CH-4D 38/357 ogive?

[wonderwolf]

Anybody else get the new set of ch dies in 38/357? this is the 2nd weekend I've played around with them and well.....I'm kind of disappointed really. The ogive seems way too large for .38, this would be the perfect die set for somebody with a 35 whelen wanting to make 160+gr bullets but I'm wanting to make 125gr bullets and the nose portion is 3/4" of the bullet even when the solid punch is used, very very small amount of the bullet is bearing surface. The shape of the bullet looks like its for a automatic or something or rifle, not revolver. I have other CH die sets and they seem pretty well balanced but this was the die set I was looking forward to the most and it seems to lack thought in the design, unless they were going for a point form that was all encompassing for weights over 150gr.

I'll make up a few test batches and load them up and head out to the range when the weather breaks but I'm kind of scratching my head at this. For the money I'm thinking I should have just attempted to make my own point form die to team with my 105 type die also in hand for the .357 as i've been using it while waiting on a 101.

[roverboy]

I agree with you on the very short bearing surface. But, you really don't know until you shoot some. Good luck.

[newcastter]

I purchased that set also but need to come up with jackets. I really don't like the thought of buying them, I'm thinking maybe a draw die of sorts would do the trick. Then I need to make a core mold, that part is easy. What are you currently using for jackets and cores?

[tiger762]

I was delighted that it wasn't yet another simplistic wadcutter or semi-wadcutter design but has an actual ogive. Die makers set themselves a low standard when they offer something that makes essentially a solid cylinder with a little bit of point to it and ridiculously large meplat. I'm swaging for a silenced full-auto Mac-10 that is picky about nose shape.

[wonderwolf]

I purchased that set also but need to come up with jackets. I really don't like the thought of buying them, I'm thinking maybe a draw die of sorts would do the trick. Then I need to make a core mold, that part is easy. What are you currently using for jackets and cores?

I have 2,400 .357 jackets I got from corbin around the first of the year in anticipation of these dies. I got 2k of the shorter jackets and 400 of the longer ones to play around with heavy 200gr+ stuff

For cores right now I'm using .30cal 150gr bullets until I get something better made up...but I'll be honest those .30 cals work pretty well. With the long jacket they come out to 176gr and some change

I found a thread from awhile back that BT Sniper did on the 9mm/357 dies and this problem, his solution was to drill out the punch hole to .250" and make new nose punches, A option that I'm seriously considering. I have a bolt action .357 I'll be feeding with these and will have to measure to nose diameter of the largest flat nose bullet I know that will feed reliably in that gun.

The thread was from 2010 irrc....so this "issue" isn't something new. Next weekend I'll hit the range and test the 125 gr bullets and see how they fly with my staple load of 16.8gr of 2400.....I don't hold much hope.

[BT Sniper]

Yep I was looking at that thread too. Seems they still have the same design with the long ogive of the 357 dies as before.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?103094-Why-does-the-CH-9mm-357-have-such-a-long-ogive&highlight=

I can easily solve this issue for you but as you can imagine I can't do it for free :)

PM me when your interested and I'll be happy to help.

BT

[wonderwolf]

Yep I was looking at that thread too. Seems they still have the same design with the long ogive of the 357 dies as before.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?103094-Why-does-the-CH-9mm-357-have-such-a-long-ogive&highlight=

I can easily solve this issue for you but as you can imagine I can't do it for free :)

PM me when your interested and I'll be happy to help.

BT

Thanks for the kind offer BT I'll keep it in mind.

[MIBULLETS]

CH uses the same nose profile for the 357 and 9mm dies. For the 9mm, I think it is perfect but way too long for a 357. I just seat them to the correct length and let the Lee factory crimp die do its work. They seem to function fine and bullets don't slip under heavy recoil.