Who loves the old RN/RNFP revolver boolits?

[Ithaca Gunner]

I do, I love em and I'm not in the least bit ashamed to admit it. I even load my .44 Magnum everyday-bluejeans-plinker loads with em. The Lyman 429383 with a light load of Red Dot makes for some pure pleasure shooting out of my 8.375" S&W629-3 and there's nothing so right as shooting some Lyman 454190's out of a vintage .45 Colt!

They're easy boolits to cast, load well in any revolver, shoot well, and can take care of any shooting situation where flesh and bone aren't involved as the target. That's what...90+% of all our shooting? I even seek out old factory loads with RN lead boolits, old Remington 158gr. lead RN loads for .38spl. old 246gr. RN .44spl. loads, and of course old W-W and Remington 250/255gr. .45 Colt loads.

I cast and shoot SWC boolits for .38, .44, and .45 as well as loading some JHP stuff when the occasion calls for it, but the good old RN/RNFP takes care of most all of my "pleasure" shooting. They work well for small edible game without a lot of meat destruction too, I just like em!..they still work.

[TexasGrunt]

I've got a four cavity Lyman 358311. Love the look of that boolit. I'd like to get a 200 gr RN for the .38 one of these days. Never shot any RN in my .44, though I have a Marlin so I should pick one up some day.

[Dale53]

I am in the "other camp". When I shoot paper, I want big, clean cut holes in the paper to get full value of my hits even if i'm on the range by myself.

When I hunted, I also wanted "Full Value". That only comes with a big meplat. If I could only afford one bullet mold it would be a Keith style. It works with both paper and meat. Now, that I can afford specific molds, I shoot wadcutters, SWC's, WFN bullets. If I need a speed load, then a Round Flat with a relatively large meplat gets the call (or in the case of a .45 ACP in a revolver, a Truncated Cone).

FWIW
Dale53

[jmort]

I like a RNFP in lever actions. Makes life easier.

[Ithaca Gunner]

I have SWC molds for all my handgun calibers too, but just like the RN's for pleasure shooting. I don't play bullseye anymore, I shoot for fun, and that means cans, rocks, steel plates, and breakable targets. The old RN does just fine, I like it.

[silverjay]

I love RNFP for moon clip fed revolvers. Nothing worse than having the SWC shoulders hang up while aligning all six.

[Bzcraig]

RNFP or Keith style are my favorites in revolvers and levers as long as they feed.

[Walkingwolf]

I am a big fan of RNFP bullets, I have limited confidence in hollow points, especially at the lower velocities I shoot, and carry. Basically my revolvers are loaded with wadcutters, and then SWC, or RNFP. Usually staying in the 800fps to 900fps range.

[OptimusPanda]

There's a soft spot in my heart for round nose bullets cast or jacketed. They don't make pretty holes in paper for scoring, nor do they have blunt faces and sharp angles for wounding, but I don't compete (well, much) and don't hunt. They just have a look about them.

[avogunner]

Yep.....
I'm in this camp too. 358311 in .38 Special and 454190 in .45 Colt are classics and just plain look right! They shoot great too and in those calibers, I load those particular boolits over any other style.

[pill bug]

Oh I love them. Always looking for lyman/ideal round nosed pistol molds. Started with the single cavities and working my way up to muti cavity molds. 358311,358242 and 358430 are easy to find and are in fact still in production. Others are tougher, many or most are long out of production. Never did get beyond a single cavity mold with 429184, have a double cavity 429383. don't think i have ever seen a 429384 or a 429384 for sale. Was lucky and found a 358246 four cavity (a favorite of mine) and really lucky to find a giant 7 cavity 358430 idea armory mold. These armory molds are wonderful, rare and often under priced. But buyer beware. they are old, long out of production molds that in some cases were used long and hard. Not unusual to find beat up cavities!

[dverna]

About all I use in my SAA's and pistol caliber lever actions.

[tazman]

The 358311 shoots better at longer ranges in my revolvers than any other boolit I have tried and I have tried a lot of them.
For short range target, the full wadcutters work fine.

[w5pv]

The jury is still out but I have some 255 grain bullets that are powder coated that I am trying to shoot so far they seem to be more accurate than I am.

