9mm bullet dimensions

[300BLK]

I'm trying to compare published 9mm cast bullet pressure data with bullet lengths and seating depths. I would appreciate any help in the OAL and drivng band length of the following bullet designs.

Lyman 356402 truncated cone

Lyman 356242 RN ~120gr

Lyman 358345 SWC ~115gr

Lyman 356634 TC

RCBS 9mm -124-CN

RCBS 9mm-124-RN

I'm loading Lee 356-120-TC, Lee CTL356-124-TC, Lee 358-105-SWC and trying to correlate seating depths and powder charge adjustments.

 

[Winelover]

I don't fret over OAL. I currently have, five pistols and a carbine, chambered in 9mm. Do the plunk tests for whatever pistol/pistols you have, with the bullets you intend to use. If it passes the plunk test, you should be fine with cast, since cast bullets develop less pressure than jacketed. Just adhere to the published data. Most data gives COAL. However, that's just a starting point.

Personally, I don't like COAL/OAL. I use ogive length..............which is significantly shorter than published COAL/OAL. Record the shortest ogive length that passes the plunk test, in whatever firearm/firearms you own. The 9mm headspaces on the mouth of the case. With a half dozen 9's, I'm not about to keep separate ammunition for certain firearms. I use an ogive length that passes the plunk test in the shortest throat that I own. Factory ammunition, works in all 9mms. Gather a bunch of different factory ammunition and record ogive lengths. That should also give you a good idea where your length should fall.

That being said, I only load cast bullets that were designed for 9mm. I don't/won't consider loading 38/357 SWC's. I also don't care for heavy for caliber 9mm bullets, anyways. I stay with 115-138 grain cast bullets. I do have an Accurate 147 TC that doesn't give me the accuracy, I expected, from the CZ Scorpion carbine.

Been loading 9mm for near on fifty years. Was the second caliber, I began casting for. Never any issues, never blew up a gun. I used the RCBS 9mm-124-RN GC, exclusively in my 70's issue Browning HP. The other bullets was the Lyman 356402 TC..............which is on your list. Both were over 5.0 grains of Unique. Data out of RCBS Cast Bullet Manual for their 125 RN. Since the charge was safe for the heavier 125, I considered it safe for the lighter 120 Lyman.

You must also understand that American data is pretty anemic for 9mm. The European 9mm ammunition would be considered +P if not +P+ loadings.

That being said, you can't get stupid and load too short or not have enough taper crimp, to have the bullet set back in the case, upon cycling/feeding or recoil. Press a measured loaded round on the edge of you bench, check to see if length changed. If not, you should be good to go.

Hope this helps.

 

[Winelover]

I've never had to have a 9mm barrel throated. That's out of six different manufactures........... Browning, Kahr, Beretta, Sig Sauer, Springfield Armory, and CZ.

Doug Guy on CB does a brisk business, throating 9mm barrels.

Another internet fueled fantasy, IMO.

 

[JonB]

trying to correlate seating depths and powder charge adjustments.

winelover gave you the long version.
I'll give you the short version.
.
Your gun/s is your guide to cast bullet seating depth.
powder charge adjustments?
use published cast bullet data from a similar weight bullet, start at Starting load and work up.
.
That is how we do it

 

[JonB]

I've never had to have a 9mm barrel throated.

I have a 45acp pistol that I previously wanted to have Dougguy fix the throat, but that was so I could use any cast bullet I want. I settled on not having the work done, and just using a TC design bullet.

 

[300BLK]

I don't need to have a barrel throated, and am aware of how to headspace on the bullet vs the case mouth if I want to do that. I'm also aware that it is sensitive to bullet seating depth due to its limited capacity.

What I'm REALLY interested in are the bullet dimensions so I can calculate how much bullet is IN the case so as to compare to Lyman's pressure data .

 

[300BLK]

This is a range pickup Frontier 9mm.

I have no idea as to what 9mm it was fired from, but it blew out ahead of the extractor groove, shows evidence of seperating 1/4-1/3 the preiphery inside, and the primer isn't flat or cratered.

 

[300BLK]

I'm still looking for bullet OAL and driving band OAL for:

RCBS 9mm-125-TC
Lyman 356634
Lyman 358345 if anyone cares to be helpful.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

This is a range pickup Frontier 9mm.

