Casting bullet molds-Advice

You can either buy the correct mold or you can buy a sizing die to squeeze them down to the desired size. The weights will be off just a little due to lead inconstancy's.

JayZee said:

I guess what I am asking is;
Is it better to buy the right mold for each caliber or can I try and make one work for a few calibers?

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For 9mm, 38s, the Lee 358-125-RF is what I would try first. . Lee molds are regulated with 10 to 1 alloy. Lead-Tin.

Adding antimony makes bullets larger in diameter. It will be hard to get to .360" with a 358 mold, but shootable. Sizing brass to hold a bullet in 38 S&W, may require "neck sizing" with a 38/357 die.

The crimp groove can be below the case mouth of a 9mm.

If this mold doesn't work, buy the correct molds for the cartridges.

https://support.leeprecision.net/en/knowledgebase. I do not use Lee molds.

For 38 Spl, 9mm and 38 Super I'm casting a NOE, 135 grain, RNFP at .358, sized to .357. The lead is around 10BHN. Great accuracy and zero leading using a fairly soft lube. So there is a way to combine bullets across several calibers!

38 S&W is another issue.

Smiles,

Not sure how well the heavy bullet would work out in 9mm.
One thing to consider is not all Bullet shapes feed well in auto loaders so it may take some experimenting. Good think about the lee moulds is if one doesn’t work for you, buy a different one they are only $20. You can always sell a mould and get most of not all your money back.

edit: check out some of the custom mould makers too. Mp , Accurate, NOE and arsenal all have a big selection and some will do custom work.

Most times I go for “jack of all trades”, I don’t get the results I want. One benefit of using say a 158 for 38 and 147’s for 9mm is that I don’t even need glasses to know what bullet is for what caliber, much less a micrometer.

Would make a little more sense if you had to get a set of 8 magma molds to go from one to another but Lee molds are under $20 a set.

Another trick is to powder coat your bullets. For that, you need a plastic bowl and a toaster oven ($20 at Walmart.)

Now you can size your bullet BEFORE you powder coat, or AFTER. The difference in final diameter will be around .001 - .002"

And of course powder coating eliminates the need for lubrication, so that's another plus.

Barbaroja said:

Not sure how well the heavy bullet would work out in 9mm.
One thing to consider is not all Bullet shapes feed well in auto loaders so it may take some experimenting. Good think about the lee moulds is if one doesn’t work for you, buy a different one they are only $20. You can always sell a mould and get most of not all your money back.

edit: check out some of the custom mould makers too. Mp , Accurate, NOE and arsenal all have a big selection and some will do custom work.

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In general, I agree. However, there are lots of casters using certain molds for 38 and 9mm. The 125 grain rnfp was mentioned above. The lee 105 grain swc is another.

brewer12345 said:

In general, I agree. However, there are lots of casters using certain molds for 38 and 9mm. The 125 grain rnfp was mentioned above. The lee 105 grain swc is another.

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My point was that the 158gn bullet may be too heavy to work well in 9mm. Not that one cannot size the same bullet to fit both a 9mm and a 38/357.

If your wanting to use the same bullet for multiple calibers your best results would likely come from one that falls with the common weight ranges for the cartridges your loading.
You seem to know this based on your given examples.

Barbaroja said:

My point was that the 158gn bullet may be too heavy to work well in 9mm. Not that one cannot size the same bullet to fit both a 9mm and a 38/357.

If your wanting to use the same bullet for multiple calibers your best results would likely come from one that falls with the common weight ranges for the cartridges your loading.
You seem to know this based on your given examples.

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Absolutely agreed. I think a 158 in a 9 is really pushing it.

130-140 seems to be the sweet spot between 9 and 38.

I use the Lee 358-125rf in both 38spec(alox lubed) and 9mm (powder coated).
In the 9mm the crimp groove is slightly above the case mouth and I close the bell/lightly crimp on the flat of the bullet. This bullet with Universal powder behind it feeds through my Walther PPQ as fast as I can pull the trigger

158's work great for subsonic 9mm.

jmorris said:

Lee molds are under $20 a set.

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Link, please. I'm in the market for a Lee mold.

https://www.titanreloading.com/lee-...8spec-38-sw-38colt-np/lee-dc-mold-358-150-1r-

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/0000690300/double-cavity-mold-311-93-1r

https://fsreloading.com/lee-molds/lee-bullet-molds/9mm-luger-380-super-auto-380-auto-759126814/

Google “Lee bullet molds” and there will be more.

Do yourself a favor and keep that outlook.

I've got 25+ .308 to .314 molds and I don't have much more capability than I had 30 years ago with @ 5, .30 cal (+ or - molds).

Lee molds are so inexpensive i don't see any reason not to have one for every need.

I have several molds from Accurate. Great molds. May be more expensive than you want to pay, but they can make what you want.
http://www.accuratemolds.com/catalog.php

You're trying to do too much with too litte IMHO. Especially with how inexpensive Lee molds are.

The 32 caliber 93 grain might work in the 32 auto, but it might be too heavy and bulge the case.

38 S&W, get the Makarov mold.

158 grain in a 9mm is possible, but be prepared for your PoI to be nowhere close to your PoA. Some brass doesn't like being loaded with such heavy bullets without bulging.

9mm I use the 105 grain SWC sized down. One of the 124 grain RN ones might be a safer bet for feeding and PoI issues.

38 Special I use the 140 SWC. Little more velocity and a little less lead used while still hitting close to PoA.

Another poster mentioned powder coating bullets. I consider this something not for the new caster. I've looked into doing it myself and it's just not cost effective in terms of time, effort, and space. (Same reason I don't make my own jacketed bullets.) Sure it's nice to be able to push cast lead so hard, but one might as well either shoot jacketed or just buy the powder coated bullets from someone set up to do it commercially.

Me? I put the bullets in a plastic container, scoop in some Johnsons Paste Wax, a bit of Vaseline, and a little bit of Lee liquid Allox. Shake till coated, dump onto a pan in the garage, point a fan on it, and come back in a week with bullets ready to size.

I should add that I water drop all of my cast bullets.

I find the Lee aluminum moulds work well although they heat up to the point that the bullets take a long time to set. I generally run two moulds, when gets hot, I set it aside for a while and use a separate mould for a while. Generally, I'm casting two different bullets but you could have two of the same mould and really cast a bunch of bullets quickly.

I have some cast iron and brass moulds as well. Each material requires slightly different operating techniques.

I cast a 230 RN bullet for 45 ACP, 255 SWC for 45 Colt, 148 WC for 38 Special, 32 SWC and 32 WC for 32 Revolvers and some others.

I use the cast bullets mostly for practice and plinking and save purchased bullets for serious purposes.

Powder coating is easy but a bit time consuming. I run the PC bullets through a sizer after they are coated. A lubri-sizer is pretty efficient but adds to the capital costs.