Do i need to plug by pistol?????

[jasdebcr]

Hello,

I have been buying 150 gr 357 mag boolits for some time now, and i would like to start making my own. The bullets that i have been buying are the same as the lyman 358477. i have shot 100's thru my colt trooper. The bullets that i have been buying measure .357 They shoot great!!!! when i started to reload years ago i did not know that there was a differance in boolits. Now that i have done ALOT of reading here i found out that there is alot different things to take in to consideration.

so my question to everyone is do i need to plug my barrel or just keep shooting the .357????

[mooman76]

I am making two assumptions here. I am assuming you are going to get the mould that you mentioned and that you mean slug your barrel rather that plug. You could slug your barrel, it's helpful information to know but if you don't want to you don't have to if you don't want. If you cast the same bullet the alloy probubly will not be the same nor the lube so even the same dimention bullet may not work exactly the same. If it were me I would cast them and if they cast at .358 I would load them and shoot them as is. It won't hurt a bit to go up .001 but .001 too small will cause leading. I'm not saying they won't shoot good at .357 but it may be easier to leave them as is. Another thing did you measure the bullets to see if they actually were .357 or are you going by whats on the box. The manufactures sometimes are off by a little.

[jasdebcr]

i did measure 10 of the boolits and 7 out of 10 did measure 357. the other 3 did measure out to .358 I am new at this so thank you for the correction on plug vs. slug.

[454PB]

All the Colts I've owned in .357 had tight bores, usually .355". Yes, you need to slug the bore and measure the cylinder throats. The throats are done pretty much the same way, push a slightly oversized soft lead slug through and then measure it.

[jasdebcr]

pardon my ignorance...... if the barrell measures .355 and i shoot a .358 or .357 am i hurting anything???? if i am going to start making my own boolits them i want to make sure i am doing it correctly.

[Blammer]

nope not hurting a thing

I'd buy the mould get a sizer in .358 and go for it!

[docone31]

I just size my .38s to .358. I have yet to have any issues.
I felt the same worries you expressed. You are reloading jacketeds at .357, lead seems solid, so why size to .358?
It works that way.
On this forum, you will hear from some real knowlegeable casters. The detail they can explain has extremely helped me.
I size to .358, and I do not crimp. I have yet to have a pull out when firing. I used to always crimp my jacketeds.
I have found, casting is much easier on my firearm. I do push the loads also. My brass lasts longer. With my .38s, and .357, I now shoot heavier than when I loaded jacketed. I am getting better groups, less pounding, and I like to cast and size them. I make my own lube.
My wife is getting in the act, and she is coming up to speed. Her shooting is improving also.
To quote Blammer,
nope, not hurting a thing.
You gonna like it.

[jasdebcr]

thank you to everyone!!!!!!!!!! any more info would be welcome. just getting started and i don't want to ruin a pistol

[Larry Gibson]

Concur with Blammer and docone31, get a .358 sizer, size 'em and load 'em up.

Larry Gibson

[docone31]

Welcome aboard Newbie. We look forward to watching your progress.
Remember,
The only foolish question is the one not asked and acted upon.
These guys significantly helped me break through. I had dreamed on successfully casting for over 4 decades. I was afraid to try. I thought I might break my firearm. I reloaded for over 4 decades.
Today, I successfully paper patch. I get groups equaling factory, with start load data. I slugged my barrel.
All through the competant help from people here.
Welcome.

[jameslovesjammie]

WARNING!!!!!

Boolit casting is EXTREMELY addictive! It starts off with one mould. Then you decide to try another. Then you buy moulds for guns you never planned on casting for. Then you buy moulds for guns you don't even own. Then your mind begins to believe that lead is superior to jacketed bullets. Then you start calling lead bullets "boolits" and jacketed bullets "j-words" or "condoms."

[Bret4207]

Don't worry about the .358 in a Colt barrel. Although Colts , as a GENERAL RULE, run a little tighter than Smiffs it's not a huge deal. I size to .358 for my Colt Officers Model Target and .359 for all my Smiffs. I could probably do it the other way around and not see a huge difference considering my shooting, but it makes me feel better. Should you stumble upon a .357 sizer for cheap you could always try it. Or .356 for that matter. But .358 will get you where you want to go, no problemo.

[Boerrancher]

I size to 358 for my Ruger GP100 and Marlin 94. Both Slug at 356. I have shot boolits out of both that were sized to 360, and had no adverse issues.


Best Wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe