New favorite 9mm mold

[yondering]

I picked up one of the new-ish Lee 95gr molds (in six cavity of course!) a while back, seemed like it was worth a try for what Lee molds cost. I didn't have real high expectations, being such a light bullet for 9mm, but I already have a 105gr hollow point that shoots really well so I was interested in a solid version.


The mold comes from Lee with tumble lube grooves; I don't like TL grooves much but went ahead and cast some and loaded them over 3.3gr of Bullseye. To my surprise, this is one of the most accurate 9mm loads I've tried. It is a very light load though, and only cycles my Glocks with a firm grip, so I've bumped the charge up to 3.7gr, for 1070 fps.


I still don't like TL grooves though, so I bored them out to straight walls. This added a whole 2 grains to the bullet weight; they drop at 102gr now, and cast so well that I'm only rejecting one every few hundred casts. Accuracy is just as good, or possibly better, with the straight sides.





I'm also using these in a +P 9mm load that shoots very well. These pics show an unfired bullet next to one that penetrated 5 water-filled plastic milk jugs, fired at 1,500 fps from a Glock 19. Alloy is clip-on wheel weights, heat treated by water quenching after powder coating. (FYI that is one coat of powder on the fired bullet.)

Notice the nose riveted a little on impact, but otherwise the bullet is undamaged. It burst the first jug in two, and just punched clean holes in the rest. For comparison, every expanding JHP 9mm bullet I've tested does about the same damage to the first jug, and only penetrate 2 or 3 jugs total.

[odfairfaxsub]

Excellent!!! I used to use the 380 mold lee sells that's round nose for the same thing. Felt like shooting a 22 mag handgun

[GhostHawk]

I tried that one, but have better luck with the .358 124 grain 6 cavity with traditional lube grooves. Traditional vs Tumble lube does not bother me, I have some of both and don't PC.

I use Ben's Liquid lube on everything.

[yondering]

Forgot to add, I'm using this one in both conventional rifled barrels and OEM Glock polygonal barrels, shoots great in both.

[wrench]

I have that same mold, and like it in both 9mm and 380. I love the look of that bullet after you bored out the grooves!
I powder coat or HiTek coat, so don't need the grooves at all.

[yondering]

I have that same mold, and like it in both 9mm and 380. I love the look of that bullet after you bored out the grooves!
I powder coat or HiTek coat, so don't need the grooves at all.

wrench, they cast so much easier too without grooves. I've started doing this on several of my molds, wish I'd done it earlier.

[wrench]

Yondering, what did you use to bore it out? I have a drill press, but no other machine tools...

[yondering]

I used a boring head in my mill. I've done them with a reamer and a drill press though, use low speed and high feed, and turn the drill press off at the bottom of the cut, retract the reamer when it's completely stopped. You can find a .358 or .359" reamer on ebay or machine supply places.

[igolfat8]

I've pushed these to 1600 FPS in my comp'd Glocks and the muzzle does not move. Its pretty impressive little boolit. I am using both powder and Hi-Tek coating too and have not experienced any leading either.

[yondering]

I've pushed these to 1600 FPS in my comp'd Glocks and the muzzle does not move. Its pretty impressive little boolit. I am using both powder and Hi-Tek coating too and have not experienced any leading either.

Good stuff. What powder are you using for 1600 fps, and what barrel length? Autocomp? I need to try AC, but am using Silhouette right now (it's the older Win Action Pistol powder from what I understand). I could probably push it a bit higher than 1500 fps but just stopped at what seems to be a pretty good load.

I really like this bullet for punching paper too; nice clean holes that are easy to read. I've been using it in GSSF this summer with great results.