Powder coated .357mag bullets....what diameter?

[emt1581]

Ordering a mold. I'll be powder coating the bullet. I usually size after the pc. Do I want .357 or .358 for what I'm doing.

Thanks!

[Wheelguns 1961]

I like my 357 molds to be .359”. You can always size down, but it takes another coat of powder to size up.

[emt1581]

I like my 357 molds to be .359”. You can always size down, but it takes another coat of powder to size up.

Ok, follow-up question....if you wanted to do both 9mm (9x18) AND .357mag with the same mold....both powder coated. .359 or .358?

Thanks

[mehavey]

Do I want .357 or .358 for what I'm doing.Uuuuuh....
What are you doing ?

[emt1581]

Uuuuuh....
What are you doing ?

2 boolits from one mold.

[mehavey]

What are you using them in....?
rifle ? (if so, what model?)
pistol ? (ditto)

[Garyshome]

9mm is .356

[tazman]

Typically, you want to end up at .358 for 38/357 mag and .357 for 9mm. These sizes work in every handgun I own in these calibers.
You may find your handgun has an odd size bore. It happens and the only way to find out is to slug it and see.

[emt1581]

What are you using them in....?
rifle ? (if so, what model?)
pistol ? (ditto)

Mostly Glocks 43-17 for 9mm. Then a 4" Rossi and S&W 638 (.38spl). Now I do have a Sub2k with a 16" as well.

[Wheelguns 1961]

Ok, follow-up question....if you wanted to do both 9mm (9x18) AND .357mag with the same mold....both powder coated. .359 or .358?

Thanks

I shoot .358” bullets in my 9mm’s. That doesn’t mean that you will be able to. It all depends on the chamber size on your 9mm barrel. If I were you, I would still get a .359” mold. You will need to experiment with the bullet size, and as Tazman said “slug your barrel.

[Huskerguy]

I am going through this with a new to me NOE 124 TC bullet. I don't have my spread sheet in front of me but I think it drops around .359 or .360. I size it to .358 for my 38's and then .356 for my 9's which are all CZ's. I also have a .357 die so I may give it a try as well and see if I can tell a difference.

So, to answer the OP's question, generally .356 for 9 and .358 for 38/357. Your firearm may vary from that.

[emt1581]

I am going through this with a new to me NOE 124 TC bullet. I don't have my spread sheet in front of me but I think it drops around .359 or .360. I size it to .358 for my 38's and then .356 for my 9's which are all CZ's. I also have a .357 die so I may give it a try as well and see if I can tell a difference.

So, to answer the OP's question, generally .356 for 9 and .358 for 38/357. Your firearm may vary from that.

I've gone back and forth between .359 and .358. My concern is...if I go with .359, is it going to be a bitch getting it through the sizer for .356 (9mm) and/or cause structural issues with the lead and/or powder coat?

I do understand what some have said about slugging but before even getting there, I need to know how a sizer will behave against a bullet that's .02" too wide. It's not like I can break out the sliquid and tell it to relax a little.

Thanks

[BrutalAB]

It starts to get hard to size down to .358 when the boolit comes out at .362 (after pc) or so. I have broken a lee c press trying to size down boolits that were came out of the mold at 3.63 or higher (been a while dont remwmber the exact size). Effort will depend on press leverage as well.

Lubing the boolits with some kind of case lube greatly reduces the effort required to size down.
I now have extra sizers so i can size down in steps.

[P Flados]

You mentioned powder coat (PC). If you are sure that you will use PC, I would recommend that you assume this adds 0.001" to your as cast diameters. And with a good PC job and a good sizer, do not worry about damaging the coating.

I have a lot more problems with molds that drop bullets too small than too big. This is especially true true for the 9mm. Also note that in my experience Lee molds are most likely to drop from 0.002" under to 0.002" over the nominal diameter.

A 9mm can be tricky to cast for. You will have better chance for happiness if you know the biggest bullet that you can put into a dummy round and slip into you chamber (you may need to go this big to avoid leading problems). Typically you would want your ready to size bullets to be at least 0.001" above this number so that sizing to this number reliably sizes down the bullet all the way around the circumference with no gaps in shiny surfaces.

If you have any 0.357 bullets at all, I would do the dummy round check on any 9mm you plan to load for now before buying anything. If ammo with a 0.357" bullet is snug but not tight in the loosest chamber, you will want your ready to size bullets to be 0.358" or bigger. If it is a little looser, you will want more than 0.358".

Problems sizing down handgun bullets are pretty rare. Today I just used a 0.314" push through sizer on ~650 bullets that drop at 0.325". This is more than typical and I did use a smidgen of traditional lube (several small pellets of lube tossed into a tub with a handful of bullets and swirled around for a minute) to make things easier. It was not a big deal at all.

Now even in the very unlikely event that you have a really tight 9mm chamber and need to size to 0.356", sizing down from even 0.360" should be fine.

[mdi]

What diameter would you want nekkid cast bullets for your gun? Since I started PCing my cast, I size the same as plain cast. Works quite well..

[reloader28]

I have never seen a 9mm that could use something as small as 356. For a dozen different 9's I size .358
For 38/357 I go with 358 only because I dont have a 359, and 360 is just a bit too big for our guns

[Conditor22]

9x18 --- Makarov usually size to .365 I use the Lee MOLD DC 365-95-1R for all my MAK loads
9x19 --- is the 9mm- luger most of us have and shoot :)

You can easily size 359 to 356, IF you get a mold that drops .358 +.001 for a thin coating of PC

I only have 1 9MM that likes .356 (a Ruger) all the rest like .357 to .359 (European guns P38 and Llama)

I size all my 357 mag. boolits to .358 after PCing

[Elpatoloco]

Typically, you want to end up at .358 for 38/357 mag and .357 for 9mm. These sizes work in every handgun I own in these calibers.
You may find your handgun has an odd size bore. It happens and the only way to find out is to slug it and see.

I find these sizes work for me as well in everything I have tried them in. .430 in 44 mag, .452 in the ACP and .476 in the linebaugh. Same thing. Worked in everything Ive run them in.

[AndyC]

I size my current .357 boolits to .359 cos Al at NOE is always out of .358 sizers ;)