Lee 105gr SWC?

[Jantar]

Hi!
Anyone here casting the Lee 105gr SWC who would like to share his experiences?
/Patrick

[Lloyd Smale]

great bullet its shot well in every .38 special ive tried it in. I thank the day i lucked into finding this bullet. Nice thing too is you really dont even have to size them just tumble lube them and load em.

[David R]

I had a Dan Wesson 357 that shot everything high. It was a fixed site gun. I Bought the 105 gr mold when I "didn't Know better". It was my first boolit mold. It shot great at reasonable velocities.

David

[Jantar]

That is what I keep hearing about them, however I am having great difficulties with this bullet in my S&W m.14-1. I cast using a ratio of 1:3 Lino/WW and the bullets come out slightly above the nominal weight. I size them to .358 and lube them, then load them into Norma .38 Spc cases with VV N310 or N320. I have tried loads from 3.0gr up to 3.7gr with the N310 and the spread pattern is like that of a shotgun. I would really like to get to terms with this bullet because I recon it has a pretty flat trajectory, but I'm really running out of ideas. Does anyone have any clues?
The powders I have access to are Vihtavuori and Vectan.
Regards,
Patrick

[rbstern]

My favorite boolit. Use it in 38 special and 380acp, and occassionally 9mm.

I cast it as air cooled wheel weight alloy, which yields a 108 grain boolit. For 38 special, I usually leave it unsized. For 9mm and 380acp, I size it .356. Lee tumble lube.

My best loads:

38 special: 3.6 grains of Hogdon Clays or 3.8 grains of Hogdon HP38 These loads are very accurate out of a 4" S&W model 66 and a 20" Rossi M92.

380acp: 3.8 grains of Alliant Power Pistol or 3.1 grains of Hogdon HP38

Sorry I don't have any data for your powders. But, I've shot this boolit over four different powders in half a dozen differents guns. It has performed very well in all cases. You may be dealing with a problem other than powder.

[tomf52]

I cast this bullet from straight wheel weights in a six hole Lee. They drop out at the advertised .358. Have shot them without sizing and Lee tumble libe in my Model 60 3" with great success (albeit a little leading). Have just loaded up 100 rounds sized .356 and lubed with Felix lube for my 5906 S&W> Will let you know the results. Did get appreciable leading in the 5906 with .356 sizing and Lee tumble lube.

[David R]

You could try softer alloy and a bigger size. You should slug or measure your cylinder throats. It the boolit is small, it won't shoot.

David

[versifier]

Jantar,
Try them unsized and see what happens. I think DavidR is onto the problem.

[tomf52]

5906 Smith&Wesson is a 9mm semi auto. No cylinder throats. I'm still experimenting with alloys and lubes and powders to find a worlable load for fun shooting. Any ideas greatly appreciated.

[45 2.1]

5906 Smith&Wesson is a 9mm semi auto. No cylinder throats. I'm still experimenting with alloys and lubes and powders to find a worlable load for fun shooting. Any ideas greatly appreciated.

I've experimented heavily with bullet in the 9mm. Cast of WW and size from 0.3575" to 0.358" (mine casts at 0.3585") and use a good lube. Very little lube capacity on this bullet, it needs more. Try WW 231 for your powder choice.

[Jantar]

Jantar,
Try them unsized and see what happens. I think DavidR is onto the problem.

Are there any risks involved in shooting bullets unsized? Never tried it and thought I should ask here first. Don't feel like having my gun blow up in my face.
/Patrick

[Dale53]

You should match the bullet diameter to the chamber and throat on a pistol. If the loaded cartridge, with an unsized bullet (make up a dummy) will drop into the chamber of its own weight, chances are it is not TOO big (strip the pistol so you have easy access to the chamber of the barrel).

The rule is to try to seat a bullet in an unsized but fired case. If you can seat the bullet with your fingers (case must have been fired in the pistol in question) you will be all right. The danger is if the bullet is so large that the case is clamped between the chamber and the bullet and cannot open to release the bullet. The danger is MUCH greater with jacketed bullets and the relatively soft lead bullet would "probably" release even a bullet too large without serious problems. However, I am conservative when it comes to creating dangerous conditions. Prudent practice suggests that using the fired case as a gauge is the proper way to go.

