Good old fashioned 158 grain lead round nose 38's

[FISH4BUGS]

Over the years I have cast tons swc's, and finally did something different. I cast up 1500 or so from a 4 cavity Hensley & Gibbs #39 (the result of a couple of manic casting sessions), just a plain old 38 caliber 158 grain round nosed bullet with a single lube groove and a single crimp groove. Sized them with a Star sizer with Magma red lube. loaded up a bunch with 4.0 gr 231 (nice light load) and 4.4 gr 231 (just a hair over maximum) on a Dillon 550.
Next up on the agenda are some 357's with 5.0 grains of 231. The same 158 grain round nose bullet will be loaded. The reason I got on the round nose kick was the Rossi 92 in 38/357. I figured that the round nose bullet ought to feed a heck of a lot better than a sharp shouldered swc.
I guess I also just like the looks of a round nose bullet. I am going to load the 357's next. I'll play with the 231 in 357 then switch to 296 in the 357's to get maximum power from the cast bullet.
The fun of casting and reloading your own!

[Guesser]

I use Lyman 358311 to get mine, been using it for more than 50 years.

[Outpost75]

I really like the Accurate 36-155D which resembles the original design for the .38 Colt Special. I use 3.5 grains of Bullseye in the .38 Special.

145846

[Guesser]

I've got a few of those "Colt Special" cartridge cases, correct headstamp and "new, never fired.

[Outpost75]

I've got a few of those "Colt Special" cartridge cases, correct headstamp and "new, never fired.

How many have you got? What would you trade for? Would be fun to have some.

[fecmech]

I've been shooting the H&G#39 for over 20 years. A friend gifted me with a matched pair of 4 cavs back then when he got out of the reloading business. I started using the max std pressure load of Bullseye (4.2 grs) listed in the Lyman 3rd Ed. Cast handbook. It is very accurate and I have fired many many thousands of them through my model 14 and is my 100 yd ram load in Hunters pistol. I know it's considered past +P today but my 14 is as tight and accurate as it ever was. The classic 5.0/Unique was another good load with that bullet in my 94 Winchester .357 averaging 2 moa@100 yds. Max loads of Blue Dot and 296 worked very well in my Ruger GP but I don't shoot too many mags anymore. It shoots well in my Rossi as a mag but so-so as a .38 spl, I think because of it's length and the 30" twist. It's a great bullet to cast with hardly ever a bad one once the mold it warmed up. A classic design!

[Frank V]

FISH4BUGS

I think I read an article by Mike Venturino saying the RN cast bullets were very accurate in his guns & for practice & shooting paper we really don't need a SWC or WC anyway?
Thanks for sharing.

[FISH4BUGS]

FISH4BUGS

I think I read an article by Mike Venturino saying the RN cast bullets were very accurate in his guns & for practice & shooting paper we really don't need a SWC or WC anyway?
Thanks for sharing.
I think the only reason people shoot swc's is because they cut a nice clean hole for scoring, not necessarily because they are more accurate.
Somewhow I just LIKE the way a round nose bullet looks. So far these round nose are just as accurate as I can shoot. My guns are capable of shooting a whole lot better than I can anyway. My eyes are just not as good as they used to be.
That 4 cavity H&G 39 casts bullets wonderfully. I bought it fairly cheap because who wants round nose any more? Plus they fall out of the mould with a tap of the mallet on the hinge pin or the side of the mould block....sometimes not even that. They size great and load easily....what more can a guy ask for?

[BCB]

A couple of years back I was looking at some ol’ pics in some book I have and it showed lots of different handgun cartridges, most with round-nose boolits…

So, I thought maybe I should try some of those critters and become “nostalgic”…

I shoot bunches of them now and they are surprisingly accurate—at least at 25 yards from several Ruger handguns I have. With a reasonable rest, I can clang a 4” diameter piece of steel just about every time…

They are from Lee molds—inexpensive and I have found some of them to cast pretty good…

358-150-1R…..429-240-2R…..452-228-2R

Bullseye, Unique, Titegroup, and AL-5 are the powders I have been using along with some very cheap Tulammo primers I purchased years ago…

Just plain fun to shoot…

Good-luck…BCB

[Frank V]

I think the only reason people shoot swc's is because they cut a nice clean hole for scoring, not necessarily because they are more accurate.
Somewhow I just LIKE the way a round nose bullet looks. So far these round nose are just as accurate as I can shoot. My guns are capable of shooting a whole lot better than I can anyway. My eyes are just not as good as they used to be.
That 4 cavity H&G 39 casts bullets wonderfully. I bought it fairly cheap because who wants round nose any more? Plus they fall out of the mould with a tap of the mallet on the hinge pin or the side of the mould block....sometimes not even that. They size great and load easily....what more can a guy ask for?


