.358 RN modification?????

[shredder]

Hello fellows!
I have a Lyman 358315 RN design for the 35 Remington that I shoot in my Marlin 336.
My question is: is it possible to modify this mould to be a flat point? (RNFP) The idea being that a bit of meplat makes a better hunting boolit and is safer in the tube magazine.

I am a bit afraid to run wheelweight + 2% tin (water dropped) cast boolits in the tube with the stock round nose design for fear of ignition. I was able to put an empty primed case in a vise (outdoors!)and use one of my cast 358313 held with pliers on the primer and set it off with a good whack of my mallet. They may not line up that well in the magazine but it still got my attention! I could probably make that go away with softer alloy, but then softer alloy does not shoot well in my rifle with the micro groove rifling.

As an alternative,I thought to have someone make up a hardened trim die and use a few strokes of the file to create a meplat.

What say you brothers of the molten metal?

[detox]

As an alternative,I thought to have someone make up a hardened trim die and use a few strokes of the file to create a meplat.

What say you brothers of the molten metal?

The trim die is probably the only way. Erik Ohlen may can help you by welding up tip area then machining, but this may cost more than a new mould.

Look Here:http://www.hollowpointmold.com/weld-repairs/

[Doc_Stihl]

If you had Eric at hollowpointmold.com hollow point it you could also get a flat nose HP pin made up and that would work.

[jwhite]

I had Erik Ohlen hollowpoint my 358315 mold, makes a really nice looking and shooting boolit. I had the mold for years and never did anything with it, did not seem to shoot well and I hated the roundnose, a quick trip to Erik and it is one of my favorite 35 caliber molds. I am currently loading them in 357 handi-rifle with great results, using a max load of lil'gun, also been loading them in my 35 remington 7600 with 20gr of 4198 for a nice mid-range load. I highly recommend the 358315 hollowpoint.

JW

[detox]

The hollow point idea is a good one. I have used his services and Erik Ohlen does verygood work. Turnaround time is about Two weeks.

[Ben]

If you had Eric at hollowpointmold.com hollow point it you could also get a flat nose HP pin made up and that would work.

shredder

Yes, Eric did a 311291 like that for me.
Would be very easy to do with a 358315 mold also.
By the way, you can crank out some bullets with a nose punch like this also.
It is a fast system.
The rejection rate with this mold is less than 2%.

I have little doubt that this modification increases the " SMACK FACTOR " on bullet impact.

Ben

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/021800x600-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/017800x600-1.jpg

[cbrick]

If you want to alter the mold Ben's idea is the correct one. One of the numerous modifications Erik has made for me was three pins for a mold, one of them just like Ben's, the other two pins were different types of HP's.

Rick

[MtGun44]

Doc and Ben nail it. Have Erik fix it up as a HP and FP.

Bill

[Ben]

Change the HP pin over to " cup point " and this is what you'll have.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/006-5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/005-2.jpg

[shredder]

Thaks for your replies guys! Lots of good infor there. I did not think about hollow point pins and that could be good option. As usual Ben, you pics speak a thousand words! I bet those cup points put the smack down on a water filled milk jug. I have been in contact with Erik and await his response.

How much fun can you have with cast boolits? ENDLESS! Hee Hee!

[bhn22]

Limited only by your imagination, and your budget.

[Beerd]

Another option without changing the mould may be to cast up some BruceB soft point bullets. There's a sticky.
..

[shredder]

Got a reply rom Erik already, he is fast! Looks like a modification may be in the works. I need to do a bit of testing in my rifle for OAL function before we dive right in. I am looking at the cup point or the flat point, maybe both. We will see.

[shredder]

Another option without changing the mould may be to cast up some BruceB soft point bullets. There's a sticky.
..

Hmmmm. I did read that, you have my attention..... I may have to give that a try.

I have more imagination that budget as most of you would admit I'm sure. Modest budgets go a looong way with cast boolits and experimentation.

[Forrest r]

I'd check your bbl to see what size it is before doing anything else. The micro-groove bbls are known to be over sized & being over sized, while not being the best thing. It does however allow you the ability to bump any of the multitude of the 9mm/357/358 cast bullet up to the size you need + change the bullet profile to flat points, hp's, or any other design/style of noses you want to use or try.

