Lee 356-125-2R for 9mm

[iMigraine]

My first Chrono to test my cast boolits.

Lee 356-125-2R
Powder Coated
Using isotope lead with 2% tin so my boolits weight 130gr

COAL 1.095
Bullseye 3.6gr

Using Springfield 1911 9mm Range Officer 5” barrel

Number of shots: 17
Extreme Spread: 32
Average Velocity: 1005

Standard Deviation: 9

Average Power Factor: 130.4


Temperature: 60°
Barometric Pressure:30




Lee 356-125-2R
Powder Coated
Using isotope lead with 2% tin so my boolits weight 130grCOAL 1.095
Titegroup 3.7gr
Using Springfield 1911 9mm Range Officer 5” barrel

Number of shots: 17
Extreme Spread: 55
Average Velocity: 1028
Standard Deviation: 14
Average Power Factor: 133.1

Temperature: 60°
Barometric Pressure:30

From the data, looks like these are near max which makes me a bit uncomfortable. Will have to reduce for sure. Hopefully this data might be helpful to others.

[Uncle Jimbo]

Thanks for the info.

[Fishman]

I shot a ton of that design using 3.6 gr of bullseye before I owned a chronograph. It always seemed like a mild load compared to factory ammo and there were no pressure signs. Thanks for going to the trouble to post your data.

[iMigraine]

Well, I am using boolits that are 5 grains heavier too, compared to 125grs so there a bit hotter. Over time I will try to update results on other powders I have; Unique and CFE Pistol powder.

[rsrocket1]

Is that the longest you can seat the bullets? Unfortunately, that bullet has a very long full bore section and a short throated barrel will cause the bullet to engage the rifling before the cartridge is fully in battery (fails plunk test).
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj96/rsrocket1/Shoot/9Molds_zpsmbjfgk3e.jpg

The 356-120-TC and TL356-124-2R get narrower earlier and allow for a shallower seating depth (longer C.O.L) and allows for a higher charge before reaching max pressure. If I size the bullets appropriately, I can load the 356-120-TC's to 1.110" and the TL356-124-2R which lets me get up to around 4.2g Titegroup. If I seat to the edge of the cone (1.050" for the 120-TC) or the edge of the top tumble lube (TL124-2R), I have to drop the load to 3.9g and may be in the +P region at least according to load data and QL.

I think you'll see that Unique will give you a lot more margin and let you load to a higher velocity (in the mid to high 1100's) without going overpressure. Plus you'll see that as you get to 5g, you'll start to get a compressed charge. That's OK. It adds to the position insensitivity of the load and will overflow the case in the event of a double charge.

[iMigraine]

Time to update some chrono tests from today.

Lee 356-125-2R
Powder Coated
Using isotope lead with 2% tin so my boolits weight 130gr

COAL 1.095
CFE Pistol 4.4gr

Using Springfield 1911 9mm Range Officer 5” barrel

Number of shots: 11
Extreme Spread: 49
Average Velocity: 1027

Standard Deviation: 16

Average Power Factor: 133


Temperature: 86°
Barometric Pressure:30

[iMigraine]

Lee 356-125-2R
Powder Coated
Using isotope lead with 2% tin so my boolits weight 130gr

COAL 1.095
Unique 4.5gr

Using Springfield 1911 9mm Range Officer 5” barrel

Number of shots: 6
Extreme Spread: 55
Average Velocity: 1064

Standard Deviation: 20

Average Power Factor: 138


Temperature: 90°
Barometric Pressure:29

Had some issues with my chrono & the bright sun. Also, the bluetooth with disconnect sometimes.. Arrgh!

[iMigraine]

Lee 356-125-2R
Powder Coated
Using isotope lead with 2% tin so my boolits weight 130gr

COAL 1.095
TiteGroup 3.5gr

Using Springfield 1911 9mm Range Officer 5” barrel

Number of shots: 12
Extreme Spread: 43
Average Velocity: 1022

Standard Deviation: 12

Average Power Factor: 132


Temperature: 90°
Barometric Pressure:29

[iMigraine]

Lee 356-125-2R
Powder Coated
Using isotope lead with 2% tin so my boolits weight 130gr

COAL 1.095
IMR PB 3.5gr

Using Springfield 1911 9mm Range Officer 5” barrel

Number of shots: 6
Extreme Spread: 41
Average Velocity: 942

Standard Deviation: 17

Average Power Factor: 122


Temperature: 90°
Barometric Pressure:29

[Ed_Shot]

Have had excellent results with the 356-125-2R in 9MM. Mine cast @127~128 gr and I size to .358. I use a COAL of 1.065 for my CZ 75B and G22 LW Conversion barrels. Using Red Dot 3.8 gr. mine chrony @ 1075 fps. Blue Dot 5.8 gr. is also very accurate.

Another reason to love the 356-125-2R is that it will also pass the plunk test in my RB 9mm cylinder using the same COAL I use for autos. Can't do this with the 356-120-TC or 358242 (120 gr) or 356402.