Lee .357 172gr mold

[jeremy_p]

I came across a 2 cav .357/.38 mold that looks to be a Keith style SWC thats $25, is that a good mold/buy?

Jeremy

[BCall]

Lee made a 358-166-SWC that was just a longer version of their 140 gr SWC.I have a 6 cavity, and it shoots OK, but there are other molds just as good. $25 isn't great, but not a ripoff either if it is in good condition.

[jeremy_p]

Ok, thanks, I think i'll pass.

[MtGun44]

"Looks like a Keith"

Common statement, often means only that it is some sort of semiwadcutter. Usually
an oversimplification by someone not familiar with the fairly subtle details of boolit
design.

Not meaning to be to critical, but actual Keith designs have very specific design details that
define the Keith design which are not just a SWC nose. If you are interested, I can
elaborate.

I agree - $25 for a used Lee mold is no deal.

Bill

[jeremy_p]

I do appreciate the help Bill, but I am aware of the differences of a Keith and a plain SWC.

I was interested in it because I want a heavier bullet than what Lee offers for my .357 mag. Money is short, so I'm kind of limited to lee. I'm also leary of lee molds from someone I don't know that I can't inspect and try out first. I think I'm going to get a 358-125-RF for my .357 and 9mm and size differently as needed, and later a 358-158-RF for the mag.

Jeremy

[Ohio Rusty]

For $25 I would have snatched it up, and cast boolits from it. There is alot of load data for a 170 grain boolit on the net. It would have been worth trying as a deer load. If you didn't care for the boolit as a SWC, with that weight, you could have it modified into a HP mould with a nice cup face. You can't get a Lyman mould on Ebay in any caliber for $25. They are double that price.
You can never have too many moulds ....
Ohio Rusty ><>

[big dale]

I had a single cavity Lee back in the late 80's that cast a swc plain based boolit of about 166 grains when cast of wheelweights. I wound up giving it to a friend who had a RedHawk in 357 that just loved hot loads of blue dot with that boolit.

Have fun with this stuff.

Big Dale

[Maineboy]

I have one of those 358-166-SWC moulds that I bought way back when I was shooting alot of 38s and 357s. I thought it was a pretty good boolit then. I hadn't used it in years but when I was looking for a plinking load for my 35 Whelen, I gave it a try. It does quite well at about 1300 fps which was what I think I was getting in my 6 inch 357. Mine does drop boolits that weigh about 172 grains.

[MtGun44]

I have never seen a Lee boolit design that I might mistake for a Keith design. Of course,
that doesn't mean that they never made any, just that they are not in the current catalog
and I have never noticed one in the past.

Any pix of this design?

Bill

[BCall]

The 358-166 doesn't look like a "Keith" design. If you look at the Lee 358-140-SWC, add one more lube groove and band, then you have the 166. As a matter of fact, the lee 105's I cast are pretty much the same thing, just a shortened 140. The 105-140-166 all share the same style. I believe that the 166 is the mold in the auction the OP was talking about. I don't know of a Lee design that actually looks like a "Keith" design either.

[jeremy_p]

I just saw a bad picture of the mold and the best I could tell it looked like a Keith, one large lube groove and 2 driving bands and plain base.

[Maineboy]

Here's my mould. I couldn't find a loose boolit but I have one seated in a 35 Whelen case

[MtGun44]

Nothing like a Keith, neither nose, or number or depth or shape of lube grooves,
design of driving band, or crimp groove.

These may seem like pointless quibbles to the newbie, but I can assure you that
they are the key variables in boolit design.

Sorry, very inaccurate to call it "like a Keith" other than it is circular in cross section.

Bill

[jeremy_p]

FYI, The mold pictures I saw looked nothing like the 166, so come off your high horse. I've been reading Keith and studying his material for a long time, so I do know what a Keith style looks like and from the pictures I saw, it looked like that, not a standard SWC. Just because I haven't been casting bullets since lead was discovered doesn't mean I don't know anything. But if you like, keep being a snob. So please forgive me because my 15 years of studying and serious shooting doesn't account for much. There is obviously no way I can tell the difference Keith vs SWC, especially since Lee never cataloged one. Never mind that it could have been a special run or modified or just an aluminum mold put in a Lee box accidently, I don't know. I suppose I'll wait until I've been casting for 30+yrs before I post or ask a question here, maybe then I might be able to tell the difference between a Keith and SWC.

[ddixie884]

You may have a group buy mold. Where did it come from?

[jeremy_p]

I just saw some guy on the internet selling it, its gone now.

[BCall]

http://cgi.ebay.com/LEE-2-Cavity-Bullet-Mold-38-Cal-172gr-RN-Bullet-357-/230578698297?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35af8fb839

[jeremy_p]

Yeah, that one with the crappy picture. Hard for me to see much but it ain't the 166 but almost looks like a Keith, but if you can tell better from that picture you have better eyes than me, or moniter.

[pjh421]

Its all well and good to debate the merits and drawbacks of different designs but what we all want to know is whether the seller described it as VINTAGE.

Paul

[MtGun44]

Is the design in the photograph the one you are talking about? If so, it is not
like a Keith. If I misunderstood and you are talking about a different design, I
apologize, but that Lee design in the pic is not like a Keith design at all.

Can we go back to the beginning and get a nice clean start on this? It is a small
error and easy for any new person to make and should not turn into a big
mess. We try to stay friendly on this site.

Bill