An example of changing a bullets nose/profile:
A 30cal plinking bullet, a lee 311-93-1r that can be used in several rifle & pistol calibers. I wanted a hollow base wad cutter target bullet that I could use in calibers like the m1 carbine or 30-30 in a contender + use it in a 32long target pistol. The end result, hbwc's left & the original bullet as cast right.

90470

This is changing a bullets profile to the extreme but I could of easily stopped by simply flattening the nose or put a hp in it.

Being on a budget & having an imagination is what these bullets are all about. I love to look @ the pics people post of eric's work, all I can say is, WOW (some day)!!!! But for the cost of getting 1 mold pinned I opted to buy the equipment that I could use to make/alter any bullet in any caliber.

Just something to think about.
Like you I have more time than money so I bought a used mold ($10) that I could use as is for calibers like the 30-06/308/30-30/300bk/m1/7.62x39 or 32mag/long/32acp/32colt & be able to modify that bullet's nose or diameter or even use it for nothing more than a lead core for jacketed bullets in the 9mm/38spl/357 or even your 35remington.

90471

A $10 mold, free range lead, free range brass & a little imagination.

[Ben]

As usual Ben, you pics speak a thousand words!

shredder

Nothing wrong with a good narrative explanation of things, but for me I need to see it. It always helps me understand the concept if I can see it.

Ben

[shredder]

As usual Ben, you pics speak a thousand words!

shredder

Nothing wrong with a good narrative explanation of things, but for me I need to see it. It always helps me understand the concept if I can see it.

Ben

Yup, visual learner here too! What surprises me most is how much I seem to have in common with the folks that hang out here! When pics of rifles and boolits get posted I almost always seem to connect, as I have something just like it in my safe or collection somewhere! Mostly I just feel right at home here.

[shredder]

I'd check your bbl to see what size it is before doing anything else. The micro-groove bbls are known to be over sized & being over sized, while not being the best thing. It does however allow you the ability to bump any of the multitude of the 9mm/357/358 cast bullet up to the size you need + change the bullet profile to flat points, hp's, or any other design/style of noses you want to use or try.

An example of changing a bullets nose/profile:
A 30cal plinking bullet, a lee 311-93-1r that can be used in several rifle & pistol calibers. I wanted a hollow base wad cutter target bullet that I could use in calibers like the m1 carbine or 30-30 in a contender + use it in a 32long target pistol. The end result, hbwc's left & the original bullet as cast right.

90470

This is changing a bullets profile to the extreme but I could of easily stopped by simply flattening the nose or put a hp in it.

Being on a budget & having an imagination is what these bullets are all about. I love to look @ the pics people post of eric's work, all I can say is, WOW (some day)!!!! But for the cost of getting 1 mold pinned I opted to buy the equipment that I could use to make/alter any bullet in any caliber.

Just something to think about.
Like you I have more time than money so I bought a used mold ($10) that I could use as is for calibers like the 30-06/308/30-30/300bk/m1/7.62x39 or 32mag/long/32acp/32colt & be able to modify that bullet's nose or diameter or even use it for nothing more than a lead core for jacketed bullets in the 9mm/38spl/357 or even your 35remington.

90471

A $10 mold, free range lead, free range brass & a little imagination.

You have my full attention! Please tell me more about the die of which you speak. Is it a boolit reforming die of some sort? School me I must find out what this is....

[myg30]

If your cast is not to hard [but you water drop] you might be able to put a flat on it when sizing and lubing with a flat nose top punch. Don't over stress your sizer. I cast 50/50 ww,pb and have blunt the nose on some.
Just me $.02 worth.

Mike

[shredder]

If your cast is not to hard [but you water drop] you might be able to put a flat on it when sizing and lubing with a flat nose top punch. Don't over stress your sizer. I cast 50/50 ww,pb and have blunt the nose on some.
Just me $.02 worth.



