Lee 356-120-TC or the TL356-124-TC

[45-70 Chevroner]

Has anyone tried these in their 9mm handguns? If so which would you reccommend. I borrowed a 356-125-2R mold from a friend and they shot good but I just like the looks of the other two better. I was also thinking the other two would be better defence boolits.

[wv109323]

I have the Lee 120 TC. The answer depends on a lot more info than you are giving. Does your firearm require a .357 or .358 bullet to fit the bore? The Lee mold will not cast that large with my alloy. The 120 cycles through my CZ 75 just fine but the size is not large enough for my bore.
As far as defense, "it is not what you got,it is where you put it". That quote was from a forensic pathologist in a recent gun magazine. He was asked what caliber was the best. He went on to say that he never had to do an autopsy(sp.) on someone missed by a .44 Mag.

[Wally]

I've tried both----I still have/use the 356-120-TC....the other didn't do well for me and I have read many posts that others have had the same experience.


Has anyone tried these in their 9mm handguns? If so which would you reccommend. I borrowed a 356-125-2R mold from a friend and they shot good but I just like the looks of the other two better. I was also thinking the other two would be better defence boolits.

[earplug]

Try some bullets before you get a mold, some guns work better then others. My 1911 based 9MM needs long rounds to chamber reliably. I have read that some CZ's have short throats, I'm sure there are lots of issues that might crop up. I suspect that a heavier bullet is less picky on powder burn rates and chambering.

[paul h]

Just ordered a 356-120-tc, the larger meplat was the attraction for me for terminal performance. I'll be powder coating them so that is something to consider if the mold is casting just a tad small for the bore of your pistol.

[tazman]

The Lee-356-120-tc mold that I have drops boolits at .358. I have heard many reports from others who have this mold that theirs drop smaller diameter boolits. I guess I got lucky. It feeds reliably and shoots accurately in my guns. No leading.
As paul-h mentions, powder coating is a cure for slightly undersized boolits.
The tumble lube version has a reputation for tumbling in 9mm loads. I haven't used it. I suspect the problem might be the tumble lube groves provide less drive surface area and don't grip the rifling as well. Being so narrow they may even strip off as the 9mm hits them pretty hard(high pressure cartridge).

[45-70 Chevroner]

The Lee-356-120-tc mold that I have drops boolits at .358. I have heard many reports from others who have this mold that theirs drop smaller diameter boolits. I guess I got lucky. It feeds reliably and shoots accurately in my guns. No leading.
As paul-h mentions, powder coating is a cure for slightly undersized boolits.
The tumble lube version has a reputation for tumbling in 9mm loads. I haven't used it. I suspect the problem might be the tumble lube groves provide less drive surface area and don't grip the rifling as well. Being so narrow they may even strip off as the 9mm hits them pretty hard(high pressure cartridge).

Thanks taxman. That's what I was looking for. It will be the 356-120 TC. I will get the double cavity first and if it does ok I'L get a six cavity.

[JeffG]

I have both molds and both do just fine for me. I like the 357-120-TC a little better only because it is cleaner to deal with. By that I mean no LLA in the seating die as bad, that I need to keep cleaned out.

[Petro58]

We've just recently started using the Lee TL356-124 TC. I Powder Coated them and shot 100+. I'm shooting a Cougar 8000 9mm. So far I'm pleased! No leading, no weird holes from tumbling boolits etc. Using HP-38 powder.

[rsrocket1]

I have the 356-120-TC and TL356-124-2R and they both drop at 0.358". After powder coating, they are a nice fat 0.360" so I can size to 0.358" for my .357 revolver and 9mm Beretta, or size to 0.356" for my M&P fullsize and Shield.

[runfiverun]

not the tumble lube version.

[GooseGestapo]

I have both. I generally get better results from the 120. I finally found a way to get decent results from the 124TL.
It involved adding ~2% leadfree solder (95%tin, 5%antimony) to the acww I typically use. Tazman is correct, the short driving band and thin grooves allows the marginally lubed TL bullet to skid over the rifling.
I get excellent accuracy from the 120 at .357" sizing, and decent at .356" from my S&W Performance Ctr. guns. Since the recent relaxing of ammo rules in PPC, I only shoot cast from all my guns.
A "sleeper" boolit is the Lee 105grn .358" SWC. It's all I use now, except for 148grn DEWC in my .38 wadcutter guns (bull bbl, target rib sights). I size to .358" for service revolvers, .357" for s/a's. The 6 cavity mold really spits them out! Over 3.1grn Bullseye, my revolvers shoot bug holes with them. Wheelweight is getting increasingly hard to get. Soon won't be able to. I may just retire from competition completely. I've cut way back due to shortages of powder and $3gallon gas. Things have eased a bit lately, however.

[Ed_Shot]

+1 for the 356-120-TC. Mine drops at .358+ and I size all 9MM to .358. For me, the 356-125-2R is more accurate.

[zomby woof]

I run the 120 in my Witness 9mm. It runs great. My mold runs just under .358. I just started running it in my 38 super STI and it is the most accurate I've tested so far. I'm pushing it over 1450 fps, Hi-Tek coated. Great boolit, uses little lead.

[Tom W.]

I have the 120 gr tc in the 6 cavity, after trying a few sent to me by a fellow on this forum. I size them to .358 and they shoot just great from my Glock 19. I did have some leading with my Ruger LC9s Pro, but only once, I believe it was something that I did, like trying to run them a bit warm with some new powder I got at a gun show.... Oh, btw, this is not the TL design. I lube them with White Label Lube Carnauba Red.

[MT Gianni]

The Lee 124 gr tc tl is the only mold I would not accept as a gift.

