Lee 358-125 rf in Browning hp 9mm

[jacksgd]

I am attempting to eliminate the leading and sometime tumbling that we get in my daughters Browning Hi Power. The current mold that I use is a Lee 356-124 RF, which drops a finished bullet at .357 to .358.

The barrel slugs at a little over .358.

I use a charge of W-231 anywhere from 3.8 to 4.2 grains, with a COL of 1.115.
With that bullet and COL it gives me a seating depth of .228.

I am considering the use of a Lee 358-125 RF bullet (I already have the mold) which drop at .358- .359. In order to get the cartridge to head space properly it is necessary to set the bullet at a COL of 1.015, which gives me a seating depth of .278.

I am looking for some advise on starting charges of W-231 with a bullet seated to that depth.

I hope that I have explained my problem properly.
It would be nice if loading manuals gave the dimensions of bullets.

[Shiloh]

I use that boolit and seat pretty far into the crimp groove. I'm not home so I can't tell you the depth. It seats further into the case than the LEE 125 gr 2R. For the 125 gr. 2R which drops at 120 gr seat it so it just drops into a case gage flush. That is with 4.5 gr of Unique. For the LEE 125 gr. RF which drops at 129 gr. and seats deeper in the case, I use 3.8 gr. of Unique. That boo;it will NOT fit into a case gage without pushing it in. It measures .358 a good bit in front of the case. I get good accuracy from both. Work up loads carefully. What works for me or anyone else may not work for you.

Shiloh

[MtGun44]

Will it chamber? There is a lot of full diam fwd of the case on that one,
I wonder if it will chamber in most 9mm chambers? Start with a dummy
round first thing. Maybe your point is that seating deep enough to chamber
leaves a very small combustion chamber. Back way off if the base of
the boolit is much below where the known loads base is.

If you already have the mold, it is obvious to try. If you want to beat this,
order a 356-120-TC conventional lube and size .357 or .358. This has worked
in many 9mms for me and others. Super reliable feeder and accurate, too.

Bill

[Cherokee]

I second the 356120TC, my choice after trying several CB's. The 358-125RF has a lot of full diameter and I had to seat real deep, results were not very good. I found that 4.0 gr 231 worked fine for the 356-125 2R in my guns. Maybe start 3.5 gr and work up since you will be seating deeper.

[jacksgd]

Yes, MtGun 44, it will chamber but at a seating depth of .278 compared to a depth of .228 with the 356-124 (.050 deeper into the case).

[jacksgd]

Thank you MtGun and Cherokee;

I will order the 356-120TC but there is a 6 to 8 week back order.

I was going to load the 358 in the meantime to see how they work.

I will start at 3.5 grains and watch carefully.

Thanks again for all the input.

[MtGun44]

Sorry for the back order, things are crazy now. Be careful and work up from a low load.

Have you checked out the sticky on "Setting up for boolits in a new 9mm" ?
It might be of some help.

Bill

[jacksgd]

I loaded up 15 of the 358-125 with 3.3 grains of W-231 at a COL of 1.015. Although they all functioned the action and did not tumble, the velocity was quite low at an average of 890 FPS.

There is leading in each groove from breech to muzzle (I suppose a part of that can be attributed to the low velocity). I will work my way up to around 950 fps and stay there to be safe until my other molds come in.

Thanks again for the help.

[gefiltephish]

Here's a clone of the lee 120TC but with a larger lube groove. Bet ya don't have to wait for more than 2 weeks. It costs much more than the lee, but the quality is worth it, provided you're not on a tight budget. Drops closer to 130gr with my alloy. Tom will make whatever diameter you want, mine drops at .359. Also shoots well in a 38, seated deep enough with a very very slight crimp on the shoulder.

Accurate Molds 35-125C