Newbie- Gas Checks and mold question

[lordgroom]

Thinking of buying a Lee 2 cavity mold for casting 158 grain SWC in size .358’s. Midway offers one for tumble lube and one with a gas check. I will buy the Lee Lube and Size kit. Here are my questions:

If I have the gas check version, do I need to use a gas check or can I use a gas check with some and no gas check for others (such as not using a gas check for the .38 Special boolits).

If I purchase the tumble lube version can I still run them through the lube and size kit? Do I need to? What is the actual difference between the tumble lube molds and the non tumble lube molds?

[mooman76]

You can get away with not using a gas check in a gas check pistol bullet easier than you can with a rifle bullet mould. If you aren't planning on using a gas check thn it is better not to get a gas check mould. The toble lube design is designed to help the lube stck better to the bullet to evenly distribute the lube. You can run it through a regular lube sizer and visa versa tuble lube a regular bullet but the performance may not be as good.

[happy7]

You don't necessarily need to size your bullets at all. It all depends on your cylinder throat size and the size the mold drops at, as to how accurate the boolits will be without sizing. If you don't have to size, and do tumble lube you can sure speed things up. The main thing i don't like about tumble lube is it lubes the whole bullet and so the exposed nose of the bullet is sticky and its just kind of messy. It also gums up the seating die. However, for volume shooting you can't beat it. You can lube a 1000 bullets literally in five minutes of work. You do need to let the lube set up, but the actually work is almost nothing.

[happy7]

Oh, the difference between tumble lube and conventional molds is the shape of the lube grooves. The tumble lube grooves are many and shallow to pick up the thin liquid alox.

[lordgroom]

Let me ask the question another way. I have not casted anything before and this will be my first casting experience. I want to order a mold to make boolits for both .38 Special and .357 Magnum. I plan to purchase a mold for 158 Grain SWC and will buy a 2 cavity Lee. The only molds offered at midway (both on back order) are one with a gas check and the other a tumble lube. I was not planning to use a gas check in most of my boolits as it does not seem they are needed for .38 Special rounds. I am experimenting with cream of wheat for gas checks so I don't expect to use a gas check at all. I do plan to size my bullets in a lee lube and size kit.

Which mold would be better:

the gas check version where I will not use a gas check
or
the tumble lube version which I will run through a lube and size kit?

Any help would be appreciated.

[calsite]

go to Lee's site..... Lee Precision Reloading.com, sometimes they have things that are out of stock somewhere else. i.e. Midway was out of .452 lubrisizers, but I ordered one from Lee direct the same day. Lee also has a pretty detailed mould chart for view. If you're not plannning on shooting really hot loads from your pistol you really shouldn't need a gas check'd boolit. Of course as in-expensive as Lee molds are you can usually afford one of each.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Leftoverdj]

Get the plain base tumble lube version, but get it in six cavity. The price difference is not that much, and the six cavity moulds are far better built. It is very difficult to get good accuracy with GC bullets without the GC. Plain base will do fine for all .38 Special loads and all but the hottest .357 loads.

GCs are a sometimes necessary evil. They run the cost way up and halve production. When you can get along without them, do so. The plain base will fill at least 90% of your needs and you can add a GC mould when you absolutely have to have it.