124g 38 super bullets in 9 mm Luger?

[abq87120]

Anyone tried loading 38 Super bullets in a 9mm Luger? Any feed issues? It's 124gr but with a .356" diameter rather than the .355" for the 9mm Luger. I'm thinking of ordering some of the 38 Supers from Precision Delta to try in a 357 Sig to cure set back problems. It takes me a long time to shoot 357 Sigs so I wonder if I can use them in the 9mm's too.

Thanks in advance,
Dan in ABQ

 

[Centaur 1]

Not a problem. I shoot .358" diameter lead bullets all the time in 9mm and .380. I wouldn't try a .358" jacketed bullet, but lead or plated bullets are fair game

 

[rcmodel]

Gosh!
Here I am almost 70 years old, reloading for 50+, and I didn't know 9mm Luger & .38 Super used different size bullets!

Apparently Speer, Hornady, Sierra, Berry, and others didn't know it either!!

.355" or .356" is a 9mm bullet, depending on which company made them.
You use 9mm bullets in .38 Super.

If it's a jacketed bullet, it is usually .355".
If it's a plated or lead bullet, it is usually .356".

Choot'em Lizabet! Choot'em!!

rc

 

[Walkalong]

I have tried both the Zero 9MM (#162 .355) and .38 Super (#161 .356) 125 Gr JHP's. I will only buy the Zero 125 Gr .38 Super bullet now as they shoot great in 9MM guns too. No reason to have both on hand. I am sure the Precision Delta .356 .38 Super bullet will shoot fine in 9MM guns, many of which have groove diameters over .355 anyway. I have shot .358 .38 Spl bullets in 9MM with no problems.

 

[john16443]

I've shot the Precision Delta 38 super bullets in my 9mm, no problem whatsoever. No excessive case bulging, nothing. With my Ruger barrel slugging at .356, they worked well.

 

[Twiki357]

I don't want to hijack this thread, but what about the opposite direction?

I just purchased a NIB Taurus PT1911 in 38 Super. I have probably 30+ pounds of 125 grain plated RN bullets sized to .355. Yes or No for loading in 38 Super?

Also, I want to load some 147 grain plated HP sized at .356. This is my first Taurus and there seems to be a lot of extreme opinions pro and con. Would there be any potential risk with the heavier loads or would a heavier recoil spring be in order?

 

[tightgroup tiger]

With going the other way, that wouldn't work so well.
your taking an undersized/caliber bullet and jacking the speed up.
You'll get leading and copper fouling from hell.
You would have to shoot them at 9mm, probably slower, speed and you would still probably get leading in your barrel.

 

[Walkalong]

They will probably work fine. Try some and see.

Now, if you want to run them hot in .38 Super, it will depend on which plated bullet and can they handle the pressure/velocity.

Load a small batch and try them out.

 

[918v]

The only other issue may me the dies. The sizer nay not swage the case down to hold a .355" bullet as well as s .356" bullet and the expander may overexpand the case causing poor case tension and bullet setback. Pay attention to this just to avoid problems. Otherwise people, factories, animals, minerals shoot and have shot undersized and oversize bullets in the 9mm for over a century. Most 9mm bores are bigger than .355". Some are .358". Others .357". No reason why you can't shoot plated or jacketed .355" in your
Super so long as the round is structurally sound.

 

[springer99]

As far as lead bullets are concerned, I've settled on using a .357 sized, 125gr FPBB as my choice for both my 9mm's and 38Super. Going that route has made barrel leading, which was troublesome in the 9mm, a thing of the past. Accuracy is actually better than when I used the same bullet sized .355. Of course, it's wise to work up loads to assure proper functioning and no signs of excess pressure. YMMV

 

[floydster]

I also size my cast bullets for my 9's and 38 Super to .357, leading is very minimal.
My favorite bullet for my Super is a 158 gr. cast SWC.

Smokeyloads