I need a .38/.357

[Doubles Shooter]

Got the molds, just need something to shoot. My cousin gave me a box of reloading stuff my uncle had. He passed on in 1975 but things were in a climate controlled basement so they were in great shape. In the bottom, I found two molds. A single cavity Ideal 360 271s, and a Lyman 358 495 double. I remembered I had a couple of my dad's molds somewhere too. A 358 432 single with handles and a double mold without. Both Ideal.
289425289426
289427289428289429289430289431
Been casting for my.45, but want to expand this winter. Got a Hornet, 30-30, and a .270 I'd like to play with too.

[Daekar]

Looks nice! What kind of 38/357 are you thinking? Revolver, lever, single-shot?

[downzero]

Good luck having just one.

[Finster101]

Had a S&W 686 with 6" barrel a while back I wish I had not gotten rid of. You could do a lot worse than finding one of those. I still kick myself now and then.

[gpidaho]

Doubles Shooter: You can do a lot worse than the Ruger GP100s I love mine and have had it for over 30yrs. Still tight after thousands of rounds. Gp

[Walks]

If You Want a. 357Mag, You should look for a used Ruger Security-Six, Smith & Wesson M19/66 for lighter Revolvers. If you want heavier then go with a New S&W 686 or Ruger GP100. I prefer a 6" bbl and WC/SWC for paper punching. A 4"bbl for steel.
If you want hot stuff then get a Ruger Blackhawk and if you like single actions, a 6 1/2" bbl.

[gwpercle]

I've been shootin a Ruger Blackhawk 38/357 since 1971 , still have it and still shooting it .
Sweet shooter and not a thing has ever broken on it .
I just did the math ... 50 years and I enjoy casting and shooting and it's still as accurate as the day I bought it . A little worn on the exterior ...but heck , I'm a lot worn on the exterior .
Would I buy another ... You betcha behind I would !
Fact is 6 months ago I bought another Single Action Ruger ... a 22 LR Ruger Wrangler ...
and I'm Loving this one too .
Get the 38/357 Blackhawk with the convertible 9mm Luger cylinder and you can shoot three different rounds ...38 special , 357 magnum and 9mm Luger ...what's not to like with this set up ?

Gary:happy dance:

[Doubles Shooter]

Looking for something pocket sized like a Smith air weight .38/
357. Its a handful with .357's, but I won't be shooting them all day long.
I had an original Smith model 66. 4" with the original SS sights. Like a moron I sold it years ago.

[Butzbach]

I have quite a few .38s and .357s. If I were to go full "Highlander" (There can be only one!) I would get an 8 shot .357 Ruger Redhawk with a 5" barrel and call it a day.

Ooops, just saw your last post. I have a Ruger LCR in 357 mag for pocket sized carry.

[dverna]

I am down to seven .38/.357 weapons. I doubt you will stop at one. Everything about them is easy. Easy to shoot, easy to find any type of gun you want in that caliber (except a semi-auto...couple of pistols but no rifles), easy to reload, easy to find brass, easy to cast for.

If I were you, I would sell those molds on eBay while prices are still nuts, and get a 158gr SWC 4-6 cavity mold.

[Butzbach]

I've been shootin a Ruger Blackhawk 38/357 since 1971 , still have it and still shooting it .
Sweet shooter and not a thing has ever broken on it .
I just did the math ... 50 years and I enjoy casting and shooting and it's still as accurate as the day I bought it . A little worn on the exterior ...but heck , I'm a lot worn on the exterior .
Would I buy another ... You betcha behind I would !
Fact is 6 months ago I bought another Single Action Ruger ... a 22 LR Ruger Wrangler ...
and I'm Loving this one too .
Get the 38/357 Blackhawk with the convertible 9mm Luger cylinder and you can shoot three different rounds ...38 special , 357 magnum and 9mm Luger ...what's not to like with this set up ?

Gary:happy dance:

What he said ^

[Jack Stanley]

S&W chiefs special or a model 10 or 15 two or three inch barrel . "K" frame is one of my favorites .

Jack

[Daekar]

I have quite a few .38s and .357s. If I were to go full "Highlander" (There can be only one!) I would get an 8 shot .357 Ruger Redhawk with a 5" barrel and call it a day.

Ooops, just saw your last post. I have a Ruger LCR in 357 mag for pocket sized carry.

I love those Redhawks. The magazine capacity of a 1911 with way more power and (IMHO) a more elegant package.

[Walks]

Looking for something pocket sized like a Smith air weight .38/
357. Its a handful with .357's, but I won't be shooting them all day long.
I had an original Smith model 66. 4" with the original SS sights. Like a moron I sold it years ago.

That 2nd shot is really hard in an airweight "J" type frame. If that's what you want, I wouldn't bother to cast/load for it. Those little revolvers are just not designed for anything but occasional shooting. Such as bi-annual Qualification. My wife and Daughter shoot theirs annually with factory HP's. Std Velocity, 20 rds each.

