New to Casting and reloading, question on slugging a barrel.

[KrakenFan69]

Hi guys, I'm new to reloading in general and come at it with the desire to cast my own bullets. I have purchased a ton of gear and books and to get started I have picked up some lead bullets from a gun show that had no description other than 124 gr 9mm. I am wanting to see if I will need to resize them to work well in my CZ-75 SP-01. The bullets measure .355" as they sit lubed. I am wanting to slug my barrel but don't have any lead balls to work with. Can I use one of the bullets I have to accurately size the barrel? (to be honnest, I already have I just want to see if that info is going to be accurate. I can't see why not but thought I had better check)

Slugging with the lead bullet that is sized .355 I get .354 across the highest point to the highest point on the "slug" when I remove and measure it. Looks like my current supply of lead bullets should work fine and my Lyman mold is .356-125 so I will need to resize THOSE once I begin casting. Does all of the above sound accurate? Have I made a mistake somewhere? All I have on hand for powder is Red Dot and am having some issues finding load data on it for lead 124gr 9mm. I think I may try to find some other powder but it is getting hard to find around here.

Anyway thanks for any help,

Kraken Fan #69

[mikeym1a]

.355 is the standard size for most 9mm boolits. However, barrels sometimes are out of spec and might be a bit bigger. For slugging your bore, I would suggest getting a .38special or .357magnum lead boolit, and use that to slug the bore. These are a bit oversize for 9mm, but that way you are sure to get the correct reading when you measure your slug. Hope this helps.

[petroid]

The boolits you have are likely hard cast but you don't know so you want to make sure you have soft lead to slug your bore. Pick up a little bag of fishing sinkers if you don't have any already. If they're a little small put one in a bench vise and squeeze it a little end to end to fatten it up. or whack it with a hammer. you want it about .358 to start slugging so you know you're big enough and it has to swage down. if you have a micrometer, use that to measure rather than calipers. After you slug it, measure the slug between the indentations along the length of the bullet to make sure you're not measuring across the lands.

[KrakenFan69]

So because they may be too hard ( so not being expanded as well as possible ) or may not start quite as large ( so not capable of filling the grooves ) as my barrel I may not have gotten a true accurate reading? Is that correct?

Thanks for the responses,

Kraken Fan #69





The boolits you have are likely hard cast but you don't know so you want to make sure you have soft lead to slug your bore. Pick up a little bag of fishing sinkers if you don't have any already. If they're a little small put one in a bench vise and squeeze it a little end to end to fatten it up. or whack it with a hammer. you want it about .358 to start slugging so you know you're big enough and it has to swage down. if you have a micrometer, use that to measure rather than calipers. After you slug it, measure the slug between the indentations along the length of the bullet to make sure you're not measuring across the lands.

[mikeym1a]

If a hard cast boolit is all he has, they can be used. However, he should use a boolit of .357 or .358 diameter. If he knows how to take his pistol apart, then he should remove the barrel for the slugging. A guy above mentioned fishing weights. My local Walmart has a selection of conical sinkers in various sizes that are right handy for that. I hadn't thought of them until I read the above post. Once you properly slug the bore, you will know what your gun wants. Remember, .001 or .0015 over groove diameter. mikey

[KrakenFan69]

Thanks. I'll hit Wal-Mart today and look for some sinkers. I did have the barrel removed when I did my test earlier with the 124 gr 9mm bullet. I'll post back my results for anyone who actually cares.

Kraken Fan #69

[petroid]

The reason you want dead soft lead is so that it doesn't spring back after slugging and makes it generally easier to push through the barrel. I have always had better luck slugging from the muzzle but most say do it from the breech. Definitely remove the barrel. And read the stickies!
Good luck!

[GaryN]

Couple of things:There are sinkers out there that are not lead. These don't work. I would use pure lead. Make sure and lube the barrel real well before pounding a slug in it or you might get it stuck. I would read the stickies. There is one about why not to use a wood dowel to pound it through. In the stickies it also talks about restrictions in the barrel where the barrel is screwed on (in a revolver). There's lots to learn. Keep reading.

[sthwestvictoria]

This is the best tutorial on slugging I have seen. Great picture of lands and grooves as well.
http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinSlug.htm

I second the idea about pure lead and a good grease in the bore.

[kungfustyle]

Good stuff. You may want to get some alox and Johnsons paste wax mix or some high tech coating for your boolits once you start casting for the 9mm. This will help with leading. With the Alox mix it only took three patches for a clean gun. My Ruger was a joy to shoot and I was getting dime sized groups with the 9mm 125g Lee mould over tight group. Lee's book gives 4.3 to 4.5 of red dot for a 124g lead.

[mikeym1a]

This is the best tutorial on slugging I have seen. Great picture of lands and grooves as well.
http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinSlug.htm

I second the idea about pure lead and a good grease in the bore.

You are right. I've seen it before, and it is about the best I've seen, but couldn't remember where I'd seen it. If it isn't in a sticky here, perhaps someone should add it. mikey

[freebullet]

Welcome to the forum. They have you on the right track for slugging.

Red dot is good to go for your 9mm, I would caution you to start around 3.4gr. And not go past 4gr. with 3.8-4gr being a favorite for many shooters.

A couple books you NEED are Lyman cast bullet handbook #3(available free in digital format) and #4(still in print). Read read read!

Don't charge from a loading block. Check for bullet set back. Most 9mm like .356-.359 boolits. Have fun.