Rossi levergun/dan wesson 357 combo with cast boolits

[kaceyx73]

Hi all.
I am a newbie here, and to cast boolits. Ive done plenty of reloading for most of the guns I own, just new to casting.

I have an interesting question I would like to pose to the forum.

I recently picked up a Dan Wesson in 357 mag and a Rossi levergun also in 357. My reasons were 2 fold. 1, as a prepper, having such a combo for long term situations seemed like a good idea. 2, along the lines of long term sustainability, this combo seems ideal for bullet casting.

Well, the equipment has arrived and the barrels have been slugged. The Dan Wesson slugged at .3570, and the Rossi (24" barrel if it makes a difference) slugged at .3582. If possible, I would like to stick to one mold and one sizer if possible to avoid mixing the two.

Should I be good enough with a .359 to work in both? The only visible separation in loads, I hope, will be between 38spl loads and 357 mag loads which will be all gas checked.

Also, I haven't picked up the sizer yet. I have noticed Lee doesn't advertise above .358 sizers, but the rest do. The rest also require separate equipment, and while I can do that, I prefer not to. Does Lee offer special order sizers, or will I have to open one up, or is it best to chip the space and cash for an RCBS unit?

Additional info:
Mold is a Lee 358158
Likely alloy is 96-6-2 from wideners. Should work good for both loads, w/ and w/o checks, correct?

In case I need to explain, the wheel gun will be more of a side arm and for defense. The Rossi is intended for short-medium game getting (out to 100yds) with iron sights and defense. The DW will see more 38spl than anything, but will see some 357mag. I am also loading jacketed rounds for both, but this is my entry into casting.

I expect to do plenty of experimenting as I have done with reloading, but getting a good starting point is a must, and knowing where not to go is imperative.

Ken

[runfiverun]

i have this exact combination [okay i have many of them] but this exact one is one of them.
you can get by with one boolit.
the 158 rnfp will shoot acceptably in the dan wesson revolver,and will do good nuff in the lever gun.
i normally use the lyman 358477 [swc] in 38 special cases in the dan because it is sooo much more accurate with that combination.[it won't feed in the levergun though]
but if narrowing things down to just one boolit for all my 357's it definatly would be the plain base 158 gr round nose flat point.
but then again it would be the same for my 44's and 45's.
specifically the 429667 and the 452664
notice i am showing lyman mold numbers?
they are steel and will last forever ,if you take care of them.
i usually buy them used and in 4 cavity. [you takes your chances now days with new ones but they can be lapped to the proper diameter with a little effort]
the lyman molds work particularly well in rossi leverguns and in dan wesson revolvers. [they work very well in other types of revolvers too]
your sizer die can be lapped out to a larger size at home easy enough also.
3585-359 would be enough for you.

[kaceyx73]

Runfiverun, thanks for the reply. Can you get good velocity out of the Rossi with 357mag going cast? Are you checking them? My jacketed loads so far are sticking to H110 for the 357 and Unique on the 38s. You have that combo, so I might as well ask. What kind of loads are you running, if you don't mind me asking?

[NVScouter]

I just sold my DW. Not from Evanston are you? But factory ammo was pretty bad but that NOE 170g HP/190g FN was great sized to .359 over heavier 2400 and Blue Dot loads.

I have 45LC pistols and the Rossi and for both I found H4227 was the ticket for both and best in the carbine.

[kaceyx73]

NV, no Im down in south kakalaki. I haven't shot much factory stuff through my DW, but my handloads shoot pretty well. I need to hurry up and get the tool to adjust the barrel. I've heard from more than one person and source that how close the barrel is to the cylinder makes all the difference in the world. It can be adjusted very close and will be incredibly accurate, but dirty loads will build up and cause problems if not cleaned religiously. Seems to be the biggest issue on them.

Ive loaded 125gr gold dots pretty hot and some Nosler 158s over H110 and it seems to like them. My 10mm kicks harder than the DW, with comparable loads. I also load a few of the noslers over Unique for 38 loadings, but those are the only bullets until I get some cast.

I was looking originally at the 45lc combo, and thinking of finding a Vaquero with the extra 45acp cylinder. My brother has one, and loves it. Unfortunately, really good 45 loads (he's trying to hunt with it) are hard to find, and when you do they aren't compatible with other 45s. He's also having issues with getting accuracy out to 50 yds. He isn't the experimenter I am, I think he would have been better served with 357, or the 45 in a levergun.

[runfiverun]

well in the 357 with the rnfp boolit my go to load is 7.5 grs of herco.
i haven't bothered to run it over the chrono.
i just worked the load up untill i had it going fast enough to correspond to changing sight settings on the rifle.
i have chronoed many loads in my guns just not that one.
it's not smoking fast but it isn't slow either, i wouldn't hesitate to shoot a deer out to 150 yds with it.
i have also used 12 grs of 2400 with the same boolit,i just got an 8 lb keg of herco for 80 bucks and picked a round to use it in.
the 357 seemed reasonable as that was what i was working with that day.
i like the load enough i have at least 3-k of them on hand and enough stuff to reload them again.
you can do the same with about any powder from bullseye through 2400.
and once the herco is gone i'll swap in something else like unique or 800-x.

[reloader28]

I really like the 358-158 RF from Lee. Drops out at 165gr for me. I did cut out the bevel base and I use PB gas checks on them.
I like 12gr 2400 in my pistol. The rifle gets 15.2gr for 1850fps. Works awesome on deer.

[runfiverun]

see the 45 mold number above i gave you.
that's what i use in my 45 convertable black hawk and all three of my 45 colt rossi's.
the black hawk needs a better grip for more powerful loads.

[Greg]

Ken-

here's a few articles from one of our members...

http://www.castbullet.com/ and

http://www.castbullet.com/shooting/rossi-s.htm