I looked at Missouri bullet. Why are the diameters .356 for 9mm when everything I have says it should be .355? The lead bullets are much cheaper than the jacketed bullets.
I forget the reason for the lead being .356 but, it is normal.
Lead bullet diameters are sized 0.001" larger than jacketed bullet (.356" vs .355") to provide tighter bullet-to-barrel seal and minimize gas cutting of the bullet base (escaping hot gas melts/softens the lead bullet base), which results in leading at the chamber end. Keep in mind that tighter seal increases the chamber pressure so you need to use lead load data for lead bullet which is often much lower than jacketed load data.
With jacketed bullets, you can load anywhere between starting charge to max load data without worrying about leading - you may just get more fouling at the lower powder charges. With lead bullets, you may need to use mid to high range load data to properly obturate the bullet base (bumping and widening of the bullet base during powder ignition to seal bullet base tight against the rifling) and minimize gas cutting/leading. Harder the bullet, higher the powder charge you need to use to minimize leading. Generally, I find that with harder 24 BHN lead bullets, I need to use high-to-near max load data to minimize leading. Missouri Bullets offer "less hard" 18 BHN lead bullets that I can use mid-to-high range load data with minimal leading. If you want to use even lower starting charge/target loads, they offer softer 12 BHN lead bullets that will obturate at lower powder charges.
Downsides?
You need to be more careful about case neck flaring/seating bullets and removing any leading in the barrel.
Jacketed bullets can be seated without the worry of shaving the side of the bullet as the lead core is protected by the jacketing. With lead bullets, you may need to flare the case neck a bit more and carefully set the bullet flat during seating so the bullet won't tilt and shave the side of the bullet. Depending on the powder/charge used, you may experience some leading until you get your powder charge dialed in. Most of us use copper scrubber wrapped bore jag/brushes to remove the leading in the barrel.
I haven't bought any powder yet because I ran out of time and wasn't sure which one to get. Any recommendations?
+1 for W231/HP38. I always recommend W231/HP38 (same powder) for new reloader as it has broader load range, plenty of available load data for various pistol calibers (especially for lead) and meters very well. It is my designated match powder as it produces very accurate loads even for lighter recoiling target loads.
Has anyone used load data at handloads.com?
Use load data from handloads.com with caution as many are near/over max charges (many loads don't even list OALs
). I would always reference the latest published load data from powder manufacturers' websites or reloading manuals to verify my charge loads.