38 Special Mold Suggestions

[Taterhead]

My wife and I have a little Ruger LCR that we enjoy shooting more than we expected. So we're going through the commercial cast/coated 158 gr LSWC bullets fast enough that buying mold makes sense.

I'm an experienced reloader (new to casting), but admittedly don't know a much about the 38 in particular. As I review the mold catalogues at Accurate and NOE, wow there are a lot of choices! Truly the commercial 158 LSWC has been fine with modest velocities over charges of Win 452AA. I'm leaning that way now.

What would be your preferred bullet style/weight for a little 38 snubbie like the LCR?

[StrawHat]

I don't have a Ruger but I do load and shoot a S&W M36-1 with a 3" barrel. My preferred boolit for that little revolver, actually for all of my 38 Specials, is a 150 grain DEWC. I have a couple of Lee molds and am happy with them. They have something similar with the TL grooves. THere is nothing wrong with the 158 grain boolits, I just prefer the DEWC.

Here is an article I like to recommend.

http://www.grantcunningham.com/2011/11/ed-harris-revisiting-the-full-charge-wadcutter/

Kevin

[DerekP Houston]

I picked up the Lee 6 cavity 158gr swc and the 148gr wc. I used them both until practically falling apart, then Jb welded the handles back on. Greater starter molds imho.

[Shooter6br]

I go with Lee 158 TL and my favorite H&G 148 wadcutters.

[Petrol & Powder]

While I hate to be the guy that posts, "Well I use __________", .......I'm going to do it anyway.

The RCBS SWC 38-150 which drops a bullet close to 159 grains with my alloy, is my "do it all" 38 Special bullet.

I've played around with some wadcutter molds and they are useful as well. I'm still struggling with the SAECO #053 but the RCBS 38-148WC has proved to be a good WC. The Saeco shoots well but I've been plagued with leading issues with that design.
The RCBS molds are great molds but you are limited to only two cavities.

In that LCR the slightly lighter WC may be the ticket but the SWC will be a bit more speed-loader friendly.

I love the 38 Special and it is by far my favorite round to cast & reload for.

Good Luck !

[Petrol & Powder]

By the way, that linked article that Strawhat included in post #2 is spot on. I've read that before and recommend others read it as well.

[C. Latch]

For .38 plinking, a $40 Lee 6-cavity in your favorite design will do everything you need.

[fecmech]

The Lee 158 tumble lube SWC is an excellent design. Very accurate, requires no lubrisizer, size (or not) with Lee size die, tumble lube and shoot. I go through them by the thousands.

[Maven]

Another thumbs up for the Lee 158gr. SWC-TL bullet and mold! My 6 banger casts well and I can't complain about the simplicity of lubing them (Don't miss the sizing & lubing step at all). My S & W Mod. 10 loves them.

[Yodogsandman]

My vote goes to the Lyman 358477 which casts a SWC 148 gr boolit for great accuracy.

[Outpost75]

Only thing I can add to the above is to try several different bullet WEIGHTS in the LCR and see which shoots closest to the sights. It may be that 148-148 DEWCs shoot "on", but they might shoot high if the gun was targeted at the factory for lighter bullets.

Generally with revolvers light bullets will shoot lower, and heavier bullets will shoot higher. IF your LCR shoots closer to point of aim with 110-125 grain bullets you might try a lighter cast bullet. The Accurate 35-120H was designed as a heavy bullet for the .380 ACP, but it would also be a good choice for people looking for a lighter flatnosed type bullet which will be speed loader friendly and have a large meplat suitable for short-barreled revolvers. Just a thought.

169341

[bangerjim]

I cast & shoot all the LEE 358 boolits available out of a Ruger Redhawk 7", a 3" subnose 38SPL, and 2 different lever rifles with great success. I have ALL the molds Lee makes for that cal.

I PC them all and have excellent success! 38 and 45LC are my two favorite cals!

banger

[richhodg66]

The Lee 158 tumble lube SWC is an excellent design. Very accurate, requires no lubrisizer, size (or not) with Lee size die, tumble lube and shoot. I go through them by the thousands.

I've actually been working with this one a lot lately in various .357 Magnums. Haven't tried it yet in a .38 Special but I will. Thus far, it seems as good as any .38 bullet I've cast and shot. I've been using Ben's 60/40 LLA to Johnson's floor wax (see the sticky) for lube and it works great with this bullet.

