Please recommend a mold for my Rossi 92 .357

[DaveM]

I am looking at picking up a mold to cast bullets for my Rossi 92 Carbine in .357 Magnum. I'm looking at the following two designs from Accurate Molds:

36-155C

36-158C

My intended use is primarily informal shooting with mild loads of smokeless powder (but not powder puff level CAS loads). I might try black powder, for which the 36-155C would be better.

A secondary use for bullets from the mold is to load .38 Specials and .357s for use in my various revolvers. Again, no hot loads, just middle-of-the-road loads for informal target shooting and plinking.

I am wondering if anyone has either of these molds and used bullets cast from them in a Rossi 92. I'm especially interested in how well they feed. FWIW, I have a 43-215C that I use for my .44-40s and it's a great design that works well with my BP handloads.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Tatume]

Both appear to be excellent choices. Are you an experienced caster with lots of molds in other calibers? How many cavities to you wish?

The Lee 358-158-RF would be an excellent alternative. It is available in two and six cavity versions. I have many Accurate and Lee molds, and both are excellent.

[Poygan]

Another vote for the Lee 158-RF. Also works well in pistols for me. Semi wadcutters don't feed well in my Rossi.

[fecmech]

If 158 gr is your choice those two would work just fine. If you would, consider the Lee 125RF. This is an exceptionally accurate bullet in the Rossi 92.

[dannyd]

I use the Lee 158 RF and the 125RF. Work great easy to cast and lube.

[jmort]

I like this, it will load to SAAMI spec. I have both gas check and plain base

[MT Gianni]

I have a couple of 92's. One feeds the 358156 in 38 cases very well. Both like the Lee 125 and Lyman 358477. My longer one feeds the NOE 160 wfn very well. Both are newer safety types.

[indian joe]

I use the Lee 158 RF and the 125RF. Work great easy to cast and lube.

another vote for LEE - the 158 is an ideal blackpowder mold for the 357 mag and it makes a neat little blackpowder round - shot well in my Rossi 92 .

[A pause for the COZ]

If 158 gr is your choice those two would work just fine. If you would, consider the Lee 125RF. This is an exceptionally accurate bullet in the Rossi 92.

The LEE 125RF is the best choice for the Rossi 92 if you really want to see how well it can shoot.
The Rossi has a 1 in 30 twist and the 125 is the best match for that twist rate. It will double the accuracy of the 158 gr bullets at 100 yards.

[Stephen Cohen]

A good mate of mine was going to sell his Rossi lever gun as it would not shoot worth a hoot, I gave him some of my 180gr RCBS sil cast loaded with a warm charge of Blue Dot. He still has the rifle and uses that load today and the groups are unbelievable. Regards Stephen.

[winelover]

If you want a SWC, either design will suffice. Just make sure that your Rossi will feed SWC.......many wont. If that's the case, you may be better served with RF. Your revolvers won't care.

Winelover

[HATCH]

I prefer the RNFP mold from Magma
It has fed in every lever gun that I have. It cuts a clean hole on paper as well.

[Tatume]

If you want a SWC, either design will suffice. Just make sure that your Rossi will feed SWC.......many wont. If that's the case, you may be better served with RF. Your revolvers won't care.

None of the Accurate or Lee RF-series bullets under discussion are SWC.

[jmort]

BTW Mihec has a 165 grain, less with hollow point, lever action design that will be but cut soon. I will get one. Take a look at that. Really nice design by former member. Sign-up will close soon.

[DaveM]

Thanks, all.

I am not a rank beginner but not nearly as experienced a caster as many here.

I should have mentioned in my original post that I pan lube, so I want a flat based bullet. I'm leaning towards one of the designs from Accurate molds.

[indian joe]

The LEE 125RF is the best choice for the Rossi 92 if you really want to see how well it can shoot.
The Rossi has a 1 in 30 twist and the 125 is the best match for that twist rate. It will double the accuracy of the 158 gr bullets at 100 yards.

kinda hard to argue with that !!!!

[A pause for the COZ]

kinda hard to argue with that !!!!

You can get the same results with 4gr of Unique. But Herco is fantastic for this. For that extra grain of powder you get at least 100 fps more velocity but the load is almost the exact same pressure.
You can get pretty close in 357 mag cases using 5 gr of Unique or 6 gr of Herco.
Pretty close but not the same. That load in the 38 special cases are well ahh Special..

Depends on what you want. The Herco loads dont perform all that well in my revolvers. The Unique worked better. Faster burn than Herco.
But I have had allot of fun. Putting twenty clays on the berm at 100 yards and then betting guys ten bucks to who breaks ten first. I seldom missed, and never lost.
But it was not really fair. I had the load set up for that and the gun sighted in just for that load. But it was still fun.

[Bzcraig]

If you want a SWC, either design will suffice. Just make sure that your Rossi will feed SWC.......many wont. If that's the case, you may be better served with RF. Your revolvers won't care.

Winelover

This is exactly what I would say. My 16" 92 will not feed a boolit with a significant meplat reliably. The Lee 125 is an absolute blast to shoot with a little as 3.5grs of Bullseye or hot as you can safely load. I also shoot the Lee 358-200RF with a healthy dose of 2400 with good groups.

[winelover]

None of the Accurate or Lee RF-series bullets under discussion are SWC.

Both of those Accurate designs....are closer to a SWC than RF. Original poster didn't ask about Lee bullets, and I wouldn't blame him.

Winelover

[Tatume]

Neither of the Accurate designs the OP asked about has the shoulder that is the distinguishing characteristic of a semi-wad cutter. Here is an example of a SWC design.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/49...tter-gas-check