Anybody cast their own bullets?

[XJosh95]

I've begun reloading pretty recently. I have gotten into casting my own boolits to save some cash on building my surplus for the apocalypse. I currently cast .40 but I have dies for loading 9mm and .40 so 9mm is next on the casting list.

I'd really like to have a mold that will cast a round that will do well in both 9mm and .380ACP. I've looked into the Lee molds that cast a .358 105gr SWC, but it sounds like most 9mm prefer to be sized at .356 and the .380 likes to be sized at .358 but this is all internet lore and I'd like to see if anyone has some experience here.

 

[tbburg]

My (poor) memory says nominal 9mm and .380ACP size is 0.355.
My reloading manual(Speer rifle and pistol #13) lists all(all 2 ) of the .380 bullets as 0.355in, both jacketed.
For 9mm, it lists all the jacketed bullets at 0.355in. It lists one lead RN at 0.356in.

The listings I find for a 0.357in/0358in dia. bullet are for the .38 family(38S&W/38 special/.357mag)

If you're set on getting only one mold, get the larger one. You can swage to size the bullets down to .355/.356. and if you ever decide to get into the 38/357 you won't need another mold. If you're going to get serious about casting, you'll get a swage/sizing tool soon anyway.

A note on safety if you're new to casting. Keep careful temp. control when casting lead and don't overheat it while melting. Have good ventilation(to the outdoors). You don't want to breath vaporized lead. 'Stuff is really bad for you.

If you want to make pretty bullets(or don't like de-leading the bores of your guns)check this out, Copper plating bullets at home:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KM_hr5eCNo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amv9ZfRLo-U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-OZit3muEU

 

[XJosh95]

Thanks! I figured I would respond to you before watching those vids, but I will be sure to watch them for the information at the very least.

I have a .401 sizing die for my .40 cast bullets. At this point, they're the only bullet I cast so that's the only swaging die I have. The 9mm will get a sizing die as well. I've seen factory 9mm and .380ACP bullets have a .355 or .356 diameter.

Would you imagine that getting a mold for .356 and sizing dies for both .356 and .355 would be best to see if I'm getting better results from one or another? Sizing dies from Lee are only $20, so I'm not afraid to make that investment.

 

[BulletMaker]

You're kinda stuck there, as the .380 likes a bullet that's about 100gr max, and the 9mm doesn't start to come into it's own until you get up to at least 110-115gr. The other problem you will have is the OAL and the ogive length, which can cause feeding issues (bullets are too short for 9mm, too long for .380).

I know you may be worried about the cost for starting up, the the Lee molds are a good way to get your feet wet without spending a lot of money. Depending on how much you plan to cast, that's when I would start to think about getting into a set of lyman or magma molds.

The Lee 90405 would be a great one for the 380, and 90309 for the 9mm. I would highly recommend looking around for a used star lube sizer, new they are quite pricy, but they are well worth the money if you're doing any quantity.

For Lyman, the 356242 for .380 and 356242 or 356637 for 9mm. The 356242 is really similar to the magma 9mm 125 RN-BB mold I used to cast up tons of.