Just remember that it is important to use the proper expander when loading over sized bullets.
Due to the price of primers, warning shots will no longer be given!
That is my favorite mold. Mine is an 8 cav. & marked "359-130". With COWW they drop @ 135. I bought another one (still in the box) in the event it wears out before I do (I'm 84). The 2nd. one is marked "359-135". I size @ .357 & it works in my Ruger 1911 OM, my son's FN & my son's friend's 3 different guns (not sure of make & models).
I was surprised to discover that my 1911 OM was throated from the factory.
My other 9mm molds are rarely used: why mess with perfection.
I'd buy that .358 dia. one that is available in a heart beat.
Confession: I never measured the dia. of any of these boolits B4 sizing.
Henry
With Accurate Molds you can specify alloy and indicate whether you want the 0.002 tolerance positive, negative or centered. I order most molds with nose tolerance negative to enter cylinder thoats or ball seat without sizing and with driving bands centered for autopistols or positive for revolvers.where cylinder throats are larger than barrel.groove diameter.
The ENEMY is listening.
HE wants to know what YOU know.
Keep it to yourself.
Bullet diameters need measuring as cast & after sizing.
As cast can be to small to size.
After sizing, different alloys spring back differently. Hard alloys spring back more.
May not matter for a spray & pray 9mm. Many guns/shooters are not accurate enough to show a difference between good & bad ammo.
Age 79 here. Casting for 60+ years.
The ENEMY is listening.
HE wants to know what YOU know.
Keep it to yourself.
Another consideration on as cast sizing, thkse who coat will introduce additional girth. That's why I habe moved on from molds that drop significantly over sized. With additional girth from PC, it is a lot of work through the sizer, and the bases can take on a little flashing as a result.
"There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something."
~Thorin Oakenshield
I measured bore slugs from perhaps half a dozen 9mm's before concluding .357" is where you want your bullets to be. All but one of them were .356" on groove and the outlier was a Springfield 1911 at .355" and super tight in all other respects. If the mold drops to .358 and you size to .357, you'll likely be a happy camper.
Wouldn't be my first choice for revolvers or leverguns due to lack of crimp groove.
WWJMBD?
In the Land of Oz, we cast with wheel weight and 2% Tin, Man.
MP molds use wheel weights to regulate their molds. From their email reply.
Hi Apple, Although I havent used it lately I have a six banger from MP in hard alum. It's .359 I always ran them thru my Lyman Lubrizer and they were good for 9mm as well as 38/357's.
Nice thing about lead is that it is very forgiving.
Lots of good advise here.
Much obliged, Max
Thanks for all the advice guys.
I used the MP brass 4 cavity mold based on the H&G #68 design yesterday and I am happy to report it works as well as it looks. Using 2 cycle oil very sparingly as others have suggested worked excellent. Often the boolits just drop when the mold is opened. I made up a single sample loaded shell and it looks great and should feed way better than the blunter Boolit out of the Lee mold.
So I ordered the .358 mold, 135 grain flat based in 8 cavity for the 9mm, will size to .357. (Would have gotten the .359 but it was out of stock and I am impatient.)
Also ordered 402-165 TC mold in 4 cavity brass and one more pair of handles.
I just finished casting a 20# pot of 9mms with the new mold.
The MP molds are amazing. Everything I read from Lee instructions you can throw in the trash on how to use the molds. Anti -sieze and beeswax both just made a mess. I did not smoke the 8 cavity aluminum mold and used 2 cycle chainsaw oils on the alignment pins, sprue cutter and associated areas. The boolits just drop when opened, very little tapping.
Apple Man,
I have the same 358-135-fn mold (bought it from a member here recently). It is my first MP mold. They are really nice molds and dropping 8 at a time makes a pile of boolits quickly. Mine drops .359 and 141 gr. in my alloy. I don't know the actual composition of the alloy but it runs around 12 BHN based on my pencil test. It is also my first go at powder coating. I water dropped them out of the oven and then sized them .358 (the only .35 cal. push thru die I have). I haven't loaded any yet, but they sure are great looking boolits!
I measured bore slugs from perhaps half a dozen 9mm's before concluding .357" is where you want your bullets to be. All but one of them were .356" on groove and the outlier was a Springfield 1911 at .355" and super tight in all other respects. If the mold drops to .358 and you size to .357, you'll likely be a happy camper.
This is what I have found works in all my 9's also.
Well I got the Dillion 550 switched over from 45 ACP to 9mm today. Sized a few of the new 9mm boolits from the MP mold, the loaded shells dropped right in the case gauge.
Went with 3.7 grains of of Bullseye.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |