9mm Accurate Mold Thoughts

Wasalmonslayer

Wasalmonslayer

Well-Known Member
If you guys wanted a new accurate 9mm mold in the 125-130 grain range what would you do??
Kind of on the fence with this one.
Trunicated, RF, SWC….?

Thanks a bunch for the help/info!
 
Matt

Matt

Active Member
Lee 124 gr TL truncated cone. Tumble lube or powder coat, load as cast. As accurate as anything else in a service pistol, better than most jacketed ammunition. Feeds reliably in everything I’ve ever tried it in. Get the six cavity you won’t be sorry.
 
Ian

Ian

Notorious member
I don't do 9mm either, but if I did, I'd look really hard at a TC design with a small radius on on the edge of the meplat. I'd also want tumble lube grooves and a bevel base, probably order it .356" and powder coat the bullets.
 
358156 hp

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
My personal favorite 9mm bullet is Ranch Dogs 135 gr design. I have one from NOE with conventional lube grooves. I do have one 9mm pistol that won't feed it though, a S&W M&P Compact. For full disclosure though, it also has a really, really tight chamber and would require a totally minimum dimension cartridge. For these reasons, it's the only thing I own that doesn't get any cast bullets through it. It's a very accurate pistol, so it won't be altered in any way either.

Yup. One of those.
 
D

david s

Well-Known Member
Two of the moulds don't fit your criteria being 120 and 115 grain moulds. The left mould and bullet are the LEE 356-120-TC and the center mould and bullet are the RCBS 09-115-RN. The right virgin is the NOE 358-124- TC gas check mould. I ordered the gas check mould by mistake. Of the two moulds currently in use the RCBS seems to be a more accurate bullet. But no real extensive comparison testing has been done either. As a general rule I tend to lean twords the TC nose profile.
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Wasalmonslayer

Wasalmonslayer

Well-Known Member
I have the lee 358 125 RF I may give that a shot and see how it turns out.

Has anyone uses the lee 356 124 TL version with success??
 
Mitty38

Mitty38

Well-Known Member
I tend to like RN in that weight in 9mm I am currently running a Lee 358, 125 gr RN. Size down to .356 then PC and size to .357. Runs flawless in my Glock Clone and at 21 ft is just as easy to see the paper wound as with a FN. But with that weight load data is a little limited, But shoots good enough with Unique, Red Dot, or Promo. Who needs any more options.
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
that lee 124gr. T/L bullet was the number one thread starter on the boolits site about 7 years back.
it was number one cause it sucked.
get a good T/C or rnfp design with a grease groove.
the 9mm was designed by Mr. Mauser to have a T/C bullet right from the start.
 
Wasalmonslayer

Wasalmonslayer

Well-Known Member
david s said:
Two of the moulds don't fit your criteria being 120 and 115 grain moulds. The left mould and bullet are the LEE 356-120-TC and the center mould and bullet are the RCBS 09-115-RN. The right virgin is the NOE 358-124- TC gas check mould. I ordered the gas check mould by mistake. Of the two moulds currently in use the RCBS seems to be a more accurate bullet. But no real extensive comparison testing has been done either. As a general rule I tend to lean twords the TC nose profile.
IMG-1571.jpg
IMG-1574.jpg
Click to expand...
How much does that Lee 120 TC weigh as cast??
 
358156 hp

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
Lyman also offers 356402, allegedly following the original design profile of the original 9mm cartridge bullet. It's only a 120 gr TC as well. I have one in a 4 cav. It's fed perfectly in everything I've thrown it at, axcept for the afore mentioned M&P. Most other mould manufacturers offer some sort of variant of this original design. It dates back to around 1927 or so, and is one of Ideal/Lymans longest running designs still in production. Accurate 35-120B looks very similar, as does LEES 356-120TC.
https://accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=35-120B
 
P

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
It has been my experience that the TC design is the most "universal" when it comes to 9mm bullets. That profile seems to get along with most pistols in terms of feeding and functioning, plus - they shoot well.
I prefer a flat base, but I'm not powder coating. White label 50/50 lube works well if you go that route. If you're really pushing the bullet fast, BAC is another option, but I found the 50/50 is a better choice for anything but absolute max velocities.
The Lee TC bullet is a good bang for your buck. Mine drops bullets closer to 124 grains than to 120 with my alloy and that's as heavy as I ever want to go in a 9mm. The Lee is a good place to start - if you like it, you can keep it and stop right there - done. OR, you can use the Lee mold to confirm the concept of a 120ish grain TC bullet and order a custom-made mold based on that profile & weight.
The groove diameters of 9mm pistol barrels are all over the map. You really need to slug your barrel to find a starting point.
YMMV
 
Winelover

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
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