Need help from the experts

[woody2]

I’ve been loading a Lee 125 gr bullet, #356-125 2R, for two 9mm’s, my Taurus PT 1911 and my son’s Springfield EMP. Due to different bore diameters I’m sizing to .356 for the EMP and .358 for the Taurus. Both use 3.8 grs of Bullseye and are seated to an OAL of 1.125”. They both function perfectly with no leading. They also function perfectly with Remington 115 gr FMJ and HP.

I just purchased a new Smith & Wesson Pro Series 9mm and discovered that, while the factory rounds work perfectly, the reloads with the .356 bullet won’t chamber with the 1.125” OAL. They jam so tightly that we have to pound the slide back with a wooden block and a hammer. Reducing the OAL to 1.053 allows the round to chamber but that makes for a very short round and I’m concerned that seating it this deeply will dangerously increase the pressure since the 9mm is already a high pressure cartridge. I called Lee and the only thing they could tell me is they recommend a maximum OAL of 1.169”. Not a lot of help. This is not a slam at Lee since they stand behind their products and I like their molds, but I need more help.

I talked to our local gunsmith and he suggested backing off the powder charge by 10%, seating the bullet to 1.050, and working the load up from there. That sounds reasonable but the cartridge really looks weird with the bullet seated that deeply.

I know that some of you guys are very knowledgeable on this type of problem and would appreciate your recommendations. Do I drop the powder charge 10%, seat the bullet to 1.050, and work up from there? Am I better off going to a different bullet that will work in all the guns? If so, what bullet? I’d like to stay with the current bullet since I have about 3500 on hand but I can melt and recast them if necessary.

[I'll Make Mine]

This certainly sounds as if the bullet is contacting the rifling, indicating the new S&W has a very short throat. One solution might be to try a different mold, one with a narrower nose (or a better match to a factory FMJ profile), or try nose sizing your bullets to get them to clear the rifling.

[woody2]

Good suggestions. Do you have any recommendations for a mold that matches the factory FMJ profile? What is nose sizing? That might be the best idea. How is it done and who makes dies?

[I'll Make Mine]

If you don't mind spending money, there are a couple custom mold makers who'll produce any profile you can specify -- slug your bore and make the nose a bore rider. Failing that, the Lee TL356-124-2R has the kind of narrower nose I was talking about, compared to the TL356-125-2R you have. Even more radical, in terms of nose clearance, would be the TL356-124-TC -- a truncated cone should clear the lands in even a very tight throat, though with slightly increased risk of feed problems (depends very much on the exact magazine and feed ramp geometry, and how hard you cast it).

Given the price of new Lee molds, I'd explore these options before considering nose sizing -- I haven't ever done it, just read about it (and that primarily in rifle bullets), so I can't give you much more information on that option (other than that you'd need a bore size die, rather than groove plus a thou or two).

[Bullet Caster]

I used the Lee TL 124 grain .356 for my 9mm (that I once had). My pistol would chamber that style without any problems. I just seated it as though it were a factory FMJ. Good profile boolit for the 9mm. BC

[runfiverun]

the problem i would run into is having three identical but different rounds.
i'd drop the load back to 3.5 grs and use the shorter oal. [and work back up]
then try them in the emp if it does fine with them seated shorter, then you are good to just keep on going like you are now.
eventually someone will put the longer/bigger one in the wrong gun.

[woody2]

the problem i would run into is having three identical but different rounds.
i'd drop the load back to 3.5 grs and use the shorter oal. [and work back up]
then try them in the emp if it does fine with them seated shorter, then you are good to just keep on going like you are now.
eventually someone will put the longer/bigger one in the wrong gun.

The longer round won't chamber in the S&W so it's not a problem.

Does anyone know the distance from the base to the bottom of the cone on the TL356-124-TC? That might be the best solution.

[runfiverun]

i'd look at not the t/l 356 diameters.
those are probably the number one thread starter around here.

[woody2]

Ok, I'm looking at the TL356-124-2R but see that lee suggests not sizing it and using their liquid Alox lubricant. Is there a problem if I lube and size them using a conventional lubrisizer?

[I'll Make Mine]

The longer round won't chamber in the S&W so it's not a problem.

Well, not unless you're miles from home with four magazines loaded with the wrong ammo...


Ok, I'm looking at the TL356-124-2R but see that lee suggests not sizing it and using their liquid Alox lubricant. Is there a problem if I lube and size them using a conventional lubrisizer?

The TL designates a Tumble Lube design; the grooves aren't deep enough to take much sizing and they certainly won't hold conventional lube reliably. You could take a thousandth or two off without problems, but not much more or you'll lose the shallow tumble lube grooves. All the Lee 9 mm molds in this weight range are tumble lube type -- they pretty well have to cast pretty close to your intended diameter or they won't work well.

[captaint]

If it were me, I would find a (good) gunsmith with a 9mm reamer and have him run that baby into the barrel and then stop having to jump through hoops to find a boolit that will chamber and work properly. That way, you could proceed normally with your boolit and not have to sweat it... enjoy Mike

[Baryngyl]

If it were me, I would find a (good) gunsmith with a 9mm reamer and have him run that baby into the barrel and then stop having to jump through hoops to find a boolit that will chamber and work properly. That way, you could proceed normally with your boolit and not have to sweat it... enjoy Mike

+1

Take a dummy round with it and he can ream a bit and test then ream a bit and test till it is a perfect fit.


Michael Grace