Good starter molds for .357 & .44 mag swc

[Stubborn Dutchman]

Looking for advice on good molds for my first attempts at casting. Usage will be for plinking and hunting. The boolits I've been purchasing have been 158 gr swc and 240 gr swc. I haven't slugged the barrels but the off the shelf boolits seem to give me decent accuracy. Since I am a low volume shooter, as a beginner, should I stick with two cavity molds?

I have a Lee 10# bottom pour pot, and a couple hundred pounds of soft lead and wheel weight ingots ready to go.

TIA

[Old Ironsights]

First and best "all around" .357 mold IMO is a single cavity Lyman 358156HP. A C358180RF would be better for Deer, but the 358156 is da shizzle for GP.

I cast it in pure lead for subsonic loads and WW for HV varmint/SD loads.

[docone31]

You know, there are going to be some boos here but, I like the Lee 358-158RF.
It casts easily. It is very forgiving with wrinkles, lubes easily. Sizing is a snap. I size .358. I use the Lee Push Thru system for .358.
My Dan Wesson Model 15, and my wife's 686 love it. No leading, easy casting, Loads well in .38SPL, and .357 mag.
Shoots well.
I use Blue Dot in both the 38SPL, and .357.
It was my first .357 casting, and I think I will stop with that one. I water drop, lube, then size.

[Blammer]

Ditto on the Lee 358 150RF.

Good for plinking and good for hunting too!

[EDK]

RANCH DOG moulds (link at bottom of page) has some really nice designs that are primarily intended for MARLIN rifles, but should work nicely in revolvers too.

I am using the TLC 432 265(grain) in my 44 magnum MARLIN 1894 and assorted RUGER VAQUEROS/BISLEYS/BLACKHAWKS. In October, he is supposed to have TLC 359 190 available....for 38/357. These will be 2 cavity moulds, but the 44 may also be available in a six cavity version....I have a 2 and a 6 both. Most people consider the six cavity to be of better quality and considerably more durable.

I had not used the Tumble Lube (gas) Checked with LEE Liquid Alox until this past week end. Following the directions in other posts here is quick and effective...the loads I used actually cleaned minor leading out of my 44 VAQUEROS with less than 25 rounds fired.

Another benefit is that the LEE press mounted sizing units are cheap and effective. They are a good alternative to an expensive lubri-sizer like a LYMAN or STAR for the beginning/low volume boolit caster. I have the tooling and moulds from 40 years of boolit casting, but I could easily drop down to the LEE system if I had to...and still produce volume ammo!

PS get a ladle or a dipper for lead. The bottom pour pots are guaranteed to drive you crazier with either drips or freeze up...or both! If you continue to cast, go up to a 20 pound LEE magnum melter. I have had a 20 pound SAECO...good for almost 20 years; AND a 20 pound LYMAN bottom pour....did I say bottom pour is a PITA!... that I am currently using for ladle/dipper casting.

:Fire::redneck::cbpour:

[.38 Special]

Another vote for the Lyman 358156, which is my only bullet for the .357. I would love to use the HP version, but as far as I know it is long discontinued. You can always have the standard one hollow-pointed...

For .44 Magnum I depend upon the original Keith bullet. The RCBS 44-250K looks to be the closest to the original. You can get in on the Keith bullet group buy (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=35193), but that's liable to take a year to arrive.

And FWIW, I know a lot of people who hate bottom pour pots, but also a number of people (me included) who get along with them fine. So don't get discouraged before you even begin; you can cast good bullets with the pot you've got.

Have fun!

[9.3X62AL]

I have no personal experience with the Lee 158 RF 38/357 design, but it gets A LOT of positive text on the board.

The Lyman #358156 is my go-to mould for full-throttle 357 Magnum loadings, and it uses a gas check. These are approaching or exceeding 3 cents each, if that matters to you. For loads running in 38 Special intensities, the gas check is kinda superfluous--but I don't shoot gas check designs without checks. A lot of other shooters do so with fine results, so what do I know? In 44 Special/Magnum, the Lyman #429244 is the fatter cousin to the 357's #358156.

I use a lot more plain-based castings than I do gas check designs. In 38/357, my favorite is the Lyman #358429. In the 44s, Lyman #429421 gets the nod. These do fine work well past 1100 FPS, fitted well to my revolvers. Very few loads are run faster than that any more by me in a wheelgun, so the cheaper-to-make plain base boolits figure highly in my shooting.

Welcome to the asylum!

[shotman]

i am in on the Lee also amd like the Lee tl 430 for 44 for the money you can get the 6banger and cast a bunch in a short time the 10 lb pot is too small for the 6 cav molds though shotman

[shotman]

Oh lyman has hollow point molds in 38 44 and 45 they are called Devastator shotman

[.38 Special]

I may try those bullets at some point, but it's not the same bullet that Skeeter liked so much.

