ColterB
01-13-2014, 07:13 PM
This is my first mold, so I have nothing to compare it to. Just thought I'd share some initial impressions from a beginner's point of view.
When choosing a mold I wanted something that I could use for both 9mm in my various pistols (primarily Glock), and also load .357Magnum and .38Special. these three cartridges easily make up 90% of my shooting, so having common components is convenient.
I have not loaded any .357Magnum or .38Special with these yet, but I have loaded a limited test run of 9mm, 50 rounds, and found it to be satisfactory so far. I used 4.1grains of Unique, 1.05" overall length, and what turns out to be a ~133gr projectile. Primers are Federal No. 100. Lubrication was provided by Lee Liquid Alox thinned slightly with Odorless Mineral Spirits. I did not size the projectiles, they were loaded as-cast.
Reliability was just fine. Recoil was moderate. While I was mainly interested in function, accuracy seemed to be well within what is acceptable for general use. Most importantly, there was not a detectable amount of fouling beyond what would be expected from any other ammunition. It seems that the "over-sized" projectiles that I've read folks recommending for use in the factory Glock barrel actually does work pretty well. I'm in the process of loading more and casting more, so more extensive testing will follow in the coming weeks.
For far, though, for someone looking to have a versatile mold just to start out with- this is looking like it might be a good option.
When choosing a mold I wanted something that I could use for both 9mm in my various pistols (primarily Glock), and also load .357Magnum and .38Special. these three cartridges easily make up 90% of my shooting, so having common components is convenient.
I have not loaded any .357Magnum or .38Special with these yet, but I have loaded a limited test run of 9mm, 50 rounds, and found it to be satisfactory so far. I used 4.1grains of Unique, 1.05" overall length, and what turns out to be a ~133gr projectile. Primers are Federal No. 100. Lubrication was provided by Lee Liquid Alox thinned slightly with Odorless Mineral Spirits. I did not size the projectiles, they were loaded as-cast.
Reliability was just fine. Recoil was moderate. While I was mainly interested in function, accuracy seemed to be well within what is acceptable for general use. Most importantly, there was not a detectable amount of fouling beyond what would be expected from any other ammunition. It seems that the "over-sized" projectiles that I've read folks recommending for use in the factory Glock barrel actually does work pretty well. I'm in the process of loading more and casting more, so more extensive testing will follow in the coming weeks.
For far, though, for someone looking to have a versatile mold just to start out with- this is looking like it might be a good option.