Favorite 38 wadcutter mould?

[Tristan]

I'm looking at aquiring a WC mould for my 38; so if you were advising a friend on which one to pick up, which would it be?

Thanks!

Tristan

[sundog]

Lee 6-banger, but NOT the tumble lube design. 358-148-WC. I don't like TL boolits. Last gunshow I got an old Lyman 4 banger for real cheap.

I've got the TL 6-banger, and if you want to buy it from me I would be glad to part with it $30 plus shipping, without handles. That's 6.99 less than the Midway price.

[MtJerry]

Lyman 358495. I have a single cavity in this mould that I would be willing to part with if you're interested. I use a 4 cavity now.

[357maximum]

The rcbs 38-148 wc is a good one, and that is available anywhere molds are sold .....even fleabay.

Personally I like my Lee group buy 360-105 gr wcutter the best...my wife shoots a ton of these in "HER" chiefs special J-frame, damn accurate, and not very spendy on the lead reserves......maybe you could find a sucker...errrr member to sell you one they do not use....never know til you try..

[GSM]

Any H&G #50 styles - H&G or Lyman. Look for 4 or more cavities.

[dubber123]

Lyman 358091. Hs shot very well out of all my 38's, and I've got a few!

[Buckshot]

.............I have 2 Lee 6 bangers. One is the 358-148TL design. I like it for practice ammo. It casts mountains of boolits right quick and they require nothing more then a simple to apply coat of TL to be ready. They are generally not as accurate as the other Lee (358-148) of normal lube groove design. I've found the regular type slugs produced from this mould to be superbly accurate in my K38.

The TL slugs make more smoke, and are a bit messier shooting then the other slug, but are lots faster not requireing lube-sizing.

The other Lee boolits have one LG filled with lube (the bottom one). They drop from the mould cast of pure lead at almost .359". With a bit of WW scrap they mike almost .360". I'd bet if a person were to inspect, then scale these that you could compete at most any level of bullseye your equipment and personal skill could take you.

.............Buckshot

[Old Ironsights]

I just got a Lyman 358432 dual cavity. Looks like it will throw a nice boolit.

[hunter64]

You mean there are other calibers than .44? Well you learn something new everyday. :mrgreen:

[Maven]

Another vote for the RCBS .38-150 wadcutter, but I get my best accuracy seating them backwards! The old Cramer (now SAECO) wadcutter is also a gem, but seated normally.

[9.3X62AL]

I also have one of those now out-of-print Lyman #358432 critters, a 2-banger. I don't think I've warmed it up in over 10 years, but not due to poor accuracy--it shoots VERY well, and doesn't seem to do the "nosedive at 65-70 yards" stunt that a lot of wadcutters do. I guess I just got led astray by the Keith/Thompson SWC Siren Song, and never went back to the bluff-fronted boolits. Any casting with that design now has to wait until the foundry and bench get re-set at the new digs in mid-June.

[BruceB]

The only wadcutters cast here are the Lyman 35863 (now 358063), a double-ended design specifically intended for the S&W Model 52 autoloaders, near as I can recall. Since we have a pair of those pistols, and the bullet works well in them, it would seem that the design met its purpose.

The 52s require an absolutely flush-seated bullet...NOTHING can protrude above the case mouth. The double-end design allows seating in whatever direction the loader desires, but I'm also lubing just the bottom groove and also prefer the neater appearance of the end without the sprue mark, so the "clean" end is what shows on my loads.

With considerable effort and the use of a LEE "machine rest", we were able to equal the Remington Targetmaster .38s for grouping at 50 yards. The Remingtons were considered to be the 'hot setup', back in the '70s. That is, accuracy was sufficient to stay well-within the 3.39" ten-ring for a ten-round string. These loads DO demonstrate the "Suddenly Erratic Syndrome" referred to by Deputy Al beyond about sixty yards. At fifty yards though, the bullet is great.

[dubber123]

Bruce, I ran into a guy with a new in the box Smith 52 he said he might let go. I may have to call him as finances improve, as I have always wanted one. I don't have the "063" mold, but I have a RCBS DEWC that should get me by.

[45r]

lyman 358091 seated backwards.

[USARO4]

Lee 6 holer TL, ditto what Buckshot said. As for accuracy it shoots as well as I do. But then all my guns and bullets shoot as well as I do.

[Bret4207]

H+G 50 ten holer! Got it reasonably on a Buy It Now of Ebay. Fine, fine mould. Great for building up that left arm and wrist too.

[9.3X62AL]

The Lyman 4-cylinder engines are all the iron I care to wrangle while casting, Bret. The Lee 6-bangers aren't too bad. One of those armory molds.......nah!

[MT Gianni]

Bret it looks like it's time to turn the teenager out to the casting pot for a small work out. 10 cavity's will wear you out while producing some great bullets. Gianni

[Tristan]

Wow, thanks for all the replies!

Given that the Lee traditional WC got two votes (and coincidentally, it's cheeep in a 6 hole version [smilie=1: ) I think I'll place an order for one.

I appreciate all the feedback!

- Tristan

[AKtinman]

The 358432 is my favorite. It comes in a 148 gr and a 160 gr version. I prefer the 160. It may be odd for me to do so, but I refer to this bullet as a "revolver wadcutter" (aren't they all?) because of the longer nose and front driving band with crimp groove behind it.

I had a 2-holer in 1970, and foolishly sold it, found another a couple of years ago, and recently found a 4 cavity Lyman and a 4 cavity Ideal.

