| Trey, I have one of the Ruger "Police Carbines" in 9, and enjoy shooting it a lot.
I load for a number of different cartridges, and in an effort to simplify my inventory, which seems to take on a life of its own if not kept in check, I decided to eliminate the 9mm bullet and use the Winchester 110 gr HBHPMJ in .357 dia for all my 38's, .357's, and 9mm loads.
Realizing that the .357 is two thousandths larger than the .355 9mm, I was a little worried, but I have been loading the Hornady 90 gr .308 for a number of different .30 cal cartridges, and have been well pleased with the results, and upon close reading of the label on the box, I find that they are NOT .308, but according to Hornady, as well as my micrometer, they are .309, one thousandth larger than the standard for most 30 cal loads.
I reasoned that if a reputable manufacturer would knowingly make a 30 caliber bullet oversize by one thousandth, that it wouldn't hurt TOO much for the significantly larger .357 to squirt down the bore of a 9, so I dumped 4 grains of Bullseye in and put the .357 bullet on top of it, seated for proper COL, and it works BEAUTIFULLY for me, even if the bullet DOES leave a "panty line" on the brass.
I am NOT recommending that you do the same, but am just passing on my experiences.
What I enjoy about loading is the experimenting, such as described above, and will readily admit that in a few cases, I have been glad I was wearing gloves and/or double goggles and/or face shields, but on the plus side, I have discovered some remarkably rewarding loads.
I always think of the names like Weatherby, O'Connor, Roberts, Norma, and a bunch of others who thought enough of the sport to "drift away from the book", and while I readily admit that I am in no way even close to these guys, heck, I'm not even worthy to clean their brass, I am nonetheless glad that they did their "experimenting".
I sometimes think I enjoy loading more than shooting, but when you make it, you gotta use it, or it'll just pile up on ya.
Enjoy your shooting.
Leonard |