What size mold to buy for 9mm?

[62Galaxie]

I have just recently started to shoot my Ruger P85 9mm quite a bit lately and would like to start casting my own bullets. I've been shooting 125 gn and would like to get a mold that would work. Someone suggested a .356, but would that be too small? Also if I get a mold that will cast a bullet the right size do I need to size the bullet befor euse. I'm a newbie at casting bullets, I've cast a lot of muzzleloader roundballs, but nothing else.

Any help is appreciated.

Bobg

[Piedmont]

356 is too small for the vast majority of guns. I use .358 in my nines and that works well. Even my Barsto barrel that slugs .355" (tight for a nine) will shoot the .358 bullets, though it has been a bit more accurate with .357 in preliminary testing.

If your mould dropped .358 you wouldn't have to size it but you have to get lube in the grooves somehow and most of use use a lubrisizer for that.

With some bullet moulds it is just a **** shoot what they will actually measure. For example I just chanced on and bought a Lee 2 cavity 125 gr. 2R roundnose because I like the looks of it (looks like a 9mm ball round). The box is labeled .356 and I am thankful they drop at .358". You might buy the same mould and have it drop a different diameter.

A way around the crapshoot is to get in on one of the group buys from this sight (NOE, BRP, or Mihec) or just order a mould from BRP where he has an existing cherry. He is in the vendors section. If you see one you like, email him and ask what diameter they drop from the mould and it will measure what he says it will.

The best course of action is to slug the clean, lightly oiled barrel of your P85 with a roundball and use a bullet something over that size (you don't want your bullets groove size. You want them throat size which will be larger). The only limiting factor will be what your chamber can accomodate, ie is the bullet too big to allow the round to chamber. Fortunately most 9mm chambers are generous, so if you go with .358" everything will probably work out.

I would suggest you not tumble lube in this caliber. It hasn't worked well for me and I think the reason is that even relatively low pressure 9mm loads are higher pressure than something like .45ACP and they put more stress on the lube. One more suggestion: you want hard bullets in this caliber.

[NuJudge]

As a starting point, don't use bullets so large they won't freely chamber once assembled in a cartridge.

As Piedmont says, the majority of 9mm pistols seem to have groove diameters larger than what they are supposed to be. This works fine with Jacketed, but all kinds of problems crop up with lubricated Lead bullets, Tumbling, incredible Leading, and bad accuracy amongst them.

There are some people here who like to match the hardness of their bullet to the pressure of their load, harder bullets for higher pressures. I'm not one of them, but even if I was, the 9mm is a higher pressure pistol cartridge, and they use harder bullets in it.

I've been using Lee 358-125 RF .359" bullets lately in a Beretta 92FS and a 1968-vintage P-38, with excellent results. This is a "Cowboy" mold, and the pictures on the sales websites, and even the diagram on the box, shows the old version of the bullet. The new version has a longer nose, a smaller flat, and no bevel base. I like light loads of WW231 with it.

[rockrat]

I use a Lee 6cav TC mold that casts at .357. I tumble lube them and load as cast. No problems

[MT Gianni]

The #s of the molds don't always mean what they shsould. i have 356242's and a 356402 that both cast .358+. Get a sizing die that is +0.001 greater than your bore.

[JIMinPHX]

When I russel up the money to spend on another mold, this is the one that I'm going to get - http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=658356

9mm is one of those calibers where you are probably going to go through a lot of ammo, so a 6-cavity mold seems like a good idea to me. If a 6-cavity mold is a bit much for you, then you can also get it in a 2-cavity version - http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=994155

The 2-cavity version comes with handles. The 6-cavity does not. 6-cavity handles are available here- http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=117892

[jimmeyjack]

Jim, I have tried to buy that mould twice from Midway. Both times I had to send it back from extreme chatter in the mold. (and a broken handle from frustration).

[JIMinPHX]

Sorry,
I didn't realize that you had that bad experience with this mold. Now that you mention it, I do recall seeing the post about the bad chatter. I just didn't remember that it was this mold.

[jimmeyjack]

I really want to try it too. I thought about buying from someone else in hopes they didn't get in on that batch.

[JIMinPHX]

You could try ordering one directly from Lee, that way if there is a quality problem, you can deal directly with the factory to get things made right. Alternately, you could try ordering a 2-cavity mold. They may have been made on a different day or in a different batch. You could also try getting the tumble lube version of that mold. It would have to be made with a different cherry, so it would have to be from a different batch.

