Heavy subsonic 9mm loads

Terry Twit · April 29, 2005, 01:42 PM

I have been having good success with the Rainier 147gr FMJ and JHP with 3.6gr of 231 out of my suppressed 10.5" Colt. I bought some 158gr TTI Armory subsonic loads, and like the increased thump on the receiving end.

Does anyone have any experience with swaging jacketed bullets down a little bit? There are a lot of heavy .357" bullets out there, but nothing over 147gr in .355. I think I want to try swaging, but know nothing about it other than 'it's possible.' Any tips?

caz223 · April 29, 2005, 02:39 PM

They'll swage themselves going down the bore.
Slug your barrel, and see what you're workin' with.
Bet your groove diameter is .3565 or more, making your gun a .357 anyway.

You're prolly gonna have to seat and crimp in different steps, worst case scenario, use a LEE carbide factory crimp die.

What kind of press are you using?

caz223 · April 29, 2005, 02:49 PM

Either that, or you could use .38 super bullets....

Terry Twit · April 29, 2005, 04:48 PM

A Dillon 1050. My barrel is a chrome Colt 635 SMG barrel, I suppose I should slug it. Firing oversized jacketed bullets in a high pressure load is a ticket to trouble. If they were lead I might consider it, but I won't fire unjacketed bullets through my suppressor.

What diameter are Super bullets?

caz223 · May 4, 2005, 09:06 AM

.355

brickeyee · May 4, 2005, 03:23 PM

If you develop the load using the larger bullets the pressure will be taken into account during load development.
One problem you may encounter is the need to use a slower powder to get the velocity you want with the larger bullets. Very fast powders can deliver poor velocity with the extra work of swaging the bullet down to size. A slower powder often works better.

April 29, 2005, 01:42 PM	#1
Terry Twit Junior member Join Date: April 25, 2005 Posts: 61	Heavy subsonic 9mm loads I have been having good success with the Rainier 147gr FMJ and JHP with 3.6gr of 231 out of my suppressed 10.5" Colt. I bought some 158gr TTI Armory subsonic loads, and like the increased thump on the receiving end. Does anyone have any experience with swaging jacketed bullets down a little bit? There are a lot of heavy .357" bullets out there, but nothing over 147gr in .355. I think I want to try swaging, but know nothing about it other than 'it's possible.' Any tips?

April 29, 2005, 02:39 PM	#2
caz223 Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2002 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,429	They'll swage themselves going down the bore. Slug your barrel, and see what you're workin' with. Bet your groove diameter is .3565 or more, making your gun a .357 anyway. You're prolly gonna have to seat and crimp in different steps, worst case scenario, use a LEE carbide factory crimp die. What kind of press are you using? __________________ I'm not just a gun. I'm YOUR gun. (Hold me.)

April 29, 2005, 02:49 PM	#3
caz223 Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2002 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,429	Either that, or you could use .38 super bullets.... __________________ I'm not just a gun. I'm YOUR gun. (Hold me.)

May 4, 2005, 09:06 AM	#5
caz223 Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2002 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,429	.355 __________________ I'm not just a gun. I'm YOUR gun. (Hold me.)

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April 29, 2005, 04:48 PM	#4
Terry Twit Junior member Join Date: April 25, 2005 Posts: 61	A Dillon 1050. My barrel is a chrome Colt 635 SMG barrel, I suppose I should slug it. Firing oversized jacketed bullets in a high pressure load is a ticket to trouble. If they were lead I might consider it, but I won't fire unjacketed bullets through my suppressor. What diameter are Super bullets?

May 4, 2005, 03:23 PM	#6
brickeyee Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2004 Posts: 3,351	If you develop the load using the larger bullets the pressure will be taken into account during load development. One problem you may encounter is the need to use a slower powder to get the velocity you want with the larger bullets. Very fast powders can deliver poor velocity with the extra work of swaging the bullet down to size. A slower powder often works better.