Lyman or MeHic 358156 Thompson design boolit...

[RJM52]

Started out shooting a S&W Model 19 back in 1970 using the original Lyman mold with gas check. Shot a good 20K rounds through the gun mostly with this bullet before selling the gun in 1980.

Have not shot much .38 or .357 since 1980 but now have a new MeHic mold and several guns...

Was wondering what everyone is using for loads from target to full Magnum... I have the MeHic mold in plain base but a friend has a Lyman with a gas check...

Powders:
Unique
H110
2400
AAC-7
AAC-9
Longshot
Power Pistol
700X
231

Guns:
S&W:
Pre-27
38-44 Heavy Duty {.38 +P+}
66-2 3"
65-3 3"
60-10 3"
60-1 2" {.38 +P}
649 {.38 +P}

Ruger GP-100 4"
Colt Trooper 4"

Also have tons of .38 Special brass vs. .357 brass so loads done in .38 Sp. brass crimped into the bottom groove are also needed...

Thanks...Bob

[Larry Gibson]

I've been using that bullet (Lyman 2 cavity mould) since '70. I've also loaded it in thousands of 38/357 cartridges along with some 9mm, 38 Super and 35 Remington cartridges. The loads in 38 SPL and 357 magnum range from standard 38 SPL loads with 3.5 gr Bullseye to 38 SPL+P loads with 5.5 gr Unique to 38/44 loads (seated to 2nd crimp groove in 38 SPL cases) with 2400 to mid range 357 Mag with Unique and to top end 357 magnum loads with H110 and 2400 (Both Hercules and Alliant).

Note; I have pressure tested a lot of 38 SPL and 357 Magnum factory loads. I also have pressure tested all the loads I use. I use only appropriate loads for the handguns that can handle them/made for them. I do not use the true magnum level loads (those developing psi of 30 - 35,000 psi) in the small or medium (up through K frame size S&Ws) size DA revolvers.

None of the standard factory (Federal, S&W, Remington, Winchester) 357 magnum cartridges I've thus far tested have exceeded 30,200 psi....most are 24,000 to 29,000 psi. The SAMMI MAP for the 357 magnum is 35,000 psi and there are several loads listed with the 358156 in manuals that come close to or hit that psi. My full bore 357 magnum load with the 358156 bullet over Alliant 2400 comes very close to the SAAMI MAP and gives close to 1400 fps out of my Ruger SS with 6" barrel.

The 38 SPL +P load with Unique is right at the SAAMI MAP for +P. My 38/44 load with the 358156 seated out to the 2nd crimp groove over Alliant 2400 in 38 SPL cases runs 28 - 29,000 psi and produces similar velocities to those reported with original 38/44 factory loads.....1200 fps.

Note; the brand of primer and seating depth can have a great affect of the psi of a given load. My loads were developed with Winchester WSP primers.

[Walks]

I load 2400 under Lyman GC. 14grs these days for .357
Don't load any hot .38's. Don't wanna them on the shelf when I die.

My Wife's nephew's are stupid enough to put a .38-44 load in my Colt COBRA or S&W Model 12.

[RJM52]

Thanks so much for the information....

Just picked up a 1952 vintage HD two days ago....





Has some holster wear but looks like it was fired about one cylinder full in it's life...



Bob

[toallmy]

I'm going to be watching this thread , a member has passed on a Lyman 358-156 mold to me at a very affordable price . So I will soon be trying out some gas checked boolits .

[curiousgeorge]

When I started reloading back in the 1970's the only "pistol" powders the local Western Auto store carried was Bullseye, Unique, and 2400. My first and only centerfire handgun at that time was Ruger Security Six blue with 6" barrel. Only had 148 gr wadcutters and Lyman 358429 cast from wheel weights. Lots of 38 cases but 357 were scarce.
Only had 3 loads-
38 wadcutter -2.7 grns BE
38 Keith swc -5.0 grns Unique
357 Keith swc -13.0 grns 2400

Shot 50 of the 38's to every one rd of 357. Simpler times but the two 38 loads are still my favorites. Added the 358156gc, changed to 14.5 grns of H110 in the 357 about 20 yrs ago.
Have tried practically every cast boolit and dozens of other powders in eight other 38's and 357's, but I still keep going back to my original loads. They just keep on working for me.
Steve

[marlin39a]

The Lyman 358156 is my favorite in my Ruger Blackhawk. Cast hard, sized .358 with GC, lubed with Carnuba Red. 13.5 grains of 2400 is my load.

[El Bibliotecario]

I never met the late Charles 'Skeeter' Skelton but he did me a tremendous favor by recommending the Lyman 358156 gas check bullet and 2400 powder. When I began shooting .357 it saved me fooling around experimenting with components. I have read many self-righteous reproofs of Skelton's practice of loading 13.5 grains of 2400 in .38 Special cases and crimping in the lower groove. This practice may be immoral, unAmerican, or cause cancer, but I never had a problem with pressure. Over four decades have passed and today I use .357 brass, and a more mild charge of 2400 , but I am still satisfied with the 358156 bullet. For years I cast them from linotype, but in recent years switched to straight wheelweights. I cannot tell the difference in performance.

[Piedmont]

The Lyman 358156 has been my most accurate in .357s too. I generally use 13.5 grains of 2400 in .357 brass. I suspect excellent accuracy is easier to come by with gas checked bullets and also that the not-overly-large meplat makes for better accuracy.

[scattershot]

Any of you guys shoot that boolit without the gas check? I know there was a thread about this sometime back, but I can’t find it at the moment.

[RJM52]

Just went over to LoadDate.com and put in .38-44 figuring to find no listing...and there were two with at total of 66 loads several of which were for the 358156... Tests were done in a Colt SAA (no barrel length listed) and a S&W Outdoorsman with a 6.5" barrel...impressive velocities for a .38 "Special"....

From the Outdoorsman:

156 Lyman 358156 HP cast Hodgdon Lil'Gun 15.5 1,246

156 Lyman 358156 HP cast Accurate AAC-9 12.5 1,165

156 Lyman 358156 HP cast Accurate AAC-9 13.0 1,221

162 Lyman 358156 cast Alliant 2400 12.5 1,147

162 Lyman 358156 cast Alliant 2400 13.0 1,181

162 Lyman 358156 cast Alliant 2400 13.5 1,264



From the Colt:

158 Lyman 358156 Alliant 2400 12.0 1,220

158 Lyman 358156 Hodgdon HS-6 7.8 1,173

158 Lyman 358156 Accurate AAC-7 8.2 1,004

158 Lyman 358156 Alliant Blue Dot 8.8 1,000

158 Lyman 358156 Winchester W-296 12.0 1,060

158 Lyman 358156 Winchester W-296 13.0 1,179

[RJM52]

Any of you guys shoot that boolit without the gas check? I know there was a thread about this sometime back, but I can’t find it at the moment.

I have and was not happy with the results... Accuracy was not as good...

[scattershot]

Thanks.

[El Bibliotecario]

I never got as far as shooting the 358156 bullet without a gas check, because running it through the sizer-lubricator left a ring of lube around the rebated periphery of the base where the absent gas check would have fit. I wasn't comfortable having grease in direct contact with the propellant, and decided I was not cleaning the base groove of every bullet.

[RJM52]

I never got as far as shooting the 358156 bullet without a gas check, because running it through the sizer-lubricator left a ring of lube around the rebated periphery of the base where the absent gas check would have fit. I wasn't comfortable having grease in direct contact with the propellant, and decided I was not cleaning the base groove of every bullet.

Same here which is why I only did a few to try...messy.... Was really happy when MeHic offered the boolit plain base....