I am going to start reloading 9 mm and I am in the process of picking a mold, so far I have been looking at the Lyman 356242 120 grain RN and 356402 120 grain tapered nose and the RCBS 09-115-RN.

Has anyone used any of these?

Also what is a good powder and load for plinking rounds? I have Unique and Bullseye on hand.

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Dom

Sorry I don't use Bullseye or Unique but I do have a good plinking load using W231/HP-38, it's 4.0gr under a lead bullet of that weight. That's in no way up near the top of the range but it works well for me.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

Those are all good molds, and I prefer steel, but if you want to save yourself a lot of future headaches, have on hand Lee double-cavity aluminum mold #90309, for a 125 gr. RN bullet. It is far cheaper than the others, casts bullets faster, and is the only one I know which makes a bullet (356-125-2R) with a shape and weight very close to what the German military used for many years, and through WW-II. I spent years trying to find a mold for this exact shape.

This is the standard shape that most 9mm pistols are designed to digest flawlessly, and most do so with this one.

Some of the other bullets have a little forward shoulder, which seems to have no other function than to cause jams. This particular Lee bullet does not have that.

Without the shoulder, and with this shape, the 125 gr. Lee bullet can be seated out far enough to achieve maximum specified overall length. This is important in avoiding feed jams in pistols including the Lugers. This bullet also keeps the single lubrication groove inside the case.

I use and recommend the other molds also, and they are fine with most guns, but if you want to be 100% sure, as with carry ammo, use this Lee bullet. Then shoot it in anything.

Only downside: I've found that with the Lee molds, I have to be rather careful when closing the mold blocks, as it's easy to get them out of line, making reject bullets. But no molds give you more for the money. You get the handles and everything, not just mold blocks.

I have had excellent results with the Lee truncated cone or tumble lube round nose. Either will do the job, even with fast twist european barrels, if treated with the Lee Liquid Alox lube. With lead bullets, I have found that the slower powders work better. Unique or slower. I use WW 540 as my standard. Bullseye, etc., tend to tumble the bullets. The bullets are sized to .356.

I never had any luck with the Lee molds, tried all different methods. I have casted thousands of perfect bullets from the Lyman molds.

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Dom

I have loaded commercial cast 9mm bullets with WSF and had great accuracy and performance in a 3913.

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" I said, good DAY! "

Since W540 is no longer available as W540 you will have to use it's other name, HS-6.

My powder trinity is W231(HP-38), W540(HS-6) and W296(H110).
I can load almost everything with those 3 powders.
(as can those who use Bullseye, Unique and 2400)

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

I also settled on the lee mold 356-125-2r, it’s an excellent bullet for the 9mm. I’ve used those bullets in a 39-2, 6946, a 1911 with a generic aftermarket BBl, a Taurus and a Beretta without any problem. I’ve loaded them with clays, ww452, universal clays, titegroup, unique, greendot, herco and aa#5 from mild to wild with the bullets sized to .356.

I’ve never had any tumbling issues and it’s fairly east to get accurate loads with this bullet.

You might want to consider the 147 gr. cast lead bullet - no leading at 900 fps. The W-W 14th manual list 3.3 to 3.5 gr. W-231 = 865-905 fps = 29600-32500 psi. The 3.5 gr. W-231 is the max load with that bullet.

I have used 3.8 gr. 231 behind the 125 gr. cast and am very satisfied with it. Gives just over 900 fps so it is comfortable even in the little snubby revolvers.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I've used the Lyman #356402 for over 35 years with great results. Until recently 6.0 gr. Unique was my standard load for that bullet, but recently I've been loading with 3.8 gr. Titegroup.

This bullet profile feeds flawlessly in everything from Luger to Hi Power to Glock.

I have had good luck with the 356402 and the 120 gr 358242 Lyman. The rn has given me slightly better accuracy with the 9mm. I have never had good luck with tumble lubing a bullet in a 9mm.

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Front sight and squeeze

Cast bullets and the 9mm have been a great aggravation for me. The 122 gr. FP with 231 often shoots sideways out of my 940 and two carbines. But then the 125 gr. RN shoots straight out to at least 100 yards in my 940 with the same powder charge. I don't understand what causes certain cast bullets to tumble in the 9mm while others shoot straight and I no longer load cast bullets in this cartridge.

Dave Sinko

I use the old Lyman 121gn RN bullet sized to .358, lubed with WWL Carnuba Red, over 3.5 gns of Bullseye. This load was listed as the "accuracy" load in my old Lyman #45 and I never found a good reason to change long term

I plan to start casting and resizing 9mm bullets. I have on order a Lyman mold #356242 120 gr RN (cast .356 dia). I ordered a Lyman H & I sizing die .355 dia.
After reading the Smith & Wesson replys on 9mm cast bullets, some readers size their cast bullets to .356 dia. Did I make a mistake on the Lyman sizing die of .355 dia.? I load a purchased 115 gr FMJ bullet that is .355 dia.

Monty

I would slug your barrel first & then size your cast bullets 1 to 2 thou' larger.

I love the conical nose RCBS 82027; throws at 122-124gr.and the S&W barrels and even the Wolf barrel for a Glock shoot these really well.
I use VV N330 (5.0gr.) but 231 (4.4gr) is great also....
Tack drivers in the 952 or my modified tactical performance center gun.

Terry

Been shooting cast 9mm's since 73, cast them from straight wheel weights, have aluminum and steel blocks, have cast thousands of 9mm's over the past decades and run almost all of them on bullseye.....Have shot these thru Smith's, Brownings, Sigs, Glocks ( with aftermarket barrels), HK's, Rugers and Berreta's. They have shot well and have been very accurate. THe thing I have always liked about casting 9's and using bullseye, is that a 10 lb pot will make a lot 9mm bullets and a lb of bullseye will load a lot of them as well.