I needed something more than a 2 cavity (I have a nice Ly 356420) because of the number of 9mm Luger that I am going to load. So, after reading what several had reported about this mould, I went ahead and ordered a 6-banger from Midway early Monday morning. I arrived yesterday. When I got home I cranked up the pot, cleaned and lubed the mould and then went to eat supper (Okie soul food - beans, fried taters and corn bread). After eating and cleaning up, I went to the shop and commenced casting. The new Lee moulds are an improvement over years past. Anyway, a short 60ish minutes later I had a nice pile of bullets. They are typical Lee, slightly out of round, but all cavities are close together with measurements on each running .358-.360ish. After a pass thru a lube-sizer I am confident they will be just fine for 9mm fodder.
Lee 38-125-RF
- Thread starter sundog
- Start date
sundog,
Don't discount the possibility of firing this bullet in the 38 Spec. and the 357 Mag.
I took my Marlin 1894, CBC, 38 Spec. to the range. Fired 7 rounds at 50 yards into roughly a 3/4 " group ( + or - ) with the Lee 125 gr. RF bullet, sized .3575 ", using Wolf small pistol primers and a mild crimp. Powder charge was 5.5 grs. of Russian Unique ( Salute ).
I think this bullet is going to get a lot of use at my loading bench now !
Don't discount the possibility of firing this bullet in the 38 Spec. and the 357 Mag.
I took my Marlin 1894, CBC, 38 Spec. to the range. Fired 7 rounds at 50 yards into roughly a 3/4 " group ( + or - ) with the Lee 125 gr. RF bullet, sized .3575 ", using Wolf small pistol primers and a mild crimp. Powder charge was 5.5 grs. of Russian Unique ( Salute ).
I think this bullet is going to get a lot of use at my loading bench now !
Dusty Bannister
Well-Known Member
While I like the 356-120-TC in many 9MM firearms, it did not work well due to free bore in my Ruger LC9. The dowel method of determining the cartridge OAL suggested I needed a long blunt bullet to reach the lands and seal the gasses. The Lee 358-125-RF fits very well and in the 6 cav mold provides a lot of practice rounds in a short period of time. It will also be used in 38/357 as well.
Dusty Bannister
Well-Known Member
I suspect that the free bore is to protect the shooter. It is rated for +P ammo, but there are some higher pressure rounds out there. The freebore will protect someone from their own lack of knowledge. Maybe? I was lucky to have some samples on hand that had resulted from a bullet swap with a friend in CA. Otherwise, I might have been shooting jacketed only.
3
358156hp
Guest
Hi Dusty! Welcome to the forum!
Reloader762
Active Member
I bought the same mold after seeing Ben's post on another forum. It works well in my old cheap Hi-Point 9mm as it didn't shoot any of the Lee 9mm designs at all. It also gets shot in my Ruger BH in 357/9mm Convertible.