Mike

Good idea except I size with lee push through. Water dropping might not be necessary, but it was the first thing that gave me accurate results. There will undoubtedly be other ways to get there from here.

[shredder]

I occurs to me that I am trying to modify the lyman mould to be like the RCBS 358-200-FN.... Hmmm........

[Forrest r]

A cheap harbor freight arbor press, a 30" length of gas pipe & home made swaging dies.

Any sizing die for the lyman or rcbs sizers will also work. For what your doing simply push the pin out of the sizing die & use it for a flat nose punch. Put your bullet into the die body, put the pin on the top of the bullet and push down in a arbor press. You can mark the pin or use a sleeve to know when to stop pushing down/swaging the bullet. It will flatten the nose of the bullet & expand (make the bullet larger in diameter) at the same time. Swaging the bullet will also make a perfectly round bullet body & make the nose concentric to that bullet body.

Not much to look @ but this simple swaging die made the 32cal hbwc's (top). A die body (large piece with a hole in it, a nose forming die (a bolt with a point on the end) & a couple of sleeves ( small piece of steel & washer) to keep the depth of the nose forming die (the bolt) the same.

Another simple die (bottom), this one is for making/forming cores for the 44spl/mag. It takes the casted cores & sizes them to .396 & puts a hollow point/base in them.

90500

90502

Why I say hollow point/hollow base is because these cores are a slip fit into 40s&w brass and are swaged into hp for the 44spl/mag. Need to take some pictures of them. Or the hollow based cores can be knurled to bump them up to be used in 41mag.

Might sound dumb but no one makes a swaged hbwc's for the 41mags.

Anyway, it's nothing high-tech, the dies are simple to make & simple to use.

[shredder]

A cheap harbor freight arbor press, a 30" length of gas pipe & home made swaging dies.

Any sizing die for the lyman or rcbs sizers will also work. For what your doing simply push the pin out of the sizing die & use it for a flat nose punch. Put your bullet into the die body, put the pin on the top of the bullet and push down in a arbor press. You can mark the pin or use a sleeve to know when to stop pushing down/swaging the bullet. It will flatten the nose of the bullet & expand (make the bullet larger in diameter) at the same time. Swaging the bullet will also make a perfectly round bullet body & make the nose concentric to that bullet body.

Not much to look @ but this simple swaging die made the 32cal hbwc's (top). A die body (large piece with a hole in it, a nose forming die (a bolt with a point on the end) & a couple of sleeves ( small piece of steel & washer) to keep the depth of the nose forming die (the bolt) the same.

Another simple die (bottom), this one is for making/forming cores for the 44spl/mag. It takes the casted cores & sizes them to .396 & puts a hollow point/base in them.

90500

90502

Why I say hollow point/hollow base is because these cores are a slip fit into 40s&w brass and are swaged into hp for the 44spl/mag. Need to take some pictures of them. Or the hollow based cores can be knurled to bump them up to be used in 41mag.

Might sound dumb but no one makes a swaged hbwc's for the 41mags.

Anyway, it's nothing high-tech, the dies are simple to make & simple to use.

Picking up my jaw from the floor.... Your skill at tool making is obvious. If only I had a lathe and the skills to use it to fabricate tools like that. I am impressed at your ingenuity!

[cbrick]

I occurs to me that I am trying to modify the lyman mould to be like the RCBS 358-200-FN.... Hmmm........

On the left is the NOE version of RCBS 35 200. In the middle is the RCBS 35 200. Should you want heavier on the right is the RCBS 35 250.

Rick

90516 90517 90518

For comparison, here is the 35 250 next to a 357 mag case.

90519

[beagle]

You can do anything with that mould and a little imagination. Look at castpics/articles by members/Mould from Hell.

Mine is adjustable for weight/length/HP or solid. My favorite for the .35 Remington is a 240 grain HP./beagle

[Forrest r]

Actually I started swaging bullets decades ago using nothing more than a drill press, arbor press, hand drill, hacksaws, files & sand paper. It seemed like it took forever to make something but it only had to be done once.

