9mm Accurate Mold Thoughts

[Intel6]

And to think, there are guys out there using 158 grain bullets in their nines.

I agree for the most part with this but there is an exception for me. I have many 9mm's (multiple handguns and a few carbines) and they all get nothing heavier than 125 gr., mostly TC style.

The exception for me is with 9mm intended for my 8 shot competition revolver chambered in 9mm. It is common in handgun competition to use heavier bullets because you have to make a certain power factor of bullet weight x velocity. When you use heavier projectiles, you can make power factor with softer recoil (when using fast burning powder). So I specifically cast and load two different heavy bullets for my 9mm revolver. I also tried them in some of my autos and they shoot real soft (especially in my Glock 17L) but they are too soft for me and feel strange.

I started out with a NOE mould that casts a 155 gr. TC style bullet that has a long tapered nose so it can be used in an auto. It makes great bullets and they shoot well in my revolver.

In the pic you can see a moonclip with the bullet seated for revolver use and then a few loaded rounds loaded for SA use and then a bullet that has been coated in Hi Tek and sized.





I liked the 155 but really wanted a heavy RN for better reloading on the clock. So I finally got a MIHEC 157 gr. RN mould that casts a RN bullet with no lube grooves. The best part about it is that it is an 8 cavity mould so I can really crank them out.

In the pic is the bullet both PC'd and coated in HiTek. The two rounds in the center are loaded for the revolver and the one round to the right is for a SA.



And here is the mould. With no lube grooves the bullets just fall out and making 8 bullets at a time means you can make lots of them in no time.

 

[popper]

35-135S from both sig and xds. Feeds fine, accurate and with WST, little recoil. SIL has shot my loads in his full size XD, works fine.

 

[fiver]

take 5grs. off the nose of that one and you pretty much have the one i designed for HM-2.

 

[seagiant1]

Hi,
Thought I would show what I use for 9MM a Brass MP 135 Gr. Mould.

Works well with 4.0 Gr. of W231 and feeds great!

 

[PED1945]

I bought a Lyman 356402 back in 1973 to cast for a newly acquired High Power and a friend's P-38. Using a linotype alloy, the bullets weighed about 120 grains and measured .356. Function was good through both pistols, but accuracy was not. After about loading 800 of these and trying different powders and loads, I gave up on this mold and bought jacketed bullets.

In the intervening half century, I have learned that cast bullets need to be a thou or two over groove size and that groove dimensions need to be measured and factored into the sizing. It may be time to try another batch.

 

[Winelover]

The Lyman 356402 is one of the two molds, used in my HP. Accuracy was good, sized to, .358 diameter, over 4 grains of Bullseye. The other mold was RCBS 125 RN GC with 5 grains of Unique. Never used straight linotype. Hardest alloy, was Lyman #2.

 

[PED1945]

Initially my 9mm loads used Bullseye and Unique then I found and liked Win 630 until it went out of production. More recently I have used Win 231/HP-38 and Power Pistol.

 

[robertbank]

I have found the Lyman 356402 125mgr. bullet which is a TC bullet to be an excellent design for the 9MM. I have probably shot 50K rds loaded with that bullet in several 9MM pistols. I cannot recall a jam using the bullet when seated to 1.1". The TC design feeds like butter on a hot pan. If I was starting out tomorrow I would buy a TC 125gr mold and never bother with the RN or lswc design for the 9MM.

I use 4.1 gr of 231/HP38 under the 356402 bullet with excellent accuracy used in my pistols and carbines.

Take care

Bob

 

[Wasalmonslayer]

Thank you guys!!
I found a great deal on a lee 356 120 trunicated cone so I snatched it up and going to give it a go before I lay out the $$$for an accurate mold.
If my guns like it and it shoots well I will step up for a new accurate 5 cavity.

 

[Charles Graff]

I only have one 9mm mold. It is a three hole El Paso made NEI. It throws a 124 grain SWC that is much like a scaled down H&G 68 45ACP bullet. It has proved very accurate and feeds like butter through a dozen or so autopistols and an UZI.

I use a charge of original Israeli made AA5 to give a velocity of about 1,100 fps. AA5 was designed for the 9MM round.

 

[Mainiac]

I only have one 9mm mold. It is a three hole El Paso made NEI. It throws a 124 grain SWC that is much like a scaled down H&G 68 45ACP bullet. It has proved very accurate and feeds like butter through a dozen or so autopistols and an UZI.

I use a charge of original Israeli made AA5 to give a velocity of about 1,100 fps. AA5 was designed for the 9MM round.

Sounds very similar to the mp 275,,mine way 133,,and i use #7 old isreal,,,they shoot very well.