[HeavyMetal]

I like the Lee molds but I'm not impressed with thier SWC design. The RF molds may make an OK boolit for Cowboy but not so sure for huntin etc.

So I would go with the RCBS 44 250K in a double cav ( cause they don't make a single) RCBS also makes a very nice .357 swc at 150 grains. These are both plain base designs and very easy to hollow point one side if you wanted to.

The RCBS molds will last you a life time and more if you take care of them.

The Lee's are just as easy to use, and inexpensive, I just haven't seen a boolit in either 44 or 357 I like from that company.

Which is why the Group Buys are always doing designs they don't have as "standard"!


As to the 358156? Good boolit, I've had two or three of these molds over the years everyone of them was supposed to make a 150 grain boolit and, unless I ran Lino through them, they all weighed in excess of 165 grains! Still they shot well but the DC RCBS boolit just went the extra mile for me and were easier to cast and size long term.

I just sold my last 358156 HP mold because I was able to secure a Lyman 358429 in HP as a replacement!

Your being offered good info and choice's guess it depends on the size of your budget which you go.

[Heavy lead]

SD,
This is my opinion about the situation:
If this is something you think for sure you'll keep doing I would suggest either the Lyman 429421 or the RCBS 44-250k, as far as the 38's, that depends. If you shoot full power 357's just buy the Lyman 358156, spend the money on gas checks and just shoot them. If you're mainly shooting lighter loads buy a plain base swc of one sort or another. Personally I shoot the 358429 and find need for nothing else. In an ideal world I'd like to see a plain based 358156. There was one, in a group buy but I missed out.
I have only been casting for a little over a year, and have some definate opinions, but I knew once I started I wouldn't stop. I now have 20# pots (if I knew now what I didn't know then I would never buy any 10# pot). I do use a Lee bottom pour, and I don't understand the grumbling about them, my two don't drip, if you read the instructions, I believe they won't. I now use a lot of Lyman 4 gang moulds, yes there is a learning curve. I still use the Lee push through sizers. This is such a good way to size, and I have heard about so may dissatifies people on the Lyman, RCBS and the SAECO that I'm not sure which to buy and if I would even use them.
Anyway, I'm rambling. If you're unsure about staying in this hobby, buy a couple of Lee two bangers, a 10# pot and Lee sizers. Probably the 358158 RF and the Lee 430SWCTL.
If you know you will stay, buy a Lyman 429421, and 358429, two bangers, Lee handles, 20# bottom pour Lee pot and Lee sizers, pan lube with Javelina for now.
It's fun, and there is as many opinions as there are ways to cast and size.

[Scrounger]

On buying good (more expensive) equipment and molds: Don't worry about it; it will last longer and be easier to use if you stay in. If you get out, there is a healthy market for the used equipment and you won't have any trouble getting most of your money back for it. That is providing you buy it as low as possible to start with. Never pay retail; order it from Midway, Grafs, MidSouth, or one of the other discount places.

[Stubborn Dutchman]

My thanks to all for the great replies! As my name indicates, I am stubborn and once I get into something I tend to stay with it. I'm also a very cheap SOB, so much so that I firmly believe quality is less expensive in the long run.

Based upon your advice, I'm leaning towards the Lyman 429421. For .357 is the swchp difficult to master vs a non-hp mold? I don't think I want to mess with gas checks. I think I would be fine with just running standard base .357's up to thier limit. The .44 mag takes care of my itch for the bigger boom factor!:)

Re the Lee bottom pour pot, the drip wasn't too annoying while casting the 200 or so ingots. I'll probably invest in the Lee 20# bottom pour tho and delegate the smaller one for back-up and smelting wheel weights if I can scrounge some more.

[Heavy lead]

My thanks to all for the great replies! As my name indicates, I am stubborn and once I get into something I tend to stay with it. I'm also a very cheap SOB, so much so that I firmly believe quality is less expensive in the long run.

Based upon your advice, I'm leaning towards the Lyman 429421. For .357 is the swchp difficult to master vs a non-hp mold? I don't think I want to mess with gas checks. I think I would be fine with just running standard base .357's up to thier limit. The .44 mag takes care of my itch for the bigger boom factor!:)

Re the Lee bottom pour pot, the drip wasn't too annoying while casting the 200 or so ingots. I'll probably invest in the Lee 20# bottom pour tho and delegate the smaller one for back-up and smelting wheel weights if I can scrounge some more.

