9MM with gas check

[azrednek]

Apparently my previous post didn't generate any responses. Can anybody share their experience, good, bad or indifferent using a 9MM with a gas check??

[MtGun44]

Never tried them. IMHO there is absolutely no benefit from a GC on any pistol load
under about 1500 fps with properly fitted boolits of a good design using a good lube.
It seems that GCs are just bandaids covering some basic problem of fit or lube quality
or boolit design for pistols. Maybe with a really rough bore or severe fit or size issues
but I just never have needed any. I shoot PB boolits about 99% and have never cleaned
up a leaded barrel in the last 8-9 years since I figured out what I was doing wrong before.

GCs are expensive and a significant hassle to install, so I avoid them unless I absolutely
can't get by without them. So far they are very rarely required in my experience, and
never in any pistol I own, including a number of 9mm Para pistols that do extemely well
with the Lee conical boolit sized to .357 or 8. Many 9mms have oversized bores and
are reported to lead horribly and will not stabilize boolits in the .355 or .356 diameter range.
I have slugged my 9mms and find that they need at least .357 diam.

Bill

[beagle]

I'm with Bill..... Not a lot of use for a GC'd 9mm bullet in my opinion. I can normally push a PB 9mm bullet to the limit of the brass with no leading anyway.

Why complicate matters with a costly GC'd bullet when it's not necessary.

That's why you're not getting many responses. You just don't need GCs./beagle

[StarMetal]

Waste of money gc'ing 9mm bullets. The pressure certainly is there in that cartridge, but the volume of gas and time it's burning just is way too small as compared to 44 mag with slower powders. Also the barrels normally are very short on 9mm's and that shortens the time for the gases to work on the base of the bullet.

Bill,

Kart match 9mm barrels mic .3535 in the groove and you can't chamber anything fatter then .354-.355 in mine. So 9mm barrels can be all over the place. The really only fat groove one that I own is a WII P 38. Generally you're right on the marks about shooting the bullets fat for 9's.

Joe

[JIMinPHX]

Bill/Beagle, how fast do you push your 9's & what powders do you use?

[azjohn]

I just bought an RCBS 124 gr RN that is a GC bullet that I am going to cast and try. It may be a bandaid to some, but right now I don't have the time to try different alloys along with different diameter boolits. I have used 158 gr boolits ( Lyman #358156 gc) that I load for my 357 mag and have no leading and I resized them to .356. I tried alox 1 time and in the summer heat here it did not work for me. I will use what works for me now until I have the time to experiment more. I have yet to pay for any WW's yet so the expense of gas checks does not bother me. Good luck with whatever you try. John