Moulds for 38/357

[Papercidal]

I am partial to the mp clone of the 358429 in a 155gr hollow point. They are very accurate in both.38 & .357 through both my combat magnum’s and my old .38 bodyguard.

[Echo]

And 15 grains of 2400 - The BEST 357 cast load!

[Michael J. Spangler]

The 358156 was my favorite for a long time.

Then I picked up a 6 cavity solid 360640. Then a 2 cavity HP 360640. Then a 4 cavity of the same.

I have to say that’s my favorite 38/357 bullet. The mould cast amazing. It feeds like water. The hollow points work amazing and having 4 different cavity options will fit your needs for whatever velocity you want to move them at.
Penta for snub nose work where you need an easy expanding bullet and the cup for high velocity top end loads of 357 out a lever gun where you need them to hold together.

Oh and dual crimp grooves just like the popular 358156.

You really can’t beat that mould.
Having 3 of them now makes me want another but with a single crimp groove that’s a bit bigger. I don’t make use of the dual crimp groove as much as I thought I would.

[Bigslug]

Accurate 36-170D, 170T, 175B or NOE TL358-178RF would be my choices - - with the caution to check the front driving band length against your chamber throats.

The NOE works in .357 cases in my S&W's, but the ogive stops it just short of chambering easily in DA Rugers, so I've taken to loading them as hot .38's. A softer alloy might shrink them sufficiently to improve the fit, or a trip through a sizing die. . . which would defeat my purpose of having bought a tumble lube bullet. Nearly the same nose profile at 130 grains and 1030 fps delivers nine milk jugs worth of penetration from a 9mm - - -6.1 grains of Unique in a .38 case gets the 178 grains to about the same speed and fits my needs, so. . .done.

The Keith 358429 is properly a .38 bullet due to its long nose. It gets crimped over the driving band a lot in .357 cases, which, in my opinion sucks out the extra 0.10" of case capacity anyway, so you might as well load it as a hot .38. The lever gunners will tell you how well it feeds - or doesn't - due to that nose length.

[robg]

i miss my L frame <early model with firing pin on hammer.>

[quilbilly]

I have accumulated probably 9 different molds for my 357's (38 sp, 357 mag, 357 max carbine, and 357 mag Ruger Mod 77) and, of them if I were limited to two, would be the 125 gr RFpb from Lee and the NOE 180 gr WFpb. The Lyman Keith style #429 is close behind.

[zarrinvz24]

The new Python's cylinder is about 5 thou shorter than the original. If you like to crimp in the crimp groove, this will limit your boolit selection a bit. For strictly .357Mag, my choices would be: 358477, 358156 (w/gas check). A lot seem to have trouble with the 358446, but it has been decent for me. Maybe I'm the oddity.

[mdi]

I have two single cavity molds that I occasionally use, but I normally don't suggest them fo new casters, not for quality or speed, but there are a lot of folks out there that believe in "faster, faster, more, more!" and one at a time is too slow/little. I have a "hard time" wondering why many casters and reloaders are in a hurry. If I use my 6 hole molds I just stop sooner because I have a good pile of boolits (I don't rounds nor have a "quota"
). If I'm using my single cavity molds, one for 45 ACP and one for 44 Spec/Mag, it just takes longer for the pile to be big enough to stop. Not everything is about rounds per hour or boolits per session (or $$ per round). Do so many casters/reloaders dislike casting/reoading that speed is so important? I enjoy my bench time, liking casting and reloading. I even like spending bench time just prepping brass (Last week I looked for some 357 Mag brass to size, flare, prime, but the 357 Brass box was full of primed, ready to charge and seat cases, maybe 300). Even when I was younger full of pxxx and vinegar I was never in a hurry. At 75 I am a bit slower, but no less detailed, meticulous than 40 years ago and I still enjoy my reloading/casting just as much, even with work, wife and kids, Church and my favorite TV shows. I turn on the heater in the shop, turn on the lights (extra lighting on bench and press) get out the components and double check the load and data, turn on the Willy or Do-Wop CD and enjoy a couple hours. If I cast 50 or 200, reload 20 or 100, Life is good...

Am I just a weird old man?

[gun toting monkeyboy]

I have probably at least a dozen molds for .38 caliber. Several of them are oddballs that I have picked up on ebay or estate sales over the years. Most of my revolvers are older guns that have the sights regulated for 158 grain bullets. So they tend to do well with bullets from about 145 grains through about 160-ish. I like the various SWC or SWCHP flavors out there for general use. However, I also have a couple of heavier bullet molds, including one that casts bullets in the 200-204 grain range. While not ideal for many applications, they are good for loading a replica of the .38-200 British military load (in .38 S&W and .38 Special). I would see what bullet weights work on your gun, and then track down a SWC mold in that weight range, first and foremost. After that, get whatever molds appeal to you.

