truncated or round nose for 9mm

[mizzouri1]

howdy, i'm new to casting and this is my first boolit mold purchase, wanted your opinion on truncated or round nose for 9mm. i personally like the looks of the truncated boolit, so what do you guys recommend?

i will be shooting the S&W M&P pistol

[fcvan]

I have both the Lee 356-125 2R and the 356-120 TC molds. I've used the 125 in about 10 different pistols and 2 rifles since 1986. The 120 TC I've only had a few years and haven't run it in as many pistols (same two rifles) but have a friend who has run them through his M&P. My 120 TC drops at 125 with range scrap at .3585 diameter. The 125 2R drops at 126 grains with the same range scrap btw, also closer to .359 diameter.

I size to .358 for all of my 9mm weapons and also use either in .38/.357 loads. When shooting magnums I've used powder coating and also plain based gas checks. Heck, I've also used plain based gas checks in the 9mm. The loads did not cause leading without gas checks but the groups shrank by 30% with the checks.

I really like the 120 TC boolit in the 9mm and so the bulk of my casting of late is with that mold. The 125 2R cast over 500k before the sprue plate screw stripped out, and maybe 10k more since I tapped it for a larger screw. Cared for, Lee molds can hold up for quite a while. Loaned to a buddy, they can get really banged up when they are new. My 125 looks like hell since I loaned it out once, but still drops a pretty boolit in spite of it having been abused early on. Btw, the buddy offered to replace it. He bought a new one which I told him to keep for himself.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

This is my prefered boolit for 9mm
http://leeprecision.com/6-cav-358-125-rf.html
also the Ranch Dog 135gr. which is similar to above, except it's a tumble lube style.

[primersp]

i have 3 9m/m molds 1 tc and 2 rn ,the best is rcbs 09-125 tc never have an jam feeding in cz 75,p08 and s&w 5906

[UBER7MM]

mizzouri1
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The TC design should work in your M&P. Size to accommodate your barrel. As stated, .356"-.358" (+001"-002" over sized) is common for 9mm. Slugging your barrel is recommended.
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Lee molds are an economical way to start casting. Recently, there have been some Lee quality control issues with their aluminum molds reported on this forum. Steel molds are sturdier but cost more. Both can be abused. Read up as much as you can; manuals and online forums before starting. I suggest the Lyman Reloading Handbook if you haven't already purchased a reloading manual.
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Welcome to the forum,

[tazman]

Check out this link. It will save you a lot of headaches.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?121607-Setting-up-for-boolits-in-a-new-9mm

I have tried round nose, truncated cone,found flat, and semi wadcutter in my 9mm. They all work to one extent or another, the semi wadcutter being the most problematic. Any of the other three designs should work well. The original cartridge design was for a 120-125 grain bullet. That said, any bullet designed for 9mm/380 will work, usually well, regardless of weight.
In many cases one design or another will work somewhat better in an individual pistol.
Test a few and find out is the only sure way. Your pistol may like them all.

[Cherokee]

I have the Lee 120 TC (lube grooves) and have run over 15k thru my XDm 5.25 without a single problem, also thru a Caspian 5" 1911, Para 6" 1911, EAA Witness, Browning HP, and a few others with same results. The 6Cv mold has cast over 20k and still going strong. I did find I needed an alloy harder that COWW's for best performance. I also have the RN from Lee and it has not been a problem, just not as accurate for me from my guns.

[Ed_Shot]

You will not go wrong with either the Lee 356-120-TC or 356-125-2R. I also use the Lyman/Ideal 358242 (120 gr) and Lyman 356402 and the 356242 (90 gr) for 9MM all sized .358. I have always found best accuracy with the 358242 over Blue Dot 6.0 gr in CZ75B, Glock and BHP. But in my HP 995TS (while I get perfect function with all) the 356-120-TC is the clear stand out for accuracy. You will have fun finding the sweet spot for your weapon with whatever boolit you choose.

[mizzouri1]

wow! thanks for all the info, thank you tazman for a great read. i feel a little nervous and excited at the same time. this will be a great learning experience and i am looking forward to a fun and facinating journey.
this is an awesome site!:drinks:

[Anonym]

I ended up with a Lyman 356634 and love it for my 9 mm Taurus. It has a wider meplat than the others I was looking at and thought it might help with knock down without a hollow point.

Turned out it is an extremely accurate boolit for my pistol! Shoots far better than this rifle shooter can shoot a short gun. I have had no problems with feeding and prefer it over the round nose boolits I tried. My avatar is a picture of one I loaded.

[RKJ]

I've tried both of the LEE molds and they both shoot good out of my BHP. I find I much prefer the looks of the TC bullet better and it seems to show holes in paper better. But it's mostly looks for me. I just like it better. :)

[HATCH]

I just cast the 115 grain round nose.
I do have 125 TC and 147 TC molds but the 115 looks just like a FMJ so its gonna feed in ANY gun.

Now I am testing out some 9mm 125 RN molds for the master caster. Those cast a nice RN boolit that is close to the same look as the factory 115 grain FMJ

[MtGun44]

Little known fact: The original 9mm Luger ammo used a truncated cone jbullet.

I have had superb results in a number of different 9mms with the Lee 356 120 TC conventional
lube design. Started with a 2 cav then moved up to a 6 when it was apparent how good
the design was.

Highly recommended - as as noted, a bit better holes in targets, too.

