My " New " ( to me ) 358156 HP

[Ben]

I was at the Birmingham Gun Show yesterday. I spotted a nice OLD Lyman 358156 HP mold. I " negotiated " with the owner on the price . Once we could agree on the price, I bought the mold.

I came home and cleaned the mold. I go out this morning and cast about a hundred or so with the mold.

The as cast diameter numbers on my 38 spec. / 357 Mag. Hollow Point , 358156 HP mold that I bought yesterday are as near perfect as I could hope for.

The drive bands are nice and round ( within a .0005 " ) and measure .361"

Hornady .35 cal. gas checks are a " snap - click fit "......PERFECT ! !

These should be " nail drivers " out of my Model 92, 357 Mag. rifle.

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[Piedmont]

You are fortunate they drop that large. It would be good for varmints in your .358 Winchester.

[Ben]

Piedmont

Yes, I was thinking the same.

Might start with about 9 grs. of Unique and work up in my 358 Win.

Ben

[27judge]

I have used the non HP version for many years in quite a few 357 mag rifles and handguns a very accurate bullet. With a charge of 2400 its a 1 inch gun in my 686 at 35 yards. tks ken

[TCFAN]

I have the same mold plus a NOE RG4 copy of the 358156. They work good in my Marlin 94-C at 1700fps. Makes a real mess of a Armadillo............Terry

[Ben]

Actually, this mold is my 3rd 358156 mold. I have a pair of HP molds and a 2 cav. 358156 that cast solids.

Ben

[PS Paul]

Nice. I suppose a guy could make a devastating varmint/pest-control round with a gas check and somewhat soft alloy. I've been playin' around shooting the 358156 without gas check for short-range target work. Seems to work out pretty well. Nice score.

[GLL]

Nice to find one that casts at 0.361" and it looks brand new as well !
VERY pretty bullets ! :)

Jerry

[sundog]

Actually, this mold is my 2nd 358156 HP. I have a pair of them now.

Ben

Hoarder! :bigsmyl2:

[bhn22]

I am suitably envious. I've been looking for one forever. I suppose I'll have to have one made.

[fivegunner]

That`s my (go to boolit) for all my .357`s. you did good:bigsmyl2:

[9.3X62AL]

Mine too, 5Gunner--in solid form.

As usual, Ben--your photography absolutely ROCKS.

[gwpercle]

That was the very first mould I ever bought . Could no longer afford store bought boolits to feed a second hand Ruger Blackhawk 38spcl./357 mag. ( my first gun). Skeeter Skelton wrote highly of it , so in 1968 I sent Herter's about $12.00 and it shortly arrived in the mailbox. You never forget your first. Spent many an hour with that mould. Your's looks brand spanking new. Awesome find!

[Ben]

Yes, I'm lucky to find this one ! !

Ben

[DeanWinchester]

I just picked up a single cavity 358156 but its not a hollow point. They fall about .3595-.360.

Fact of the matter I just loaded some the other morning in 35 Remington over 20.0g of 2400. Should be a varmint gitter!

Keep me posted on the results in 358 Ben, I reckon I could come close to mimicking those results with the .35 Remmy. AND, if'n you find that second hollow point taking up too much space, you know where to find me. LOL!

[Ben]

I just picked up a single cavity 358156 but its not a hollow point. They fall about .3595-.360.

Fact of the matter I just loaded some the other morning in 35 Remington over 20.0g of 2400. Should be a varmint gitter!

Keep me posted on the results in 358 Ben, I reckon I could come close to mimicking those results with the .35 Remmy. AND, if'n you find that second hollow point taking up too much space, you know where to find me. LOL!

Great !

Thanks,
Ben

[6.5 mike]

Now that you have one for each hand, pouring might be rather interesting, LOL.

[9.3X62AL]

Now that you have one for each hand, pouring might be rather interesting, LOL.

OK, THAT is a pleasant mental picture!

[btroj]

That is a treasure. I lucked into a 358429 HP mould a few years back. It casts a very nice HP bullet.
Lyman certainly made a great mould back then.

[Ben]

I guess there is some truth ( sometimes ) to the statement, " They just don't make them they way they use to."

I can remember many years ago reading the Shooting Times articles written by Skeeter about his love for the 358156 HP. His loads with 2400 and the 358156 HP were a bit hot then in 38 Spec. cases and more than a bit hot now.

I always felt those loads needed to be fired in an L or N frame S & W revolver and kept out of K - frame revolvers.

Ben

[9.3X62AL]

At the time of his writings, I didn't (and still don't) understand why Mr. Skelton put his loads up in 38 Special cases. If some of those loads found their way into an older M&P 38 Special......HIJO LA! I don't think L-frames were in existence when those writings were fresh, in any event. N-frames certainly were, but like you I would be loath to run them in K-frame 357 Model 13/65 or 19/66 platforms.

[Piedmont]

At the time of his writings, I didn't (and still don't) understand why Mr. Skelton put his loads up in 38 Special cases. If some of those loads found their way into an older M&P 38 Special......HIJO LA! I don't think L-frames were in existence when those writings were fresh, in any event. N-frames certainly were, but like you I would be loath to run them in K-frame 357 Model 13/65 or 19/66 platforms.
I am sure it was just habit. When he started doing it .357 brass was very rare and he could get .38 for free with his law enforcement target shooting connections. He probably had a huge stash of .38 brass. Also, he was telling stories of what he did in the past. Perhaps he did load them in .357 cases in his later years and save .38 brass for .38s.