Some of us also use them because they perform much better on game than a RN.
But for practice & target shooting, unless it's a match, RN bullets are great.

[s1120]

I use Lyman 358311 to get mine, been using it for more than 50 years.

I shoot that same bullet. Nice and easy to load, and shoots great out of my S&W model 19. People have talked about loading 357 with this bullet also, but I have not tried it, and hear they might be too long.

[Wally]

In the .357 Magnum it is too long in my S & S Model 27....but fits in a Ruger Blackhawk. Same deal with the Lyman 358429. One way I overcame this was to trim a batch of .357 Magnum cases a bit so they would fit the Model 27.


I shoot that same bullet. Nice and easy to load, and shoots great out of my S&W model 19. People have talked about loading 357 with this bullet also, but I have not tried it, and hear they might be too long.

[Frank V]

Wally you could just use .38 Special cases & not have to trim, but you probably knew that.
You would have to watch the pressures though & not get a really hot .38 for your magnum into a .38 Special.

[azrednek]

In my Rossi 38/357. I've had great results using the gas checked RCBS round nose for 9MM. Sorry I don't have the mold #, if I find it I'll edit it in. The 9MM mold drops at 358 at about 135-140 grs. It flows through my normally stubborn with 357 length Puma Rossi. It is a good choice for anybody that prefers a gas checked base at 357 velocities. The hard alloy gas checked casting is a bit over-kill for 9MM.

EDIT: Apparently I was wrong about the weight of the 9MM casting. It is closer to 125. It is RCBS # 82062 and it appears to be discontinued.
http://www.adorama.com/rcbs82062.html

I recently ordered from NOE the gas checked Ranch Dog RNF for 9MM. Hopefully it runs well but more important. Functions and flows through my some what stubborn 357 Rossi. If it runs and functions as well as the RCBS. I'll size it for use it in 9MM as well but will pass on the gas check.
http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?products_id=2098

[Petrol & Powder]

The RN profile is fine and some people say it helps to index the cylinder as the bullet jumps from the cylinder throat to the forcing cone; not sure I buy into that logic. There is a lot of evidence that a flat nosed bullet is more effective on game than a round nosed bullet but that's terminal ballistics. There is also absolute proof that flat nosed bullets make cleaner holes in paper targets but if you're not shooting paper, who cares?

The bottom line is round nosed bullets can be every bit as accurate as SWC. I like the simplicity of using SWC for most shooting and I'll leave the debate of RN vs. SWC to the guys that can shoot well enough to detect those subtle differences :wink:.

[azrednek]

I'll leave the debate of RN vs. SWC to the guys that can shoot well enough to detect those subtle differences :wink:.

Is it me, my molds or possibly just my imagination? One subtle difference I've noticed is round nose seem to me to drop easier from my molds.

[Geezer in NH]

I like them for reloads in action shoots as the RN centers the HKS loader lots faster than a SW!

[FISH4BUGS]

Is it me, my molds or possibly just my imagination? One subtle difference I've noticed is round nose seem to me to drop easier from my molds.
Nope...they do because there don't seem to be as many sharp edges to get hung up when you open the mould. I noticed the same thing.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

Sometimes I like to shoot those self-healing rubber targets. The RN boolits let me know when I get a hit, but they don't cause as much damage to the target.

[Char-Gar]

Here is what a RN bullet out of a 38 Special/357 Magnum WON'T do...

1. Cut clean holes on a paper target.
2. Kill living things with flesh, blood and nerves very well.

Here is what a RN bullets out of a 38 Special/357 Magnum WILL do...

1. Be as accurate as any other bullet design and better than many.
2. Cast with ease.
3. Look cool as heck old school.

That is about it!

[Wally]

Yes, Sir....what I don't like about doing that is there is always a chance I'd shoot the hot loads in my .38 Special revolver; so I decided it was not all that good an idea.


Wally you could just use .38 Special cases & not have to trim, but you probably knew that.
You would have to watch the pressures though & not get a really hot .38 for your magnum into a .38 Special.

[Scharfschuetze]

I've been using a Saeco #385 four cavity mold for more years than I care to remember. It drops 148 grain round nose boolits that for all intents and purposes duplicate the old military M41 38 special boolit. Quite accurate and useful. They work a treat in old Victory Model S&W military revolvers and shoot to point of aim when loaded to mimic the old M41 round, which was the standard issue for these revolvers.

[L Erie Caster]

I have been casting loading and shooting 158g SWC for 25 years. Just a few years ago I started substituting 158g RN, my scores are about the same and it is easier to use a speed loader.

[Frank V]

Yup Wally caution is supreme in handloading & the older I get the more cautious I become! ;) That's why I only load two levels of loads in the .38 Special now. One is an everyday 800fps SWC load & the other is a 700fps full wadcutter load. Neither will accelorate wear on even an old J frame.
They are fun too!