Reloading for the P01?

[chris in va]

I currently load for my 75bd, lee 358-125-rf mold. If I don't FCD these guys they simply won't chamber. Plus they have to be loaded at 1.01oal to chamber.

Just curious, is the P01 as finicky with lead reloads? What did yours slug at?

 

[korny351]

Chris,

Can I ask why you are using a .358 mold for 9mm? I've slugged the barrel on my SP-01 and got a .3555 measurement. Going to that large a slug is going to require a shorter OAL as the ogive of the bullet will contact the rifling that much sooner than a smaller diameter bullet. CZ's are known for short leades and requiring a shorter OAL to begin with. Going with an over-sized bullet is just going make matters worse. Have you slugged your barrel? Unless you got a measurement of .357, there is no need to go .358 on the mold.

 

[noylj]

Sorry for the rant, but...

Almost all 9x19s can use 0.358" lead bullets (all 18 of mine will).
The fact that yours won't chamber can be due to 1) not removing the case mouth bell/flare or 2) having a bulge in the case where the bullet was pushed out where the case walls are thinnest. #2 is almost always caused by NOT properly expanding the case. The case ID over the length the bullet will be seated needs to be expanded to 0.356-0.357", otherwise the bullet will be swaged down or it will seat crooked due to insufficient case expansion and push out against the thinnest case wall area. If you inspect the round, you can see this bulge.
It seems that today's reloaders do not understand case expansion or how to determine the proper COL for their guns.
Get an expander for a .38Special and get those cases properly expanded.
Before you even consider using a lead bullet, you need to slug your barrel. 9x19 barrels can have groove diameters that range from 0.354-0.362".
CZs that I have measured tend to run 0.355-0.3555", so the minimum bullet diameter for a cast bullet would be 0.356" and 0.357" is better.
Remember, the cast lead bullet in almost all cases needs to be 0.001" LARGER than groove diameter.
For those that worry about large bullets, I have been shooting 0.357" jacketed bullets in all my 9x19s for almost 4 decades without issue (prior to the '80s, it was almost impossible to find 0.355" jacketed bullets and 0.356" jacketed bullets came only in 130gn FMJ) and 0.357-0.358" bullets in lead.
It is amazing how many people think their guns have super tight "target" chambers when the inability to chamber is caused by their not paying attention to proper case expansion.
If a round doesn't chamber, mark it up with a Magic Marker and drop in barrel and rotate it back-and-forth. When you remove the round, the "problem" will be shown be scratches in the Magic Marker ink.
The use of a Lee FCD is just going to swage the bullet down (making it even more inaccurate). Find out what the problem is, don't just "paper" over it.
Look. Measure. Think.

 

[chris in va]

All 356 bullets I tried went through paper sideways. My bore slugged at 356, and the 358 mold fixed that issue. Unfortunately the ogive on that mold is set up for 38 special, and has to be loaded very short to chamber. Understand that my 75 is nearly 100% reliable when loaded at 1.01 with this mold, and I'm not alone on this.

But that isn't my question, wondering if the P01 is similar or has a more generous leade?

 

[korny351]

Can't speak from experience as I don't own a P-01, but it's my understanding that the short leade in CZ's is by design. Supposed to contribute to accuracy. I realize that you're casting your own, but I have noticed several of the commercial casters offering their bullets in multiple sizes. Dardas is one such caster. Might try contacting them and ask about a more 9mm-friendly mold with the diameter you can use.