Help having issues with casted 9mm bullets

hugegunns · March 14, 2018, 05:06 PM

I have a LEE 356-125-2r mold. When I load these rounds they stick in the chamber and will not allow the slide to function. I have seated them properly and I have either lubed them with ALLOX or PC. I have been using my Walther PPS. Any suggestions on what is causing this problem. I have considered buying another mold.

Chainsaw. · March 14, 2018, 11:21 PM

I had the EXACT same problem with that bullet and abandoned it for the 124 grain truncated cone. I just use the round nose for light 38 loads now.

armoredman · March 15, 2018, 03:14 AM

I used that bullet for some time, and I had some issues with short chamber CZs. Did you do the plunk test? What COAL are you using? I use the 356-124 mold, the tumble lube version, and PC'd it works very well with everything.

mehavey · March 15, 2018, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Did you do the plunk test?

+1 question du jour

reddog81 · March 15, 2018, 09:31 AM

9mm is the most finicky of the common auto-loader cartridges, at least in my experiences. What OAL are you using? Do some rounds work and other get hung up, or is it every round? Are you sure its the bullet and not a brass problem?

Any mold can cause problems if the bullet isn't seated deep enough.

hugegunns · March 15, 2018, 09:46 AM

I was using 1.169 and wasn't having any luck. Then I seated them at 1.110 they worked better, but wouldn't load from the mag. I think I will buy another mold. Thanks

gwpercle · March 15, 2018, 07:18 PM

New modern guns are chambered with little to no throat , just about where the chamber ends the rifled barrel begins. This part is sized for .355 bullets, your bullets are .357, I have this mould and that's what they drop out at. The lead bullet needs to be seated deeper in the case . I make up a dummy, no primer no powder and seat the bullet then try in gun...if it doesn't chamber , seat deeper and try again...once the round will chamber and extract easily you have discovered the seating depth for your gun.....I don't care what the book says the OAL should be...if the round wont chamber...that dimension is wrong...seat the bullet deeper until it passes the test.
Keep the dummy round to adjust seating depth next time.
I just finished doing the seating adjustment song and dance with this bullet and 4 different 9 mm pistols, but eventually got one load that fed in them all . I size my cast bullets to .357...be sure and flare the case mouth.
Gary

gwpercle · March 15, 2018, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hugegunns

I was using 1.169 and wasn't having any luck. Then I seated them at 1.110 they worked better, but wouldn't load from the mag. I think I will buy another mold. Thanks

I much prefer the Lee 356-120-TC mould . The bullet was much easier to get to work in several pistols, cut nice clean holes in the target and the truncated cone was easier to load. I liked the flat point and , to me at least, it seemed more accurate.
But you still have to do the seating song and dance to make sure it feeds, chambers and ejects....the dance was just easier with the 120 truncated cone bullet.
Gary

dahermit · March 15, 2018, 07:45 PM

What size are you sizing them to?

armoredman · March 16, 2018, 03:22 AM

I usually load my Lee cast bullets to 1.095 and they work just fine, but that's me, and I am also odd that I size mine to .356 after powder coating.

Dufus · March 18, 2018, 06:35 PM

I had similar problems with a cast bullet that I cast and size to 0.357".

My sizer wasn't getting the end of the bullet near the ogive sized correctly.

I flipped them over and size them upside down in my RCBS Lubrisizer. Problem solved.

hugegunns · April 3, 2018, 03:51 PM

Thanks for everyone's help,but I bought a new mold 356-120-TC and with the different design it loads and chambers properly.

March 14, 2018, 05:06 PM	#1
hugegunns Junior Member Join Date: March 14, 2018 Posts: 7	Help having issues with casted 9mm bullets I have a LEE 356-125-2r mold. When I load these rounds they stick in the chamber and will not allow the slide to function. I have seated them properly and I have either lubed them with ALLOX or PC. I have been using my Walther PPS. Any suggestions on what is causing this problem. I have considered buying another mold.

March 14, 2018, 11:21 PM	#2
Chainsaw. Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2015 Location: Issaquah WA. Its a dry rain. Posts: 1,774	I had the EXACT same problem with that bullet and abandoned it for the 124 grain truncated cone. I just use the round nose for light 38 loads now. __________________ Just shoot the damn thing.

March 15, 2018, 09:46 AM	#6
hugegunns Junior Member Join Date: March 14, 2018 Posts: 7	oal I was using 1.169 and wasn't having any luck. Then I seated them at 1.110 they worked better, but wouldn't load from the mag. I think I will buy another mold. Thanks

April 3, 2018, 03:51 PM	#12
hugegunns Junior Member Join Date: March 14, 2018 Posts: 7	Problem Solved Thanks for everyone's help,but I bought a new mold 356-120-TC and with the different design it loads and chambers properly.

March 15, 2018, 03:14 AM	#3
armoredman Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,297	I used that bullet for some time, and I had some issues with short chamber CZs. Did you do the plunk test? What COAL are you using? I use the 356-124 mold, the tumble lube version, and PC'd it works very well with everything.

March 15, 2018, 09:31 AM	#5
reddog81 Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2014 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,634	9mm is the most finicky of the common auto-loader cartridges, at least in my experiences. What OAL are you using? Do some rounds work and other get hung up, or is it every round? Are you sure its the bullet and not a brass problem? Any mold can cause problems if the bullet isn't seated deep enough.

March 15, 2018, 07:18 PM	#7
gwpercle Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2012 Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana Posts: 1,752	New modern guns are chambered with little to no throat , just about where the chamber ends the rifled barrel begins. This part is sized for .355 bullets, your bullets are .357, I have this mould and that's what they drop out at. The lead bullet needs to be seated deeper in the case . I make up a dummy, no primer no powder and seat the bullet then try in gun...if it doesn't chamber , seat deeper and try again...once the round will chamber and extract easily you have discovered the seating depth for your gun.....I don't care what the book says the OAL should be...if the round wont chamber...that dimension is wrong...seat the bullet deeper until it passes the test. Keep the dummy round to adjust seating depth next time. I just finished doing the seating adjustment song and dance with this bullet and 4 different 9 mm pistols, but eventually got one load that fed in them all . I size my cast bullets to .357...be sure and flare the case mouth. Gary

March 15, 2018, 07:45 PM	#9
dahermit Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2006 Location: South Central Michigan...near Posts: 6,501	What size are you sizing them to?

March 16, 2018, 03:22 AM	#10
armoredman Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,297	I usually load my Lee cast bullets to 1.095 and they work just fine, but that's me, and I am also odd that I size mine to .356 after powder coating.

March 18, 2018, 06:35 PM	#11
Dufus Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2014 Posts: 1,965	I had similar problems with a cast bullet that I cast and size to 0.357". My sizer wasn't getting the end of the bullet near the ogive sized correctly. I flipped them over and size them upside down in my RCBS Lubrisizer. Problem solved.