[Targa]

If you are on a budget, the Lee 158 rnfp is a very good boolit and a 6 cavity mold will make a bunch in a hurry.

I concur with Mr. Thumbcocker. I have a few .357 molds and the 158 rnfp is my favorite.

[murf205]

Attachment 293452 This is a 358160H mold from Accurate. It weighs 160 gr cast from coww+ 1% tin. It shoots great from everything I've shot it in, especially my 686 no dash S&W. The 150 gr RCBS aint no slouch either, but I wanted a 3 cavity mold so Accurate got the nod. If the cylinder of a new Python is indeed 5 thou shorter than the original like zarrinvz24 said, it would not take much boolit jump for a 170 gr Lyman to tie up the gun unless you crimp over the front driving band.

[358429]

[Groundpounder17]

Attachment 293452 This is a 358160H mold from Accurate. It weighs 160 gr cast from coww+ 1% tin. It shoots great from everything I've shot it in, especially my 686 no dash S&W. The 150 gr RCBS aint no slouch either, but I wanted a 3 cavity mold so Accurate got the nod. If the cylinder of a new Python is indeed 5 thou shorter than the original like zarrinvz24 said, it would not take much boolit jump for a 170 gr Lyman to tie up the gun unless you crimp over the front driving band.

This boolit looks similar to the LBT FN. It sounds as though you like it. The length isn’t a problem?

[jaysouth]

If you are on a budget, the Lee 158 rnfp is a very good boolit and a 6 cavity mold will make a bunch in a hurry.

I don't have a single NOE or LBT mold that casts a more accurate bullet than my 6 cav 159 SWC. If I hunted with a .357 carbine, I would get a 180 flat nose with widest meplat possible.

[lightman]

Its hard to beat a Keith Type SWC. All of the mold makers offer one. I currently cast with an H&G but I shot a lot of the RCBS 150 grain and I even talked them into making me one that weighed 170 grain.

[tazman]

Both the 38 Special and the 357 Magnum have been around for a long time as have the molds for them.
It is hard to beat the classic designs that have worked so well for so long.
Nobody has come up with a magic boolit design that works better than the classics in these cartridges.
If you only want one mold, get either a round nose flat point(RNFP, WFP) or a semi Wadcutter.
If you want to experiment, get every design you wish to try.
I have two Semi-wadcutter designs, two full wadcutter designs, and two RNFP designs that I use regularly for different purposes. Experimenting with different loads is a lot of fun.
I have used nearly all the designs mentioned so far in this thread and found them all to be good, serviceable designs. Your particular gun may like one a bit more than another. The only way to find out is to try them out.

[Groundpounder17]

Skeeter Skelton's suggestion of the Lyman 358156 ... a 155 grain GC SWC ... is still a good one in 357 Magnum and 38 Special +P and 38/44 HD loads .

A favorite of mine is the Lyman 358432 a plain based , 160 grain , Wadcutter boolit that is not loaded level with the case but has the nose exposed like a SWC ...it is very accurate !

NOE has re-created this mould in 38 cal , 41 cal. and 44 cal. ...it's a winner , I have both the 38 and 41 ...
the 41 cal is a delight in the model 58 in my avatar !

Gary

Thanks, Gary. I will check out that 358432 that NOE recreated. Also how do you like the 41 compared to the other magnum calibers? I remember my dad having a ruger 41 mag when I was a kid.

[Groundpounder17]

Thanks for the recommendations here, everyone. I have continued to research the different moulds and now my list has grown. If anyone has any has anything to add on these or other recommendations then I am all ears.

NOE Bullet Moulds
360-162-WC-AW3 4 cavity RG4 PB Brass

LBT
160 gr FN
180 gr FN

MP Molds
358-429 (358 Or 360 Dia.) Keith, HP GC 4 Cavity Mold
359 Hammer Mold HP (Multi Choice), Gas Check
359-640 HP Plain Base Mold (Multi Choice)

[Jim22]

Good advice all. Just make sure you use hearing protection with the heavier .357 Magnum loads. My ears have been ringing for almost sixty years now. All started by cast boolit loads in a Ruger Blackhawk in .357 - back when they were selling for $87.50 new.

Jim

[lotech]

I have many of the older designs listed here and all shoot reasonably well, but my favorite is the the H&G #51 at about 160 grs. in ww alloy. I no longer load .357 but it works as well in .38 Special.