I had a Walther PPK .380 that had a tight chamber and a large barrel with a groove diameter of .358 (chamber would only allow a cartridge with a .355 bullet to be chambered). This pistol shot decently with jacketed bullets but, of course, would NOT shoot with cast. Needless to say, I got rid of it.

Even if the large bullet is safe, it may shoot better if slightly sized. Keep in mind that ANY sizing damages a bullet. So, the less sizing the better. However, I make a practice of letting the gun tell me if the size is correct - shoot it (after checking as above for safety) with different sizes and see what the results are. This experimentation is good for the soul :razz:

Dale53

[garandsrus]

Jantar,

I love this bullet also! I shoot it with 3.2 gr W231. It is a very light load but also very accurate. I shoot it at 50' in an indoor PPC league. I am going to increase the powder charge a little as it rips the paper instead of punching a clean hole.

I tried a load of 2.5 gr W231 and it was terrible! It was too light a charge.

John

[Four Fingers of Death]

I try all of my boolits unsized and Lee tumble lubed first. If this works and it generally does, you just saved yourself a lot of work.

[OldBearHair]

Introducing myself as OldBearhair with my first post here. I have been reading some posts and am impressed with Cast Boolits. I am an older newbie and still trying to learn. I have a Lee two hole bullet mold for 105 gr. My idea was to have a hard cast bullet to dispatch critters on the trap line. Someone mentioned that the little bullet would only be good for plinking and small game. Then the idea struck to do a penetration test in wood . I had worked up from a minimum load in a Ruger Police Service Six 357 with low fixed sights. First was 4.0 grains Bullseye then increasing the powder charge by 1/2 grain up to 6 grains Bullesye. The first two loads shot well and 25 feet with no recoil. Up to 6.0 grains and shot seemingly fast and as accurate as my recent cataracht surgery would allow. Now I am in a holding pattern til my Chronograph gets delivered and I see the Eye Doctor.
Upon rigging up 6 1x4 white pine boards and shooting at about 15 feet there were 2 complete passthroughs. Rigged up ten boards and fired two rounds. One bullet encountered a hard knothole and stopped in board #6, the other was in board #7 with a dent in #8. The bullets are not deformed except for rifling marks and all the lube is gone.
I saw loads that went as high as 9.0 gr. Bullseye, and there is no pressure signs with the 6.0 grain load. The Win primer is beginning to show just a minute amount of flattening.
I am sorry that my avatar and other stuff is not finished but I need to start already. I will add some pictures later.

[Artful]

Welcome OldBearhair, look forward to your pictures. I have used the Lee 38-105 SWC for a number of guns and it has always done well in 9's, 38's, and 357's for me - I even used as a close range plinker in 358 wcf rifle over a charge of Unique. Shooting as cast and lubed by tumble, pan or hand may help you out but slug the cylinder throats of Revolvers and bore of autoloaders. Design is nice but fit is king.

[OldBearHair]

Add the fox caught in Feb 1024
110276110277110278The ten 1x4s showing the seven boards that were penetrated110281

[OldBearHair]

Need to explain the fox picture as proof I do run a trapline on my deer lease. The second picture is the group of 6 boards with two 1/4 inch plywood that was moved off the block on inpact.

[Bill in Ky]

I tried the 105 in my Smith M&P9 and couldn't get it to chamber reliably. I took boolits I had powder coated and tried them in my Lone Wolf 357sig barreled Glock 23. I am loading 6gr of RedDot with no pressure signs, no fouling and no setbacks. The Lil Chrony measured a little over 1300fps, very accurate, very pleased.

[JimP.]

i like this bullet. i'm using it in my 38 S&W hammerless safety revolver. not quite as accurate as a 148 gr hbwc, but close. i have gotten away from sizing any of my cast bullets prefering to tumble lube and shoot as is. my accuracy is better and in my 45-70 and 500 S&W mag i use pufflon for a filler. this bullet tumble lubed and not sized works well in my glock 19, i do taper crimp but shoot them unsized. JimP.