Lee 125 gr. RF

[Ben]

My Lee 125 gr. RF, 38 Spec. / 357 Mag. , 6 cav. mold arrived today. It is the new style. ( I'm not a big fan of bevel bases ). I wanted the flat base. This bullet has a nice generous crimp groove.

At 125 grs., this should make my Lee , 20 lb. ladle pot last a little bit longer and make a generous pile of bullets.

Looks like it needs little bit of " Lee - Menting " and I'll be ready to start casting.

I'm anxious to try this bullet out in my 6 " , Colt Officer's Model Match and my Marlin, 38 Spec.,1894 , CBC.

Anyone with a favorite load for this bullet in the 38 Spec. case that they would like to share ?

Ben

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/PICT0005-21.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/PICT0006-12.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/PICT0007-16.jpg

[Ohio Rusty]

That is a good looking mould. I have the same older style two cavity mould. As a mid range light load, 4 grains of Trail Boss under that boolit makes a real pleasant shooter.
Ohio Rusty ><>

[excess650]

Are those burrs around the bases?

I have the 158gr version, but will be curious as to what kind of loads work in your Marlin.

[Ben]

excess650


Are those burrs around the bases?

No, I don't think so...Grease and debri that needs cleaning.

Ben

[cutter_spc]

I have the old style of that mold as well, I like your a lot better!!!!:mrgreen:

[Dave B]

That is my favorite bullet. Shoots good with about anything. 3.4gr Titegroup , 5gr Unique in 38spl or 7gr in 357mag. Pistols or Marlin rifles. Debur and clean your mold.

[Ben]

Dave B:

I plan to ' Lee Ment ' this mold 1st thing. I'll clean and degrease it. Cast about 20 bullets. Coat them with Clover's Fine Paste and spin those bullets very slowly in the cavities.

Works wonders.................

Ben

[JIMinPHX]

3 grains of Bullseye is a good lite target/plinker load that my wife likes to shoot.

That's a real versatile little boolit. It does well in the 9mm as well as .38/357.

[Ben]

It just " LOOKS " like it has potential. I'm anxious to try it out.

Ben

[btroj]

So this is the current rendition of the Lee 125 gr 38? On their website it shows a bevel base. If they have gone a flat base I might need to look into one of those. I have a new Marlin 1894c that is hungry.

[Ben]

btroj

Lee is behind on their graphics on their web site. They display the old style , but when you order ( at least if you order from MidWay ) you'll receive the new style.

They really need to change their photo that they are showing. As you can see, the " new style Lee 125 " is quite different in design than the old style. I doubt that I'd have ever purchased their old style, it just did not appeal to me.

I'm with you....I also have a Marlin 1894, this flat meplat should work just fine in the 1894's. Nice and safe with a flat surface against the primer ahead of it in the magazine tube.

[crabo]

5 of TrailBoss and 6 of Universal in a mag case has worked well for me.

[runfiverun]

that looks like a smaller 452664.
i have a magma 2 cav 125 rnfp that does well in 38 cases wih 4 grs 231.
or a couple of grs of clays.
but that boolit really shines in the 9mm, over a dose of unique.

[ph4570]

I have one of those on my Midway wish list. Thanks for posting the pics as I was on the fence thinking it was a bevel base. Now that I know it is not I will order it to feed my Sig 226.

[Ben]

ph4570 :

I can see why you would say that .
Showing a pic of one design and then shipping another is confusing.

Ben

[jameslovesjammie]

Ben,

I've been loading this boolit for the past couple of years with 2.8 grains of Bullseye. Loaded up 100 tonight in fact. In a 4 5/8" Blackhawk it is only going around 677 avg fps. An absolute wonder to shoot. Recoil is .22 like and it is FANTASTIC to teach new shooters with.

I think you'll really like this one!

James

[kir_kenix]

I have this mold in a 2 cavity. Mine has no bevel base, but slightly different nose profile. It is a fine shooting boolit. I've put a few hundred down range in front of a light load of BE. I may look into purchasing a 6 cavity.

[Ben]

I " Lee - Mented " my mold today. Mold cast just fine after all the small " micro - burs " came out of the mold cavities. The bullets fall freely from the mold now when the mold is opened. My bullets are averaging .3595" as they come from the mold and within .0006 " of being perfectly round. I size most of my 38 / 357 bullets to .3575 " so those are great numbers for me.

