First post and a question

[dow]

Hey, I'm new around here, and thought I'd stop reading long enough to say Hi.

I'm getting ready to start casting for 9mm, and have a question about bullet and barrel diameters. What's the best or easiest or most accurate way to slug a barrel? Once it's done, do you measure the lands or the grooves?

Thanks,

Dow

[45nut]

Welcome to CB first off.

Slugging a bbl is easiest with a soft lead, there are store bought muzzle loader balls and fishing sinkers out there close to most caliber sizes and a light mashing of one slightly smaller is easy. From there you proceed like ramming a roundball down a muzzleloader sans a patch. Lubed slightly to get it started and then just tap in and thru the barrel. What you are after is the largest measurement, those at the bottom of the grooves. You will get a mirror image of the inside of the rifled bore with a slug. The bottom of the grooves is the biggest diameter of the barrel and is the important dimension for our purposes. You will want to choose a boolit of .001 or bigger past your measured slug. IE: if you get a.355 slug a choice of .356 or bigger is better to seal the burning powder and prevent the leading we dread. Thats my version, I have no doubts you will get other replies.

[dow]

Thanks for the quick response. Does it matter whether I go toward the muzzle or toward the breech? I'm thinking no, but it never hurts to ask.

[45nut]

easier for me to start at the muzzle. Just be careful not to mar your crown, no steel on steel. I use a stanley plastic dead blow hammer myself.

[dow]

Thanks again.

dow

[redneckdan]

if you want some pure lead for slugging purposes I'd be happy to send ya some.

[dow]

if you want some pure lead for slugging purposes I'd be happy to send ya some.

Thanks for the offer, but I may have some. I used to cast a lot of round balls for black powder, and was using WW for that, cast slightly undersized and patched pretty thick. A friend borrowed my pot and what lead I have because he wanted to start casting, but that's been a while and he moved twice since then and has just drug the bucket and pot around with him. I think that there's some pure lead in with the rest of it that hasn't been smelted yet. If so, then I'm all set, but I won't get a chance to check until I pick up my lead and pot this weekend. In the mean time, I'll look around and see what I have in the way of sinkers. There might be something the right size in my tackle box. By the way, is lead roof flashing pure lead?

[VTDW]

I use sinkers with the hole in the middle for slugging. That gives the displaced lead a place to go with absolutely no spring-back.

[montana_charlie]

Roof flashing is very close to pure lead.

[dagamore]

welcom to the board.

[dow]

Thanks for the welcome and all of the great advice. I got the barrel slugged last night, and it's measuring between .356 and .357. Does anyone know whether the old Lyman #356402 dual cavity moulds throw oversized bullets, and if so, how much? I'm looking at one on ebay. Also, how does this bullet compare to the Lee 356-120-TC?

[9.3X62AL]

The Lee and the Lyman you mention are pretty similar, as is the NEI knock-off I'm using lately. All of mine drop ~.357"-.358" with WW metal, almost .001" fatter with Taracorp (92/6/2).

One more "slugging" might be in order for your barrel--try to get a "picture" of the throat, both its diameter and the steepness and depth of rifling origin. The 9mm is a LOT more like a rifle than a handgun due to high operating pressures and fast twist rates, so treating that barrel like it's a rifle tube pays dividends--that is, use the throat diameter to set your boolit diameter. This should be at or very slightly larger than groove diameter. All 3 of my 9's show .3565" grooves and throats about .0003"-.0005" larger than groove, so they get fed .357" boolits and behave themselves very well.

[38-55]

Hey Dow,
I just pulled a lyman #356402 outta a recent run and it measures .357 if that helps ya any.. I've loaded 1000,s of them with fairly good results. I have found the Lee TL 124 gn round nose to be a little more forgiving.... Your mileage may vary..
Calvin
PS I size all my 9mm fodder to .356 and it all works just fine..

[dow]

Thanks Calvin and everyone else for all the great advise and recommendations. The mould I was looking at on ebay went up to about 35.00 and ended when I was away from the computer, so I didn't bid on it.

I think that I'll be going with the Lee 356-120-TC, which as 9.3X62AL said is similar to the one I was watching. Also, a my best friend is sending me an extra Lyman 450 lubrisizer later this week. I forgot to ask him, so maybe one of you can can answer this question for me. Will the sizing dies and top punches that Lyman is making now work in the 450? If so, then which Lyman top punch would work with that 9mm TC bullet? Also, who has the best prices on the moulds, sizer die and top punch? Midway is showing $18.99 for the mould, $16.99 for the sizer die, and $7.99 for the top punches.

Okay, I realize that this is ending up being waaay more than one question, but I'd appreciate your thoughts and ideas.

Thanks again for all of the help. You are a great bunch of guys.
Dow

[45nut]

The current size dies will fit the 450, I would just use a round nose punch like #203 myself.

[38-55]

Hey Dow,
Try http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/ for lyman stuff. They always seem to have the best prices... I called lyman once about something and they reffered me to mid south....
Hope this helps
Calvin

[Adam10mm]

if you want some pure lead for slugging purposes I'd be happy to send ya some.

Hey Dan. How the hell are ya?!? PM sent.

[Adam10mm]

Just getting started casting my own. Wondered how to slug the bore.

[dow]

I drilled a hole through a piece of wood the same diameter as my barrel, and then put that in the vise with my barrel in it. Then I used a lead sinker that was just small enough to go into the chamber (had to squeeze it a bit in the vise first to make it wide enough), and drove it through the barrel with a wooden dowel. Once it makes it through the throat and into the rifling, it should go the rest of the way pretty easily. At least it did for me.

[GrizzLeeBear]

Totally off the subject but, holey moley! Is Dow your real name? Thats my dads first name (his mothers maden name). I didn't think there was anyone else with that name.

Anyway, welcome aboard! I'm pretty new to casting myself, and have learned a TON by reading and participating on this forum. You will find this a very friendly and informative place.