Soon to be new caster, I hope

[kmw1954]

Hello everyone. Such a wonderful informative forum this is. So glad I found it.

I have been out of the shooting sport for quite a while and a new friend has re-ignited interest. I used to shoot and reload a lot of 38/357 so it's not like I am completely unfamiliar.

I'm now retired and have time to dedicate to a new pastime. Though at this point I haven't decided yet as to a caliber. Leaning in order is 380, 9mm or 38/357 which I suppose isn't really that important to the questions I have or will come upon.

I have been reading thru the sticky topics and have already learned a lot and picked up good advice there and will be continuing to read these.

So I have a pretty good idea of what I want and will need and have started a short list of items to acquire. 1st being some good books. Fortunately for me I have a GM store about 40 min. away and they carry most of the books I'm looking for and for less than I can find them on ebay.

I know much has changed in supplies while I've been out of this reloading but the reloading principles remain the same. Also w/o a manual I have no way of looking up load data other than online from the powder manf., For those that I have looked at it seems pretty limited for the 380. With nothing for cast.

1st question I have for you all is about a mold. It is a Lee mold, number is 90316. It is a .358" 105gr. SWC and am curious if this boolit can be used and loaded for the 380ACP. It's listed as a 38/357 cal. mold. Though other than dia. it looks to be the same over-all size as the 9mm 102 gr. RN.


I ask this because I am seriously looking at a Beretta model 84F Cheetah. So if anyone can enlighten me about this mold for this round or point me to some info I'd be more than happy to read it. I did a search on here and came up empty. Maybe just not using the correct keywords.

Thanks in advance!

[Yodogsandman]

Check Amazon for manuals. I bought my Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook #4 from eBay for $22, it arrived from amazon 3 days later, sent as a gift from the seller. The price on Amazon was $18 with free shipping if you were a Prime member. The seller didn't even have to handle the books.

I'd also suggest a Lyman 49th edition Reloading Handbook.

Good luck with the mold. I'd wait to have the pistol in hand and slug the bore for size information first. Or start casting for a gun you already have. Slug the barrel and decide on the mold from there.

[paul edward]

You should be able to use Lee mold 90316 for .380, .38Spl/.357Mag and 9mm. For the .38Spl/.357mag it will be a bit light, but will use less lead than heavier bullets. The important thing is to measure the groove diameters of the pistols it will be used in, and size the bullets accordingly. My Walther PK380 has a .357 groove, so I can easily use .358 diameter cast bullets. I originally looked at the 90316 or the 90305, 102 Grain 1R, but ended up with Lee's equivalent of the Ranch Dog, a 95 grain rounded flatnose 90601.

You may find that successfully loading for the .380 is easier than for the 9x19mm. With it's straight case walls, the .380 is like a downsized .45 ACP.

[pill bug]

Hi kmw1954, way ahead of you, by 10 posts! just kidding. I'm brand new to, and am still trying to find my way around. wish I could be of some help, have some experience with revolvers and rifles but nothing with automatics which I think are more temperamental and need more attention to detail. (hope no one blast me for not knowing what i'm talking about!) Anyway, i am in the same boat. want to find out how to cast/reload for a Browning hi power and a Walther p38 but have alot to learn. Hit me up if you ever want to compare notes.

[jcren]

I load for 2 380's, 38 special and a few for a friend's 9 and have good results in all with the Lee .356-95 rf mentioned above. The 105 works well in one of my 380's but won't feed in the other. If you want a heavier bullet I would look at the 356-120 tc or the .357-125 rf. By the way I shake and bake powder coat and size them all to .358 with a Lee push through.

[kmw1954]

Thanks for the replies, that is the kind of feedback I am looking for.

Most likely the pistol will be a 380 or 9mm. 10-4 on slugging the barrel and my thought was that the .358 would have to be sized anyways so it would be a matter of getting the correct die. My concern is more with seating depth and crimping than actual diameter. A 38/357 may come later. Wife wants to learn to shoot but is leery of wheel guns.

So far the majority of my reloading experience has been with straight wall 38/357 and a friends 44 mag. So the auto rounds will be a new learning experience also. But the casting will be a whole new game which I'm in no hurry and expect to make mistakes before getting great results. PC is a thought but way down the road.

Paul Edward all of those molds are on my list to watch for along with a few heavier molds in case I go 9mm.

jcren I was wondering if the 120gr. TC would be too heavy for the 380?

yodo, both of those books are on my must have list. I'll compare prices with Amazon. They now have a new warehouse about 45 min. away from me, just past the GM store!

[jcren]

I don't have that mold yet (actuall looking looking to have a custom one made), but have ran 125 rf through both guns. If you haven't picked a gun for her yet, may I suggest the Walther pk380. The controls are simple and the slide is very easy to rack. My wife loves hers, but not the 38 snub I got her first.