[Cherokee]

I use the 356120TC conventional design in 7 different 9mm guns and some 38 Supers. Basically the only 9mm bullet I use now. I've run about 20K thru one XDM without any failures or problems.

[GhostHawk]

I recently got the Lee .356 124 gr tl in a 6 cavity. Bought a Hipoint carbine in 9mm and it is showing signs of very good accuracy at the pistol range. Have not yet gotten it to the rifle range.

But I have recently cast and loaded 300 rounds. Hipoint carbine eats them like candy and my buddy's Beretta 92fs likes them also. No problems here, it rains boolits.

I'm using 2-3 light coats of Ben's Liquid Lube. Quick, easy, convenient. I normally cast one day, and lube, set boolits out to dry. Next day process brass, citric acid clean. Third day load. I don't want to work too hard at my hobby. :)

Lee has been good to me, OR I'm the luckiest SOB on the planet. I am up to something like 15 Lee molds and I have 1 or 2 that are getting touchy or do not want to let go of boolits. My first .312 185 gs I frankly abused the **** out of. It has paid for itself, and its replacement really.

[twc1964]

.356-120Tc. Mine dropped right at .356 so i beagled my two cav mold and spent forever pumping out well over two thousand of these beauties. They shoot very well out of my glock 19 pc'd and sized to .358. I dont have the tl version of the rn version but do have the .356-125-2r and it shoots fine also.

[6622729]

I have the Lee 356-124TC in 6 cavity. It works great in my Glock 19. No sizing, lubed with Recluse 45/45/10, Sillouette powder and CCI 500 small pistol primer.

[toallmy]

I have a lee 356-120 standerd lube grove 6 cav that just tuches my .358 sizer with 50/50 coww and plumers lead and it runs through my springfeld nice , I am still having a little case swagimg but the fater I keep it the better it shoots.it out shoots a fancy 100. Dollar mold I have and cast better to boot. Thats a lot for 40. Bucks try it

[soldierbilly1]

I have had both. Go with the TC. The TL may be problematic. As manyhave said, LLA is a marginal lube!
Billboy

[Ricochet]

I have the tumble lube version. They drop at .358". They shoot fine and don't lead with full power service loads in 4 different 9mms I shoot. I use scrap lead that's softer than WW, always water drop from the mold, and double tumble them fairly generously with Alox. None of this just turning them gold tinged. I have a .38 Super coming and will start it out with these. I'll try these in .38 Special next time I load some. Colt .38 and .357 revolvers were normally made with .353"-.354" groove diameters. Mine slugged .354".

[6622729]

I cast and shoot the Lee 356-124-TC and the 356-125-2R both in 6 cavity mold versions. Water dropped wheel weight alloy, lubed with 45/45/10 and loaded as cast. No issues and good accuracy in a Glock 19 both with stock barrel and KKM barrel. For personal defense I have commercially made copper jacketed notched hollow points.

[JeffG]

and double tumble them fairly generously with Alox. None of this just turning them gold tinged. .


^^^^
This

Interesting you say that Ricochet, it strikes a cord. I can TL thinly on a couple 9's, but I picked up a used LC9 recently for a very good price, slugged it right away (.356-.3565) and it looked like I could use the same 356-120-TC or TL356-124-TC that I use in another 9 that I use sized to .357. When I got it, the barrel was very rough looking, which I figured might have been why the price was so good. I started feeding it my 356-120-TC's that were loaded for another 9 and it was leading like a big dog, sized .357 and White Label lube. I had some TL356-124-TC's that were lubed thinly, also sized .357 and gave them a shot, which resulted in less leading, and no more strings of lead. What the heck, lube 100 more rounds nice and heavy and voila, leading gone completely and barrel is spotless. I've cast more and ran them through a .358 sizer instead, which is sizing some of them but not all, lubing the TL versions just a little less. Will see what happens this weekend if there is a dry spell, but it was interesting to me that I had better luck with the TL version. I can rationalize why they seem to work better but want to do more tests with both versions. Actually, the TL version was the first 9mm mold I bought and I never had issues with it to begin with, but decided to go the non TL route for a while just because they weren't quite as messy and I had a 6 cavity mold for them. I've since switched to a Hornady taper crimp seating die and use the flat seating plug. As I pick up each TL bullet, I wipe the meplat across a cloth with some mineral spirits on it to remove the lube so there is no impact on the seating length from lube build up in the die. This last part is really the only gripe I've had dealing with TL bullets, having to clean the lube out of the seating die every 10 rounds so the OAL isn't all over the place. I was happy to try that flat seating plug over the reverse cone, and all is good so far. It's been a good learning experience. Cheers!

[gwpercle]

I have the 356-120-TC and 356-125-2R, both are the standard lube groove and both double cavity. They both drop .3575, very easy to size to .357. I prefer the Truncated Cone....my buddy insists on Round Nose . He believes they feed better. Out of my guns they both feed just fine but like you I prefer the looks of the TC and cleaner holes they cut in a target. It's a good boolit.
Gary

[Boolseye]

I have the tumble lube version. They drop at .358". They shoot fine and don't lead with full power service loads in 4 different 9mms I shoot.
You must have the best one they ever made ;-)

[tazman]

I have owned the TL round nosed molds for both 9mm and 38 special. The one for 38 special shoots unbelievably well. The one for 9mm not so much. It dropped at .356 for me and simply wouldn't work right. Too small.

[swmass]

I own both of these molds... Not sure why but the TL mold tumbled and I couldn't get decent accuracy out of it. I didn't give that mold much a of a chance and bought the 120 TC. The bullet fed fine but it was undersized. I couldn't get decent accuracy and got a lot of leading (dropped out of round from .355-.358). They fed fine in my M&P and glock. I've read great things about it and if they dropped a bit larger I would probably be loading them, but they just dropped too small for me.