I can remember when you could still get once-fired .38 brass very inexpensively and I'm only middle aged. Even those days are gone forever. The world has gone to autopistols. Cheap brass makes certain calibers more appealing if you are a penny pincher like me.

[GP100man]

Ben

Lucy indeed !!

My last aquired 156 barely makes it to .357" with isotope alloy.

[Wal']

I am suitably envious. I've been looking for one forever. I suppose I'll have to have one made.

Here. :bigsmyl2:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?132861-MiHec-358156-HP-or-Solid

[Larry Gibson]

Skelton wasn't the only one who put up "those loads" in 38 SPL cases. The bullet was designed by Thompson for use in 38 SPL cases for N Frame .38 revolvers which were made for the heavier loads. When the .357 revolvers became available there was indeed a shortage of .357 brass. Only way to get it was to fire factory ammo and that was expensive. The FBI and many most police agencies used the 38 SPL and gave brass away so 38 SPL brass was very plentiful. In the medium framed .357s the heavy loaded .38 SPLs with 358156s was a very common load. I've loaded thousands of them and will load more.

We have 3 levels of such loads for the 45 Colt and 3 levels of 45-70 ammunition along with the 38 Auto which is the same case as the 38 Super which is loaded hotter and probably several other examples. Frankly I have been hearing the "If some of those loads found their way into an older M&P 38 Special......HIJO LA!" line for more years than I can remember. I've yet to hear of a 38 M&P or any other 38 SPL revolver being "HIHO LA"d from the use of any such load inadvertently put into it.

As a matter of fact back in "in the day" we had a 38 M&P scheduled for destruction (Cutting torch) and I got permission from the judge (I was the LE firearms training office) to "test" it to destruction but had a time limit to do it in. I had a rest constructed to hold it and fired it with a long lanyard. I fired 50 rounds of my heavy loaded 38 SPLs with 13 gr 2400 under the 358156 seated long and the revolver suffered no ill effects. I reamed the chambers out to 357 magnum and fired 50 rounds of Winchester 158 Lubaloy factory ammunition with the bullets seated a tudge deeper to fit the cylinder oal. The cylinder developed some end shake but otherwise the revolver was still serviceable. I then duplicated the Federal/Hercules test of Bullseye target loads that they found would cause destruction of revolvers. I loaded some 38 SPLs with double charges (2.7 gr standard charge) of Bullseye under a 148 gr HBWC and fired 50 of those with no apparent damage to the M&P. I then fired rounds with triple charges and the bullets seated about 1/8" below the case mouth (the bullets were scrunched). The 3rd shot lifted the top of the cylinder and top strap off. The revolver was destroyed.

In my own case I don't give, trade or sell any such loads and any 38 SPL with a long seated 358156 and they don't get loaded into my .38 SPL revolvers. I find the 356156 a very, very versatile cast bullet and will continue to use it for what it was designed for. As with all our reloads and ammunition we just need to be careful with the end use.

Larry Gibson

[gwpercle]

Back then my only gun was the Ruger Blackhawk, all the 38 spcl. brass you could want were free at the range, just pick them up. 357 mag. brass had to be bought, so I had none of that. I still have boxes of 38 spcl that have never been reloaded. I loaded the 38 spcl loads crimped in the upper groove and hotter loads in the lower one. I could tell which was which by looking at them and since all were shot out of the Blackhawk , never had any misshaps. I never gave away any of my valuable reloads and Skeeter Skelton never wrote of any problems... I guess times were simpler back then or we were just young and ignorant of what could happen.
Gary

[garymcgehee52]

Ben I have been using a Lyman 358156 solid mold for about 30 years. I have used it in 3 different 357 mag guns. It cast ww at .360 and always accurate.

[9.3X62AL]

Larry et al--

Call it "an abundance of caution" or whatever else you may, but I'm not about to subject my S&W K-frame revolvers to inordinate load strains when I have strong 357 Magnum revolvers on hand for that sort of stunt work--and adequate supplies of 357 Magnum brass to feed them with. If I luck into one of the S&W Heavy Duty or Outdoorsman N-frames, I'll set aside one make/model of brass to service it and keep that ammo designated CLEARLY as over-strength.

I did similar experiments-to-destruction with 1911A1-series pistols bound to the melters. Those pistols can take some stalwart abuse, but I don't relate such stunts to service use of similar pistols. All mechanisms have service life expectations--a Chevy Impala you buy at the dealer is likely good for at least 150K miles before significant repairs are called for. A similar vehicle built for NASCAR tracks is designed to hold up for just over 500 miles--and not all of those survive to the end, either. Hard running has a "tax" to pay much sooner than does a moderately-operated firearm, vehicle, or appliance.

[Swede44mag]

Ben
What is the boolit weight?

[waco]

I used to have that mold.
I now much prefer NOE HP molds. Much easier and quicker to use IMO.

[Ben]

Ben
What is the boolit weight?

155 grs.

[gray wolf]

Outstandung Ben, nice mold and nice boolets.

Sam

[Bazoo]

Howdy, Congratulations on a great find Ben. Some mighty nice projectiles you're making as well. I am new to loading and casting. My first mould is a 358156. I am looking for a HP myself. Might even consider having my mould turned into one, if I can find another solid topper.