NOE 358-135-FN - Have to Size?

[psychbiker]

I love this mold! I'm fairly new to casting, got this mold used and it drops great bullets on the second pass.

My question is sizing. Is that needed with this mold? Mine drop .3575-.358 with wheel weights. I opened up my 356 lee sizer to .357. All measure with digital calipers.

I made a dummy round of a sized round and non-sized round. Both cycle. Loaded to 1.100. I bet if I drop to 1.055 they would drop even more. I've never loaded that short.

I cycled them in a CZ TS 9mm, XDM 5.25 9mm and Springfield 1911 9mm. All chambered and were able to be cleared and ejected.

I've got about 200 I'd say made and would looovveee not to have to size them.

What are the consensus?

Oh, they have 45/45/10 on them too.

Thanks!

[tazman]

I have that mold in a 5 cavity and it drops boolits just like yours. It is the most accurate boolit I have for my 9mm guns(the NOE 358-155-tc(elco) being a very close second). I tumble lube them and load them unsized. My Beretta 92fs will eat boolits even larger than these so I don't even bother sizing boolits from this mold any more.
Accuracy and function are unchanged from when I was sizing them. If they aren't concentric when they are loaded, they will be by the time they reach the muzzle.

[psychbiker]

Thanks for the reply! I ran a few through at .357 and barely any resistance. Think I'll do one more dummy round seated a tad deeper and if it chambers, it's load time.

Regarding the 358-155-tc. I got in on that group buy, have with one with pins and had the worst luck getting that to work. Granted I didn't have a hot plate yet and it was my first mold.

[tazman]

Regarding the 358-155-tc Those pins need to be hot or they won't release easily. I don't have a hot plate but I have a gas stove that I use to preheat the mold from the bottom. I heat it on medium-low about 5 minutes and start casting. Some times it gets warmer than necessary and the first set takes a little extra time to solidify. After that the runs are perfect.

[runfiverun]

those pins have to be hot....

[FergusonTO35]

If they will chmber just fine you ought to try them unsized and sized and see which one shoots best. Anybody have experience with the Arsenal Molds 358-135? It looks like a dandy 9mm/.38/.357 boolit.

[dragon813gt]

There is a reason that Arsenal bullet looks like a dandy.

[PaulG67]

I have that mold also and it is my favorite for my GP-100 and my 357 Marlin. Most accurate boolit I have cast for those two guns. As far as sizing I believe that sizing is essential, all boolits being all the same size eliminates one hurdle in your quest for accuracy.

[FergusonTO35]

Yes, I believe in sizing too. .357 for 9mm, .358 for .38 Special, .360 for the 1894. I really like the Lee 358-125-RF in 9mm but could do without the huge crimp groove. The Arsenal mold looks like just what I need.

[Boolseye]

I have a Lee 356-120 TC that drops boolits at a beautiful .3575". I don't size a-one, they're already right where I want them. Do what you like, but If they're consistent and they chamber, you're good in my book. I have that same NOE mold but they drop at .359-.360" for me, and I do size them to .358".