[Wayne Smith]

1) DON'T chose a gun for your wife! Let her shoot a variety (around here ranges will let you rent guns for a small fee and box of ammo) and choose her own!

2) Start loading for the 38/357, both because you are familiar with it and because it is the most forgiving of the calibers you list. Read the stickie on loading cast in the 9mm, and read it again. Then decide if it is what you want to do.

[runfiverun]

some good advice here.
if I were to do the 380 I'd look at that ranch dog mold.

I have found targeting a specific caliber with a specific mold usually works best for me.
sometimes I miss the mark and end up with another mold but then the first mold seems to work in another gun in the same caliber telling me I wasn't really off, the gun just didn't like that boolit for some reason. [shrug,, it happens]

and let the wife pick out the gun she likes and feels comfortable with.
we will figure a way around things just to shoot them.
women won't.
they just wanna pick them up, point them at something, flip the lever and go to shooting.
anything more complicated than that and they want nuthin to do with the gun.

[lightman]

Welcome back to the reloading world! Things really have not changed much since you have done this in the past. Most of those companies are still in business making the same stuff, and some new stuff. There are some newer powders available but most of the old ones are still around, and work just as good as ever. There are a few new brands of primers now. Lots of new brands of cases. Some casters preheat their molds on a hotplate before casting. A few powder coat their bullets instead of using lube. You'll catch up pretty quick!

As to you choices to start with, I recommend the 38/357. Cast bullets in an auto can be more challenging than a revolver. I also recommend sizing and lubing your bullets at the beginning vs learning to powder coat.

[kmw1954]

Thank you again for all the replies! Making notes too.

Agree that the 38/357 is a much easier round to work with. She has already expressed that she in not interested in a revolver for whatever reason. I may find one for myself though. I just found my old S&W Model 19 a very fun gun to shoot. More so than my BIL's Colt Trooper or my best friends S&W 44 mag.

As referred to in the 1st post at this time I have a line on a very nice used Beretta 84F for a very good price and it is a model tat I have always wanted. Been around a long time and in MO are very fine pieces.

Also have a couple S&W Model 39's I'm looking at along with a few others. Both the wife and I have smaller sized hands which is why I'm looking at medium framed guns. In my mind I don't want to go to a compact because I believe the longer barrel will be easier for her to learn with. I also understand the "don't pick one for her" as I have learned we both have very different tastes styles when it comes to fishing gear. Once she has learned the basics or operation and handling I can see her having her own.

Next she has never been around guns and has a fear of them and the unknown. So the learning curve will be long and slow. Not going to push her. Needs to learn safety first.

Reloading and casting, I know I'm doing this backwards. I have a habit of that but I recently found a press at a price I couldn't pass up, almost free. It is a Lee Pro 1000 that is like new and complete and yes I've read everything I could find on this press. So this is the press I'll be using.

This is going to be a long term project and knowing myself once I get started it will grow. Still working on a basics list and reading everything I can.

[Cherokee]

I load a lot of 380 ACP. Currently I use the Lee 356-95RF and the TL from Lee. Works in all my 380's and is accurate within the 380/gun limitations. Previously I used a 109 gr TC bullet but sold the mold (good idea at the time, not as accurate as the 95RF). I found .357 size works best in all my guns and is more accurate than .356 size.

[Mk42gunner]

First thing I would buy is a manual that includes the cartridges you plan to cast and load for. Lymans are good because they include data for lead bullets, not all of the others do.

I am also glad to see you mention safety and going slow.

Robert

[kmw1954]

Thanks Cherokee!

Yes slow. Have a habit of overthinking things instead of compulsively reacting at times. Have missed many great deals over the years because I didn't act fast enough.

These are the books I'm looking to pick up;

Lyman Pistol and Revolver Handbook
Lyman 49th Edition Reloading Handbook
Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook
Lyman Load Data books

Yes I worked many years in production maintenance so safety has been stressed in my life for a long time. Safety meetings, videos, weekly "toolbox meetings", OSHA, USDA, FDA, EPA, experienced them all.

[paul edward]

Good idea to let her pick a pistol that she likes. Subtle considerations, often hard to describe, will make her decision a good place to start. When I taught my kids to shoot, I made sure they had available a wide selection of different revolvers and semi autos. The boys seemed to like the 22 auto and Hi Power. Their younger sister took to a .44 Special Charter Arms Bulldog like a fish to water. Said if fit her hands. Worked for her.

It has been my experience that people will shoot better with a weapon they feel is right for them.

[paul edward]

Another good reference book is the annual Hodgdon's Complete Reloading Data Manual. I get one every other year from the magazine rack at my grocery store.

Like woodworkers clamps, you can never have too many data books.

[Nose Dive]

KMW1954... This is NOSE DIVE,,, circa 1945.....

