Anyone load their 9mm bullets in 38 Spl?

[Fatelvis]

I have a box of 500 9mm bullets, (sized to .357", 124 RN), and no 9mm pistol. I figured I'd try loading them for 38 special, and use them up. So I used 4.0 grns 231, lightly crimped the bullet in place, and used Rem 5 1/2 primers. I only loaded 50 of them, as I have no idea how they will shoot. Does anyone do this as a regular practice? Just wondering what to expect. Thanks-

 

[ants]

You didn't stipulate lead, plated, or jacketed.

If you have .357" jacketed or copper plated, that's perfect. If lead, they still work but you may get a little extra lead deposits. No big deal.

I use 9mm plated bullets in 38 Special all the time, for practice in the snub nose revolvers. Snub nose aren't accurate tack-drivers anyway. So I get large bulk deliveries of 9mm for my pistols and carbines, and use the same bullets for cheap practice in 38 Special. I use properly sized 38 bullets for competition or defense.

 

[Fatelvis]

Hard cast lead, bought from Dardas.

 

[Fatelvis]

I actually got the idea because I dropped cast bullets sized to .358" into my cylinders of my two 686s, and found that the throats are pretty tight, and would not allow the bullet to pass through, even with a push with a pencil. The .357" bullets pushed through with a gentle nudge from a Q-tip. I figured maybe the two revolvers would shoot better with bullets that were close to thier throat diameters. I figured Id load what I have, and give it a shot! (Pun intended)

 

[ReloaderFred]

It will work, in all likelihood. I've loaded 9mm bullets in .38 brass, and they worked just fine. It was more of an experiment than anything else, and I wanted to know if it would work in a pinch. It does.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[zxcvbob]

I tried .355 plated bullets in my Marlin 1894C, loaded to .38 Special velocities, and there was no difference in accuracy compared to .357 and .358 bullets. I assume if I had loaded 'em up to full "magnum" speeds they would have stripped on the rifling, but I never tried that.

 

[Sunray]

"...sized to .357..." Makes 'em 38/357, not 9mm.

 

[armoredman]

My Lee .356 mould drops at .360, so I size them to .358 for 38spl and .356 for 9mm. Works great.

 

[Fatelvis]

"...sized to .357..." Makes 'em 38/357, not 9mm.

Many times 9mm pistols shoot better with .357" bullets rather than standard .356" size.

 

[pcwirepro]

I tried some Missouri Parabellum in 38 Spl cases but there wasn't enough neck tension. Turns out that boolit is sized to .356. Too bad, I have thousands of em.

 

[Maj Dad]

After I sold my 38 Super I had a couple thousand 158 gr swcs sized 357; I am down to a few hundred now and have shot them out of a 9mm PT-99 (taper crimped) & and some 38 spls (both roll & taper crimped). Moderate loads, plinking fare - just fine.

 

[HOWARD J]

I use 355 in a 357 & 357 in a 355 (9MM) works good. The same as I use 308 in 310 & 311
& 310 & 311 in 308--still works good. I never run out........................

 

[TonyT]

I loaded some 124 gr. Montana Gold JHP's (0.355") in 38 Special cases for my S&W 627. The groups size in my 9mm's is ca 1 to 1.5" at 50 ft. while in the 627 it was slightly over 2 inches. A fellow shooter used up a bunch od 125 gr. 9mm lead bullets in his S&W 27 and they knocked the steel plates down.

 

[armoredman]

pcwirepro, try using the Lee Factory Crimp Die to size the case down a bit for better neck tension, see if that helps. What grain weight - can they be used in 9mm?

 

[pcwirepro]

What grain weight - can they be used in 9mm?

Yes, I do use them for my 9mm rounds. 115 gr RN. Sweet little bullet that does well in my PF9 and lone wolf conversion barrels.

http://www.missouribullet.com/details.php?prodId=117&category=5&secondary=8&keywords=


I was just curious if they would work in a 38 special application. I think I'll try your FCD trick.

 

[Wireman134]

Have been loading Lee's 356-102-1R for a buddies 38 Colt Detective Special. Mold casts .356"-.357" pills Bhn 15. Works OK for him, lead's a little though.

 

[pcwirepro]

Wireman,

You spent your first post on me? I'm honered. Was it the "wire" in my user name? Fellow sparky perhaps?

Anywho... welcome and thanks for your input.

 

[MichaelK]

I haven't loaded 9mm bullets into 38 special, but I have loaded 38 special bullets into my 9mm. This is Lyman's 358477 bullet (150 gr SWC) that I sized to .356 and loaded with 6.0 grains of Blue Dot. Feeds perfectly and is a great subsonic load for 9mm.

 

[ants]

I've done the same, MichaelK. My 1911, S&W and Glocks love it. I have one Beretta that requires a shorter OAL to make 150g swc work (if too long the bullet hits the rifling) but they all shoot extremely well. Cheap, too!

 

[gbw]

MichaelT

I haven't loaded 9mm bullets into 38 special, but I have loaded 38 special bullets into my 9mm. This is Lyman's 358477 bullet (150 gr SWC) that I sized to .356 and loaded with 6.0 grains of Blue Dot. Feeds perfectly and is a great subsonic load for 9mm.

Glad to see this, I've had the same thought. Lee makes a 140gr. .38 SWC in their 6-cavity mold. (I have a Lee .45/200gr 6 banger and love it.)

I want one utility bullet for both .38 and 9mm, and I'm going to try the 140, sized to .356 for 9mm and .358 for .38/.357. Thanks,

 

[Wireman134]

Posted after you, PCWIREPRO. Sound like U have your own WirePro gig goin on. Slim pick-in's in the craft at this moment... Got a Super Duty huh

 

[pakmcc]

9mm in .38 speical

I've haven't loaded 9mm in .38 special yet, but one of my Lee molds throws a 160gr. SWC in .38 and it works just fine in my CZ's. I do have the round nose 9mm bullet mold in a 6 holer and I can really produce bullets with it. They are suppost to be 124 gr. and mine come out at 116 gr.s. and they work fine in my CZ 9mm pistols . but the 160gr. SWC's work just fine in my CZ's also. but they are not quite as accruate as the 9mm bullets. but for self defence, they would be great.

 

[jjohnson]

Yep, It'll Work

Sure!

The RN's not so good an all around bullet shape as a SWC, but hey, if you have a bunch of 'em, and the nominal bullet size is within a thousandth or two of your .357, go for it. The RN does feed better in carbines, too.

I've loaded cast 9mm bullets in .38 for my Ruger Blackhawk Convertible, and at "tin plate" range, no problem. They group on paper just fine, too. I don't make a "regular practice" out of it, but sometimes I have 9mm bullets that don't fit my needs, like your situation, and I'll load "range practice ammo" in .38 Special with 'em.

Some bores are a bit more forgiving of bullets being a bit on the small size, but you'd be surprised how well this might work. While it's harder to get great results with, say, .308 bullets in a .311 rifle (AK, SKS) bore, you're close enough here you'll likely be just fine.

 

[rbernie]

This past weekend, I ran a Metric Buttload <tm> of the Missouri 'SmallBall' .356" bullets (loaded into mixed 38 Special nickel plated brass, propelled by 4.5gr of Zip) through a number of S&W revolvers ranging from older Model 19s to a brand new Model 315. The load was plenty accurate enough for offhand practice drills at 15 yards, and I saw no discernable leading problems in any of the handguns.

 

[918v]

I slugged three M9 barrels. The groove diameters were closer to .358" than .355".