This is the " Lee Menting " method that I used :

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=47669



Thought you might like to see some photos of the bullets that are coming from this mold :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lee%2038%20357%20%20125%20gr%20RF/004.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lee%2038%20357%20%20125%20gr%20RF/003.jpg



Here they are sized .3575 ", lubed and ready to load :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lee%2038%20357%20%20125%20gr%20RF/PICT0007.jpg

I'm anxious to fire some of these through my Colt Officer's Model Match, 38 Spec.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Officers%20Model%20Match/9000-1-1.jpg

[JIMinPHX]

Anybody that doesn't like those results, doesn't know what to like.

[Ben]

Thanks Jim,

Now.....to see if they shoot as good as they look ? ?

[Ben]

Boy......am I a happy camper ! ! ! !

I took my Marlin 1894, CBC, 38 Spec. to the range. Fired 7 rounds at 50 yards into roughly a 3/4 " group ( + or - ) with the Lee 125 gr. RF bullet, sized .3575 ", using Wolf small pistol primers and a mild crimp. Powder charge was 5.5 grs. of Russian Unique ( Salute ).

I think this bullet is going to get a lot of use at my loading bench now !

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/880.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/01042011.jpg

[Cowboy T]

Oh, that's pretty. Not just the boolits, but the precision you got.

[Ben]

Cowboy T :

What is interesting about this is that I simply said " Ummm, .... I think I'll try 5.5 grs. of Russian Unique with this 125 gr. bullet ", I loaded a few " test rounds " and headed to the range.

Makes you wonder what it will do when you really begin to experiment with the bullet and different powders and powder charges ? ?

This was my 1st attempt at firing this particular bullet.

Ben

[Jeff H]

I have a small pile of those cast for me by a friend that I have not tried yet.
Looks like I should get on the ball and load some up.

"Russian Unique?"

[Ben]

Yes....Russian Unique. I bought three 5.4 pound containers of this stuff from Pat McDonald for $9.50 per pound about 4 - 5 yrs. ago. I wish now that I'd bought 100 of them. In my experience with this powder, I rate it among my favorites in the pistol propellant category.

Ben

[Jeff H]

Yes....Russian Unique. I bought three 5.4 pound containers of this stuff from Pat McDonald for $9.50 per pound about 4 - 5 yrs. ago. I wish now that I'd bought 100 of them. In my experience with this powder, I rate it among my favorites in the pistol propellant category.

Ben

Thank you, Ben. I haven't seen $9/# powder since mid-eighties for H414.

[Ben]

And we most likely won't be seeing anymore in the future either at that price.

Wish I had stashed back more of it.

Ben

[JIMinPHX]

That's an awfully nice result you got there Ben. That's a real nice rifle too. I've always wanted an 1894C. It's a classic.

As for powder price, I did see Green Dot at a local big box store the other day for around $16/lb, so things are starting to get a little more reasonable again.

[Ben]

Man thanks Jim,

I'm not rich, but I can afford $16.00. Yes, it does seem like ( at least around here ) that supply is catching up with demand. I walked into a gun shop the other day in Huntsville, they had 4 brands of primers, rifle , pistol, standard, magnum for $23.95 and had them stacked waist high on wood pallets. That is certainly an improvement over what we were seeing 2 yrs. ago.

In this 38 Spec. there would be a lot of fun for that $16 investment.

I was moving stuff around on my reloading bench the other day, I found a Hodgdon Powder Can. H - 4831 ( Surplus ) , a 1 lb . can, I had paid $1.75 in 1967 for the powder. I was shooting a hvy. barrel 98' Mauser in 30-06 shooting the Speer 130 gr. HP. I had killed over 100 ground hogs with that rifle, the Speer 130 gr. HP bullets and the H-4831 before I learned ( from a much more knowledgeable shooter than I ) that a 30-06 really wasn't a varmint rifle.............

Ben

[.357]

I sir am jealous of your Marlin and not rewishing I had not sold that 6 cavity I had, Did love that boolit for teaching new shooters and doing presentation drills with my J frames.

Good shooting!

.357

[Ben]

I'm certainly happy with this combination. ( The Marlin and the Lee 125 RF ). I've still got to try the 125 RF in my Colt Officer's Model Match, 38 Spec., but then again, I'm really going to be surprised if the bullet doesn't shoot well in the pistol also.

[JIMinPHX]

before I learned ( from a much more knowledgeable shooter than I ) that a 30-06 really wasn't a varmint rifle.............