I used to load this over 12.5 gr 2400 (I'm NOT recommending this load - try at your own risk) in the 38/44 Outdoorsman - I sure wouldn't try that load in a K-Frame. Worked fine on a couple of coyotes, and was accurate. It works well over the old Bullseye load also.

H&G made a similar profile, the #36, I think. I've got one of those in a 6-cavity.

Also have a H&G #50, but haven't tried it yet.

Part of the fun is trying out different designs.

[TAWILDCATT]

[QUOTE=Tristan;189079]Wow, thanks for all the replies!

Given that the Lee traditional WC got two votes (and coincidentally, it's cheeep in a 6 hole version [smilie=1: ) I think I'll place an order for one.

S&W 52 great shooter.do not go over 2.8 gr bullseye!! TRUST ME !! the gun is made for target shooting.if you up the charge it will blow the back out of the case.the gun is a pleasure to use.mine was a gift from a close friend.my son has one now.I have lyman 4 bangers 3 of them.but the Lee is a good mold.treat it right and it wil last a lifetime.:coffee: :Fire:

[noshow]

The only wadcutters cast here are the Lyman 35863 (now 358063), a double-ended design specifically intended for the S&W Model 52 autoloaders, near as I can recall. Since we have a pair of those pistols, and the bullet works well in them, it would seem that the design met its purpose.

The 52s require an absolutely flush-seated bullet...NOTHING can protrude above the case mouth. The double-end design allows seating in whatever direction the loader desires, but I'm also lubing just the bottom groove and also prefer the neater appearance of the end without the sprue mark, so the "clean" end is what shows on my loads.

With considerable effort and the use of a LEE "machine rest", we were able to equal the Remington Targetmaster .38s for grouping at 50 yards. The Remingtons were considered to be the 'hot setup', back in the '70s. That is, accuracy was sufficient to stay well-within the 3.39" ten-ring for a ten-round string. These loads DO demonstrate the "Suddenly Erratic Syndrome" referred to by Deputy Al beyond about sixty yards. At fifty yards though, the bullet is great.

Bruce: I have the same gun and mold and have been using 2.8 gr Bullseye. I find it very dirty and requires frequent cleaning of the 52. I was thinking about trying Clays as a powder for it's clean and fast burning properties. It doesn't have to be as accurate as Bullseye since the gun can outshoot me. Have you tried any other powders? PS: my 52 seems to prefer brass cases over nickle:)

[oso]

For the S&W 52 my fav is a H&G 50BB 4 cav compared to the H&G 50 6 cav. I seat 'em reversed over W231 or HP-38, 2.8 grains min to 3.3 grains max depending on the primer (I have plenty of Peters large primer target brass.) I use the Lee Auto Disk and IIRC had trouble getting consistent charges using Clays with the small cavities.

[BruceB]

Our 52s are the -1 model, and both are well over the 100,000-round mark for each. They seem just as tight and accurate as the day we got them. Never broke anything or ever needed service on either one.

Mine (serial #1012xx) will work fine on as little as 2.6 grains of Bullseye and 35863, but since they're recoil-operated and I'm MUCH heavier than my wife, and hence offer more "backing" for the recoil pulse, hers (#1015xx) needs at least 3.0 grains, and she thinks 3.1 is more accurate and more certain of function. At 3.1 grains, there is no bulging or other difficulty with the brass. I have seen brass from other 52s that was BADLY bulged down into the ramp area, but I don't recall what the loads were. Note that HER gun in MY hand will function fine with 2.6 grains. The guns are just that sensitive. She knows her stuff....for several years she was the champion Canadian Lady pistol shooter.

With Bullseye powder, starting with a squeaky-clean gun, ours start to choke at around 400 rounds fired, and there's noticeable sluggishness in the functioning after about 300 rounds. Since an NRA match only requires 90 rounds, and ISU Centerfire only 60 rounds, I'm very happy with that. Generally, we'd fire five rounds from each clean gun into a ditch or some such on the way to a match, just to foul the barrels. ("He who shooteth a dirty gun deserveth his alibi."....old Bullseye-competition saying.)

I know that "I" prefer brass cases over nickel, as the nickeled jobbies split much earlier and I suspect that such a split in the middle of a slow-fire string MIGHT have an effect on where that bullet lands on a fifty-yard target. Don't know for sure, but also don't want to find out the hard way.

I once had a Remington Targetmaster factory load "squib" right in the middle of a very important match. Smoke poured out from every part of the gun, and the bullet JUST BARELY caught the bottom of the outer ring of the target (six-ring, at an indoor match). If that bullet had dropped another inch, it would have cost me no less than three gold medals....one for High Centerfire, one for High Aggregate, and the last one for the Team Match......the loss of those six points would have cost all of those awards. It was a close match, and every point was vital. I was very fortunate in having a point cushion just large enough to absorb the lost four points as the Remington load dropped out of the ten-ring area and into the six. The loss of TEN points would have been a disaster. My wife had selected our handloads over the factory Remingtons, and she went malfunction-free through the centerfire match.

231 also works well in our guns, but that's the extent of my experimenting with powders in match .38 loading. I never pay any attention whatever to comparative "dirtiness"...it's not even on my radarscope.

I used some Lyman 358495s loaded backwards, when circumstances dictated such. They were pretty poor compared to the 'real' match load with 35863s.

.38 match loads are sure fun plinkers. Much more fun than .22s, for sure (so why do I desperately "need" a Smith Model 17 or 18 in .22????)