Will soon start reloading 9mm. Have been looking at bullets and where to get the most for my money. Cases primers and powder I have already. Cases from the range I shoot at and powder and primers from the other cartridges I reload for. The question is I see some 9mm bullets with a .355 diameter and some .356, why the difference?
Size of 9mm Bullets
- Thread starter Poconolg
- Start date
There is some crossover from other cartridges like 380 acp for example. Both work fine in 9mm but just like every other cartridge. Work up your load and don't start at max. I shoot 100% cast bullets in my 9's and I found the best diameter that works for me is sizing my cast bullets to 357 dia. Keep in mind, These are lead and not copper jacketed.
Dan
Dan
Krogen
Gold $$ Contributor
Jacketed bullets with 0.356" diameter are (were?) aimed at the .38 Super cartridge and 0.355" for 9mm and others. That said, many later .38 Super barrels are the same groove diameter as 9mm. So.... it really doesn't matter much. I happily use either diameter in .38 Super and 9mm. Cast bullets ought to be 0.001" over groove diameter.
GotRDid
Gold $$ Contributor
I have loaded .38 Super cartridges to shoot in my Brother’s Colt M1911A1. As caretaker for his personal firearms during his 2nd deployment to Iraq, he told me to wear them out. I did take judicious care of them, and really liked the performance of that particular pistol.
I started with the .355 diameter Hornady 124 FMJs already on hand for my Beretta 92FS Compact Duty/Personal pistols.
Short learning curve, and as my Lyman book of the day suggested, I tried some .356 G/C RN 125 gr and was rewarded with greater accuracy.
My 9MM pistols were indifferent to that bullet but at least their accuracy was equal to the FMJs.
When powder coated bullets became popular and were less expensive than FMJs, I tried those as well in .356 dia with good results in .380 ACP, 9MM, and .38 Super.
Sometimes the host gun will tell you what it likes, but for most plinking or anything other than Match shooting, there may not be a significant difference.
Part of the fun of Handloading is the experimentation.
I started with the .355 diameter Hornady 124 FMJs already on hand for my Beretta 92FS Compact Duty/Personal pistols.
Short learning curve, and as my Lyman book of the day suggested, I tried some .356 G/C RN 125 gr and was rewarded with greater accuracy.
My 9MM pistols were indifferent to that bullet but at least their accuracy was equal to the FMJs.
When powder coated bullets became popular and were less expensive than FMJs, I tried those as well in .356 dia with good results in .380 ACP, 9MM, and .38 Super.
Sometimes the host gun will tell you what it likes, but for most plinking or anything other than Match shooting, there may not be a significant difference.
Part of the fun of Handloading is the experimentation.
Yes, the 9mm Luger bullet diameter is 0.355
The .38 Super bullet diameter is 0.356
Most bullets sold these days for either the 9mm or the .38 Super are 0.355. I shoot the 124 FMJ in the 9mm, but for the .38 Super I insist on the 130 grain MCRN bullet.
The difference in the bullet diameters is generally insignificant for either cartridge.
The .38 Super bullet diameter is 0.356
Most bullets sold these days for either the 9mm or the .38 Super are 0.355. I shoot the 124 FMJ in the 9mm, but for the .38 Super I insist on the 130 grain MCRN bullet.
The difference in the bullet diameters is generally insignificant for either cartridge.
It is hard to know the groove diameter of a barrel unless you slug the barrel. All barrels do not have the same groove diameter. If you do not want to slug your barrel, the easiest way to ensure your bullet is large enough is to size it to the diameter that it just passes the plunk test. If it just fits the chamber, it will be larger than the bore and fill the grooves properly.
Under normal circumstances I'd agree with what others have said here.
.355" for jacketed.
.357-.357" for cast (lead).
Just wait till you start running into crimped primers, and some other issues.
9mm being a NATO cartridge, everybody and their brother around the world makes it.
Meaning not all of it is SAAMI standard.
You will see some variance in sizes. Especially if using range brass.
.355" for jacketed.
.357-.357" for cast (lead).
Just wait till you start running into crimped primers, and some other issues.
9mm being a NATO cartridge, everybody and their brother around the world makes it.
Meaning not all of it is SAAMI standard.
You will see some variance in sizes. Especially if using range brass.
9146gt
Gold $$ Contributor
A lot of the S&W 929 have .358 bores.When I talked to Smith years ago the spec on 929 bores was .3755" +- .0005".
Tom
I had a box of blems or pull downs that had bullets ranging from .355 to .358ish from some well know dealer. I didn't know they weren't the same size bullets, and they caused so many problems for my in 38 spl.
Undersized (.355s) would bleed off so much pressure they would get stuck in the barrel... then the oversized ones would spike pressure and feel like a 357 mag round.
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.