Lee 358-105-SWC

[warf73]

Seems like alot of folks are using this boolit design in there 380acps or the Ranch Dog TL358-100-RF. The intent is for an all around plinking paper punching mold, with the proper load of Red Dot.


Does the crimp groove on the Lee mold pose any issues for the 380acp?

Thanks Warf

[skeet1]

I don't know about the .380 but I use the crimp groove in the 9MM.

Ken

[Wally]

I load it in the 9mm with 3.5 grains of Red dot..I seat it deep enough to the edge of the front driving band. I am not sure if one can do the same with the 380..IMHO the Lee 102 RN would be a better choice for the 380...

[Finster101]

It runs through a Kel-tec like p--p through a goose seated at the crimp goove!

[Centaur 1]

The Lee SWC doesn't feed reliably in my LCP, the boolit has to be seated so deep that the case walls bulge. This is due to the fact that the brass is tapered and gets thicker the deeper you seat the boolit. The barrels groove diameter on the LCP dictates that I size to .358", and I think the SWC gets hung up on the rifling. It would probably work better if I could size them to .356", but my barrel is .3573". I have both of those molds and the Ranch Dog mold is awesome. I had the Lee mold first and I have about 500 of them left. Since the Lee mold has just 2 cavities I'm going to use up my supply in my .38 special, and then I'll just use the Ranch Dog boolit in the .38, .380 and 9mm. The boolits for the .38 spcl and the .380 get sized to .358", and the ones for the 9mm get sized to .356". I even shoot them from my Glock 26 and don't get any barrel leading.

[XWrench3]

the lee boolits work fine in both of my 380's, a kel tec p3at, and a ruger lcp, i guess i am a little luckier, because mine work very well at .356" diameter. as far as the case bulge goes, a lot of the brass is tapered that way, but the winchester and remington brass has less of a taper (or i guess more appropriatly, the taper starts deeper from the mouth) and bulges a lot less than say magtech or fiocchi. nothing wrong with that brass, it just has the different taper, so i save that for plated or jacketed 85-95 grain bullets. there is one alternative. if you own a "tri wing" chamfering tool (on the outside chamfer end), you can grind out most of the center post, and use that to put a bevel base on any flat base boolit that you cast, swag, or buy that are cast or swaged.

[noylj]

The Lee 105gn SWC works fine, as-cast, in all my 9x19s. Use a COL of 1.020-1.030".
Ignore the crimp groove or where it ends up when seating the bullet.
3.2gn 231/HP38 is very accurate

[warf73]

Sounds great, I completly forgot about my GB mold that might work for this little bugger.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=28151&highlight=warf
I'll have to load some up since I've already got alot on hand.

Thanks everyone.

[Will]

works fine in my 380 with 2.4gr RD. If it won't feed using the crimp grove try rounding the sharp wc edge by rotating in some fine steel wool.

[skeet1]

I forgot to mention that when I first started loading this boolit in my 9MM I seated the boolit and just ironed out the flare and I had feeding problems. when I started to crimp in the crimping groove the feeding problem was gone. I was always told that these type of cases headspace on the case mouth and they do but just a little crimp sure does help.

Ken

[warf73]

Thank for the heads up skeet1, I'm going to treat this little 380 as I would my 40s&w or 45acp with a slight crimp.