Is there a big difference between .355 and .356 sizing?

[Cuz]

Yeah, I know, it’s.001”.

I’ve been shooting Berry’s 9mm plated Bullets sized to .356 for the past 20 years. Supply problems have me looking at other sources. I was thinking of trying the Blue Bullets and happen to notice they are sized at .355. Is that a big deal?

 

I’m looking at the 125gr RN for use in Glocks, Ruger PCC, and an STI Eagle mostly.

 

Thanks.

 

 

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[BJB]

With Blue Bullets that isn't a big deal.....but 0.356" are slightly better for me. 

FYI: Blue Bullets will sell you 9mm sized 0.356" upon request.  Look under "special order profile".

 

Also: Their RN profile has a big fat ogive and you may have to load short.  Their TC profile allows you to load a little longer and they were more accurate for me. 

Edited July 17, 2020 by BJB

[Cuz]

Thanks, I’ll look into that. Loading shorter may work better for me as I’m trying to stuff them into a TF Goliath mag extension and they are supposed to be 1.150” or so to fit reliably.


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[RGA]

Not all 9mm barrels are created equal. I have slugged quite a few of the decades and have seen bore ranges from .354 to .357.

 

If you want to know what you have than slug the barrel.

[IHAVEGAS]

With one of my guns (929 revolver) the barrel leads up really nasty on .356 and stays pristine with 0.358. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cuz]

Not all 9mm barrels are created equal. I have slugged quite a few of the decades and have seen bore ranges from .354 to .357.
 
If you want to know what you have than slug the barrel.

Thanks, but when it comes to 9mm I have too many different pistols and PCCs to slug. I was sort of looking for the most generic, run of the mill, works in just about anything, 124gr bullet head to run in off-the-shelf Glocks, STIs, Rugers, S&Ws, Etc.


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[ysrracer]

3 hours ago, IHAVEGAS said:

With one of my guns (929 revolver) the barrel leads up really nasty on .356 and stays pristine with 0.358. 

 

 

My 929 slugged at .357, just like my 627.

[Dwbsig]

I’ve had good luck running.356 bullets in all my 9mm, .355 had more flyers when shooting groups during load development so l didn’t get anymore of them.

[GMP]

My CZs lead up with anything less than .358 coated, and then loading becomes more of a PIA with headstamp related expansion issues.  I'm back to RMR, coated savings not worth the hassle to me anymore.  Hopefully their heavy plate 124s will be back soon, very clean and shoot great.  The jacketed are great in all but my comped gun.  Great people too.

[Ken6PPC]

On 7/19/2020 at 11:43 AM, Cuz said:

Thanks, but when it comes to 9mm I have too many different pistols and PCCs to slug. I was sort of looking for the most generic, run of the mill, works in just about anything, 124gr bullet head to run in off-the-shelf Glocks, STIs, Rugers, S&Ws, Etc.


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You can simply approach this problem the same way as eating an elephant - one bite at a time!  

 

In my experience, coated lead 9mm's 0.356" bullets work much better than 0.355".  The larger diameter bullets are less of a problem in a smaller bore than smaller diameter bullets are in a larger bore.  0.358" bullets can be troublesome for chambering, and could be an issue in a very tight bore.  (I haven't experienced any overspressure problem using 0.358" personally, but I don't have a 9mm barrel that slugs less than 0.355"...)  

 

Measure your barrels - It is SO much better to know what size they really are than to not know... 

 

Or simply load jacketed bullets, if you really don't want to slug your barrels.  

[HesedTech]

On 7/19/2020 at 9:43 AM, Cuz said:

Thanks, but when it comes to 9mm I have too many different pistols and PCCs to slug. I was sort of looking for the most generic, run of the mill, works in just about anything, 124gr bullet head to run in off-the-shelf Glocks, STIs, Rugers, S&Ws, Etc.

 

In general, for coated bullets .356 is the most common size and works in all 9mm barrels I have personally tested. Sigs, PCCs, Tanfoglios, CZs and many more. 

I also found no measurable difference between Blues .355 and others .356 using the same weight and profiles when it came to accuracy.

What I did find is these things do make a difference:

 

1. Coatings vary, Precision Bullet is probably the toughest and ACME smokes the most in all my guns. The new Blue coating is also very good.

2. There was no advantage (at least in my guns) to going to .357.

3. Bullet profiles do make a difference in OAL and feeding characteristics. 

4. The round nose profile is probably the best for general running in most guns. Especially the "new" profile which has a longer nose taper and will load with a slightly longer OAL.

 

If you are going to stick to Blues, my personal preference is the TC over the RN. The TC loaded a bit longer than the RN, however they both shot equally well in 125 grain.

 

The short answer is Blues .355 will work just fine and does so for a huge number of competitors that shoot 10s of thousands of rounds a year.

 

BTW I personally like the 147 FP bullet profile the best. 

 

[Cuz]

Thanks for all the feedback. I ended up ordering the Blue Bullets sized to .356 and also the Precision Bullets. I’ll experiment with them both and will stick with whichever performs better. If neither perform well, then I’ll re-evaluate going back to copper plated or try a couple other Mfgs.


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[gerritm]

Just went with the same idea with the shortage. Have been using SNS & Egglestone 124gr .356 RN bullets. In our STI DVC 3gun & my JP barrel PCC they run at my normal length of 1.11-1.12. In my CZ75 SP01 & Taccom PCC they have to be short around 1.09. Did plunk tests in all to see what would work.

 

geritm

Edited July 21, 2020 by gerritm

[Superkaratemonkeyfighter]

The 147 blue & precision seem to have the same profile. Both Needed to be the same OAL to chamber. I