Ben

He must have been related to the similarly knowledgeable gun shop clerk that told me that Remington didn't make their .22 cal sabot "accelerator" rounds in 30-06. :takinWiz:

I guess that I'll never be an eggs-pert because I don't know these things.[smilie=p:

I later found that in addition to being able to buy loaded 06 sabot ammo from Remington, I could also buy the sabots themselves from E.A. Brown company. That opened up a whole new world of possibilities for legally varmint hunting with various .30 cal rifles.

[dualsport]

I got this one, it was my first new Lee 6 cav. mold. Works great, just cleaned it and went to town. No leementing required on my copy. If you like this one check out Ranch Dog's .380 and 9mm molds, more good stuff in the lighter side, weight wise.

[Ben]

dualsport :

Yes, I've noticed those " Lighter " ones. We are blessed today vs. 75 yrs. ago with the multitude of good molds that are available to us.

Knowledge is so easy shared now among cast bullet shooters. The internet has " linked " all of us together that have this common interest in a GREAT hobby.

Ben

[dualsport]

I've used this little Lee 125 so far in a 9mm Tanfoglio, 2 S&W .357s, and a Bersa .380. All have been satisfactory for first efforts. I am getting leading in the .357 chamber throats when using .38 brass, a problem I have to fix. I will try them in a Marlin 1894 soon. Along those lines, I got the Ranch Dog 100 gr. PB for .380s he sells in a 6 cav. Lee. QC seems excellent to me. The itty bitty pills have a much bigger meplat than the stock Lee 125. The RD design drops out at .360 from my mold, what I consider perfect for most uses in this caliber. The 100 gr. RDs run my Bersa flawlessly and are amazing in the accuracy department. The Bersa(Firestorm actually) likes the Lee 125 almost as much, functions 100% so far. I load them both below max by a bit. It sure is a pain in the butt though chasing brass from a auto.

[Ben]

LongPoint :

No changes here on this end of things.

Ben
________________________________

Dualsport :

Yes, .360" is a dia. that lets you size to your cylinder mouths , be they .359, 358 or .357. Like you say, it is nice when a mold drops them at a nice round .360".

Ben

[Ben]

LongPoint :

I fired my 358 Win. yesterday also.
272 gr. g/c NEI bullet at over 2,000 fps.

Not a spec. of lead in the bore.

My lever action Marlin 1894 was lead free also shooting the 125 gr. RF bullet.

That lube is some good stuff !

Ben

[6.5 mike]

Thanks for the pic's & info Ben. I just got a 2 cav for the Vaquero I picked up last month. Might have to look for a levergun to go with it now, [smilie=l:.

[Ben]

6.5 mike

I like the idea of a " Coffee Can " full of ammo that is super accurate and can be fired from your lever action rifle or your revolver. The concept of a lever action rifle and a handgun firing the same cartridge has always appealed to me. Best thing about all this is that this ammo was loaded on a progressive. I can just about load it faster than I can shoot it. Great to spend your time shooting rather than sitting at a single hole press. Pistol rounds fired from a lever action rifle do have their advantages. I realize this isn't a 300 yard rifle, and maybe not even a 125 yard rifle, but at 50 yards, it is deadly.

These are the Lee 125 RF's sized .3575" and lubed. Ready to load.....

Tell me how these look ?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/008.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/880.jpg

[fecmech]

6.5 mike

Pistol rounds fired from a lever action rifle do have their advantages. I realize this isn't a 300 yard rifle, and maybe not even a 125 yard rifle, but at 50 yards, it is deadly.

]

The light boolits in .357 will surprise you. I use the Lee 120 TC(9MM) in my Rossi .357 out to 200 yds with about the same load you are using (5.8 unique,5.3/231). Runs 1150 fps and averages about 3MOA all the way to 200. The only thing that's kept me from buying your mold is my 6 cav 120TC works so good. Stretch it out when you get the chance, I'd like to know if that boolit holds up as well at longer ranges.

PS. Load runs more like 1260 fps (a 158 with that runs 1150),I should not post from memory!

[Ben]

fecmech :

Will do !

Ben

[dualsport]

That's one of the great things about this caliber. Variety. I have molds now for the .35 class that go from 100 grs. to 200 grs. The light ones are sure fun and cheaper too. Even got a super cheap brass .360 round ball mold like the old ones from the cap and ball days. They couldn't be less round but shoot ok.

