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siamese4570
03-30-2008, 06:53 PM
OK, got a question. Just got my mould from a group buy. It was the 180 gr 357 bullet. This is a gas check bullet. Worked great out of my GP 100 and Handi rifle. 1150 fps out of the 6" revolver and 1550 fps out of the rifle. So far so good. Thought about a plinking load with the bullet with no gas check, just lubed and sized. 2.5 gr Red dot gave me 520 fps and 1 1/2" groups at 25 yds. Slow but accurate. Just to save a step, I'm thinking about just tumble lubing and loading with no sizing. I size to .358, the bullets drop out of the mould a .360. Do you guys see any problems with this plan? That is assuming that the loaded round will drop into the chamber.

Siamese4570

runfiverun
03-30-2008, 11:39 PM
if it fit and shoots well and dont fill the bbl with lead
there aint no problem

garandsrus
03-30-2008, 11:58 PM
Siamese4570,

You probably want to increase the velocity some (8-900 fps?) just to make sure that a boolit doesn't get stuck in the barrel...

John

Lloyd Smale
03-31-2008, 05:58 AM
yup 520 is just to slow to be considered safe. 650 should be your absolute minimum and even more if you go jacketed.

lathesmith
03-31-2008, 02:02 PM
To avoid a stuck bullet in the bore at low velocity, I always make sure I use a very soft lead mix. I also prefer to use Bullseye, as per other posts flake powders such as Red Dot can give problems at very light charge levels, with a variety of causes. I use 2.8 grains of Bullseye in my 24" T/C 375 Winchester all the time with no problems, and around 500 fps. Very accurate too.
lathesmith

HORNET
03-31-2008, 07:45 PM
Actually, I generally try to use different boolit designs for the plinkers and the full house loads. I think I get fewer surprises that way. You might want to look at a plain base in a visually different style for plinkers. Sometimes those GC designs don't like to run barefoot. Please note that a tumble-lube design is not required for tumble lubing at the lower velocities.

Larry Gibson
03-31-2008, 11:24 PM
Agree with Hornet.

Given the price of precious metal these days you get 1.7 times as many Le 358-105-SWCs as you do the 180s. They also make much better plinkers and small game bullets. Figure in the cost of a 2 cavity mould, or what the hey get extravigant and get the 6 holer, and you're ahead of the game. 1700 bullets vs 1000 bullets is a heck of a gain. Even a 140 SWC puts you ahead of the game and with either you don't have to put up with the non GC on a GC bullet problem. At plinker velocities TLing as cast works fine.

Larry Gibson