Load suggestions for Lee 356-125-2R bullets

[BGM56]

I have been using Lee 356-125-2R bullets in my LC9S for sometime. It doesn't care about overall length. I can load the at 1.160 and they run fine. I've been loading 4.0 grains of Universal. I recently bought a S&W M&P. It won't chamber the longer rounds. Lee loading manual shows an overall length of 1.125. It won't chamber those rounds either. I am going to have to be in the 1.080-1.090 range. I know Universal is sensitive about space. The starting load in the manual for 1.125 is 3.8 grains. What is a safe place to start at 1.080?

Or since the manual lists starting loads for Bullseye in an OAL that will work in the M&P should I give up on the Universal and buy some Bullseye?

Would going to a mold like an Arsenal 358242 with a reduced diameter nose help?

[tazman]

It sounds like the rifling come right up to the front of the chamber and are jamming against your boolit's nose.
If that is the case, that Arsenal mold you mention should help a great deal with the issue.
Another thing to consider is the chamber in the M&P might be tighter and the diameter of the case may be causing the hang up. If so, this requires a different solution.
Do the rounds you try to chamber have marks on the sides of the boolit nose from the rifling in the barrel?

[BGM56]

Yes, I marked the bullet with black magic marker before I plunk tested it. You can obviously see the marks where the rifling is engaging the bullet.

[tazman]

Two options then.
One is to have the barrel throated. This would allow you to chamber nearly anything you wanted.
The other is to load with a boolit like the one you mentioned in order to alleviate the interference.
You would need to load the 358242 so the shoulder of the front driving band was about even with the case mouth. I am not certain what the OAL would be but you would have to live with it.

If you consider having the barrel throated, check with DougGuy on this site. I have used his services to have a couple of barrels throated and he does good work.
He may not be able to do it if the barrels are heat treated too hard. I don't know which ones are that way but DougGuy does.

[Dvdmacdaddy]

I had issues with the Lee 2r bullets as well. Bought a NOE ELCO mold and didn't have near as many issues. The deep hollow point cast 147gr and the flat nose casts 158gr. I shot close to 10k of the flat nose ELCO last year in IDPA and practice, pushed by 2.8gr Titegroup.

I got in on the group buy here for a MP 135gr flat nose. I have tested this bullet in all my 9mm as well as my friends/families 9mm (20 different guns), have yet to have any failures to feed or failure to chamber. Being an 8cavity mold it just rains bullets, my only regret is not getting a second one. I push em with 3.2gr Titegroup. Have only logged about 3k of these bullets this year, they have quickly become my favorite.

With the Lee 2r I would get about a 30% rejection rate on the plunk test, the ELCO was about 10%, the MP 135 is less than 5%. Plunk test is done using the tightest 9mm barrel I have and a Wilson case gauge, it has to pass both.

My two IDPA guns (Walther PPQ's), P229, and 1911 (45acp) Doug Guy was able to throat. Once they are throated they will eat anything you feed them. He did have to have a new reamer made to be able to do the hardened barrels.

[fcvan]

(tongue in cheek response) Load the Lee 356-125 2R often!

Load the round and plunk test in each chamber for that caliber and find what the gun wants. I usually seat but do not crimp until the boolit plunks in the chamber. Once that happens, back out the seat plug, set the crimp, plunk again. I don't like to crimp very much beyond removing the belled case mouth becomes even with the case body. I only heavy crimp magnum revolver rounds.

The 9mm should not suffer set-back during feeding due to case tension on the boolit. With 9mm, the case inside taper should inhibit case setback. Crimp too much and you run the risk of resizing the boolit to be too small for the bore. I size to .358 in all of my 9mm weapons (Glocks, Drop in barrels for Glock in 40 S&W, S&W 459 and 3913, Marlin Camp Carbine, AR 15s in 9mm, Taurus 709) always have, never had a problem.

Anyway, once you have a test round (no primer, no powder) that plunks in every chamber, re-set your seating plug, save that test round for re-setting your dies if necessary. That round should be live tested in every 9mm you have, I would bet it shoots equally well in all pistols. My Lee 356-125 2R drops at .358, and I have cast over 750K boolits from that mold, having used it since 1985. Sure, it shows some wear and has been 'serviced' a time or two. Take care of it and it will serve you well. I have tried a few different powders, but I stick with 5 grains of Unique. That Lee mold is a dandy for 38 SPL over 5 grains as well.

[TjB101]

I’m running 3.6gr of BE at 1.075 to 1.080 for this bullet. Seems to chamber fine in all of my Sig’s. My P226 really likes these rounds. Sized to .356

[Ed_Shot]

Agree with fcvan....size the 356-125-2R to .358 and seat it to suit your barrel. I get great performance in several 9MM's with COAL 1.055 over Red Dot 3.8 or Blue Dot 6.0.

[gwpercle]

Load suggestions : 9mm Luger - for both the Lee 356-125-2R and NOE 358-124-TC GC
both boolits sized .357 . Cast from 50/50 COWW and soft scrap lead , air cooled .

5.0 grs. - Unique @1125 fps
5.0 grs. - HP-38 / W231 @ 1135 fps
4.3 grs. - Red Dot @ 1083 fps
4.2 grs. - Bullseye @ 1067 fps

Seat boolits to pass plunk test and Taper Crimp to hold boolit firmly .

Note ... the NOE 358-124-TC GC has proven to be most accurate and my favorite in 4 different 9mm Luger pistols , you can order a mould with or w/o the gas check .
With the gas check and sized .358 , it makes a dandy 357 magnum handgun and rifle boolit .
Very versatile and accurate mould to have .
Gary

[BC17A]

Agree with fcvan....size the 356-125-2R to .358 and seat it to suit your barrel. I get great performance in several 9MM's with COAL 1.055 over Red Dot 3.8 or Blue Dot 6.0.

1.055" is what I seat the 125-2R to also, and load over 4gn of Green Dot. I size from .356" to .358" for different pistols and found this load works so well I never tried any other. I've got some RD and BD that I will have to give a try.

[fredj338]

So many people misunderstand OAL. It is always bullet & barrel specific, regardless of data. So you have to adjust when setting up for one gun then going to another if you load long. Seating deeper does raise pressure but the small amount you are talking about, say from 1.160" to 1.140", isnt moving the pressure needle much with any powder. Look at 0.020" on you calipers, is not even 1/32", means nothing. When you start seating 0.060", then you start seeing pressures/vel move.
Also in my exp, sizing to 0.358" isnt really required in modern 9mm for best accuracy. All my Glocks, 1911, etc do fine with 0.357" & most, even the Glocks, do fine with 0.356" PC.

[Nobade]

I've been using the Lee 358-125-RF in my M&P with great results. Just seat them to the crimp groove and they feed slick. Water quenched and sized to .357.