125 grain 357 bullets through a 9mm pistol??

[jell-dog]

Hi all!
I recently recieved in trade 1500 Plated Frontier 125 grain 357 bullets.
I measured 50 bullets, they measured .3565" to .357" diameter.
I would like to know if I can use these in my Sig 9mm pistol?

Looking for advice from those that have tried this.

Googled this question, found very conflicting answers.

Thought I would ask the experienced reloaders on THR.
I searched THR, found a few threads, but most delt with cast bullets.

Thank you for your comments in advance.
JD

 

[rsrocket1]

Do you know how to slug your barrel? 9mm barrels can be all over the place from 0.354" to 0.358" groove diameter. Generally, if you can seat a bullet into the case and it passes the plunk test, you will be OK. Plated bullets are much softer than jacketed bullets and there are some casters who load 0.360" bullets in their fat 9mm barrel guns.

You need to check: Will the seated dummy bullet pass the plunk test? If not, you'll need to seat deeper and use an appropriately lower charge. You may need to flare the case to get the bullet started, just be sure to close the flare back up or the cartridge will probably not pass the plunk test due to the flared mouth. Don't over crimp the case either or you may cut the plating.

Hope that helps

 

[1KPerDay]

My SIG would love them as it has a .357" bore, as does my Beretta.

Slug your bore.

 

[WestKentucky]

Yes, but slug your bore as others have said. If you end up nervous about it then there are plenty folks on here who would buy those bullets and you could put the money into whatever bullet you want.

 

[jell-dog]

Yes, I can slug my barrel.

Slugged my S&W 686 barrel and cylinder, barrel is .3565", cylinder is .3575",
it is a tack driver if I do my part.
Had the slugs measured by a mechanic friend of mine using his micrometers.
Measurements were average of 3 slugs per cylinder/barrel.

I will do the same, average of 3 slugs from barrel.
I will also make up dummy rounds to find WORKING OAL as explained in Walkalong's "must read" thread "using an auto pistol barrel find a MAX OAL with your bullet".

Suggestions on go/no-go for results from barrel slugs?

Thank you!
JD

 

[g.willikers]

Remember that lead bullets are usually sized slightly larger (usually .001) than jacketed.
And plated ones generally are considered as the same as lead.
But check with the manufacturer's web site for their instructions about it.

 

[rsrocket1]

I'm not sure what you are asking about when it comes to "go/no go" for barrel slugs.

Wide side:
If the barrel slugs at 0.358" there is still a good probability that your plated bullets will work. That's because the lands will likely be narrow enough to get the bullets spinning and stabilized out of the gun. If you have gas blowby, you will be gas cutting the copper plating and not bare lead so the fouling will be minimal to none. Ideally you would like a good fit, but as with jacketed bullets, plated bullets allows for more latitude.

Narrow side:
There is little likelihood that any 9mm barrel will be too narrow for your plated bullets. So long as the loaded cartridges feed and fit into the chamber, when the powder ignites, 25-35,000 psi will be enough pressure to "persuade" them to fit through your barrel. The nice thing about plated bullets is that they have more "give" to them fitting into the barrel than jacketed bullets.

 

[jell-dog]

rsrocket1,
Thank you for your input, by go/no-go, I was asking how "tight" the barrel could be before I might experience higher pressures with using these bullets in my 9mm.

Here are the results of slugging my barrel using:
148gr H&G #50 flat base lubed lead wadcutter, 7 BHN .358"
148gr H&G #50 flat base lubed lead wadcutter, 12 BHN .358"
125gr Frontier CMJ plated FP .357" (the bullets I would like to use).

And plenty of gun oil!!

The 125gr plated bullet was easier to push through the barrel than the BHN 12 H&G #50, but the BHN 7 H&G #50 was easiest to push through my barrel.

I found the average barrel size to be .356" diameter.
My mechanic (measuring with his machinists micrometer) found none under .3558", majority of measurements at .356", and a few measurements between .3561" & .3563".

Close enough to use the 125gr plated FP bullets measuring .3565" to .357"?

Next up, following Walkalong's instructions for finding MY workable COA with this bullet.

 

[Walkalong]

I have shot 125 Gr Powerbond HP plated bullets in 9MM and they worked just fine. If they chamber, you should be good to go. Plenty of 9MM groove diameters are over .355. .001 all the way around is very little anyway.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

An issue not mentioned is feeding. Ensure that the round fits the magazine, both length & width. Also watch the feed ramp. Probably not an issue, but they are simple checks. Better to find at home than at the range.

 

[jell-dog]

An issue not mentioned is feeding. Ensure that the round fits the magazine, both length & width. Also watch the feed ramp. Probably not an issue, but they are simple checks. Better to find at home than at the range.

JH,
Thanks for comment!
Will test function/feed/eject with dummy bullets b4 I actually load a few rounds for testing.
JD