Thread: 9mm Bullet dia
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Old 10-24-2015, 09:13 AM
rockquarry rockquarry is online now
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Jacketed bullets are quite forgiving; shoot whatever diameter is recommended. They should work fine.

Plated? I've had little experience with these and make no recommendations, but assume they are similar to plain cast bullets.

Cast bullets... in the 9mm, use the largest diameter bullet that will freely chamber. This will vary between .357" and .359". I use .358" bullets in a Beretta, Sig, and a Walther P1. Outside diameter at taper-crimped case mouth of a loaded cartridge measures about .380"; that's a SAAMI maximum. Loads don't bulge brass (Winchester, anyway) and cartridges feed reliably with overall perfect functioning in my guns. However, such rounds
may not work well in H&Ks, Glocks, and maybe some others.

A slightly tighter taper crimp than I've recommended may be worth experimenting with as long as it does not reduce bullet size to the point of inaccuracy.

With regard to "freely chambering", don't forget overall cartridge length. As long as there is no interference with smooth and reliable chambering, seat bullets out to maximum magazine length.

In a search for best accuracy over the years, many different cast bullet designs have been tried, almost all of which were hand cast. To date, the best bullet I've found is cast from the obsolete Lyman #358212 mould - a 148-150 grain (wheelweight alloy) round nose design intended for the .38 Special . Sized to .358", functioning is reliable and accuracy is good, perhaps because of plenty of bullet bearing surface.
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