...just a few thoughts

Edit:
Lyman has a few that you can choose from if you don’t mind spending a little more. I’ve been hearing some rumors about Lyman’s quality slipping a little lately, but their reputation is still far above that of Lee, & I’ve never seen anything from Lyman with chatter marks on it before.

These two Lymans 2-cavity iron molds are on sale for $50 each –
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=445760
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=249038

If you’re willing to spend a little over $70 for a 2-cav iron mold, there are a few good choices from RCBS.
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=422048
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=148043

This one is on sale for $65 –
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=136309

Saeco makes some nice stuff, but now you are up over $90 for a 2-cav –
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=241970
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=233923

I believe that the Lee 6-cav handles will fit on any of the above molds, but you might want to double check that with someone else.

[jimmeyjack]

Wow thanks for that. I wanted a 6 cav because it would be for my steel challenge gun that will see 600+ a month in bullets. I may go the direct from lee route because I can't get Midway to check em before shipping.

[jimmeyjack]

Hey, maybe someone could start a interest thread in group buys for one of the guys who do 2+ cavs on a 120-125 grain round nose?8-)

[Phat Man Mike]

I've got a lee six banger and shoot them tumble lubed with no problems :)

[jimmeyjack]

I havn't had much luck with tumble lube at 38 super speeds

[deerslayer]

I shoot the lee 124 grain microlube RN sized to .357 and tumble lubed with JPW/alox mix. Both of my 9mm's like them one is a Skky and the other is a high point. No leading problems.

[405WIN]

Check out Mountain Molds forum for a picture of the bullet I designed that solved all my 9mm problems.

[theperfessor]

I use the Lee 125 RF sized to .358 in my Hi Power. It doesn't look like the catalog and drops large enough to use in 9s with fat bores and .38/.357 too. Could also be sized down for smaller bore 9s. Its a conventional lube design so without a luber/sizer you'd have to pan lube.

Don't know if they would feed in your Ruger.

I have no experience with tumble lube bullets but I don't get any leading when I have a greasy lube star at the muzzle using conventional soft ALox type lubes, even in 9mm and .357 with max safe loads.

[JIMinPHX]

You can get 4-cavity versions of most of the iron molds that I listed above, but the price on them goes up even higher. You could also go to NOE, a vendor sponsor here on the board. Those guys should be able to make you just about anything that you might want. Their reputation for quality is quite good. None of these options would give you Lee pricing levels though.

[62Galaxie]

I'll probably check out the second one that JimInPhx linked to. That's looks like the same as the one I've been shooting and it feeds good in the Ruger and my son's Star. I've cast a lot of roundballs, but no boolits, so this will be a new experience. I'll have to find some wheel weights since the 400 pounds I have is all soft lead for roundballs.

Thanks again guys. The forum is going to be a great asset.

Bobg

[Colorado4wheel]

I have sent two Lee Molds in 9mm back. One was a TL design. The other was that 125 2R mold. I really like the speed of the Lee 6 cavity molds. I am thinking of trying that 125 2R again. I am currently using a 147gr Lyman 4 Cavity. The come out larger then .356. I use a .357 die from Magma Star and that sizes them to .356. They shoot perfectly in my KKM barrel with no leading. I water drop them and add a little soldier to my WW lead.

[62Galaxie]

I slugged my barrel today using a boolit for my .38 Special I had, it miked at .358. I slugged two of the boolits and they both came out at .347 land and .354 grooves. What size mold would you guys recommend a .358 and .359.

Bob

[38-55]

Galaxie,
If your groove ends up at .354 generally you want to go .001 over that.. So iff'n I was you I'd try for a end product of around .335-.356. 9mm's can be a pain to load for but in the past I've had good luck with the heavier end cast bullets.. Lee's 124 tumble lube isn't to bad of a place to start and as a bonus you can get pretty fair results with it in .38-.357's to.. and you don't have to fret about sizing it.. just cast it, lube it and load..
With that said the best mold I have here for 9mm's is a former group buy mold call a 'slippery 9mm' that I believe forum member 'make mine a 10mm' did.. It's a 135 pointy thing that works extremely well.
Stay safe
Calvin