I'm a huge cast bullet fan & use what I cast to swage bullets (lead or jacketed), steels cheap. All's it takes is a couple of different molds, 1 die body & as many different nose forming dies (bolts) as you can make to turn out anything you want.

On a side note:
I also use the same arbor press/home made swaging die to swage 9mm cases down to jackets for the 38spl/357. One of the simplest plinking jacketed bullets you could make for your 35. Make a die (hole/polish) or buy a lee push thru sizing die & polish/lap to size if need be & just use a plain bolt (1/4") to push the case thru, make the die .356/.357/.358/.359/.360, whatever you want need. Lube the case & push it thru the sizing die. Use a brush/q-tip to put plumers flux inside the resized case & set a cast bullet in the resized/swaged 9mm case ( I use the 93gr bullet) & put them in an old cast iron skillet. Put the skillet over a propane turkey fryer base or other heat source & heat until the lead melts. Simply let cool then clean them in a tumbler or critic acid bath. You end up with a flat nosed jacketed hbwc bullet that can either be taper crimped or roll crimped in the web of the 9mm case. Excellent accuracy & hits hard.

I make mine to .357 but bigger is easier, less swaging.

90547

Again cheap plinking bullets, 150gr jacketed hbwc's from a used $10 mold (311-93-1r/lead core), free range lead & free range brass. And if you ever bothered to turn them around they make one of the best hp's out there. These are 38spl & 44spl jacketed hbwc's shot from snub nosed revolvers (both 820fps). When these bullets are shot from 357's/44mag's going 1600fps+ they make a mess out of whatever they hit.

90558

Good luck, forrest r

[shredder]

Forrest r:

Well I'll be darned! That is some of the best scrounging/recycling I have ever seen. Brother, you can make use of anything! I commend your ingenuity. You have me thinking outside the box now. I look around my reloading room and am getting some ideas, maybe a small lathe is in my future....

[shredder]

On the left is the NOE version of RCBS 35 200. In the middle is the RCBS 35 200. Should you want heavier on the right is the RCBS 35 250.

Rick

90516 90517 90518

For comparison, here is the 35 250 next to a 357 mag case.

90519

Wow that 250 looks huge. I am on the hunt for the original RCBS mould, how does the NOE version stack up?

[cbrick]

Shoots the same. By intention it casts slightly larger. I already had the RCBS mold and only got the NOE for the 5 cavity vs 2 cavity.

RCBS 35 200 - <out of stock> http://www.midwayusa.com/find?sortby=1&itemsperpage=24&dimensionids=4294846302&newcategorydimensionid=15583&searchscope=all

Rick

[cbrick]

NOE has this in stock as a 5 cav GC. As of right now they have 2 in stock.

RCBS 35 200 5 cavity GC (http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=35&products_id=358&osCsid=ccnovarestgcnhm851hpgmba06)

Rick

[Gtek]

One of the things you might want to think about is where and how you are going to store ALL of your molds, Hee-Hee. Having Marlinitis there is always the one in the pipe, one in the tube, and a couple handy method. I have found that the closer they drop or plop to your intended goal the easier life seems, and it usually falls somewhere between $75. and $180 in the end. It is fun and rewarding working situations to solution, but I am afraid you are on the path of (this mold I use in that rifle, and this one is for that rifle). Ask me how I know. ENJOY! Gtek

[cbrick]

I am afraid you are on the path of (this mold I use in that rifle, and this one is for that rifle). Ask me how I know. ENJOY! Gtek

A perfectly normal evolution of nature, probably how I ended up with 35 molds in 30 caliber alone. :mrgreen:

Rick

[shredder]

"and it usually falls somewhere between $75. and $180 in the end."

Ha Ha Ha!!! you got me there!

[Redd508]

An example of changing a bullets nose/profile:
A 30cal plinking bullet, a lee 311-93-1r that can be used in several rifle & pistol calibers. I wanted a hollow base wad cutter target bullet that I could use in calibers like the m1 carbine or 30-30 in a contender + use it in a 32long target pistol. The end result, hbwc's left & the original bullet as cast right.

I have this mold and i'm interested in what you did. Can you post pics of your modified mold?

[Redd508]

Dbl post