I have a problem and don't know what to do.

[tazman]

I own four 38 specials and two 357 magnums. They range from a model 37 snubbie to a 6.5 inch Blackhawk with 3, 4, and 6 inch barreled guns in between.
I have developed loads using different boolits that work in all of them.
The molds I have owned that didn't work well are gone. The ones that I still own shoot well in all of them where they fit in the cylinders(358429, and 38-180-sil only fit the Blackhawk).
The problem is, I have 16 molds(that I can remember) for these guns and they all shoot well. I really don't need all these different molds but they work so well I don't know which ones to sell if any.
I have the following molds
358429 swc
Lee 358 TL158 swc
Lee 358 swc gas check
358156 swc
NOE 360 150 swc
NOE 360 180 rf (sil) rcbs clone
358432
358495
358091
NOE 358432 HP
NOE 360 148 hollow base
Magma 148 de wc
An off brand 148 full wadcutter with no button
Lee TL 358 158 2R
Lee 358 158 RF
NOE 360 160 WFN
In magnum cases the 358429 and noe 360 180 rf(sil) only work in the Blackhawk but both shoot well. They both shoot well in the 38 specials.
The others all work in every gun I have and shoot accurately. All the wadcutters shoot VERY accurately.
I have a couple of lighter weight molds I can use but they were intended for my 9mm and so are not included here.
My question is which of these, if any, do I get rid of.

[shoot-n-lead]

Start by dumping those tumble lube molds.

I have started thinning mine down, also. I have 4 molds for 38/357, sold the rest and have never looked back. With cast boolits, I have 3 loads for the .357 and 2 for the .38...if I can't do it with that, well, I guess it just won't get done. I shoot more of the Lee 358-158 RF bullets than all of the others combined...great all around bullet.

358429
NOE 360-180
Lee 358-158 RF
Lee 358-125 RF

[PaulG67]

I have perhaps eight molds for 38-357, Mihec, NOE, Lyman, Saeco, I only use one, NOE 358-135, it shoots very well in my handguns and rifle. I have no need for the others and will probably sell them soon. I have decided to reduce the number of molds to only the ones I use.

[tazman]

I have perhaps eight molds for 38-357, Mihec, NOE, Lyman, Saeco, I only use one, NOE 358-135, it shoots very well in my handguns and rifle. I have no need for the others and will probably sell them soon. I have decided to reduce the number of molds to only the ones I use.

I have that mold for my 9mm and could not be made to part with it. I have not tried it in my 38/357 yet. Looks like I may need to do that.
I am also going to downsize the number of molds that I own. Just trying to figure out which ones.

[Mica_Hiebert]

Seems like you have about 3 too many 158 grain semi wad cutters.

[tazman]

Seems like you have about 3 too many 158 grain semi wad cutters.

Yes. That's part of the problem. They all cast well and shoot better. Hard to choose among them.
Thinking I should keep the 2 NOE wadcutters and the 358495 from the wadcutter molds. They serve slightly different purposes. And I do shoot a lot of target for fun and games.

[Forrest r]

Now would be the time to upgrade you collection. Anything that is common/doubles/triples of bullet designs you already have should be fare game for any "classic" or custom molds. The 38spl/357 is 1 of those calibers that tend to do extremely well with most molds/bullets. It's not so much thinning the herd, it's improving the herd. I also own allot of 38spl/357's (9 of them) and have 17 different molds for them. Of those 17 molds the most common molds are the h&g's, 1 being a 10-cavity #50 wc and the other a 2-cavity that casts a #50wc & #51swc bullet. The rest are either rare, hollow based (6) or hollow pointed (7) or a combination of either custom or rare + hb/hp.

[IMG][/IMG]

There's just sooooooo many excellent 35cal molds out there to try. Light wc's like the h&g #41 (110gr wc) are the cat's meow in pipsqueak loads for the 357 (1300fps) or the 138/140gr swc hp's get a little more horsepower in the 38spl p+ loads than their 158gr counterparts. Spire points like the lyman 35893 are extremely accurate, love being driven at warp speeds & actually do surprisingly well in the snubnosed revolvers. Why not buy a classic h&g #51 (I've had a 2-cavity swc/swc hp for decades) and test it in a bunch of different loads/firearms to see for yourself how it actually stacks up/performs compared to other swc's. Why not get a hb version of some of the molds you have and see if there's any real difference. I see you have a couple rf molds but no hb rf molds, the lyman 35870 hb fn bullet is accurate in any 38spl that I've ever tried it in. But it also does extremely well in 9mm target loads.

[IMG][/IMG]

Anyway that's what I've done for years, upgrade or if the price is right buy a mold to either test/resell/test and resell. I don't see you having too many molds. I see you have too many molds of the same weight/design.

[Char-Gar]

If a fellow just enjoys trying different molds, powders and powder charges, there is no need to limit his collection of molds. However, if his primary goal is shooting, there really is no need for all those molds.

To my way of thinking a fellow needs only three molds for the 38 Special/357 Magnum.