If you do decide to cast, those are all good molds. The old Ideal 1cav #360271 has no crimping groove so you will have to crimp over the front driving band.

[Doubles Shooter]

Thanks for the ideas guys. I've got time to shop. Have to get the wife a car first so I'm looking at spring. I really wouldn't mind another mod. 66, but you are right about needing more than one. Maybe a .38+P J-frame for the pocket. It has a bit more bite then my NAA .22mag, and pick up a 4-6" 66 for play.
I did think about selling the the molds, but knew that would never happen. I know a mold is a mold, but I learned to cast near 60 years ago on them. Still remember sitting in the cellar with dad and uncle Sonny making Boolits so we could shoot them up the next day. My grandkids want to learn to cast. I think it would be great sitting with them with the same molds my dad, uncle and I started with too many years ago.

[gwpercle]

I was looking at your boolit moulds and noticed that Lyman #358432 was in the mix .
Hang on to that one ... few people know how accurate that boolit is / can be .
It was made in two weights 140 grain and 160 grain ... same mould number .
I have the 160 gr. 358432 and it has become my favorite for all my 38 specials and 357 magnum revolver . I'm not sure which weights you have ...so cast and weigh a couple .
Be sure and give these a good testing ... the design is a good one . I picked up a Lyman 358432 single cavity off E-Bay when no one bid on it . Sat on the shelf for a long time ... got interested in it's unique design , cast some , loaded some test loads and was amazed at how the holes wanted to touch each other ... they would gather into tight clusters in every revolver .
I saw NOE was making them ... and ordered a 4 cavity mould so fast it made my head spin ...
It's about the only boolit I cast now ... Give it a good try , just about every powder works well ... it's kinda scary to have a cast boolit that is so easy to get to shoot !
Gary

[oldhenry]

+1 on the #358432.
I have a Lyman 4 cav. that I bought in '77. It's accurate. My sons called it "that bullnose bullet".

[Jim22]

I have owned several .357 revolvers. The first was an early Ruger Blackhawk. The one I miss most is a S&W Model 13 with 3" barrel. Fixed sights but it shot well. As someone said the K frames are nice. They are hard to find now. I replaced it with a Ruger SP101 with the 3" barrel. Five round cylinder instead of six. I only carry it when walking the dog. Wife has a Ruger LCR in .357. She or I have never fired a magnum load through it. Bought it to replace a Colt Detective Special thaat wouldn't shoot double action reliably.

Jim

[midnight]

You won't go wrong with a S&W 66 or 15 but I'm kind of partial to my blue Colt King Cobra 6in. Bought it new for $320. Try to find one under a grand today.

Bob

[Petander]

Beautiful molds. There's some magic in old iron molds.

Any 586, 686 or 66 ...

[downzero]

I like my N frame. So much love thus far for J, K, and L frames, and I've owned all of those as well.

[gwpercle]

+1 on the #358432.
I have a Lyman 4 cav. that I bought in '77. It's accurate. My sons called it "that bullnose bullet".

One day I'm going to find out the "story" (history) of this design , who developed it and what , if anything , Lyman or other casters call it . Bullnose sounds good !
I have read several articles on Wadcutter Boolits but most just pass over it ... the last was a magazine article in Handloader Magazine , a whole article , they showed a photo ... said it weighed 160 grains and said nothing else about it ... not even mentioning the mould # (358432) ... Nada information . Printed another on this site , a chapter from From ingots to Target ... Nada info on 358432 , although they show it .
If anyone has a link to the history of the Lyman 358432 ... post a link ... I would like to read it and print it out for future reference.
Gary

[Murphy]

I've owned more 38/357 handguns than all others combined over the decades. What's perfect for one person, may not be for the next one.

That being said, I'm a full blown Smith & Wesson fan. Of course Ruger's and others are fine handguns as well. I'm just speaking from my own experience down through the years. It's down right hard to argue that the S&W K frame is about as good as it gets. A nice weight in a medium size package. Going on up the ladder, next comes the L frame. A mighty fine all around handgun, though a tad heavy for daily carry. The same goes for an N frame (Models 27 & 28). The weight difference between an L frame vs an N frame isn't really worth arguing over in my own experience. One note about the Model 27 & 28 S&W's. Finding a Model 627 (Stainless model 27) would be the challenge, stainless K & L frames a fairly easy to come by.

The K frames in 38/357 frame format, to my understanding were made to be shot all one wants with 38 Special loads, and full power magnum loads will not shake one loose quickly, but will accelerate wear a tad faster.

The L frame will hold up to a steady diet of full power 357 Magnum loads with little (if any) problems.

The N frame will eat all the full power magnum loads you can handle and ask for more.

Good luck on your search!

Murphy

[wv109323]

No one has mentioned the Dan Wesson. You get the option of barrel length changes. They are accurate but spare barrels are an investment. I have S&W and Rugers as well. Not a bad one in the bunch. But for just casual shooting I usually shoot my M-14 Smith.