Considering getting a 9mm and casting for it... help..

[gareth96]

I've casted for my 45ACP and 380.

- Can I succeed with straight wheel weight lead?.. don't want to get into adding tin/antimony, other... water quench?
- Is powder coating the way to go for 9mm? I've been doing the 45-45-10 for 45 ACP, but powder coat doesn't seem too difficult.
- Does powder coating reduce the BhN requirement?
- What is a good mould to start with? Was thinking 124 gr?
- Is there a velocity range I should shoot for? Right around 1000fps? Seems like gas checks aren't needed for 9mm?
- I know I'll need to slug my barrel when I get it..
- other?

Thanks!

[WheelgunConvert]

Lots seem to like the Lee 120 TC. It works well with PC and Hitek coating.

Just remember that most 9mm aren’t 9mm. Resist loading up a bunch until you get a good size for the arm you choose.

[Tom W.]

Indeed. The Glocks I had would shoot anything, as would my Ruger LC9s Pro. My CZ likes a .357 diameter boolit. Go figure.....

[tazman]

There are a lot of good 9mm boolits out there. !24 gr is a good place to start.
Wheel weight lead should work just fine either water quenched or not. I use range scrap which tends to be softer than wheel weights and it works both ways.
My 9mm pistols like a minimum of 1000fps and up. I usually try for around 1100fps but anything above 1000fps will work fine.
I don't use gas check and I don't powder coat.. I just make sure the boolits fit my barrels properly. I have used both tumble lube and NRA 50-50 from a lubrisizer. Both work fine for me.
Powder coating can reduce the BHN requirements. It just depends on what you want to do.
Take a little time and read through this sticky. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...s-in-a-new-9mm
Most of all, don't over think this. I have not found 9mm to be any more difficult to reload cast for than any other pistol I have tried.
I currently own eight 9mm pistols and load cast for all of them with good accuracy and perfect function.

[Ed_Shot]

Agree with all above. Just go for it! The 9mm is no more difficult to reload than any other pistol with cast. Every pistol is it's own set of rules. Wheel weight alloy will do it. I like 120~125 gr. boolits @1075~1100 fps. I have more different 9MM molds than anything else. The Lee molds are a good place to start. I never tried 45-45-10 alone with 9MM, may work just fine. I'm now a PC convert and find it easy and better in all respects. My CZ 75B does best with boolits sized .358 along with the Glocks, Sigs, Rugers, BHP and carbine. Agree, you have to let your weapon tell you what it likes. Best of luck, be safe and have fun!

[GhostHawk]

Don't let 9mm scare you.

In my experience, it is all about what YOUR gun needs.

Personally I was able to get 2 9mm's shooting just fine once I got the bullet large enough. I simply tried a few of the 125 gr rf in .358 ie .38s/.357 instead of .356.

I do not powder coat mine, BLL fan here, quicker, easier, less expensive IMO, less waiting. But YMMV. Powder coat if you like.

Yes 9mm's can be fussy, they are a higher pressure round with a lot of variance in barrel, throat sizes. So do a pound cast, figure 1-3 thousands over that and see what works for you.

[handyman25]

Nothing really special about the 9mm, except the cases are small and my fat fingers sometimes have trouble holding them. I would recommend the Lee Factory Crip Die. you can adjust the crimp so it holds the bullet but does not over size the bullet. The above information is correct.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I like the Lee 120 TC
I also like the NOE 128gr SWC
Many use the Lee 358-125 RF, but if your gun's throat isn't chamfered well, the 125gr can be problematic.

more info on the 9, in general.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...s-in-a-new-9mm

[kevin c]

I started casting for my 9mm Glocks and have put over 10K of my own through them with good accuracy, no leading and no other major issues. Mine are HiTek coated, which, along with powder coated, are reported to allow the use of softer alloys than "hard cast" without leading, but almost anybody who posts here will tell you good fit of boolit to bore matters much more. My alloy is close to COWW plus extra tin (95-3-2) and many cast with less tin. Many also use COWW cut one to one with pure, and get good performance in pistol.

Boolit weight and velocity depend on your application. For USPSA Production division, I use 147 gr boolits sized .357 and loaded to 900 fps, because that's what the gun and shooter like within what the sport requires.

[toallmy]

Go for it . Your alloy is fine I use 50/50 with no problems .
After I figured out how to get my cast Boolit loaded with out reducing the diameter during loading , everything fell into place .
The lee 356-120 tc with the standard lube grove in 6 cavity sized at 3575 works well for me in every 9 I have tried it in .

