Bullet Casting

[rvenneman]

I am just getting bullet casting.. I am going to cast for .380 and 9mm.
Since molds are expensive, what would you suggest for one I can use at the range and if needed, for self defense. I usually use a RN in the .380 and a FP in the 9, and a jhp in each for SD, but I would like to get a mold that would be decent for both. Any suggestions?

 

[redbullitt]

The cast will probably act like FMJ in most cases, especially in the 380. May not be a bad thing in that case. First priority will be feeding. Make sure whatever you use feeds well, expansion/terminal effects as a secondary consideration. A nice wide flat nose would be good, but it may not function well.

For 9mm and 380 I like the truncated cone style bullet. It feeds well in my guns and shoots well. I shoot mostly all cast in my pistols, but still carry a good hollow point for everything but the range. It may take a little trial and error to get your poi where you want it for practice though.

You will probably need to cast them a bit fatter than expected. My 9mms lead a bit until I get up to around .358 diameter. Your chamber will probably tell you how fat you can cast them. The plunk test will be your friend here.

Slower powders, like unique tend to get better results for me too.

NOE molds are excellent if you dont mind the price. Lee can work as well, but sometimes take a little work to get them right.

 

[armoredman]

I use the Lee 124gr tumble lube RN and the 125 gr Rn Lee molds with decent effect in 9mm, but the 125 is a wee bit fat for my short chamber CZ pistols. The 6 cavity Lee mold works better than the two cavity "starter" mold, but it is a great way to see if you like the bullet or not. I have to say slugging the bore is the only reliable way to find out your bore diameter, as that will tell you what to size them to for reliability and minimal leading. I use the Lee pus through sizer for .356 and get eCZellent results. I also recommend powder coating, but that's a personal preference.

 

[dgod]

I will pick RCBS or Lyman molds over Lee everytime, sometimes the caliber/weight you want is only available with Lee. I have 3 9mm molds, 1 of them is a hollow point mold, very nice mold. If after pouring into mold, you drop the cast bullets into water, they will be quite a bit harder. My 9mm HP's went from 12.4 to 18.2 on the Brinnel Hardness, just by dropping them into water to cool.

I have the Lube-A-Mati as well as the Lee Sizer Dies, depending on the 1) Quantity and 2)Lube necessity, I pick the appropriate sized. I do not care for using ALox, it is messy and a pain.. I use the LAM at that point. No Lube, I use the Lee.

Good Luck
Dan

 

[Cannibul]

1. A good bullet weight for 9mm is going to be too heavy for .380.

2. There's only a couple of companies that make hollow point molds. NOE and MP. Either one is going to run $103-$135 for a two cavity mold. However by changing pins you can have a flat point or round nose bullet depending on the mold.

3. Lee molds.....you get what you pay for. The nice thing about the six cavity molds is you get lots of different diameters to play with.

4. Lee sizing dies.....you get what you pay for. If you're lucky it will size to what it's marked. NOE push though sizing die are dead on and have many more options.

5. I'd pick which pistol you shoot the most, get a good mold for it and start casting. If you still want to cast for the other pistol then get a Lee mold for that one. The nice thing about a good NOE or MP mold is that if you decide bullet casting isn't for you then you can sell it for very close to what you paid.

 

[rvenneman]

The cast will probably act like FMJ in most cases, especially in the 380. May not be a bad thing in that case. First priority will be feeding. Make sure whatever you use feeds well, expansion/terminal effects as a secondary consideration. A nice wide flat nose would be good, but it may not function well.

For 9mm and 380 I like the truncated cone style bullet. It feeds well in my guns and shoots well. I shoot mostly all cast in my pistols, but still carry a good hollow point for everything but the range. It may take a little trial and error to get your poi where you want it for practice though.

You will probably need to cast them a bit fatter than expected. My 9mms lead a bit until I get up to around .358 diameter. Your chamber will probably tell you how fat you can cast them. The plunk test will be your friend here.

Slower powders, like unique tend to get better results for me too.

NOE molds are excellent if you dont mind the price. Lee can work as well, but sometimes take a little work to get them right.

Would Win 231 also be a good powder?

 

[Catpop]

I would use HP-38 instead of Win 231.

 

[rvenneman]

I would use HP-38 instead of Win 231.

Isn't HP38 the same as Win 231 or am I misinformed?

 

[Catpop]

Oh no,
HP-38 is much better since it is usually $1-2 cheaper per pound!

Sorry I just couldn't resist that opening! Please forgive me! And good luck with the Win 231.

 

[dgod]

Alliant Bullseye, Winchester 231/Hodgdon HP-38 and Alliant Power Pistol





W231 and HP-38 are coated flattened ball powders. They are the same exact powder sold by Winchester and licensed to Hodgdon in 2006 and W231 load data can be interchanged with HP-38 if your W231 was manufactured after 2006. Because of small size and smooth coating, W231/HP-38 meters very consistently and drops powder charges from Pro Auto Disk with less than .1 gr variance. The coating helps lubricate Pro Auto Disk surfaces and is my powder of choice for breaking-in new Pro Auto Disk. I use W231/HP-38 for all pistol calibers I load for as it produces accurate mid-range lower pressure target loads that produce milder recoil and is a good powder for new reloaders just starting out, especially if using Pro Auto Disk powder measure. It produces 9mm like recoil in 40S&W with start/low charges and moderate recoil with mid range charges. Because of small size and smooth flowing characteristics, I use it for 380Auto loads requiring small powder charges of 2.6-3.0 gr (below smallest Auto Disk hole) using this modification to my Auto Disk - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=9318202

 

[RecoilRob]

Using lead bullets in 9mm is much easier if you go to the heavy side of things. Trying to drive 115-125's fast enough to cycle some actions will also get them going fast enough that leading can start to happen unless you're using a pretty hard alloy...which complicates the matter more than I care for. The Lyman 147 BT slugs fly very nicely and can be run at normal (for the weight) velocities without any leading problems using commonly available WW or scrap lead. 950 is about a full power charge (3.8 231) and will cycle all of my 9mm's just fine...and the barrels all stay nice and clean. Very accurate bullets too...and they stay subsonic so at extended range you don't have to worry about them dropping back through the sonic barrier and upsetting their flight.

I'd forget trying to use the same cast bullet in both 380 and 9mm. The 380 is so limited in capacity and OAL that even 100's are getting pretty heavy for it. I've heard of people running up to about 120 in 380...but I can't see doing it as none of my guns would feed such a thing or they'd be stuffed so deeply into the case that pressure would be nuts and the cases would be distorted. I tried loading some 124's once just to see if I could...and it was ugly.

 

[loose noose]

I totally agree that anything over 100grn bullet is way too much for the .380 casing, and 100grn. bullet is too light for a 9MM. Personally I like the 90grn cast bullet for the .380 and the 125grn cast for the 9MM. Just my preference.

 

[mdi]

I don't cast for my 380, but I use a Lee 125 RF for my 3, 9mms, 3, 38 Specials, and one .357 Magnum. As long as I am consistent the bullets that drop from my Lee mold are consistent, cavity to cavity (I own mebbe 9 Lee bullet molds and I get pretty consistent bullets because my methods are consistent). I size the bullets for the guns they will be used in; for 2 of my 9mms I size to .357", for one I size to .358"+. All my Lee push through sizing dies will hold a consistent +/- .0005" as long as I'm consistent (I even have down sized some jacketed .323" bullets to .318" for a particular 303 British rifle with an over sized barrel with Lee a Lee sizing die)...

Like my Daddy would say when I couldn't get a tool to work for me; "First, ya gotta be smarter than the tool"...