[runfiverun]

if anyone has ever read any of my posts on the subject..:lol:
yeah I'm a RNFP user.
probably an abuser.

[RogerDat]

RNFP works for me. Easy to load and hit like a hammer. 45 colt in 255 gr. does what that revolver does very well. Followed by SWC because holes in paper are primary activity and again at typical SD ranges that flat face delivers a lot of force.

[psweigle]

25 auto, 38 special, and 9mm get the rn boolits, 357 gets the rnfp. i make my buddies 45's for him and he chose the 200gr rnfp as well.

[rintinglen]

I have used the 358-311 a bit,and have some experience with the 429-383 and 454-190. The round nosed boolits do tend to shoot well, sometimes very well, but not so great that I can urge their use over all. They load better than anything else from a speed loader though. My plinking loads are seldom used at any distance greater than 50 yards and there I find the wadcutter boolit holes to be easier to see.
However, I am now reminded as I think on it of one benefit that all three of these great old lyman molds. All of them cast easy. Heat-fill-dump. With my 4 cavity 358-311, just open the mold, give it a shake and out they come. My other molds seldom drop their boolits as easily.

[Thomas Traddles]

I like the RNFP in .38 and .44 special, but the Lyman 358430 200 gr RN surprisingly shown itself to be the most accurate in both .357 mag and .38 special. I could reduce my inventory of molds in those calibers to 3: Lyman 358430, Lyman 358432 (160 gr WC) and the Lyman 358156. My RCBS 38-158 RNFP has not been nearly as good. Maybe I have not found the right bullet/powder combo for it.

[Outpost75]

I use RNFPs of modern design from Accurate in all calibers. Meplat diameter from 0.6 to 0.7 of bullet diameter, with nose diameter ahead of crimp groove same as cylinder throat, with nose tolerance negative to enter chambers freely from speedloaders without sizing. Driving band diameters same as cylinder throats with tolerance on diameter positive, so can be trued to exact fit with minimal sizing. A few of my favorites:

189771189772189773189774

Good game performance with smooth feeding in either rifle or revolver.

[PBSmith]

A member here sold me the LEE Group Buy mold of Lyman 358430 (200-gr RN) several years ago.

Great casting and shooting, especially for vintage 38 revolvers but also for an older Marlin 336, pre-Microgroove, caliber .35 Remington. Also, a real hoot in snubby 38's.

Like Thomas Traddles, I've been pleasantly surprised with the accuracy of this bullet in the above arms. TT, if you are so inclined to share pet loads in your .357 Magnum applications with this bullet, I'd be delighted to hear about them.

[Thomas Traddles]

PB, I've only shot .38 special through the .357 NMBH thus far. I have used Unique. Lyman 44 has loads that go to 4.1 g max and run @772fps from a 4" barrel. I've used 3.6 and 3.8 with some success in both my snubby and my NMBH. The most accurate load I've shot thus far uses 5.3 grains of Blue Dot in .38 cases. This load is from an older Alliant manual and claims 850fps from a 4" barrel. This is most satisfyingly accurate, but snappy in the snub (LCR) and it is a standard pressure load. I've run across a Blue Dot load for .357 that reportedly gets 975fps out of a 4" barrel, but have not tried it yet. Alliant 2004 lists 8.2gr of Blue Dot for 1225 fps and 10gr of 2400 for 1245 fps in .357. Pressures are in the 34-35K range. Accuracy Load for .357 in the Lyman 44 is 5.5 grains of Unique for 942FPS. If you google Lyman 358430 in the forum's search engine, you will find a lot of information on this bullet. It is popular with some here who have used it successfully in their steel target shooting and small game hunting.

