The Lee 158gr SWC GC & the Lee 148gr WC molds

[Frank V]

I got one of each of these .38 molds double cavitys, for Christmas & since today was cool & rainy I decided to give them a try.

I've used Lee molds for years & have had pretty satisfactory results. These two molds are no exception.
The 158gr SWC GC is just a bit tempremental it likes to be run hot almost frosty but then I did have quite a wind blowing in the garage with both front & rear doors open for ventelation. Once I found out it wanted to be hot I turned the SAECO led pot up to 825 & cast fast just letting the sprue solidify, you know how they turn a darker color, then it started working really well. I got quite a few cast.
I switched to the Lee 148gr WC & WOW that mold went right to work I let it get good & hot dipping it in the metal as Lee suggests. The first bullet was good, a bit frosty, but good. I cast them a bit faster than I normally do & soon got a pretty good pile of them.
Next time someone says Lee molds are no good I can tell them not so!
Just wanted to share a profitable afternoon with the forum.

Now if Lee would just make a 450gr, .460 WFP GC, with three deep wide lube grooves, I'd be really happy!

[Tatume]

Frosty bullets are good bullets. If my bullets aren't dropping frosted, I raise the temperature of the mold until they do. Shiny bullets go back into the pot; I reject each and every one.

[RogerDat]

I like that Lee 158 gr. SWC too. W/out GC however. I better like it I cast up 1,100 of them so I would not have to do many during the heat of summer, with the bugs and sweating and humidity bleh, better to do a bunch now.

I'm go to frosty and back off just a touch using 50/50 WW/Pb with tin added to 1.4% The tin may influence how easy it is to cast shiny. Never had a dirt pile, can, or target complain. Except for those times my shots were close enough to scare the afore mentioned targets.

[mdi]

I have/like the Lee wadcutter mold and run my temps right to the edge of frosty. Jes a few degrees below frosty and my bullets drop at the right diameter and fall out of the mold...

[gwpercle]

Happiness is a warm boolit mould !
I enjoy casting too. Once you have two or three sessions with those moulds , they will get all broke in and will do even better. They get " seasoned ".
I have those moulds also , just barely below frosty is the sweet spot. Let the sprues harden before cutting , once the top starts to get a smear you need to stop and clean it off. I'm bad about not waiting and getting a smear.
Gary

[Frank V]

I lubrisized some of the wadcutters & boy what a beautiful bullet, can't wait to load some in a case with a light charge of Bullseye or HP38! I'm betting they'll shoot litty bitty groups.
Was going to lubrisize some of the SWC GC bullets too, but guess I'm out of .38 GCs. that's correctable though!
Looking forward to some great shooting with these two molds!

[runfiverun]

try about 4 grs of 231 under the wad cutter in a 38 case.
I put that much under my 158 swc's [plain base] and it will keep them all pretty darn close together.

[Frank V]

runfiverun, thanks I think HP38 is the same as WW231? I may have some 231 anyway it is a great powder.

[FergusonTO35]

The Lee C358-158-SWC is a great boolit, almost as good as the dearly departed 358-150-SWC. Back when I had one I trimmed the gas check shank out to plain base and surprisingly it dropped them right at 152 grains.

[PBaholic]

Frosty bullets are good bullets. If my bullets aren't dropping frosted, I raise the temperature of the mold until they do. Shiny bullets go back into the pot; I reject each and every one.

What's wrong with shiny bullets?

[DerekP Houston]

What's wrong with shiny bullets?

Nothing wrong with em as long as they are filled out and not wrinkly. Just seems to be a tad easier and consistent with the melt/mold casting slightly frosty, some of my lee molds stick until it gets up to hotter temp then they tap out easily.

[Tatume]

Frosty bullets are known to have been cast at a sufficient temperature and in a mold that is thoroughly heated; they will be uniform throughout. Shiny bullets were cast at a reduced temperature or in a mold that isn't heated sufficiently, and may have inconsistent weights. This is easily demonstrated by weighing a few hundred. Frosty bullets will be accurate. Shiny bullets may be accurate, and maybe not. Shiny bullets should be discarded in favor of frosty bullets.

[runfiverun]

yeah 231 and hp-38 are the same powder.
some of the H series and WIN series overlap, but are the same powders with different names.

I don't go frosty with my boolits I go just past the shiny stage where they turn a galvanized grey color as they cool.
frosted is when you start getting white edges to things and start losing definition to the corners.
you can cast shiny boolits with good fill out but your riding the edge of too cold and just warm enough in the mold and it is a fine line to follow.
if you can ride that line you will have good consistent boolits but it takes concentration.
I have an accurate mold that I have to ride that line with to get the best diameters for my rifles.
if I can hold it there it just barely scuffs the size die when seating the check and lubing the groove.
if I go past that I gain about 1/2 grain of weight and some diameter which smears the front drive band when running it through the lube die.
this of course kills the accuracy.

[mdi]

FWIW, and an aside; I shot a round of my "House gun load" over my chrony yesterday. Cast wadcutter over a med-heavy load of W231 out of my old 3", 38. Special. 894 fps @ 10 feet. Penetrated about 3 1/2" into a tight stack of magazines...

Jes playin' with my shiny cast bullets...

[jmort]

"894 fps @ 10 feet"


​That will go around 24" in ballistic gelatin.

[CPL Lou]

If you really like shiney boolits, use lead/tin mixes.
You can run the metal and your mould fairly hot and still not get frosty boolits.

CPL Lou

[claude]

I don't go frosty with my boolits I go just past the shiny stage where they turn a galvanized grey color as they cool.
frosted is when you start getting white edges to things and start losing definition to the corners.

@R5R Thank you sir!. This has been a question mark in my mind and having seen it in some of my boolits, I can now correct it.

[Tatume]

Frosty is not when edges turn white and definition is lost on the corners. That is burnt to a crisp!

Frosty is when the bullets are not shiny.

[Frank V]

mdi, that sounds like a good load. A good WC at that velocity would be a great small game/varmint load & still pleasant to shoot. I'm going to load some of the new ones I've cast & have a ball.