A different question about the LEE 358-158-RF Mold

Howdy fellow lead slingers!
I just recently bought a used LEE 358-158-RF 6 cavity, from a person here on the board, who had also bought it used from someone else. I am a die hard lover of & believer in hardcast, true WFN boolits. I previously owned a 358-158-RF 2 cavity and it dropped boolits with a meplat of .25", which the LEE site claims it to have. This new to me 6 cavity drops boolits with a true for caliber WFN of .28". Being a lover of all boolits WFN, I was THRILLED to say the least. The cavities all look completely stock, all the boolits drop .359" and 160-160.5 gr. with straight COWW alloy. My question is this..... Has anyone else come across a LEE 358-158-RF that dropped boolits with meplats that wide?
Thanks for taking the time to read this :-)
Safe and happy casting and shooting!
MagLvr

I don't have experience with that particular Lee # but I did have the same with a Lee C429-240 SWC. My first SC that I bought in 1980 was almost pointed. I purchased a DC in 1995 or so and it had a wide flat SWC that was much better for what I wanted. So I think as reams wear out, new ones are not always the same. I know thats the way it is with different production runs from Lyman.

I have a 2 cavity Lee 358-158 RF mold that has the large meplat of .284 and it drops from the mold at 160+ grains using COWW metal at .360 diameter.My mold came with a very large bevel base and I had that removed. I bought the mold 10 years ago or so new. I later bought a 6 cavity mold of the same boolit and it has a much smaller meplat and smaller bevel on the base.

I know just what you mean, they sure did make some rather pointed SWC designs through the years. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to some of them.

Mine is also a tad larger than .280 now that I compare it side by side to a boolit with a known meplat of .280, and it has a very small base bevel, or I would be removing it for sure. all I know is it's a KEEPER :-)

I like my lee mold. Don’t know what the diameter of the meplat is have to go home and measure it. Iam gessing.280+ but it shoots good

I own several Lee molds....however I don't have that one....but thank you for making me search "meplat"....I learned something new today...so it was a good day!

I had no idea what "meplat" meant either, until I started hanging out in this place, so I could start "saving money" HAHAHHAHAHHA little did I know the addiction that would grab hold of me! I'm afraid I have the mold monkey on my back for good :-(

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Originally Posted by maglvr

I had no idea what "meplat" meant either, until I started hanging out in this place, so I could start "saving money" HAHAHHAHAHHA little did I know the addiction that would grab hold of me! I'm afraid I have the mold monkey on my back for good :-(

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Yeah....I'm telling myself that the savings are "long term" because all the foray into the casting world has done is give me a new range of cool stuff to buy! But I have to admit that I feel pretty good when I score free lead scrap....:bigsmyl2:

I've been on here since '05 and haven't purchased a mold in at least five, maybe six years? No, did buy one when I bought the 9.3x57 - gotta stay away from Simpson's website! But, my point, is that I don't hang out on the group buy site any more - I pretty much have what I want.

THANKFULLY I never got into the group buy addiction, I think the main reason is that I am not caliber crazy anymore, but there was a time I thought I needed another caliber for each species and place I hunted LOL. Those days are long gone now and i'm well satisfied with the few calibers I settled on. That and I tend to be impatient, when I want to buy something I want it yesterday! So I just go to Accurate molds or NOE and in a couple of days i'm happily making boolits. :-)

The way I see it, if a man didn't get excited over free lead, he might just as well be dead! What could possibly be a better find than that!

I've considered getting the 6 cavity because of the huge nose . I was actually let down when the 452-255 wasn't cut the same way .

Agreed, the 452-255-RF could benefit from a wider nose.

I don't have the Lee but this is my go to boolit for my 38 lever guns.http://accuratemolds.com/bullet_deta...=36-158V-D.png

This one looks like it would hit like a hammer!!!http://accuratemolds.com/bullet_deta...36-170BG-D.png

There is no doubt about that, it will hit like a sledge hammer! The only problem I can see is at ranges over 60 yards or so. It is not far removed from being a full wadcutter, and that super wide nose is going to start bucking air currents and drifting off course as it slows down. But for close up(60 yards and under) and personal, it should be nothing short of devastating on flesh and bone, if it was cast of WCWW and doing at least 800 fps AT THE ANIMAL. JMHO and YMMV :-)

have not ever measured mine but it is my go to mold for 38 and 357.