Gas checks or lead/ tin mix?

[knifeman85]

PLease excuse my ignorance..some of these questions are classic newb questions..but hey If ya don't know then ya don't know.
First,,Do you have to use gas checks on 9mm cast boolits OR can I use plain lead cast boolits only?
Second,,To harden plain lead do you add tin? or what do you add..What percentage ?
Third,,In what cases would I need to use harder lead?
I do have knowledge of the process of melting wheel weights and range lead..cleaning it and pouring it in to molds..I also have been casting maxi balls for my .50 cal muzzleloader with good success.
I am currently looking to buy a .356 round nose mold for my 9mm..which brings me to my next question....
What grain mold would you recommend?
When I cast boolits for my 9mm what type lube should I use when running them thru the sizer/luber?
Thanks in advance folks..Mike

[bangerjim]

First and foremost......read the stickies and the Glen Fryxell book on lasc.us. Tons of info and all the answers to your questions.

Buy the Lyman Cast Bullet book!!!!!

You do not need GC's on 9mm.....in fact, good luck finding a standard available mold that even has the style!

Sn (Tin) does NOT harden lead to any extent. You need Sb (antimony). Add it by using COWW's (if you can even find them anymore), hardball, lino, superhard, etc. Sn lowers the surface tension of the molten lead to allow mold fill-out better......use 1-2%.

Harder is used for magnum and rifles loads.

9mm molds are very limited....use what you can find. All have published load data in the books.

I do not lube anymore....old school. I powder coat all my boolits to eliminate the need for grease and PC has NO LEADING! Again read....read......read the stickies.


Welcome to the madness.

bangerjim

[44man]

True, tin alone does not harden much but it does toughen the boolit. Yet the nine is a high pressure caliber with shallow rifling and will need harder. A GC will not save you or is needed with the right alloy.

[Blammer]

tough bullets are when you are working on getting your bullets to expand and stay together.

if you want them harder, water drop them.

I don't know if there is a 9mm GC mould out there, I know some use a 38 cal mould with a GC.... and size appropriately.

[popper]

.356 round nose mold for my 9mm
Why RN? I have yet to find any viable reason for RN or SPP in cast. But I'm not shooting 100 pistol or 600 rifle either.

[mikeym1a]

I will attempt to answer your questions in order, but first, allow me to urge you to get a copy of the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook. The #4 is the newest, but my preference is for the #3. For some reason, I find it more 'readable'. Don't just leaf through it to get to the loading data, read the first 3 chapters. This will give you a bit of history and some information on lead and it's alloys. Also, if you click the forums tab, all the different area pop up. choose the tab closest to your area of interest, click it, and then look for the tab 'stickies'. These are basic question threads that were deemed worthy of preservation for research by new, and some old, members. Now, to your questions.
1) All of the 9mm molds I have seen are plain base, some perhaps with a small bevel, to aid loading. Gas checks are used on revolver boolits, but I have never seen one on any of the 'auto' pistol boolits.
2)As stated by others here, tin does harden, or toughen, a boolit slightly, but as stated, you need antimony to make it hard. If they are available in your area, try and find clip on wheel weights. Many of us started with them, as they were cheap, and by themselves made decent boolits. There are ways of getting good boolit material, including buying them. Several of the members on this site sell it in small quantities. Here is where Lyman Manual #3 comes in, it will tell you how to process and make your own alloy. You can shoot your lead/tin alloy in your 9mm, but keep your velocities under 900fps. You might get leading any higher. Remember to slug the bore of your pistol, and size the boolit .001-.002 over the groove size.
3)The size boolit you choose is up to you. The smaller guns might benefit from a lighter boolit and offer less recoil. From what I've seen, 120-130 grains is about average from what I've seen on the posts.

Now, go. Read, smelt, cast, load and shoot. Be fruitful and happy. Welcome to the club. mikey

[gray wolf]

I agree with most of the other post,
Take the well given, well intended help, but also read the sugested reading material to better round out your understanding. Have a good time doing things, but try to understand why you are doing them.

[knifeman85]

Thanks guys!..Read a great "stickie" here called "what works for me" and have several others..Looked for..found and bought that book tonight...this is truly an amazing wealth of info here..All someone need to do is look.I find myself spendin my eveinings here with a note pad..Also just bought a 1000 lot of 9mm brass from a member here..buying my 9mm mold this weekend also..My pistol is a ruger sr9..It shoots anything,,and I mean anything.My press is a smart press and RCBS dies...Luber Sizer is a Lee..As I experiment I will make notes of what works for me and what doesn't then will deffinately pay it forward some way...Most Of my lead is wheel weight lead..I do collect a lot of "range" lead I dig up from the public range..I don't think people realize whata gold mine this is..TONS of it..Melt..Mold and Reload man!Thanks again! I will continue to update and post how things are going..Mike

[MtGun44]

No need for GCs in pistols, although the 9mm is not the easiest cartridge to start with.

Do not expect to succeed with .356 diam.

Read the sticky on "Setting up a new 9mm for boolits" - it will help.

IME, nothing harder than air cooled wheel weight alloy is needed for pistols. Hardness does
NOT prevent leading, as a general concept. Proper fit (larger than groove diam by .001 or .002
in most pistols), good design and good lube are the keys.

Best of luck.

Get a Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook or read Glen Fryxell's superb online
free book "From Ingot to Target".

Bill