SD,
Just an FYI, I just ordered two 4 banger moulds from Midsouth. A 429421 and a 358429, these are casting fools, and they cost 63.66 per each which is cheaper (by about $15) than anywhere else I found. The best price on 2 bangers was around 47 bucks, so if you're staying in I'd buy them, you'll need the 20# pot as well (this thing adjusts so nice, I like it a lot).
Anyway per hole, this is cheap.
Good luck in Ypsi!

[Heavy lead]

Scroungers right, you'll have no trouble selling these for close to what you paid for them if you're getting out.

[copdills]

In 44 mag I like the Lee 44 cal SWC 240 grs has worked great for me, shooting paper and hunting in a mod 29 8 3/8 incher:castmine:

[Snapping Twig]

For .357, I use Lyman #358156 and #358429 which cast at 160g and 170g respectively using WW. I use gas checks on magnum 358156 but I omit them for loads up to 900fps - no leading. Works great, try it.

I also use the Lyman BBWC mould - the number escapes me right now & too lazy to go downstairs and dig it out. This casts at 150g from WW and I've shot it from powder puff to raging magnum - works great but I prefer SWC or Keith.

In .44 I like Lyman #429421 and #429244 which cast out to 240g and 265g respectively from WW.

The 429421 is the up to 900fps bullet of choice and the 429244 is my magnum.

I also have a Lyman 215g GCSWC which is the light weight version of the 429244, but I rarely if ever use it.

[missionary5155]

In .357 a boolit I am very happy with is the Ideal 358432 WC (Lyman # is the same) in 160 grains. Soft lead drops about 162-4 grains. WW is near 160. I launch these in my S&W mod 13 and model 19-5 . You can crimp them in the regular groove or out one notch in the grease groove. I generally launch as a regular lenth WC with 6 grains Unique. A 50-50 mix of WW and Pure will put a perminent thump on smaller 4 legged critters. Seated out to the first groove 7 grains Unique using WW shoots nicely in both my S&W.

[Bass Ackward]

1. Usage will be for plinking and hunting.

2. I have a couple hundred pounds of soft lead and wheel weight ingots ready to go.

3. I haven't slugged the barrels but the off the shelf boolits seem to give me decent accuracy.
TIA


Stubborn huh? Well .... that will eventually kill you with cast. :grin:

But it will break you of that or you will leave it. :twisted:

Statements 1 and 2 are in about as big of opposition as you can get with cast. So you are going to need to learn to water drop harden or learn to love a GC. One or the other and probably both if you ever get passed the stubborn part.

Statement 3. is like having unprotected sex. Things go OK until they don't and it's generally too late by then.

If you want to save money and achieve earlier success overall, learn to take first things first. First thing you do when you get a new gun before you blink, breath, or perform any other bodily function, .... slug.

Once you become flexible, (the opposite of stubborn) you can learn to make any design work for you. Just realize that all molds are still sold today because somebody got them to shoot. Ask yourself why " YOU " can't?

[Ben]

EDK:

" PS get a ladle or a dipper for lead. The bottom pour pots are guaranteed to drive you crazier with either drips or freeze up...or both! If you continue to cast, go up to a 20 pound LEE magnum melter. I have had a 20 pound SAECO...good for almost 20 years; AND a 20 pound LYMAN bottom pour....did I say bottom pour is a PITA!... that I am currently using for ladle/dipper casting."

No truer words have been spoken !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ben

[HamGunner]

All choices above are great, in my opionion. One I don't think anyone mentioned is the Lyman 358477 which works really great in the .38 special velocities. It is a swc with a shorter flat point nose and a flat base. Sort of a cross between a wadcutter and a swc. A load of 5.0 - 5.5gr. Unique is tack driving accurate.

I used a dipper and a ten pound pot for years, but I now mostly use a bottom pour. I suggest trying to keep the mix as clean as possible and don't use the last inch of metal in your pot or you will be getting plugged up more frequently. A bit of metal left in the pot makes it easier to melt new metal and is easier on your heating element at startup.

[Alchemist]

The RCBS 38-150 SWC is a great casting boolit, and works well in 38 SPL & 357 Mag loads. You've got lots of good suggestions so far...it all boils down to what do you like?

Just keep in mind that the complex moulds are less forgiving; when you first start casting, you would be best served by a simple design for ease of casting (my 2 cents worth).

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[Tom Herman]

I love the Lyman 429421! It drops four bullets at a time, and has simply worked very well for me.
As far as bottom pour vs ladling goes, I use the Pro-Melt bottom pour furnace. I usually cast at 800 dgrees or higher, and it's done well for me.
When I ran relatively cool alloys, the spout did freeze up. Just run it hotter...
When the spout gets clogged I ream it from below with a paper clip and it goes well for several hundred more casts.
The only time I ladle is when I'm filling one pound ingot molds.

Happy Shootin'! -Tom