Agree that the pistol for the wife should be of her selection. I do also counsel 'she shoots' a few or each design. As mentioned above, ranges do provide rentals to allow for this exercise. Revolvers, big and small, autos, big and small, ... Let her try them and make the pick.

I thought my old S&W Chief's special hammer-less would be a great pick for my daughter. She could retrieve the weapon and begin firing with no hammer issues. I thought single action hammer-less was ideal. ....she hated it.

So, I provided+ several semi-autos in several calibers.... no dice here either... she wanted to 'see' the hammer...as this is what she was taught to handle with my an old colt .22 when she was young. Do you see? I was in left field with her. We landed on a new .38 S&W SS snub nose. with my light realoads. Fits in her purse..clove box... car caddy... So...yes Dad did blow it....

Lesson here is 'let them decide'. My wife carries an old Polak RADOM P-64 with WOLF SPRINGS and of course,,,my reloads. this is also my 'day to day, concealed,,,,now new in TEXAS...open carry pistol WOLF SPRINGS help immensely...

Nose Dive

Cheap, Fast, Good. Kindly pick two.

[kmw1954]

Good idea to let her pick a pistol that she likes. Subtle considerations, often hard to describe, will make her decision a good place to start.
It has been my experience that people will shoot better with a weapon they feel is right for them.

I do wholly understand this and that the sense of feel is purely subjective. What feels good to me may not feel the same way to anyone else. At this point to me this is the same as putting a person into a car that has never driven before and then asking them how the car drove.

But we digress a bit and get off topic. So back to the topic, I was surfing thru ebay for equipment and seen many listings for recycled lead. Which made me start to ponder just what is a fair price for lead ingots? What do most consider over priced?

[jcren]

Many reputable vendors here well clean lead of reasonably known origin for around a dollar per pound shipped. Several are running 65# medium flat rate boxes for around $70. EBay will be a **** shoot.

[David2011]

Lots of good advice here. Welcome to CastBoolits! The .38 Special is a great first cartridge. The smaller cartridges operate at much higher pressures. A modest plinking load in .38 is very forgiving. Some 9mm loads only range 0.4 grains from starting to maximum and develop pressure similar to the .357 with full tilt loads. Seating depth is critical with the small cases, too. Too deep and the starting load may exceed maximum pressure. The .38 will tolerate a 148 grain wadcutter seated flush with the mouth or a 158 grain semi wadcutter seated to the crimp groove with the same light charges of several powders. Specifically, one of my favorite loads is either the aforementioned 148 WC or the 158 SWC with 2.7 grains of Bullseye. The seating depth is very different but both are gentle, fun loads that are well within safe limits. Auto loaders require loads close to full power to cycle the slide so loading down isn't nearly the option with which a wheel gun will function properly.

David

[kmw1954]

KMW1954... This is NOSE DIVE,,, circa 1945.....

Agree that the pistol for the wife should be of her selection. I do also counsel 'she shoots' a few or each design. As mentioned above, ranges do provide rentals to allow for this exercise. Revolvers, big and small, autos, big and small, ... Let her try them and make the pick..

Just did a quick web search for Wisconsin gun ranges with rentals and found 98 listings. Of those I found only 5 with rentals and all are at least 3 hours away.

[kmw1954]

What to thank everyone for taking the time to respond it's very helpful.

Just needed to back off a bit to regroup. I really do understand the differences between the auto loaders and revolver cartridges and won't get any argument from me that the revolver is easier to work with. Though I really don't want to turn this topic into a "which gun is best" as I've already been through that discussion on another site.

I realize that the auto loader will be a harder platform to start with over-all and am ready for that. Still I am leaning towards the 380 first and the 9mm second. Even if I have to start with RN molds.

Back to casting... I've been thinking of the material aspect and the best way or means of obtaining lead to start.
So far I have not contacted any of the tire shops about scrap WW. I doubt that they just give it away so what is a fair price to pay. Are the tire shops hard to deal with? Will most even talk to you? I have contacted a couple local metal recyclers but as of yet I haven't heard back from them.

For ebay sources I can follow that could also be an iffy source as jc mentioned. I have also looked thru the sellers section of this site so I will add that to my list.

Thinking I might be a good idea to find a reliable source for lead before jumping in and spending a ton of money on equipment!

Thanks again for all the input.

[kmw1954]

Well I found a sticky on wheel weights though it is quite dated. So I guess I will run around to some of the local shops and check them out. Seems sometimes it can be had for free.

Though I did find that Illinois has banned the use of lead so I won't have to look there..

[jcren]

Some will give them away, many will already have someone getting them. I have had decent luck talking them up while getting tires or a flat fixed etc. Always tip em somehow. A little cash (i usually give $20-$40 for 5 gal depending on how full) on the side or a pizza at lunch or case of local flavor arou d quitting time goes a long way.