[beagle]

WWs are fine. I prefer the Lyman 356402 in my 9mms. I use a Pat Marlins.35PB pop can gas check on mine and they work great with no leading. Shoot fine in my Browning HPs, Ruger BH convertibles and I've even fired a couple of boxes through a Swedish K I had access to once upon a time. With the abundance of brass, the 9mm is a good caliber. Work up loads, keep records on seating depth and functioning and you'll be a happy camper./beagle

[gareth96]

Thanks all, it doesn't sound so bad.. now all I have to do is get up the money for the pistol.. #gofundme ?

Thinking a Sig P320 carry, but going to look at a few for feel before I decide. Told my wife that March is buy your husband a gun month, but she wasn't 'buying' it..

[Ed_Shot]

Good for you. My Sig P320 full size 9MM is fantastic. It likes anything I feed it. Best of luck.

[Chainsaw.]

I've casted for my 45ACP and 380.

- Can I succeed with straight wheel weight lead?.. don't want to get into adding tin/antimony, other... water quench?

Yes, of course there is always the chance you might want to add a touch of tin for mold fill out.

- Is powder coating the way to go for 9mm? I've been doing the 45-45-10 for 45 ACP, but powder coat doesn't seem too difficult.

In my opinion yes.

- Does powder coating reduce the BhN requirement?

In my opinion and experience yes, a little, it does act like a thin jacket

- What is a good mould to start with? Was thinking 124 gr?

This one. https://www.mp-molds.com/e-shop/mold...no-lube-groove

- Is there a velocity range I should shoot for? Right around 1000fps? Seems like gas checks aren't needed for 9mm?

Any 9mm speed shouldnt need gas checks

- I know I'll need to slug my barrel when I get it..
- other?

Thanks!

[fredj338]

I hear this issue with 9mm but I have been shooting lead in mine for decades without issue. Even in stock glock 17 bbls with conventional lubes. I have since moved to coatings for cleaner shooting, less bbl cleaning. I shoot mostly range scrap that gets coated, water dropped out of the oven & then sized 0.357" for best results across a broad range of pistols. I don't run gc on anything under 1500fps, no real point unless you like to shoot softer alloy bullets. Coatings are where its at, better than plated bullet performance at plain lead bullet price.

[gareth96]

Yeah, just got done reading about 30 pages of info on PC.. was going to just try the HF red, but think I'm just going to start out ordering from the vendor Smoke. Probably just start doing my 45 and 380 boolits with PC too assuming it all works out (which it should)..

[flyingmonkey35]

I've casted for my 45ACP and 380.

- Can I succeed with straight wheel weight lead?.. don't want to get into adding tin/antimony, other... water quench?

Yes, of course there is always the chance you might want to add a touch of tin for mold fill out.

- Is powder coating the way to go for 9mm? I've been doing the 45-45-10 for 45 ACP, but powder coat doesn't seem too difficult.

In my opinion yes.

- Does powder coating reduce the BhN requirement?

In my opinion and experience yes, a little, it does act like a thin jacket

- What is a good mould to start with? Was thinking 124 gr?

This one. https://www.mp-molds.com/e-shop/mold...no-lube-groove

- Is there a velocity range I should shoot for? Right around 1000fps? Seems like gas checks aren't needed for 9mm?

Any 9mm speed shouldnt need gas checks

- I know I'll need to slug my barrel when I get it..
- other?

Thanks!

I agree 100%with chainsaw.

9mm is a very versatile boolit.

As you can also load 38spec with it.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[Conditor22]

The big thing to remember in loading for 9MM is the case is tapered - don't over crimp or you'll downsize the boolit and

380 boolits will work in the 9MM

I also found that Lee 356-120-TC works well in all my 9MM for fit and accuracy

Many European 9MM's are .002 larger than the US models

PC works great in all my guns

If you want to go 124grn try lee TL 356-124-2R the TL 356-124-TC looks like it would work also

I haven't needed GC

Like previously said, you need to sie/fit the boolit /cartridge to your gun.

10-16 bhn will work, again depending on size and what your gun likes

A little tin/pewter often makes casting/fillout easier.

[KenT7021]

I use the Lyman 356402 in the 9mm.Most of my 9mm use is in P-08 Lugers and that bullet never causes a feeding problem.