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9mm vs .357 bullet question/help needed


alscott

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I know there is a difference the two above bullets, .355 vs .357. You can't load a .357 for 9mm, correct? My problem is that years ago I was reloading .357 sig and bought 1,000 bullets from a reputable reloading supplier. This was when .357 sig was truly nowhere to be found. I reloaded some of the .357 sig and they were fine, no issues. I want to start reloading 9mm and assumed I would have to sell those bullets as they should have been .357, correct??? I measured them last night and they measure .355. So now I am wondering if I measured wrong or they sold me the wrong thing and I just dodged the proverbial bullet by loading them for .357 sig. I am very cautious and now wondering if I am measuring them correctly at the very bottom edge of the bullet?? I used the same dial caliper I have used for years.

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I've loaded up my 9mm using .356 bullets...no issues or problems...

.357 sig were supposed to be 9mm inside a necked down .40 case, no?

Edited by racerba
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Thanks so much. Most helpful bunch of folks on any board ever. No unneeded opinions just answer to topic at hand. Thank you. I really like to reload but I must admit it always worries me a bit. I have been doing it for years for .45, .308, .44 mag, 30-06. Mine and my step-son's .308 would probably spit out a factory load. Anytime I run up against any issue I like to ask folks that I believe know. I did just find an article that said it was a .40 case necked down to a .9mm. Guess I could have just googled first.

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I just weight a bullet and it looks like I have nearly 1,000 115 gn 9mm. I was hoping for 124 gn. I think I read on here once that Clays was good for 9mm. Is that the case? I have two pounds of it and I know that's why I bought it. This is for IDPA, steel, etc at the range. I have a lot more powder than I realized. I bought what I could when it was nowhere to be found. 4895, 4350, Power Pistol, Bullseye, 2400 and Titegroup. I bought it last year but didn't have the time nor brass to start the 9mm. Been using Bullseye for .45 but somebody at the range acted like I was nuts for using it.

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Measure the bullets that you have. I suspect they are .355-.356 and will be fine in a 9mm. Work up your charges as you normally would. Most of the time you can shoot .357 in a 9mm without an issue and you can for sure shoot .355 9mm bullets in a .357, they might just not shoot as well. The issue that you MIGHT have is that bullets designed for the .357 sig (.355 bullet, same as 9mm) might not feed well in a 9mm semi auto.

I suggest you buy a new S&W 929 9mm revolver to shoot them, you always need an excuse to buy another pistol.

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The issue that you MIGHT have is that bullets designed for the .357 sig (.355 bullet, same as 9mm) might not feed well in a 9mm semi auto.

just curious...why not?

or was that just a reason to get a new gun...

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The 357 SIG was named because it was (is) the ballistic equivalent to a .357 Magnum round out of a 4" revolver. The bullets are 9mm (.355"), not .357 as one might think seeing the name on the round.

Alan~^~

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It's because the bullets, while the same diameter, are shaped differently. There's a noticeable difference if you compare them to most standard 9mm rounds. I'd post pictures of each if I were home.

Different 9mm bullets are shaped differently also...I didn't know that there was a special .357 SIG bullet profile...

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These are hollow points too. Wish I knew the brand/type. I bought these probably 10 years ago and just never really got into reloading the .357 sig. It was a pain with the necked down cases best I recall. Plus it really wasn't popular then and cases were impossible to find. Haven't had the Sig in that caliber in forever, just hung on to all the dies, cases, and bullets.

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It's because the bullets, while the same diameter, are shaped differently. There's a noticeable difference if you compare them to most standard 9mm rounds. I'd post pictures of each if I were home.

Different 9mm bullets are shaped differently also...I didn't know that there was a special .357 SIG bullet profile...

Yes, the SIG bullets have a short wide nose.

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....357 sig were supposed to be 9mm inside a necked down .40 case, no?

This. Sig called it the ".357" because it just SOUNDS powerful.

As mentioned, the component bullets will usually be labeled for the .357 Sig because of the bullet profile.

Edited by MAC702
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Let your barrel groove diameter and chamber be your guide. I have no experience with the .357 SIG, but lots with a variety of 9mm pistols. I have mostly Beretta and Walther 9mm barrels, and all of them slug out to just under .358" groove diameter. I shoot mostly Lead bullets, and all but one will load, chamber and fire a .359" bullet. The one will gladly load chamber and fire a .358" bullet.

Not every 9mm barrel will chamber these big bullets. My father gave me his 9mm Browning HiPower some years ago, and it will not chamber a cartridge loaded with a bullet over .356". It has a groove diameter bigger than that. It gets jacketed only.

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Interesting topic that I keep reading about-the trend and my limited experience show the Zero .356 124 JHP is preferred by a lot of guns and shooters vs the .355 equivalent.

I was having personal conversation with a friend that has worked for Glock for double digit years and he agreed the .356 was the way to go...and he showed me pallets of Zero Ammunition for the Glock team.

Nothing wrong with a diameter larger than .355......

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