Lyman 358091 AW

[jasdebcr]

I purchased a Lyman 358091 AW 4 cavity mold a while back. I got ready to start casting and i noticed that it has a bevel base. I am pretty new to casting and i can't find it in my lyman third edition book. does the mold need gas checks? do i load it just like a standard base?

Thanks

[MT Gianni]

No checks are needed, the bevel is there to improve the seating alignment in some engineers/designers opinion. I haven't seen that it hurts accuracy at wadcutter velocities.

[dwtim]

Or at least up to 25 yards. The bevel is mild on the '91. It's one of the better bullets in my 38s.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Hi, The bevel base is often seen on cast bullet design. It is a controversial subject as to whether BB bullets are more or less accurate than non BB bullets. Many good theories abound and debates have gone on for a long time. They are definitely easier to start into case mouths. One complaint regarding BB bullets is that when they are lubed and sized, especially in a lubrisizer, the void that is the BB will always fill with (a ring of) lube which then has to be removed before seating in order to avoid contaminating the powder. This is a "nuisance" step and also is a waste of lube. I don't "pan lube", but this would also occur with this method as well. Some handloaders have a contour (machined ) shaped in the top of the sizer die to engage & accomodate the BB and this prevents the void from filling with lube. The BB has nothing to do with gas checks; a gas check design is something else entirely. Yes you load it as you would a regular bullet...just make sure that there is no lube in the BB when you seat. Good shooting. LLS

[shooting on a shoestring]

Ahh yes. The 358091 - my favorite boolit. I bought mine new in the Eighties and have put some miles on it.

Bevel base = no worries. Easy to start in the case. I use a very old Lyman 45 Lubrisizer flowing World Famous Felix Lube and don't have any problems with lube filling the bevel, it just doesn't happen for me. Also I've never been picky about some Felix lube on the bottom of boolits. If there's some there, its OK with me and I haven't had any problems. I really don't see any powder degredation, or at least no velocity changes one way or the other. Perhaps with some lubes and some powders, but for me there's never been a problem even with some of my loads that have aged about 5 years or so.

Also, I push my 358091s in .357 to 1200 give or take a little. They can go fast and far. I cast them mostly out of WWs and water quench.

I also have some cast in nearly pure Pb and drilled 1/8" hollow points in them about half the length of the boolit. Those are my SD boolits in my snubby .38 over 5.5 grains of Unique. They get to between 850 and 900 fps. Makes a good .38 snubby load.

Try them slow and fast, short and far. You'll discover they are much better than the gun rag writers let on. I am still amazed that they have a reputation for being only for slow applications. Mine go fast.

[Will]

What is a good load for this one?

[buckbeans]

Looking at article Summer of 38 by Glenn Fryxell shows that he favors 4.6 grains of Winchester 231 over the 358091 to be extremely accurate.

[Silver Hand]

I know this is an old thread. But I just landed a nice 358091 paper puncher in a four banger with handles, used but good condition.
Over the last few years I have read this post a dozen times. I just wanted to say thanks.
Hope I get to use it soon. I just can't see good enough to use the old single cavity any longer. I can't believe I once weighed every one of them Boolits. The better part is wile going through my things I found about a seven hundred or so primed, clean, prepared .38 cases in a sealed ammo can I set back when moving over twenty five years ago and forgot about.
I will test a few primers but I will bet they will spark.

[runfiverun]

i'd bet they do too.
i found 4 grs 231 to be slightly more accurate for me.
and only lubing the bottom lube groove proved to be most accurate also.

[Silver Hand]

I have seen a bit of smoke from time to time, Thanks.
I came across a few pounds of red dot and 700x that hasn't been tapped in a wile.

[Silver Hand]

i'd bet they do too.
i found 4 grs 231 to be slightly more accurate for me.
and only lubing the bottom lube groove proved to be most accurate also.

Nope. no 231 in the locker but I will be to the counter in a few days and I will look over the shelves to see if is in the store.
Thanks for the information