38/9mm bullet designs that are good in both.

[awaveritt]

What would be good compromises for bullet designs that would work in both a 38 revolver and 9mm pistol? If the barrels slugged close, I might could even size 'em the same. Anyone else done this?

[stillwell]

It has crossed my mind but was to chicken to try it. i thought that a tumble lube boolit would work i just dont have a mould

[2ndAmendmentNut]

I have a Lee 6-cavity 356-125-2R. It drops a 125gr flat base boolit that I size down to .356. I have had good results shooting it in 9mms and a 38s.
I would advise going with a mould intended for a 9mm and then give it a try in your 38s.
Good luck.

[nascarkent]

How about a 124 grain Lyman 358 242. I have one and it works good for me. :cbpour:

[alor_swe]

I use a Lee 358-158-RF 6cav.

It gives me a grouping around two inches at 55 yards in my 38 revolver (S&W M10 with a 6in bull barrel) sized to .358 at 690 fps in a ransom rest.

Ive just started to use it in my stock Glock 34 sized to .356 @ 1000 fps and it gives a good grouping at 25 yards two handed, haven't measured the grouping yet as I'm pushing for 1050 to 1060 fps to hit the IPSC major mark.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

I should probably add that the chambers on my GP100 357mag measure .3575. I have yet to slug the barrels on the 3 ~4 9mm that I regularly shoot cast from but seeing as I have never had a leading or accuracy problem from either I am guessing they all measure around .356 or smaller (most likely smaller). My alloy is clip on WW that have been air cooled, Blue Angel is my lube. As I said before the 356 diameter boolits shoot fine from 38s in my GP100 even though they are a little under sized. The only thing I do not like about 356 boolits in 38s is that they tend to be a rather loose fit in the case. In the end I usually cast up a ton of 125gr boolits and if I want them for 9mm I run them through the 356 sizer die. If I want them for 38s I run them through a 358 sizer die (they drop from the mould around 357) this way they fit a little tighter in the 38 brass.
Oh, and by the way welcome to the forum.

[awaveritt]

I have a Lee 6-cavity 356-125-2R. It drops a 125gr flat base boolit that I size down to .356.

2ndAmendmentnut: I have the Lee TL356-124=2R. With WW alloy, the first ones are dropping at about 357, so with the micro bands of the tumblelube style, I'm thinking they would do fine in my little 38 S&W snubby.

I'm using Bullseye 'cause I have a ton of it. I'm going to try 3.5 grs in the 9mm and that is my standard loading in the 38 snubby. What do you think?

And thanks for the warm welcome. I'm really enjoying the forum. I tease my wife about her soap operas, so she says internet forums are my "soap operas".

[fecmech]

The Lee 121 TC bullet was very accurate in my 9MM Browning HP, my K-38 and surprisingly at 100 yds out of my Rossi .357 lever gun.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

2ndAmendmentnut: I have the Lee TL356-124=2R. With WW alloy, the first ones are dropping at about 357, so with the micro bands of the tumblelube style, I'm thinking they would do fine in my little 38 S&W snubby.

I'm using Bullseye 'cause I have a ton of it. I'm going to try 3.5 grs in the 9mm and that is my standard loading in the 38 snubby. What do you think?

And thanks for the warm welcome. I'm really enjoying the forum. I tease my wife about her soap operas, so she says internet forums are my "soap operas".

I see we have several new members just on this one thread, again welcome.

3.5gr of Bullseye for a 38special sounds like a good place to start to me. Are you leaving the boolits the same diameter as they come from the mould and swishing them around in LLA, or are you sizing them?

Hope you enjoy you “soap operas.” You will come to find that there is drama here, however it tends to make legitimate sense and the problems are usually sorted out by the end of the day. Also there are not as many cheatings, divorces, or deaths on this “soap opera”, yet most of us still find it interesting and watch it everyday!

[Rick N Bama]

I use the Lee 358-125RF & the RCBS 9-147 in my 9s & 357s. The RCBS really does better for me in the 357 than it does in the 9MM. I size .358" for the 357s & .357 for the 9MM. Works for me.

Rick

[scrapcan]

Saeco 377, 125 gr TC, csats large enough to fill throats. The one I have is a three cavity and it will be the last pistol mould to go if it comes down to that. It runs through P9, glock 19, (even in stock barrel), and every 38/357 revolver I have or have had. I am lucky that all of the 9mm have takean a 357 /358 bullet. The lee moulds are cheaper and will most likely works just aswell, I just don't have any experience with them.

