9mm Bullet Through A .38 Special Bore?

doc540 · February 12, 2010, 12:54 PM

Supposing all other factors (cylinder bore, pressure rating, etc) were acceptable, could a 9mm bullet be shot through a barrel bored for .38 Special?

And, if so, could it be "reasonably" accurate out to 15-25 yds.?

James K · February 12, 2010, 05:11 PM

Yes, to both questions. In theory, a .38 Special bullet is.357" and a 9mm Luger is .355, but people who insist on such precise figures have never heard of tolerances. I have loaded many rounds of .38 Special (and .357 Magnum) with 9mm Luger bullets and the only problem is that most 9mm factory bullets have no crimping groove so they need a tightly sized case to prevent bullet jump. Cast 9mm bullets have a groove, or at least mine do.

FWIW, Ruger made/makes a Blackhawk convertible in .357 and 9mm. Mine shoots fine with either.

Jim

zxcvbob · February 12, 2010, 05:39 PM

Yes. It will work just fine, but accuracy *may* suffer a little because the bullet is undersized (or it might not.) I bought a box of 9mm hollowpoint plated bullets and they wouldn't feed in my BHP (about every other one would hang on the feed ramp) So I used them to load .38 Special +P's and shot them in my Marlin carbine. They worked great, and accuracy was very good. I never tried them in a revolver.

Doyle · February 12, 2010, 06:38 PM

Ruger used to sell a Blackhawk with 2 cylinders - the normal .357 plus a 9mm cylinder.

Idahogunsmith · February 15, 2010, 02:53 PM

one would wonder why, but I know why I did just that many years ago, mating a 9mm bullet in a 357 mag or a 38 special, makes the round a pretty awesome at penetrating metal, thin plate and aluminum are easily defeated. I use a taper crimping die. I no longer use a roll type crimp on handgun type ammo, the taper crimp eliminates multiple problems, with a some what heavy roll crimp it sometimes leaves a small roll or bulge around the case and sometimes that can lead to issues when loading. Second reason is I load tons of ammo for auto loading pistols and it is the bees knees... Mac

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government. " amen

February 12, 2010, 12:54 PM	#1
doc540 Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 1,430	9mm Bullet Through A .38 Special Bore? Supposing all other factors (cylinder bore, pressure rating, etc) were acceptable, could a 9mm bullet be shot through a barrel bored for .38 Special? And, if so, could it be "reasonably" accurate out to 15-25 yds.?

February 12, 2010, 05:39 PM	#3
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 4,720	Yes. It will work just fine, but accuracy may suffer a little because the bullet is undersized (or it might not.) I bought a box of 9mm hollowpoint plated bullets and they wouldn't feed in my BHP (about every other one would hang on the feed ramp) So I used them to load .38 Special +P's and shot them in my Marlin carbine. They worked great, and accuracy was very good. I never tried them in a revolver. __________________ "Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth

February 15, 2010, 02:53 PM	#5
Idahogunsmith Junior Member Join Date: January 27, 2010 Location: Boise Idaho Posts: 9	Dubious why? one would wonder why, but I know why I did just that many years ago, mating a 9mm bullet in a 357 mag or a 38 special, makes the round a pretty awesome at penetrating metal, thin plate and aluminum are easily defeated. I use a taper crimping die. I no longer use a roll type crimp on handgun type ammo, the taper crimp eliminates multiple problems, with a some what heavy roll crimp it sometimes leaves a small roll or bulge around the case and sometimes that can lead to issues when loading. Second reason is I load tons of ammo for auto loading pistols and it is the bees knees... Mac "My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government. " amen

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February 12, 2010, 05:11 PM	#2
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	Yes, to both questions. In theory, a .38 Special bullet is.357" and a 9mm Luger is .355, but people who insist on such precise figures have never heard of tolerances. I have loaded many rounds of .38 Special (and .357 Magnum) with 9mm Luger bullets and the only problem is that most 9mm factory bullets have no crimping groove so they need a tightly sized case to prevent bullet jump. Cast 9mm bullets have a groove, or at least mine do. FWIW, Ruger made/makes a Blackhawk convertible in .357 and 9mm. Mine shoots fine with either. Jim

February 12, 2010, 06:38 PM	#4
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	Ruger used to sell a Blackhawk with 2 cylinders - the normal .357 plus a 9mm cylinder.