Lee C358-158-swc problem

[g17]

I was gifted a new Lee 6 cavity c358-158-swc recently to play with some gas checks. Yesterday I took it out of the box and after prepping it began casting and it dropped bullets easier than any of the other Lee molds I own so hopes were high. The problem arose when I went to put a 35 caliber gas check on the base before running it through the sizer die and there just aint no way it will fit. Tried many random bullets from the pile with the same result. I then measured the bullets with a dial caliper and they measure out to an average of .375 with the bases (where the check goes) at around .359. I then ran 2-3 of the bullets through a push through sizer die which required a lot of heft resulting in a very shiny sided bullet with very small to almost no evidence of a grease groove remaining.....Anyway, anyone have any thoughts or tips on this before I send it back to Lee?

[kingstrider]

I have the same mold and normally tap the bullets into the gas checks with a rubber mallet before sizing. Kind of a pain but they work really well in my guns so put up with it.

[BNE]

Sounds silly, but did you hold the mold handles tightly together when you were casting? I have run into that problem when sizing and it is amazing the difference it makes.

I have that mold also. Works well. I hope this helps.

[g17]

I have the same mold and normally tap the bullets into the gas checks with a rubber mallet before sizing. Kind of a pain but they work really well in my guns so put up with it.

I used the tap method first and maybe if the checks were a little larger they'd fit but the bullet diameter itself is too large. My Lee TL358-158 drops bullets at .359 vs .375 on the new mold which again leaves no room/lube groove for lube once sized. What size is your mold dropping before sizing?

[g17]

Sounds silly, but did you hold the mold handles tightly together when you were casting? I have run into that problem when sizing and it is amazing the difference it makes.

I have that mold also. Works well. I hope this helps.

I made sure they were held tight, no fins, no nothing except what looks like good looking well filled out bullets. I fired off both pots to try 2 different alloy mixes with same results.

[g17]

I'll heat the lead up again later today and try some more to see if things change. Other than the 148gr wc, all of my other .358 lee molds are TL but all of them drop with same alloy to .359

[45-70 Chevroner]

Just send it back, it's simply to big. That is almost big enough for a 375 Big bore Winchester.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

If your other 38 cal Lee molds are producing .359 boolits with your measuring techniques, and this c358-158-swc lee mold is making them .375 then there is something wrong with the mold. If you aren't getting any fins, I doubt it's a problem you can fix. SO, as 45-70 Chevroner says, it time to return it.

[Bullwolf]

I have a newer Lee (Left Hand threads, new vent lines) C358-158-SWC mould.

My mould drops boolits at around .360 using my alloy.

The Gas Check shanks on boolits cast with my Lee C358-158-SWC measure between .343 -.344

The Hornady 35 caliber Gas Checks that I'm using, fit quite easily onto my cast boolits.

I've been using that Lee C358-158-SWC boolit, in mild 38 and 357 pistol loads, without any Gas Check so far.

For comparison purposes, my larger NOE 360-180-WFN mould will drop a .362 boolit, using a fat casting alloy. I consider this to be about the maximum diameter boolit, that I can easily size down to .358 in one pass.

When I have a stubborn to seat GC, from say a finned boolit, or a slightly out of spec Gas Check shank, I will initially seat the checks using a block of wood.





Somebody smarter than me pointed out you can do pretty much the same thing by putting a dime over the hole in a standard reloading die.

You can really feel the check seat this way. After seating a stubborn check squarely, I run the seated check through a sizing die, to size and firmly crimp the Gas Check onto the shank.

If your boolits are actually dropping at .375 (and that isn't a typo) with the mould closed... Something is way out of spec, That mould needs to be sent back, or seriously looked at. A picture, or some additional clarification would be useful to trouble shoot it more.

Hope that helps some.


- Bullwolf

[runfiverun]

if your holding a 357 boolit open enough to get 375 you'd have alloy running everywhere out the bottom.

too bad you didn't order a 200gr or so mold, I would be interested in it at 375 diameter.

[waco]

NOE now sells slick gas check flaring tools. Makes easy work of those tight fitting gas check problems. Sounds like you have bigger fish to fry though....

[RogerDat]

NOE also makes a bullet base chamfer tool that makes getting gas check started easier.

Never knew that 35 cal. gas check should fit a 38 SWC and since I have that mold..... Might be nice for use in 357 magnum. I'll have to check that out. I know Pat Marlin makes a plain base gas check for 38 didn't know that regular 35's would fit. Interesting, veddy interesting.

[g17]

My sister-in-law bought this for me as a Christmas gift from Amazon so it's going back and I'll get a replacement. From my research, it is a fine bullet and look forward to trying it. I don't fault Lee because sometimes errors occur and that's just life, or maybe I can just blame the Russians. I have several of their molds in various calibers along with the 358's in wc and TL swc and they have all worked well. I understand tapping a check on and then press fitting it through the sizer but there aint no way I could get one on without burying the rim of the check into the base.

[g17]

Got the new replacement mold and tried it out this am. Bullets are dropping at .3595 with bases at .349. Checks tap on snug and evenly and look like they should even after running through sizer. Good looking bullets and looking forward to seeing how they perform.