1. A good 150 - 160 SWC
2. A good full wadcutter
3 A good 150 - 160 RN.

There are so many types of each and most are not better than the others. Just pick one and go.

[country gent]

Well unless you want to fund a new project and need the money to do so Why sell them off? Clean them up good grease and wax them for long term storage and hang onto them. They take up little room and dont eat anything. At a later point you may want to work with one or 2 of them or a buddy may need some bullets from them.

[runfiverun]

I'm not gonna be any help I have like 3 35 cal pistols and one lever gun and about 8 35 cal molds.
one mold has never even been shot in a gun unless you count it's use as a core mold for making 44 mag bullets with.

anyway I'd probably narrow it down by speed which mold produces the same quality boolits the fastest and easiest.
the less time I gotta spend in front of the pot making boolits the more time I have for lubing and shooting them.

[popper]

Whatever doesn't work well in ALL your guns, for the kind of shooting you are doing. Now if I can just figure out how to use the handles off my Lee 2x moulds - which will go in the trash.

[TCFAN]

tazman,I can't answer your question because I am in the same boat as you,too many molds for the 38-357.
I do have question for you if you care to comment. You list a NOE 360 148 hollow base mold. My question is how easy is it to cast with using the long hollow base pins that come with the mold. Is it a 2 or 4 cavity? I am considering buying a 4 cavity to use in place of my single cavity Lyman 358395 HB mold.Thanks.........Terry

[Four-Sixty]

Make 500 - 1,000 bullets from the molds you use least, or are considering selling. Set those bullets aside and then sell the mold. You have bullets to play with from that mold profile in the future if you ever decide you may need/want it again.

I have been wanting to buy a new mold just to scratch that itch. But, I don't really need one. I have a lot of Lee molds that I started out with, and they have served me well. I will focus more now on "upgrading" my molds. When I say upgrade I mean molds that are problem free for me, or have more cavities to generate boolits faster. I just don't see the need for more than 2 -3 pistol bullet profiles. After all, I got into this hobby to get more "bang for the buck".

I want to be a shooter, not an accumulator.

[DerekP Houston]

Lmao I can't comment I am in the same boat.

[avogunner]

If a fellow just enjoys trying different molds, powders and powder charges, there is no need to limit his collection of molds. However, if his primary goal is shooting, there really is no need for all those molds.

To my way of thinking a fellow needs only three molds for the 38 Special/357 Magnum.

1. A good 150 - 160 SWC
2. A good full wadcutter
3 A good 150 - 160 RN.

There are so many types of each and most are not better than the others. Just pick one and go.

I occur 100% and my three happen to be:
358156
358311
358432

Semper Fi

[gwpercle]

Whatever you do keep 358432 , it's a winner. My favorite and most accurate in my guns.
I ordered a three cavity NOE aluminum mould of this design to replace the single cavity Lyman I had been using, Lyman stopped making them , when I saw that NOE had the triple in stock, I couldn't help myself. It came in yesterday and I'm fondling it now , can hardly wait to use it .... just call me a hopeless mould junkie too !
Gary

[jeepyj]

For me 38 caliber mould are very addictive. I may not use all them on a regular basis however the chances of parting with them is slim except to help out fellows in my area that I've been teaching to cast. I've found that some that were unused because I thought they were a bit under sized actually ended up being great candadates for powder coating. like a gentleman said to me a while back "they don't eat no hay"
jeepyj

[tazman]

tazman,I can't answer your question because I am in the same boat as you,too many molds for the 38-357.
I do have question for you if you care to comment. You list a NOE 360 148 hollow base mold. My question is how easy is it to cast with using the long hollow base pins that come with the mold. Is it a 2 or 4 cavity? I am considering buying a 4 cavity to use in place of my single cavity Lyman 358395 HB mold.Thanks.........Terry

Mine is a 4 cavity. I need to run it just a bit hotter than my other NOE molds in order to get good fill out at the base with that thin skirt. Because of the thin skirt you have to be careful when you open it or you will crack/tear the skirt. I tap the hinge until the boolits are visibly released from the blocks and are sitting on the pins. Then I finish opening the mold and dump the boolits.
This takes slightly longer than a normal hollow point because of the thinness of the skirt as opposed to the thick nose of a hollow point.
I get less than with my other 4 cavity NOE molds per hour because of that. I get around 400 instead of 5-6 hundred with the non-hollow base molds. Not bad in my opinion.
Mine drop right at .360 with range scrap. I size them with a Lee push through and tumble lube them. I put them through the sizer hollow base first to make sure I don't deform the base.
The accuracy is excellent. Not certain yet if they are more accurate than my Lyman molds but they are at least equal.

[DerekP Houston]

haha I just picked up a new Mihec mold....been on a group buy for awhile on it. Wouldn't you know its another 38 spec mold . 358429 w/HP look forward to testing it out.

[TCFAN]

tazman,thank you for the answer to my question. That helps a lot.........Terry