Which mold for 380 and 9mm?

[lar45]

Hi Guys,
I'm just getting setup to cast for the 380 and 9mm.
Is there a decent mold that will cover both?
I'm looking at the Lee 356-120-TC
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and the Lee TL356-95-RF
217281

I've got the Taurus TCP, a Russian Makarov, and the wife has a small collection of other various 380s. For 9mms, The wife has a CZ75 clone from Tangfolio, and I've got a Star Super in 9mm Largo.
I like the looks of the 95RF for the 380s. I don't plan on shooting them much, just enough to keep the wife in practice, so I was thinking about getting just 1 mold, but a guy can always use just one more mold...
Any thoughts?
TIA

[Shuz]

IMHO the Lee 356-120TC is a mite heavy for the .380ACP, but I have one and it works great in my 9mm's. The Lee 356-95-rf is perfect for the .380ACP and can be used in the 9mm. I use a similar Lee design for my .380's that is the 356-102RF. I also have that one in hollow point by Erik Ohlen. I'd gladly send you a bunch of either or both for some of your fantastic lubes!--Shuz

[Virginia John]

The Makarov, if it is a 9X18 takes a slightly larger bullet, .363 diameter. Your .356 are too small. I find the 356-95 a good choice for the 380 and the 356-124 a good choice for the 9mm.

[03fatboy]

I have the Lee mold and it works good in my ruger lcp ll and also my wife's sig 238.
Hope that helps

[poppy42]

You mentioned A Makarov, unless your Makarov has been re-barreled to .380 you will need a different mold for it! The 9x18 Makarov round has a diameter .364. Lee makes a makarov specific mold. 95 grn Rn .365. My Makarov shoots those cast bullets as dropped. However my Polish P 64 chambered for 9 x 18 requires that my cast bullets be size to .363 to function properly. 9 x 18 cases can be easily made from 9 x 19 (9mm Luger) brass. You simply fireform a 9x19 to to straighten the cases ( 9mm Makarov round are straight walled, 9 x 19 are tapered) then trim the case to 18mm. You should never attempt to fire 380 or 9 x 19 from a McElroy off that has not been re-barreled for that specific caliber . It is not uncommon to have one re-barreled to .380 but I have never heard of one being re-barreled to 9 mm Lugar.
I hope this helps feel free to PM me if you have any questions specific to Your Makarov

[jcren]

The Lee 95rf is great in my 380's. I have and tried the 120 tc, it can work but it is almost too long for my tcp, feeds poorly, and even a 700fps load is a hand full! The 95 rf over 3.8 of cfe pistol feels mellower and gets an effective 900+

[Ed_Shot]

Another good LEE option for both .380 and 9MM is the 356-102-1R.

[lar45]

I have 2 Makarovs , an East German in 9x18, and a Russian that came as a 380acp.
I just ordered some 9x18 Mak brass from Starline ,and still have about 79,000 9mm Luger brass to sell. So I should be good on that for awhile lol.
I have the Ranch Dog mak mouldand sized some down to .357 but they wouldn't chamber. Maybe ill get both the 356 95RF for the 380 and the 356 120TC for the 9x19 luger.

[Outpost75]

I use Accurate 35-120H in both .380 ACP and 9mm, 2.5 grains of Bullseye in the .380 ACP.

I start at 3.5 grains of Bullseye in the 9mm and tweak upward as needed to get reliable cycling.

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[KCSO]

I think anything over 105 grains is a might too heavy for the 380 and I like at least 120 in a cast for the 9mm. You really need two moulds.

[Outpost75]

I think anything over 105 grains is a might too heavy for the 380 and I like at least 120 in a cast for the 9mm. You really need two moulds.

NEGATIVE! The 120-grain Accurate bullet above has been used successfully in firing thousands of .380 rounds in multiple Ruger LCPs, SIG P230s, Beretta M1934s, just sayin'

[redhawk0]

Another good LEE option for both .380 and 9MM is the 356-102-1R.

I have this mold and it shoots great in both 380 and 9mm. I also have the 356-124-TC. But I relegate the 124gr to 9mm only.

redhawk

[EMC45]

I have shot plenty of the Lee 120gr. TC bullet out of .380s. I like the 102gr. RN Lee better though.

[Beerd]

Lee 358-105gr SWC?
..

[Cleatus]

The Lee TL356-95-2F works in both my PK380 & P320 with either Titegroup or CFE Pistol.

[lotech]

I haven't had any .380s in some time, but had good luck with 122 grain flatnose bullets cast from a SAECO 9mm mould. These bullets were undersize for 9mm, but provided good accuracy in .380 when sized at .356". That may be as-cast diameter. Probably on your own as far as loading data. I tried 231, Unique, Blue Dot ,and Herco, according to my notes. I'm surprised Bulleye wasn't in there. Anyway, 231 and Unique gave best accuracy.

[6thtexas]

I shoot the Accurate 35-122t through my LCP with a charge of HP-38. In my gun it is very accurate, more so than the RD 100FN.

[jmort]

I would go with the 100 grain Ranch Dog

[Low Budget Shooter]

95-grain 358242 from NOE has worked great for me in both .380 and 9mm. I know it is light for 9mm, but has worked great in my tests.

[Cue]

I have used both of those Lee molds for 9mm and 380 and they work great.

[FergusonTO35]

I use the Lee 356-120-TC and 358-125-RF in 9mm. I really like the 356-102-2R in .380. All are sized to .357, lubed with Randy Rat's Tac-X, and shoot great in all my pistols which includes Glock, Kimber, and Browning. I have pushed the .380's pretty hard in my Glock 42 and have nothing but praise for them.

[Bareen]

It is way too heavy for 380, but the lee 356-125-2R is my favorite for my 9mm guns. I have also used a 120? tc shaped mold I had borrowed from my grandpa at one time. I think it was a Lyman mold from the 70's. Drops bullets almost identical to the lee 120 in your first post. They shot great too.


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[smkummer]

I think anything over 105 grains is a might too heavy for the 380 and I like at least 120 in a cast for the 9mm. You really need two moulds.
I agree. I cast Lyman’s 92 grain rn and with 231 reaches close to 1000 fps in 380. I cast the tublelube Lee 125 for 9mm. The heavier 9mm bullet can run slower and than the lighter bullets so maybe less leading.

[Hanshi]

My .380 is a Walther PPK/S. I tried 115 grain cast in it and wasn't impressed. I prefer cast weights of 100 grains and under. 115 grns to 140 grns in my High Power work just fine.

[lar45]

I ended up getting the Lee 120TC in a 6 cavity mold. I'll give it a try in the 380 and see what it does. If it doesn't work, I'll just have to order the lighter 95RF.
I was getting ready to cast a bunch, but I'm critically low on ingots :(
It's time to break out the big smelter and process a few buckets of wheel weights. It just needs to stop raining first.