I have no idea as to what 9mm it was fired from, but it blew out ahead of the extractor groove, shows evidence of seperating 1/4-1/3 the preiphery inside, and the primer isn't flat or cratered.

This is very good representation why PRIMER ALONE DO NOT RELIABLY SHOW PRESSURES!!!

Who knows why that occured. Could be any one of a few and probably a combonation. But Ill tell you this it was NOT because a cast bullet with a cast bullet loading was seated long.

Many cast bullets are seated INTO rifling or defineatly the throat on actions they manually feed. Why? BECAUSE THEY SHOOT SO WELL! The pressures most cast bullets run and the factory of lead are NOT like jacketed bullets and do not follow there short comings. Throating is something I have done on more then a few. It allows them to run longer than or fatter then spec bullets. It has not been a detriment to anything for me.

As Wineover has outlined, follow safe loadings and set OAL to function IN YOUR barrel. And enjoy your cast bullets. You can still load it "up" and work up to a velocity range you desire. Just do so safely.

Remember a manual is a guide. It is what worked safely for the author, on that day, in his firearms, under his conditions, with his components. It is not the only way.

CW

 

[300BLK]

I'm still looking for bullet OAL and driving band OAL for:

RCBS 9mm-125-TC
Lyman 356634
Lyman 358345 if anyone cares to be helpful.

 

[RBHarter]

Just load it to fit your shortest magazine and F/F/E in the heaviest sprung gun in Head Stamp sorted brass and call it done .
Work the load up like you would a rifle .

I load 5 of each step odds are on range day if you're going to have a feed failure it's going to be on the weak end of the mag so 5 is almost a full mag in micros and 1/3 in full size .
Work up one step past clean function and check out function with your weak side with a deliberate soft hold , "limp wrist" .
Then tune for accuracy as needed . Stop at any max listed load . 9mm is a tiny case and it's not very far from a nominal standard max to NATO +P+ for seating which will be unlikely or more likely charge steps . Unless of course one of the selections is abarately long for weight .

The tuned load for the HP9 , P35/High Power knock off , worked as well if not better in the P96DC .

 

[300BLK]

I'm still looking for bullet OAL and driving band OAL for:

RCBS 9mm-125-TC
Lyman 356634
Lyman 358345 if anyone cares to be helpful.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

Only one of those I have is the Lyman 634. But all are PC. Also know Lyman molds are farthest from consistent you would probably find.

Ill try ta find a thin coated ta measure if you would like.

CW

 

[300BLK]

I would appreciate the measurements.

 

[MW65]

From an older Lyman Cast manual... I always use a plunk test as well because each pistol is a wee bit different, and I like to know that it's good for them all. HtH!

 

[300BLK]

I'm still looking for bullet OAL and driving band OAL for:

RCBS 9mm-125-TC
Lyman 356634
Lyman 358345 if anyone cares to be helpful.

 

[fiver]

i'm no help i got none of those bullets, heck all the ones i do have have no data anywhere anyway.
if i did i'd still ignore the oal in the book.

your dealing with a semi-auto.
it has to first feed the round 100% of the time, all of the time, every time.
that's your OAL.
for me that's usually with the bullet's front drive band seated flush to the case mouth.
then i work the powder.
i do all of my semi's that way.

that's just me, and how i do it.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

I would appreciate the measurements.

Ill get down there after taking care of momma this AM.

 

[Snakeoil]

Since nobody other than CW seems to have any of the bullets you are interested in, I would suggest taking a look at the NOE site. He often mentions that a bullet is a copy of a Lyman XXXXXX in his description and he has a drawing posted for every one of his bullets.

The other option is download GRT. They have quite a few Lyman bullets in their bullet database and if you put in the case length and OAL length the program will give you the seating depth and that should be enough to calc case volume. If you put in the actual case volume in grains of H2O you'll have the exact case volume for a given OAL for a bullet in their database.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

A new ( to me ) 9mm mould

Arrived today. Lyman 2 cavity 356634 ( A discontinued Lyman mould ) There was a bullet in one of the cavities. Looks like this mould will cast a 3577 " bullet. I may end up with a nice mould ? ? Anyone own this one and have any experience with the mould ? ? I was hoping to use it in 38 Spec...

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