[6.5 mike]

As always looking good, Ben. I had cast a few with mine just to check weights & diameter, 0.3595 & avg 130 gr. Best thing, they fit the gun very well as is. Not sure bout my smiths though, haven't checked yet.

[rintinglen]

6.5 mike

I like the idea of a " Coffee Can " full of ammo that is super accurate and can be fired from your lever action rifle or your revolver. The concept of a lever action rifle and a handgun firing the same cartridge has always appealed to me. Best thing about all this is that this ammo was loaded on a progressive. I can just about load it faster than I can shoot it. Great to spend your time shooting rather than sitting at a single hole press. Pistol rounds fired from a lever action rifle do have their advantages. I realize this isn't a 300 yard rifle, and maybe not even a 125 yard rifle, but at 50 yards, it is deadly.

These are the Lee 125 RF's sized .3575" and lubed. Ready to load.....

Tell me how these look ?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/008.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/880.jpg
They look awful, send them to me and I will help get them out of your sight:kidding:

[Ben]

You can never beat a fellow caster who is willing to pitch in and make a real " sacrifice ".

[rollmyown]

Well done Ben! Very very nice. What lube are you using?

[Ben]

rollmyown :

I'm using my usual blend, here on the forum it goes by Ben's Lube :

50% beeswax
30% Red, Tacky Lucas High Temp Grease
10% Johnson's Paste Wax
5% Dexron II Trans. Fluid
5% STP

Here is a photo of the Lucas Red & Tacky # 2 Grease :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/3134AGSZ1CL_SS400_.jpg

These %'s will vary slightly from user to user. Some like a harder lube and increase the amount of Beeswax, some like a softer lube and use the %'s I've offered above. The above will make a softer lube that flows easily without a heater.

If you decide to make some, I recommend that you make about 2 lbs at a time and be very careful that you don't overheat the beeswax. I usually filter my lube through an old cotton T- Shirt when I pour the liquid into mold containers. This is some good stuff !

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/PICT0002-28.jpg

Once the lube has cooled , it is cut into strips. Bagged in hvy duty plastic zip loc bags and put up on the shelf for future use.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/PICT0002-29.jpg


I melt my lube in a small coffee pot and pour the melted lube into my lube-sizer.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/2%20Dollar%20Coffee%20Pot/PICT0003Small.jpg

[Dannix]

I had sent you a PM about what lube you were using. Nevermind. Thanks for posting! Nice boolits!

I'm going to have to choose between this mode and BRP's 9mm ~124gr (when HPed) mold. Is the consensus that Lee has got their act together, or is it still hit and miss?

[nanuk]

Ben: what means the acronym CBC?

[1Shirt]

Ben, Sure is hard to knock sucess!
1Shirt!:coffee:

[Ben]

Ben: what means the acronym CBC?

nanuk :

You would have to ask Marlin that question ? I have no idea.

I'm fairly certain the first two letters are for Cowboy Competition,
the 3rd letter , I don't know ?

Ben

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Marlin%2038%20Special/PICT0006.jpg

[6.5 mike]

Now you started something Ben. Went out this morning to pour some 200 gr lees for my hiwall & ended pouring the 125's. Just couldn't help myself, LOL [smilie=s:, after your pics.

[Ben]

6.5 mike

See.....That shows the power of the BCS.............( " Bullet Casting Suggestion ").

Ben

[Texasflyboy]

I'm fairly certain the first two letters are for Cowboy Competition, the 3rd letter , I don't know ?

I'd be willing to bet that CBC stands for:

CowBoy Competition

[rollmyown]

Ben, Thanks for the detailed answer, regarding my question about your lube.

Cheers Rollmyown

[nanuk]

CBC

I've done some reading, and it appears several times to mean Cast Boolit Chamber

perhaps it has throated for a CB?

[old goat]

...Texasflyboy is correct. All the Marlin Cowboy models are marked as CB models (ie: 336CB/ 1894CB/1895CB). The barrel plainly states Cowboy Competition, thus CBC.

...old goat

[Ben]

Dannix

Check your PM's , I've replied .......

Ben

[6.5 mike]

Have you tried panlubing with your mix Ben ? I'm looking for a good panlube, haven't tried making my own yet. :?:

[Ben]

6.5 mike

Yes, my lube will work well with the pan lube method.

Ben

[6.5 mike]

Thanks Ben, I thought docone31 was quick to answer LOL :popcorn: