Best practice for loading Lee 356 124 TR for 9mm

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  • Last Post 01 October 2020
John Alexander posted this 09 September 2020

What is the best bullet diameter and hardness for the above bullet for use in 9mm autoloader.  

What else may help?

John 

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max503 posted this 09 September 2020

I shoot those unsized.

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David Reiss posted this 09 September 2020

I own probably about 15 or more 9 mms without counting them. They are very forgiving with accuracy as long as you use as large a bullet as possible. Most made today will feed any bullet style without issue. I've even had good success with bullets designed for .38 specials and .357s. 

You want to size bullets to the chamber size. Start with .358 and see if it will seat without bulging your case and then chamber. This requires using the right expander and the one supplied with 9mm dies might not be large enough. If this does not work, then keep stepping down .001 until they just fit and chamber without issue. 

As far as hardness, use something up to WW hardness or just less.

Smaller bullets will lead the bore so this is why you start with as large as possible. 

David Reiss - NRA Life Member & PSC Range Member Retired Police Firearms Instructor/Armorer
-Services: Wars Fought, Uprisings Quelled, Bars Emptied, Revolutions Started, Tigers Tamed, Assassinations Plotted, Women Seduced, Governments Run, Gun Appraisals, Lost Treasure Found.
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Little Debbie posted this 10 September 2020

I shoot this bullet un sized after two light coats of Ben’s Tumble Lube. I use the bullet in 9mm and .38 Special with good success. (Can even shoot 2-300 rounds without lead build up in a Glock.........) I use any alloy, generally pretty soft as it comes from my bullet trap. The beauty of this design is the lack of fiddling you have to do to make it work. I prefer the lightest charge of Bullseye, W231,
A#2 that reliably cycles the action. This has worked in SIG, Glock, Ruger, Kimber, and S&W semi autos. For a couple of years I used small pistol magnum primers because they were all I had. Strangely the magnum primers gave slightly lower velocity, smaller extreme spreads, and lower SDs than exact loads with a standard primer. Truncated shape makes it feed well in everything I’ve tried it in. Bottom line you can make this bullet work well with any alloy, any fast powder, and any primer.

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dale2242 posted this 14 September 2020

 I size my generic #2 alloy to .358 for 9MM.

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R. Dupraz posted this 14 September 2020

John:

For a Ruger LC9s. 

NOE 358-129-SWC 

WW & lino 10-12 Bhn or there abouts  drops with my alloy at 130 grains

Sized ,356"

white label lube 2500 only because I have some

Just enough Unigue to run reliably 

No leading, accurate and works

for practice only

 

R. 

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John Alexander posted this 14 September 2020

Thanks to all for the helpful advice.

John

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Qc Pistolero posted this 25 September 2020

My sizer is marked .356 but both my micros give me closer to .357 than what indicated.None of my 9mms or my friend's balk at them(I sell a few Ks a year).But then I must add that not one of the 9 they are used in is a plastic gun.Don't know if that it'd make a difference(I don't think it would)but I've been told Glocks might be finicky about this.

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OU812 posted this 28 September 2020

Mike Venturino of Shooting Time magazine stated that Winchester 9mm brass is thinner than most and allows for fatter bullet to chamber more easily.

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GP Idaho posted this 01 October 2020

John:  I have several 9mm moulds in the 120-124 range.  All my nines seem to run best when the bullets are sized to just the plus side of .356 but then all my cast bullets are powder coated and I never have a problem with leading.  Gp

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