Bill

[DrCaveman]

Both the molds you mention shoot pretty well in my IMI Jericho

The TC keyholed a bit at first, but I slowed it down a little and its better now

I also have been using the TC boolit in my 38 snub nose. I figure it'll produce pretty decent damage on target even at low velocity, and is very accurate for me

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I use both designs in a Baretta, a Luger and a 952. The roundnose is Lyman 358242 and the truncated nose is the RCBS. Both feed without any problem. I have an old Luger manual that shows loaded rounds with the truncated design. It cuts pretty sharp holes; the roundnose does not. Both are easy to cast and size. The RCBS bullet has one

[FergusonTO35]

Lee 356-120-TC sized to .357 or as cast, lubed with 50/50 alox-beeswax, over 3.5 grains Bullseye is awesome in every pistol I've ever tried it in.

[paul edward]

Little known fact: The original 9mm Luger ammo used a truncated cone jbullet.



I have a couple of those old WW1 loads in my reference collection. Shape is almost exactly like the Lyman 356402.

[sleeper1428]

I've used SAECO 122gr TC, SAECO 122gr RN and SAECO 115gr SWC, all sized to .357 and lubed with either 50/50 or Lars Carnuba Red. Thousands have gone down the barrel of my Taurus PT99AF with no trace of leading and with accuracy dependent on how much my 75+ year old hands are shaking while I'm shooting. I've also used MiHec 125gr HP boolits, also sized .357, with the same results. And to round things out, I have both round nose and TC 6 cavity Lee moulds that I break out when I want to cast a batch of boolits fast. I cast almost all of these boolits with an alloy that's as close as possible to Taracorp Magnum Alloy (Hardball Alloy) which is 92-2-6 (Pb-Sn-Sb) and which has a BH of between 14-16 as tested on both Cabine Tree and SAECO hardness testers. All these nose profiles have worked well in my Taurus, in my brother's Taurus Millenium Pro and I'm now finding the same is true with the Lone Wolf 40S&W to 9mm Conversion barrel that I put on my Glock 22. So what I would say is that you probably won't go wrong with any of these nose profiles with the possible exception of the SWC design which, while it seems to work fine in my two 9mm pistols, has been known to cause problems in certain other 9mm pistols.

sleeper1428

[luis7]

I like SWC or TC in 9mm, all cast for my.

[quasi]

I have both the Lee 356-125 2R and the 356-120 TC molds. I've used the 125 in about 10 different pistols and 2 rifles since 1986. The 120 TC I've only had a few years and haven't run it in as many pistols (same two rifles) but have a friend who has run them through his M&P. My 120 TC drops at 125 with range scrap at .3585 diameter. The 125 2R drops at 126 grains with the same range scrap btw, also closer to .359 diameter.

I size to .358 for all of my 9mm weapons and also use either in .38/.357 loads. When shooting magnums I've used powder coating and also plain based gas checks. Heck, I've also used plain based gas checks in the 9mm. The loads did not cause leading without gas checks but the groups shrank by 30% with the checks.

I really like the 120 TC boolit in the 9mm and so the bulk of my casting of late is with that mold. The 125 2R cast over 500k before the sprue plate screw stripped out, and maybe 10k more since I tapped it for a larger screw. Cared for, Lee molds can hold up for quite a while. Loaned to a buddy, they can get really banged up when they are new. My 125 looks like hell since I loaned it out once, but still drops a pretty boolit in spite of it having been abused early on. Btw, the buddy offered to replace it. He bought a new one which I told him to keep for himself.

500K with a Lee 6 cavity, that has to be a record. They are a great value for the money.

[CJR]

RN vs.TC Accuracies

I have commented on this in the past. But, it is worthwhile to restate it. Years ago, late 70s to early 80s, the Air Force scientists set about to improve the accuracy of the 9mm round based on equations they had developed for 20mm ammo. With the help of General Electric (GE) scientists, Smith & Wesson(S&W), and Hornady(HOR), the Air Force developed an accurate truncated cone(TC) design 9mm round. First rounds were simply RN, reformed by S&W, to have a FN. Then HOR was contracted to produce the rounds to be used for test firings, which showed superior accuracy over the RN. Then someone said, "why not the 45ACP?". So the 9mm TC design was scaled-up for the 45ACP and HOR started selling them. The AF, later on, patented this technology.

In terms of reliability, some guns may "burp" on a TC design vs. a RN. However, any decent gunsmith can improve TC feeding in any pistol. In my view, this is a worthwhile effort to improve accuracy and reliability. Likewise, TCs hit harder because of the FN.

Best regards,

CJR

[Wally]

Bill,

I noticed that you use a Lee 120 TC and not the Lyman 356402, which is almost the same. I have both and prefer the Lee because the Lyman TC is a bit too pointy and long, for my "discriminating" tastes. Have you ever used the Lyman 356402?

Lots of members bash Lee bullet molds ... from many of your posts it would seem that you are pleased with them and you've been a bullet caster for many years. I have many Lyman, Lee, & RCBS bullet molds... I find that I use the Lees the most.




Little known fact: The original 9mm Luger ammo used a truncated cone jbullet.

I have had superb results in a number of different 9mms with the Lee 356 120 TC conventional
lube design. Started with a 2 cav then moved up to a 6 when it was apparent how good
the design was.

Highly recommended - as as noted, a bit better holes in targets, too.

Bill