[RogerDat]

TL358-158SWC - works for me, the RN TL358-158-2R is also nice. That said IF bullet with less weight is accurate the lighter bullet will offer less recoil, use less lead to cast.

I have a wad cutter mold, don't recall the model right off the top of my head, not Lee, it has a button nose and a crimp groove positioned so it does not get seated all the way into the case. Have only used that one a little bit. The Lee tumble lube SWC is my "go to" cast for this size.

At $20 for two cavity or $39 + $13 for handles for a six cavity they should get you going well and at a budget price.

I can cast a bunch, dump them into a 1/2 gallon zip lock bag, dribble in some liquid Alox based 45/45/10 lube and tumble for a few minutes. Easy Peasy. They also powder coat well.

[Taterhead]

Only thing I can add to the above is to try several different bullet WEIGHTS in the LCR and see which shoots closest to the sights. It may be that 148-148 DEWCs shoot "on", but they might shoot high if the gun was targeted at the factory for lighter bullets.

Generally with revolvers light bullets will shoot lower, and heavier bullets will shoot higher. IF your LCR shoots closer to point of aim with 110-125 grain bullets you might try a lighter cast bullet. The Accurate 35-120H was designed as a heavy bullet for the .380 ACP, but it would also be a good choice for people looking for a lighter flatnosed type bullet which will be speed loader friendly and have a large meplat suitable for short-barreled revolvers. Just a thought.



That is a really good point about POI. The 158, thus far shoots about POA. I've only tried one other bullet, and that was a factory 125 grain. I did not shoot enough of it to get a good sense of its POI. Granted, this gun is far from a target gun, but the 158 seems to land right around the point of aim.

I'm sensing that the majority of the advice is around the mid-weights (150ish). The 158s with quick-burning 452AA have been reasonably comfortable to shoot. These will be Hi-Tek coated.

So far my short list is the RCBS 38-150, a 140 OWC from LBT (expensive!), NOE 150 SWC. Heck for the money, I might also get a Lee 148-WC to give that profile a try.

The input is greatly appreciated everyone. StrawHat, the linked-to article was a good read! Thank you.

[PaulG67]

NOE 358-135. Flat out the most accurate boolit I have ever shot in 38/357, in either revolver or rifle. It is the only boolit I cast for this caliber now. Have no need for others.

[Wayne Smith]

I'm gonna step out and recommend two molds - one your favorite design 158gr pill simply because you are shooting it now and are comfortable with it. The other would be a multi cavity 148gr WC - simply because shooting these behind 2.7gr Bullseye is FUN! Even in a little gun. You will want a lot of them.

[FISH4BUGS]

I'll throw in my preference - Hensley & Gibbs #51. 160 gr swc. Why? Because it has a lube groove the size of the Panama Canal. I have driven them hard with no leading, and they are accurate as all get out.
The Hensley & Gibbs #39 is a 158 gr round nose that shoots nicely also. It too has a wide lube groove. The round nose is a throwback to the old days and is great in the Rossi 92 lever gun.
Last but not least, the Hensley & Gibbs #73 145 gr pointed bullet. Very strange looking bullet but very accurate.
Any of those in a 4 cavity mould can produce a TON of bullets with little effort.

[lotech]

I'll second the H&G #51. It was the original .357 Magnum bullet but also works very well in the .38 Special. In a snub-nosed gun, it's pretty easy to get the #51 to shoot close to point-of-aim and with decent accuracy.

[Thin Man]

Before making a mold recommendation, I would ask 2 questions:
(1) Will you be carrying this revolver with a factory load or your handloads? If a factory load, buy a mold that will make a boolit the same (or very close) weight to your carry load. If you will carry your own load, you can name your own poison (boolit weight).
(2) Do you load for any other calibers (.380, 9mm, 357 Magnum) where your cast boolit could be used? If so this may influence your decision. By example, I cast the Lee 105 SWC as a light .38 Special load, then found it to be superb in the .380 autos. Look for this versatility if the opportunity exists.
As for the nose profile, that is up to your discretion. The Lee 6X molds will be your friend for making lots of boolits quickly. Others have suggested a tumble lube design and that is worth consideration along with a push-through sizer. Simplicity and cost savings favor your project. Good luck and enjoy.

Thin Man

[rintinglen]

I like a light weight 640-640 that I have for a lot of purposes. But for a light recoiling 38 load, I like the old lyman 358-345. It is a 115 grain SWC that does good work with 3.0- 3.5 Bullseye.