Can I load&shoot 9mm FMJ bullets out of an 357 mag case/revolver?

[AJG]

I have an Problem (I am located in Southamerica): I got my RCBS taper crimp 3 die set today and have on Hand my Heritage (Pietta) Rough Rider in 357 mag 5.5" blued but locally THERE ARE NO 357/38SPL BULLETS availlable.
I am scavenging powder and lead from shotshells for reloading 9mm, 38 spl and 357 Magnum. Unfortunatelly I can not get 38 spl bullets nor did my lead casting mold arrive yet.

I am set up for reloading 357 mag/38 spl but have no bullets. However I have 200 9mm Winchester 115 grain FMJ hollow base bullets.

Data:
a) Factory Winchester 110 grain 357 mag hollow Point semi jaket measures rigth at the case mouth on the bullet 0.350" diameter.
b) Factory PMC 115 grain FMJ measures rigth at case mouth on bullet 0.356" diameter.
c) Winchester bullet 9mm FMJ (reloading component) measures Diameter 0.355" Diameter.
d) Revolver cylinder hole (end where it meets the forcing cone) measures 0.353" Diameter.
e) Revolver Barrel measures 0.345" Diameter approximatelly (it varies according if I hit rifling) at muzzle end (crown).

I bet I can just use the 9mm Winchester reloading components for the 357 mag as well to reload.

Can I use the 9mm bullets to load them in the 357 mag Rough Rider without damaging the gun? Please any experiences!!

[Dan Cash]

Use them. Accuracy will likely suffer but no harm to the guns. It does take a lot of powder to get such a light bullet to steaming and light weight bullets and the associated powder charges will cause advanced wear on the gun if used in large quantities (thousands).

[bouncer50]

Yes you can load 9mm in a 38 or a 357 case. Colt wheel gun the bores run smaller like 355. Most of the S&W run larger 357 bore. You will not damage the gun. A 355 dia bullet in a larger bore will not be as accurate as a bullet that matchs the bore size.

[wv109323]

The nominal diameter of 9MM is .355 and the .357 is .357. The .002" may cause the bullets to be unstable and possibly keyhole. I would not load them to .357 mag. velocities. Also you may not be able to crimp the smaller bullet(without a crimping groove) to a point where the recoil of the pistol will move the bullet.

[AJG]

My 38spl/357 mag die set is a TAPER CRIMP RCBS 3 die set. Not a roll crimp die set.

[bouncer50]

You scare me using maybe unknow powder from shotshells to use in pistol loads

[DerekP Houston]

You scare me using maybe unknow powder from shotshells to use in pistol loads

from his descriptions and location i can only surmise this is all he has to work with at the time. His guns, his hand at risk, if he is ok with that I'd just try and help him with what info we can provide.

[AJG]

Locally we CAN NOT get gun powder. All other supplies yes (primers and reloading equipmnt).

It is not as bad to scavenge shotshells for powder and lead. I loaded like that already more than 200 9mm rounds (all had very good Performance. JUST NEVER PASS THE POINT WHERE THE PISTOL IS CYCLING RELIABLY (that is your max loading data to be on the safe side). See when the S&W SD9VE (my pistol) cycles reliable and that is your normal (NEVER EXCEED!!) powder Charge with a given bullet (NEVER EXCEED THAT).

One shotshell powder brand Comes Close to Unique (burns a Little faster). The other is closer to Titegroup/Universal. The last I will use. Lymans 48th reloading Manual states 7 grains for Bullseye for 110 grain jacketed hollow Point bullet which Comes Close to the Winchester 115 grain FMJ. I take the 357 mag case and load 4 grains of the Titegroup/Universal type shotshell powder which is the almost max load for 38 spl according to Lymans Manual. That is exactly the load I Charge my 9mm (4 grains of powder). Powder is the same, bullet is the same just cases and gun is different (instead of 9mm those are 357 mag cases. Instead the 9mm SD9VE it is the Pietta Rough Rider 357 mag SAA revolver).
That means 38 spl loads in a 357 mag case (with 9mm bullets).

[AJG]

I just saw. Lyman 48th reload Manual states 4 grain Bullseye as Minimum Charge for 110 semi jacket HP bullet and 4.5 grain Bullseye as Maximum Charge. That should be then all OK since I read on an post: The 357 mag case gives a better 38 spl round. I hope that is true.

[OS OK]

I would be more concerned with identifying the various reclaimed powders than using the 9mm rounds in the wheel gun.
Here is a link to the National Center for Forensic Science, smokeless powder database complete with magnified pictures with dimentions added to identify the various powders in and out of production. Hope it aids in your dilemma, we have suffered shortages of components up here and still do currently...it's agravating in the least.

Best of luck to you...charlie

http://www.ilrc.ucf.edu/powders/sample_detail.php?powder_id=382

[Scharfschuetze]

¿Dónde estás en america del sur AJG?

Reloading in South America is challenging and I never tried as I was fortunate and ammo was not an issue for me. I was stationed there a couple of times and my compañeros nativos in the shooting sports down there resorted to some pretty refined scavenging to shoot their firearms. Primers were the biggest problem.

Too bad as hunting down there is often very good. Loaded ammo can be very, very expensive depending on the country you are in.

Buena suerte con la munición recargada AJG.

[ironhead7544]

Use your 9mm expander for the 9mm bullets. Seat the bullet slightly deeper in the case and crimp over the ogive.

[justashooter]

You scare me using maybe unknow powder from shotshells to use in pistol loads

most shotshell powder is single base nitro with max pressure ranges below 25 KSI, so suitable for handgun reloading in general. light target loads use red dot or similar. high velocity game loads use blue dot or similar. magnum loads use 2400 or similar. choose your sacrificial shotshells by loading density for correct application in handguns.

173739

[DougGuy]

most shotshell powder is single base nitro with max pressure ranges below 25 KSI, so suitable for handgun reloading in general. light target loads use red dot or similar. high velocity game loads use blue dot or similar. magnum loads use 2400 or similar. choose your sacrificial shotshells by loading density for correct application in handguns.

^^^^ This is one good way of estimating the burn rate of shotgun powder. I never did this before but it totally makes sense, magnum pistol powder is the same as shotgun powder more or less, so for a light load use powder from a target shotgun shell, and for heavy loads use high brass magnum shotgun powder.. With .44 magnum and .45 Colt, the heavier the boolit, the slower the powder needs to be.

Also if he is loading jacketed 9mm, those have a swaged core so it is likely very soft and it would obturate with not a lot of trouble. He may be measuring .353" but you can bet it will be whatever the throats are before it leaves the cylinder, *IF* the cases are loaded to sufficient pressure.