First cast bullet load...

[DrDucati]

9mm sized to 0.358, lubed,
per lyman manual loaded with 5.0 - 5.1 gr power pistol. OAL listed is 1.065. Mine seated to almost but not quite to the top of the last band, length 1.075 like so:156401

That about right? Sorry for the ultra-noob questions, and thanks.

[Dolton916]

Looks good, have you fired any?

[DrDucati]

No these are my first ever and making sure I'm doing it correctly in term of where to seat the cast bullet. If that looks right I am going to load a bunch with different lubes and shoot them at the club next chance I get. :)

[georgerkahn]

It looks pretty to me! I'm kind of OCD, so I hand-drop a few in the chamber of the firearm I'm loading for, or, use a dedicated gauge to do this. Wilson (most all of mine are made by Wilson), Dillon, and others purvey these gauges, which duplicate SAAMI chamber specs. Only for your reference, MidwayUSA lists what I'm referring to at http://www.midwayusa.com/product/888465/le-wilson-max-cartridge-gage-9mm-luger . I've had a few loads almost as pretty as yours which didn't quite fit the chamber. But, assuming yours do -- again, they look fine to me!
BEST!
georgerkahn

[Scharfschuetze]

No these are my first ever and making sure I'm doing it correctly in term of where to seat the cast bullet.

You have two requirement as far as seating the boolit.

1. The round needs to chamber easily and the OAL should not interfere with this by having the driving band engage the rifling too soon and retarding the chambering process. The "Kerplunk Test" will square you away here. Remove your barrel and use it as your gauge. Drop a round in and it chambers well, does not extend past your barrel hood, and then falls out easily, you're done.

2. The rounds need to feed from the magazine reliably, no matter what their sequence is from the magazine. You can test this at the range or you can make up some dummies and test them at home without powder or primers.

Once you have a round that both chambers and feeds reliably, you're good to go. Record the overall length in your records.

The 9mm is a very small case and operates at pressures way above a 380 ACP or 45 ACP so differences in depth can change your chamber pressure significantly.

[DrDucati]

I kerplunked it and ran a dummy from magazine to eject, but as I'm kind of ocd as well, I may eventually get one of them gauges. Anyway playing with the toys aka tools of the trade is half the fun!

[Scharfschuetze]

Sounds like you are on the road to success DrDucati.

[bangerjim]

I have a MAX GAUGE for every cal of semi and gun I load for. Saves tons of time and embarrassment at the range with non-fitting boolits!!!!!!!

I also use a Lee FCD on all my 9/40/45ACP loads to insure prefect chamber fit every time! Even use one on 38/357 and 45LC to make sure everything is "fit" to go at the range.

It only costs a little more to go 1st class.......and a coffin does not have side pockets!

Max gauges - best money I ever spent for repeatable quality hand loads.

banger

[DrDucati]

I love Midway usa. Max Gage on its way.

[runfiverun]

jeebus I'd have to buy like 63 or 64 gauges.
I wonder if they make them for the 7.5 x53 and x54 rounds or just for the x55 version.
or if they make them for both the argie and Belgian mauser chambers.
I guess i'll have to go see.
I ain't buying any but I'm curious now.

[DrDucati]

You have two requirement as far as seating the boolit.

1. The round needs to chamber easily and the OAL should not interfere with this by having the driving band engage the rifling too soon and retarding the chambering process. The "Kerplunk Test" will square you away here. Remove your barrel and use it as your gauge. Drop a round in and it chambers well, does not extend past your barrel hood, and then falls out easily, you're done.

2. The rounds need to feed from the magazine reliably, no matter what their sequence is from the magazine. You can test this at the range or you can make up some dummies and test them at home without powder or primers.

Once you have a round that both chambers and feeds reliably, you're good to go. Record the overall length in your records.

The 9mm is a very small case and operates at pressures way above a 380 ACP or 45 ACP so differences in depth can change your chamber pressure significantly.
Is there not a concern that a given cast bullet seated to cover all the grooves will be deep enough with a given powder to cause excessive pressure? I'm a little confused by the different COL listed. My COL is rather low at 1.075

[michael.birdsley]

Did you slug your barrel or just by a mold that drops 358 boolits? Only reason I ask is because soon I want to start casting for my 9mm

[DrDucati]

I did slug it but it's tricky being s&w as they have odd # grooves (5). My shield got 356 to 357. Also read enough posts by 9mm shooters who get good results with 358. My mold is 359, which I chose so as to have flexibility in sizing down.

[Larry Gibson]

Is there not a concern that a given cast bullet seated to cover all the grooves will be deep enough with a given powder to cause excessive pressure? I'm a little confused by the different COL listed. My COL is rather low at 1.075

If one uses a start load and works up as is (or at least should be) recommended then the slight variations of seating depth with bullets of the same general weight but slightly different designs won't cause problems as any variation in psi is adjusted for by stopping if excessive psi signs arise. However, if one just jumps to a top end load and "assumes" it to be safe can find out sometimes it is not safe.

Larry Gibson

[runfiverun]

now your back on track.
the case volume left over will dictate your load choice.
start low and work up.
being too low for 100% function is not a problem, it shows you used some good judgment.

[bangerjim]

jeebus I'd have to buy like 63 or 64 gauges.
I wonder if they make them for the 7.5 x53 and x54 rounds or just for the x55 version.
or if they make them for both the argie and Belgian mauser chambers.
I guess i'll have to go see.
I ain't buying any but I'm curious now.

Wilson and RCBS only make them in the popular cals that I have seen. I have 8 of them. And I have made 3 odd-ball ones of them on the lathe using my gun's chamber as a standard to bore the block out to. Close 'nuff for gubmint werk!

banger

[DrDucati]

Some things noted as a beginner:

The Lee perfect powder measure....isn't. And the Lee data for using the discs does not allow for a continuous increment in charge. Rather it forces you to go in chunks up from approximately a starting load. So to get spot on where you want to be, it's necessary to trickle a couple grains into each case...unless the powder measure just happens to be the amount you're looking for.

So I will probably get another scale. My digital scale reads in tenths of grams and a bit flakey at that resolution, whereas I bought a vintage redding beam scale which is not damped at all and can test one's patience.
Maybe a newer magnetically dampened redding scale.

I expect even though I'm near starting loads I will be white knuckling my first shoot.

[Scharfschuetze]

I expect even though I'm near starting loads I will be white knuckling my first shoot.

Yes, not only do a good scale and measure combination contribute to efficiency and speed of loading, they are also keys to safe loading.

Money spent on good equipment here is well worth the cost. Anything else is generally a false economy.

[DrDucati]

All the cast bullets I shot this weekend worked out great...the Autocomp cycled 100% after I bumped it up a touch, still showing soot on the cases might indicate I can bump it a touch more...and the PowerPistol and Titegroup loads worked well too.

[Landshark9025]

being too low for 100% function is not a problem, it shows you used some good judgment.

That's a bit of gold there.

RCBS 5-0-5 scale is what you seek. Made by Ohaus and owned by probably 80% of the people who have been doing this 20 years or more.

There is also the "cleaning rod test" which will help you determine OAL.

There are ways of making the Lee auto disc throw what you want, or you could get the micrometer bar. Me? I'd stick with the 5-0-5 for every round for now.

Sounds like you are on your way to success. Welcome to the addiction.