[Leftoverdj]

Your chances for dual use are far better with moulds that are nominally for .38 Special. It's a lot easier to size down. Getting a mould for 9mm that casts large enough to be useful .38/.357 is luck of the draw. I noted that a recent group buy offered a choice of .356 or .359. Dunno why anyone would want the .356 when the fatter bullets are so easily sized down, but they did it that way.

[JIMinPHX]

In general, I'm a pretty big fan of the round nose flat points. They work well in most revolvers & the 125ish-grain ones also work well in most autos that will feed them. Some of the autos will do a nose dive jam with them because the nose of the boolit is not long enough to reach the ramp early enough. That problem can often, but not always, be remedied with some magazine modifications. Many autos will just feed them in stock confuguration.

Semi-wadcutters are often another good option. The lighter ones, like the little Lee 105 will work well in most 9-irons. Anything 150-grain & up will fight you tooth & nail when you go trying to stuff it into that little Luger case.

Any of the longer nose RN boolits should be able to do double duty with little or no trouble. Same goes for the longer cone tips, but I just never liked them for aesthetic reasons.

You can size down a .38 or Beagle up a 9mm. Either should work. Personally, I'd rather size down.

[azrednek]

I've had good results using the Lee 358-125RF in 9MM and 38's. I lube and size them all .358. Post sizing the loaded 9's with a Lee Factory Crimp Die gives the .358 sized bullets a gentle squeeze. So far I haven't had any chambering problems with the over size bullets.

[9.3X62AL]

I've done the 9mm/38 Special/38 S&W thing with Lyman #358242, but this is very dependant on both the boolit as-cast diameters and the throat & groove diameters of the firearm involved. I tend to use heavier boolits in the 38s than in the 9mms, generally.

[Ricochet]

My Lee TL356-124-TC taper from .358" on the front band to .360" at the base as cast. I plan to try them in .38 Special, but haven't. I really have been out of the loading and shooting loop all this summer.

[beagle]

The Lyman 358480 works for me but it may or may not feed in the 9mm. I have two high powers and it feeds in one and not the other. Feeds in my son's .38 Super GM all right though./beagle

[MakeMineA10mm]

I've used a tremendous number of Boolits in both 38s and 9mms (and even a few other calibers of that diameter).

First was the 358242 that my mentor pointed out worked well in both. That set the wheels a-turning... Next, I loaded some subsonic 9mms with the 38-158-RN (Lyman 358311, IIRC). I've also used SOME RNFP boolit designs in both, but you have to be careful with these designs, as some of them have too big a meplat or too long or wide of a nose to feed in 9mm. (For example, my Big Lube 358-158 RNFP has too long and too wide of a nose which jams into the throat of most of my 9mms long before the barrel gets close to being able to rise into a locked position...)

One of my favorite cross-over boolits right now is the Lyman 358480, nominally, a 133gr Rounded SWC with a fairly large meplat.

I'm currently working on a design that will work in 38s, 357s, 9mms, 38 S&W, and some other calibers of this general diameter. It will have a smaller meplat and rounder nose shape than the 480, and will have a special feature to allow it to be workable with a wider range of desired diameters. That's why I call it "Flexible"...

[mike in co]

i dont know about boolit for both(ok not true) but i did have to pass , due to lack of funds, on a brlackhawk 357 with 9mm cylinder today..probabl 90+% condition....an excellent platform for testing both calibers.

mike in co

[runfiverun]

thats about cheating mike.
the 125 rnfp feeds fine in the 3 9mms i've tried it in, it also is a nice squirell/rabbit boolit in the 38

[Sky King]

I've been using Lee's 358-105swc sized to .357 for my 9mm and sized to .358 for my 357 mag loads

[Wally]

Sky King what powder do you use with this bullet in the 9mm and the .357 magnum?

[Sky King]

Wally, I use 231 in my 9mm and 231 or Unique in the .357. The .357 loads are just for plinking nothing hot. My lead goes a long way with this boolit

[mooman76]

I also like the Lee 105gr swc. I used unique. Nice little plinker and accurate too.

[Landric]

I use the Lyman 358311 in both .38 Special and 9x19mm. Its pretty heavy for 9mm (with my lead its running about 164 grains), but it works quite nicely. Now, if I could just figure out a way to stuff my Lyman 358430s into a 9x19 case...

[jdgabbard]

The 358242. 120g works good, and as soon as I get my 90g mold I'm gonna give it a try too.