[gwpercle]

Sorry , I grew up reading Elmer Keith's articles , bought all his books when they were published, digested Skeeter Skelton's works and must admit to being a SWC believer. Can't change that although I do have an affinity for the 38 cal. 160 grain wadcutter like the Lyman #358432. And have found that a NOE 358-124-TC-GC , loaded fairly stout , in the 357 magnum , with the gas check, is surprisingly accurate...It's sort or unnerving how tight a group will cluster!
Gary

[Ithaca Gunner]

Sorry , I grew up reading Elmer Keith's articles , bought all his books when they were published, digested Skeeter Skelton's works and must admit to being a SWC believer. Can't change that although I do have an affinity for the 38 cal. 160 grain wadcutter like the Lyman #358432. And have found that a NOE 358-124-TC-GC , loaded fairly stout , in the 357 magnum , with the gas check, is surprisingly accurate...It's sort or unnerving how tight a group will cluster!
Gary

Ain't no need to apologize, Gary. I use Elmer's designs too when warrented, and love em! .38, .44, and .45 they do give a nice clean hole and deliver superior stopping power, but for 95% of my shooting, a RN/RNFP does just as well and casts easier. Yeah, I'm getting lazy in my old age, and it gives me a feeling of simpler times shooting them. Having shot N-SSA competition for 30 years with Minie bollits, I've no problem scoring targets shot with less than a perfect hole. If I stoke my .45 Colts for big game or defense, I would choose the Keith style boolit given the choice. No intent to kill anything with them, I just enjoy casting them and shooting them.

[Ithaca Gunner]

I use RNFPs of modern design from Accurate in all calibers. Meplat diameter from 0.6 to 0.7 of bullet diameter, with nose diameter ahead of crimp groove same as cylinder throat, with nose tolerance negative to enter chambers freely from speedloaders without sizing. Driving band diameters same as cylinder throats with tolerance on diameter positive, so can be trued to exact fit with minimal sizing. A few of my favorites:

189771189772189773189774

Good game performance with smooth feeding in either rifle or revolver.

Some fine looki'n boolits there Outpost!

[pworley1]

There is a reason that they have been around so long and still get so much use.

[smokeywolf]

I grew up shootin' mostly RN and RNFP in pistols and rifles. I do like SWCs and have never had trouble with feed or chambering. But, I've cast more 454190s and 457124s than Carter has pills.

[gwpercle]

If I ever get that lever action 357 or 41 magnum rifle I have always wanted , I have a suspicion the SWC's would take a back seat to the RNFP very quickly. Can't shoot em if they wont feed !
Gary

[Soundguy]

My favorite plink and target revolver projectiles for 38/357 are 158gr RN

[ShooterAZ]

I don't know about you guys, but I get better accuracy from the RNFP styles as opposed to the traditional SWC's. I like them alot.

[Thin Man]

When I first got serious about learning how to shoot accurately, and then about casting, the RN profile was my first choice for any revolver I was using. That was back in the day when handguns were defined as either "revolvers" or "jam-o-matics", so it's been a while. Well, the jam-o-matics excluded the 1911s, but little more. When out woods loafing it is not uncommon to find I am carrying a RN load in whatever revolver I have on the belt. About 2 months ago I scored two very early Lee molds for 41 Magnum, both single cavity. The molds are so old they are attached to the handles via sheet metal screws coming up from the bottom of the mold blocks (Lee's original design). As I write this I am waiting for the boolit seating stems (RN and WC) for my RCBS dies to arrive. That purchase was a good day when I bought 2 desirable molds for one reasonable price. Yes, I still have a big soft spot for RN and RF nose patterns, reckon it shows.

[FISH4BUGS]

I use a Hensley & Gibbs #39 158 gr RN for my plinking 38 and 357 loads. 4.0 gr ww231 for 38, 5.0 ww231 for 357. The round nose, of course, feeds perfectly in the InterArms Rossi 92. Shoot them all day long.
They look very nice in a retro sort of way.

[unique]

Something special about the RN...

190292

[Ithaca Gunner]

I just cast up a bunch of Lyman 454190's today. My favorite boolit for .45 Colt. They dumped out at .455-.456" and weigh in right at 255gr +/- a grain or two.

The 429383 is fast becoming a favorite in .44Spl./.44Mag. too. Sure I got the Lyman 429421 and it's RCBS counterpart as well as several hundred JHP's laying around, but I really like shooting the round nose boolits.

[lightman]

I really don't except if I'm shooting them in a lever gun. Sometimes my favorite SWC won't feed smoothly.

[Kraschenbirn]

First handgun mold I ever bought was a DC Lyman 358156 (and I've still got it) but, of late, the Arsenal 360-162 RF (PC'd) has become my 'go-to' for my +P .38/357s. Accurate, generous metplat, and slicker'n snot using a speedloader.

Bill