Fit is King, but profile is queen.

[Boolseye]

I had a Lee TL 9mm mold (the truncated cone 124 grain) that demanded a lot from the reloader–particularly in terms of case preparation. I did eventually nail it down, but it took...well, a long time. Like, years.

Now I shoot a NOE 128 gr HP and it seems I can do no wrong with it. Size it at .356"–it shoots fine. .358", shoots fine. tumble lube, traditional lube, makes no difference. 9mm expander, .38 expander...they all shoot fine.

I believe that a heavy driving band and ample bearing surface really make for a forgiving bullet, particularly when you're dealing with 9mm Luger.

Thanks Al!!

[Artful]

When I first started Rifle bullet loading I was trying to get a bore rider to work and was having fits - an experienced gentleman gave me a box of H. Guy Loverin-style bullets to try and they worked gang buster - I have been sold ever since on having enough lube and bearing surface.

[Case Stuffer]

I
had a Lee TL 9mm mold (the truncated cone 124 grain) that demanded a lot from the reloader

I agree that this is most likely the sorriest 9mm boolit available.

[fatelk]

Very interesting. I had that very same Lee TC mold and didn't like it either, got rid of it. I was just getting on tonight to take a look at Accurate molds and see if I could find the right bullet to work in both 9mm and light .38 Special loads.

I don't mean to hijack your thread, but does anyone see a good candidate for this in the Accurate catalog? http://www.accuratemolds.com/catalog.php?page=3

[Boolseye]

I don't mean to hijack your thread, but does anyone see a good candidate for this in the Accurate catalog?
's alright :coffee:. BTW, are Accurate molds easy enough to order and acquire? Are they pricey?

[btroj]

Easy to order? Yes
Easy to acquire? Yes, just order and pay

Nose profile is PART of fit. Fit is more than just diameter. Fit can mean filling the throat for control at ignition. Fit means having a profile that allows the bullet to enter the bore centered up.

[ffries61]

Tom is great to deal with, just ordered my first Accurate mold a week ago Thursday, got shipping confirmation day before yesterday, price was 155$ for an alum. 5core, nice thing is you can get exactly what you want/need, my Sig slugged at .4522" and my old Lee 6 banger was only dropping .452-.453" I was able to order mold from Tom at .454" to size to .453" You can pick from his catalog, or custom design what you need (within limits of his tooling).

Fred

[MtGun44]

Lee 356 120 TC CONVENTIONAL LUBE is a wonderful design. Not any kind of
a fan of the TL concept, but understand that is does work for some applications
and is low cost as an affordable entry into the hobby.

Strongly recommend the 356 120 TC conventional lube groove design as a solution
for all 9mms. Workes extremely well in all mine, many different brands.

Bill

[Bigslug]

I was just getting on tonight to take a look at Accurate molds and see if I could find the right bullet to work in both 9mm and light .38 Special loads.

I don't mean to hijack your thread, but does anyone see a good candidate for this in the Accurate catalog? [/url]

I've been doing some thinking along similar lines. I think the 35-125B might bear a little research. It is very similar in profile to my 45-230F, which has a slight wadcutter shoulder that could be used for roll-crimping a revolver round. The blueprint for the 35-125B isn't clear on that dimension, but Tom could almost certainly tweak this profile to accommodate the need.

[Walstr]

I

I agree that this is most likely the sorriest 9mm boolit available.

Greetings from a new member;

I just purchased: Lyman 356402 9mm Caliber 120 gr. Truncated Cone Cast Bullet Mold #A3,
for the purpose of obtaining a reliable profile, weight & energy to be used in 3-gun matches, ultimately to offset the cost of participating. The pistols being used are: Glock & H&K 9mm. [The orig. owner reports that it did not work well in his M&P, which we don't have.]

If something better can be suggested, I'm all ears. I have no emotional attachment to this mold, and will sell it to obtain a better replacement.

[DLCTEX]

I can't find anyone with the Lee 356-120 TC, 356-103 RN, or 365-105 TC in stock. All I find on Ebay are priced beyond all reason and rare at that.

[runfiverun]

I believe that a heavy driving band and ample bearing surface really make for a forgiving bullet, particularly when you're dealing with 9mm Luger.

Thanks Al!!

this really helps in all cast boolit shooting.
there are TWO parts to fit.
the first is static fit.
how the boolit mimicks the throat area.
the second is dynamic fit.
how the transition from the case to the barrel is made.
and the relationship of the bearing surface inside the barrel to the lands and grooves.

[Arkansas Paul]

I tried a 124 grain TC mold from Lee that belonged to my cousin. It's the conventional lube desing, not TL. I went over to his house with some ingots and cast a few hundred boolits. Every combination I've tried has leaded like crazy. I tumble lubed them, I pan lubed them, I pan lubed and then tumble lubed them, nothing helped. They were plenty big enough I think, .002" over bore size. The leading was in the last inch or so of the barrel so it's likely a lube issue.

I believe my issue was that it has a tiny lube groove. I traded for a 124 grain RCBS T/C mold from someone here on the site and it has a MUCH larger lube groove. I think it's gonna solve my issues.

[fecmech]

I believe my issue was that it has a tiny lube groove. I traded for a 124 grain RCBS T/C mold from someone here on the site and it has a MUCH larger lube groove. I think it's gonna solve my issue

I doubt very much the size of the lube groove as anything to do with your problem. It may be your lube, or possibly your dies. Unless you are using something similar to the Lyman "M" die for expansion of the case the bullet can be sized down in the seating process. I shoot the Lee TC bullet(lube groove design) in 9mm's, .38's and .357's and 3 different Lever rifles with no leading period. If lube capacity was a problem it would certainly show up in 20-24" rifle barrels! In fact the most accurate load for my 24" .357 is the Lee TC bullet at about 1250 fps and it holds approx 3 moa accuracy to 200 yds.