higgins
12-17-2017, 02:01 PM
For many years now, I have shot 358477 bullets in a variety of .38 spl. and .357 revolvers. A while back I acquired a .357 Blackhawk with cylinder mouths that run .359-.360. My standard .38 spl. load is a 358477 of about .358 dia from a DC mold I've had a long time, unsized and tumbled in LLA.
My standard load wasn't shooting well in my BH. I bought a 358477 mold off of another website because the seller claimed it dropped a .359 bullet, and there was no rust in the cavities. It turned out that the diameter he claimed was correct, but both cavities had rust pits on one side near the bullet bases; it's the older style of 358477 with a longer nose section. I thought about trying to get my money back, but I didn't have much in the blocks and I knew the diameter it casts, so I decided to load them unsized and tumble lubed for the BH and give them a try.
It still didn't shoot as well as I hoped but they did shoot noticeably better than the .358 dia bullets. Other than the obvious conclusion that throat fit matters considerably in a revolver, there is also a lesson here if you obsess over having bullets that are "perfect". The pitted bullets shot better than "perfect" bullets of a smaller diameter. I've read that bullets with minor flaws shoot well, but now I've proved it to myself.209704209705
My standard load wasn't shooting well in my BH. I bought a 358477 mold off of another website because the seller claimed it dropped a .359 bullet, and there was no rust in the cavities. It turned out that the diameter he claimed was correct, but both cavities had rust pits on one side near the bullet bases; it's the older style of 358477 with a longer nose section. I thought about trying to get my money back, but I didn't have much in the blocks and I knew the diameter it casts, so I decided to load them unsized and tumble lubed for the BH and give them a try.
It still didn't shoot as well as I hoped but they did shoot noticeably better than the .358 dia bullets. Other than the obvious conclusion that throat fit matters considerably in a revolver, there is also a lesson here if you obsess over having bullets that are "perfect". The pitted bullets shot better than "perfect" bullets of a smaller diameter. I've read that bullets with minor flaws shoot well, but now I've proved it to myself.209704209705