The 9mm Luger is the most popular handgun cartridge in the United States. For reloaders and small ammunition manufacturers, casting your own 9mm bullets dramatically reduces cost per round and gives you complete control over bullet weight and profile. This page covers everything specific to 9mm bullet casting — from alloy selection to automated production.
For 9mm Luger, cast bullets are sized to .356" diameter in most applications. Some older guns with tighter bores may prefer .355". Always slug your barrel to determine the optimal diameter before committing to a sizing die.
| Bullet Weight | Common Profile | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| 115 grain | Round Nose, Truncated Cone | General plinking, competition |
| 124 grain | Round Nose, Flat Point | Most versatile 9mm weight |
| 135 grain | Flat Point, Truncated Cone | Power factor competition loads |
| 147 grain | Round Nose Flat Base | Subsonic loads, suppressed use |
9mm operates at moderate pressures and velocities — typically 1,050–1,350 fps for standard loads. This means you don't need an extremely hard alloy, but pure lead is too soft and will cause leading.
Note on +P loads: If you're loading 9mm +P, use a harder alloy of at least 12 BHN and make sure your bullets are properly sized and lubricated. Cast bullets can absolutely handle +P pressure with the right alloy.
Semi-automatic pistols require bullets that feed reliably from the magazine into the chamber. For 9mm, round nose and truncated cone profiles feed most reliably. Flat-point designs may require a slight bevel at the front edge to prevent nose-diving during feeding.
Case flaring is more critical with cast bullets than jacketed. Flare enough to allow the bullet to seat without shaving lead, but not so much that you weaken the case mouth.
A hobbyist casting 9mm with a two-cavity mold and bottom-pour furnace can expect about 100–150 bullets per hour. That's workable for someone loading a few hundred rounds a month.
High-volume shooters — USPSA/IPSC competitors, range instructors, or small manufacturers — often need 1,000–3,000+ bullets per session. Manual casting at that scale is exhausting and time-consuming. An automated casting machine changes the economics entirely.
The M2R Automatic Casting Machine produces consistent, high-quality cast bullets at production rates that manual casting can't match. Ideal for 9mm and dozens of other calibers.
View the M2R MachineGlock's polygonal rifling has been a topic of debate. Glock does not recommend cast lead bullets in their barrels. Many shooters use aftermarket barrels with conventional rifling (KKM, Lone Wolf, Storm Lake) for cast bullet use. Alternatively, hard-cast, well-lubricated bullets properly sized for the bore are used by many without issues — but this is at the shooter's discretion and risk.
Start at .356" and slug your barrel. If you have a tight bore, .355" may be appropriate. If your groups are mediocre or you're seeing leading, try going up to .357" — a slightly oversized cast bullet that engraves the rifling properly often delivers better accuracy.
Manual casting with a two-cavity mold: 100–150 per hour. Four-cavity mold: 200–300 per hour. An automated casting machine like the M2R: 300–600+ per hour depending on configuration.