Slugged 9mm to .358? Use 38 special bullets?

[BigBore45]

I have a high point c9 and it is a very bad shooter. so i slugged the bore 3 times and got .358-.359-.359. should i just try some of my 130 grain cast bullets for my 38 special and see if it helps accuracy? the 38 special are cast WW at .360 unsized with some alox on them.

 

[GLOOB]

Yes, but you will need to either use a fairly hard alloy or expand your cases with an oversized expander plug. (I would prefer .359+, IME, for that bore and that bullet). 9mm cases are just too thick to load cast bullets with just a case mouth flare, unless the bullet is very hard.

Hopefully they feed in your gun. And fit in the chamber. You might wanna check that, first. If your chamber is tight, you might not be able to do it, at all. Or you might have to sort out your Speer and R-P brass for this gun and bullet.

 

[BigBore45]

thanks, gonna work some up tonight, have a few things to check at the range Saturday anyways might as well add this to the list. I think i'll flare the case mouth a bit more when i run it threw the powder die and see if that helps with feeding bullet into the case. I might take a pic or 2 and keep this thread going for info. maybe before and after of groups too.

 

[GLOOB]

The problem isn't just shaving, it's the case can swage the base of the bullet down. So be sure to pull your first few test rounds and put calipers on the base. Try a few different kinds of brass. If the base of the bullet is swaged to .354", then the entire exercise is fruitless. So you can flare deeper, but if you're using a short expander, it probably won't make any difference.

The Lee 38S&W expander, or a Lyman M die expander for 38, for instance, are much longer and expand the case where the bullet sits. But honestly, I think you need an even bigger plug ideally, for your bore. IMO you want a plug only about half a mil to a mil under your bullet size for cast bullets with 9mm or 40SW brass (which tends to be a little thicker and springier, compared to say 45ACP brass). Even a plug the same size as the bullet gives pretty darn good neck tension in most of these cases. And setback isn't even a concern. These rounds will look like a snake that swallowed a pig. I have to load my cast 9mm to -1 in some of my tighter doublestack mags.

The thinner brass like R-P, Speer, Blazer will yield to the oversize bullet better, in addition to possibly fitting in a tight chamber where other brass won't pass the plink test.

And load to the longest OAL that will work. The case often gets thicker the farther down you seat the bullet.

So getting a custom plug might be necessary. If the bullets fit, to begin with. You might even try an unsized case. Make sure it fits in the chamber. Flare it, seat a bullet, and then taper crimp a little to remove the flare. Then see if it even fits in the chamber.

 

[BigBore45]

i made a few test rounds with R-P brass. didn't swage the bullet any. Brass is being swelled by the bullet though. i seated to fit in the magazine. used 4.0 gr titegroup with a 130 gr. cast rnfp .360. They fit in the gun and "dry cycled" 4 of them fine, so i went ahead and loaded some live ones up to try. I'll report back for info to others.

 

[Walkalong]

I loaded some plated Powerbond 125 Gr .38 bullets in 9MM cases with no special prepping. Shot just fine. They measured right at .3575+

I just wanted to see if it would work, if I needed to use them in a pinch.

I shoot the .356 # 162 Zero 125 Gr JHP in both 9MM and .38 Super.

 

[Blue68f100]

Should not be a problem. You should use a larger expander with the larger bullets, 38/357. You only need 0.002" interference not 0.006".

 

[BigBore45]

we will see. I have 2 hi-points that are " truck guns" and one is a good shooter and this one im working with now is just plain terrible. its 5" at 15 yards. I thought i even seen some key hole type marks and after slugging the bore i would not be surprised. Was running some berry plated through them. i found my wifes sig 938 really likes lead cast too from laser cast. the laser cast are at .356 so still no help in this over sized barrel. I'll try them Saturday, have about 4 hours at the range that day to test some other guns and loads and try my new x-sight scope out.

 

[murf]

measure the o.d. of a fired case, add a thou or two, and that will be the diameter of your chamber. make sure it is greater, by at least 3 or 4 thou, than the o. d. of a loaded round.

if it is smaller, be careful.

murf

 

[BigBore45]

murf, that is interesting. will have to check that out.

 

[murf]

bye the bye, i shoot .358" dia. lead bullets in my hi power. its barrel slugs out at .3575".

with that one-in-ten twist, a hard cast lead bullet should be best. you will know if the bullet isn't hard enough when you see keyholes in the target! only one way to find out, though.

luck,

murf

 

[joneb]

How many grooves does the High Point have?
Have you tried a hollow based bullet?

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I was going to recommend replacing the barrel but then realized that would probably cost as much as the gun, so...

Like mentioned above even if you use an oversize bullet the case will swedge down the bullet so I'm not sure that's a good idea. Why not cast some soft alloy bullets which will expand to fill the barrel and probably work better than oversize bullets. I see right above this post the recommendation for hollow base bullets which will do the same as the softer alloy.

 

[howlnmad]

I was going to recommend replacing the barrel but then realized that would probably cost as much as the gun, so....

Possibly not. Yes, they're cheap, heavy and ugly. But they do carry a lifetime warranty, might be worth a phone call.

 

[Walkalong]

You can always do a cast of the chamber, but making up some rounds and doing the plunk test will give you an idea. If the barrel is generous, there is a chance the chamber is as well.

 

[Blue68f100]

My P229 barrel slugs at 0.358". If I shoot lead I shoot 38's bullets sized to .359" . If your find that the larger size makes the bullet tight in the chamber, try out RP brass. The RP brass normally thinner and softer.

One thing I notices is that I get copper fouling in this gun using std size Plated bullets. Once I have the proper fit this clears up.

 

[TfflHndn]

You can order the bullets sized larger at Black and Blue Bullets, so you don't have to mess with lube rings or crimp grooves that you have on .38 bullets.