Lee 2-Cavity Bullet Mold 358-140-SWC in 9mm?

rp85 · Nov 26, 2010

hello;

looking for a common cast bullet useful in 38spl. and 9mm.

anyone shoot the Lee 2-Cavity Bullet Mold 358-140-SWC ( sized correctly) in a 9mm?

the 357-358 dia. not a problem, will run through a sizer for the 9mm. it's the semi-wad design and weight are my concern for shooting the 9mm.

thanks for the input.

rp

ScottJ · Nov 26, 2010

Seems a bit heavy in 9MM but many folks on the Castboolit forum who swear by the 105 SWC in both.

Skip Sackett · Nov 27, 2010

If it were me I would go the other way. A .356" mould in 125gr or so. Lee moulds usually cast big and can be made to cast even bigger with a harder alloy.

Seating depth would be my concern by going the other way. The crimp groove would make it impractical to use in the 9mm and seating that deep would make most data useless.

Going the other way around would make the higher pressure round safer while providing a nice target type load for the 38spl. Feeding issues you go away too as most of the 9mm bullets are RN in configuration.

David Sinko · Nov 27, 2010

It could work. It all depends on your expectations. My brother had a bunch of 158 gr. SWC that he sized down for use in 9mm. Obviously the bullets had to be seated very deep and the powder charge reduced considerably but it did work well for the purpose of going bang and putting holes in paper. A couple of semiautos fed them reliably, they cycled properly and were accurate.

I tried heavy (158 gr. cast) bullets in my 940 to see what kind of performance I could get. I figured that since the revolver is more versatile and forgiving I should be able to get better performance. I was wrong and it didn't work out well at all. A cast bullet of 140 grs. could be outstanding in the 9mm depending on the shape and configuration. I never tried the Lee bullet so I can't comment on it specifically.

Dave Sinko

OKFC05 · Nov 27, 2010

I have the Lee molds in question and the only one that shoots with enough relaibility accuracy to suit me in 9mm is the Lee TL356-124-2R.

For .38 the
Lee 2-Cavity Bullet Mold TL358-158-SWC 38 Special, 357 Magnum, 38 Colt New Police (358 Diameter) 158 Grain Tumble Lube Semi-Wadcutter

Since the molds are both available from Midway for $17.79 each, I think it is false economy to try to make one mold do both jobs.
An oversized nose on the .358 is going to jam in the 9mm, and my Model 14 requires .358 for accuracy and sprays the .356 all over the target.

J.S.H. · Nov 27, 2010

The weight isn't a problem, 147 gr bullets are common in the 9mm. The nose shape may or may not feed, each individual is different. You may actually benefit from a larger diameter bullet. Many 9mms have bores way larger than the nominal diameter, my Browning HP is .3585. This is pretty common and the reason many have such trouble getting 9mms to shoot well with cast with the normal .355-.356 bullets. Best to slug your bore first to see what you are working with. A more rounded design may be more likely to chamber and function well-how about the Lee 125gr RF if you are looking for a dual purpose mold?
Lee 2-Cavity Bullet Mold 358-125-RF 38 Special, 357 Magnum, 38 Colt New Police (358 Diameter) 125 Grain Flat Nose - MidwayUSA
Many on the CastBoolit forum seem to like this one. I have not tried it myself so I cannot comment.

epj · Nov 27, 2010

Lee advertizes their 120 gr TC bullet as .38/9mm. I use it successfully for 9mm, and don't see any reason it wouldn't work for .38 if the mold will throw it big enough. Using straight wheel weight metal, mine weigh 122 gr.

Lee 2-Cavity Bullet Mold 358-140-SWC in 9mm?

rp85

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ScottJ

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Skip Sackett

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David Sinko

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OKFC05

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J.S.H.

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epj

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