. I use at least 5 different powders for that boolit load, all within that grain weight range. Load and shoot. Do't get lost in the weeds of load data, that is mainly for accurate rifle boolits!!!!!!!

banger :guntootsmiley:

Good Advice

[cowboy4evr]

If just punching holes in paper , any of the fast burners , " tite group , bullseye , red dot , wst etc " all work well . For several years I loaded tite group , 3.7grs using a 124gr plated bullet . It worked just fine . That LEE cast bullet will come out weighing about the same . Regards Paul

[mdi]

Lyman 49th, page 342, lower left.

For a few decades I have payed very little (no) attention to any load data I see on any forum or "pet loads" website. Ignore 99.9% of load data I hear from any range rat. good intended friend, gun counter clerk or gun shop guru. I use data (starting loads and max loads) from my published reloading manuals with a bit from powder manufacturers web sites. I record every load I assemble on my computer and print outs in a 3 ring binder I keep in my shop for future info and results and often good targets are included. In 1970 I had a squib and to today I have had no Kabooms.

[fredj338]

new caster here, i have this same mold. lee 90387 6 cavity mold. However after lube and size it weighs closer to 126 gn. have you ever experienced this? I have a lyman 4th edition book coming but I couldn't wait to start casting.

Alloy & casting temp will affect final weight. I never sweat it, proper dia is important not exact weight.

[fredj338]

If you haven't noticed....... 3.9-4.5 grains of just about ANY "fast-ish" pistol powder will work great! Use what you can find these days. I use at least 5 different powders for that boolit load, all within that grain weight range. Load and shoot. Do't get lost in the weeds of load data, that is mainly for accurate rifle boolits!!!!!!!

banger :guntootsmiley:

Yep! Lots of powder choices. I have had great results with ASP, VV320, RedDot, WST, WSF, W231/Hp38, Unique, Ramshot Comp, all work great with cast.

[fredj338]

With this profile of boolit, 3.9 grains of alliant sport pistol is working really well for me in my Glock 17 gen 4 and a pistol build with a kkm barrel and Comp. Sport pistol burns pretty clean and doesn’t warm the barrel as fast as other powders during rapid fire. I also powder coat my boolits with smokes powders.

I like ASP, prefer it by a mile to TG. It loads about the same without the high heat.

[Jniedbalski]

Like Larry said 4 grains of bulseye. I use 3.5 to 4 grains shoots great