Moulds for 38/357

[Groundpounder17]

I am wanting to start casting and reloading for the 38/357 mag. It will be used in a wheel gun, colt’s new python 6”. I was hoping some with experience can give me their experiences with these moulds: LBT FN in 160 grain, MP Keith 358429, and also the MP 360460.

[smithnframe]

Can’t go wrong with Elmer’s bullet!

[Land Owner]

After casting thousands of 156 grain solid and 145 grain HP in both a 2-cav. MP 358-429 and 4-cav. MP 360-156, they're excellent brass molds that make satisfying, fully formed, flat based, sharp, and clean lined cast boolits of 49/49/2 percent - Pb/WW/Sn alloy. Powder choices include miniscule amounts of IMR 700X, SR 7625, Unique, Universal, Clays, or IMR 4227.

[Forrest r]

You might want to check the oal of that "keith" bullet when crimped in the crimp groove and seated in 357mag cases.

Never used the lbt 160 fn bullet but I've shot piles of the mp 359640's. That 640 series bullet has been extremely accurate for me in several 38spl & 357mag firearms.

[hc18flyer]

I have the Mihec 360640 and a 358477 sec molds. They shoot great out of my 4" K-frame S & W .38 Special. I use Win 231, Clays, Bullseye. All my .38 molds are plain base,, not gc. You are using the perfect molds. .358 sizing should work, see how large they will push thru your cylinder throats? hc18flyer

[hc18flyer]

Lyman 358477 swc

[Thumbcocker]

If you are on a budget, the Lee 158 rnfp is a very good boolit and a 6 cavity mold will make a bunch in a hurry.

[hc18flyer]

I would be 'fat and happy' with the LBT 160 fan! I am hoping NOE has a year end sale, so I can get a big fn .38 mold. I have the 2 cavity Lee 158 fn, with the bevel base, prefer a flat base.

[gwpercle]

Skeeter Skelton's suggestion of the Lyman 358156 ... a 155 grain GC SWC ... is still a good one in 357 Magnum and 38 Special +P and 38/44 HD loads .

A favorite of mine is the Lyman 358432 a plain based , 160 grain , Wadcutter boolit that is not loaded level with the case but has the nose exposed like a SWC ...it is very accurate !

NOE has re-created this mould in 38 cal , 41 cal. and 44 cal. ...it's a winner , I have both the 38 and 41 ...
the 41 cal is a delight in the model 58 in my avatar !

Gary

[txbirdman]

I’m a fan of the RCBS 150 gr ( more like 155 with wheel weight alloy).

[Alstep]

RCBS 38-150-SWC is a favorite here. 3.0 gr of Bullseye is a nice light accurate load in all my .38's. Works well in .357 too.

[358429]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211219/5c81fd759a3662ce4c52f86e45fe1ef7.jpg they scale approximately 150 grains. It's the miha keith 38 bullets[emoji3]

[avogunner]

A lot of good molds listed already but all my 38/357 needs are satisfied by 3 Lyman (Ideal) molds:
358311 160gr RN - good performance but mainly because I just like the look of the loaded 38spl with this boolit
358432 148gr WC - with a modest charge of Bullseye, it's a tack driver in my pre-war S&W M&P's
358156GC 158gr SWC - the only boolit I use for .357mag.

[derek45]

Keith....if it will fit ?

https://i.imgur.com/NyYQStU.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/2Vzhuqx.jpg

It's close on a GP100

https://i.imgur.com/CWkQMc9.jpg

I really like the LEE 158 RNFP

https://i.imgur.com/lQ2tHlP.jpg

358477 is wonderful, but mine is a single cavity, so I don't use it much.

https://i.imgur.com/vQUgW2m.jpg

LEE 125 is a good one also ( blue )

https://i.imgur.com/Vn0RzSE.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/3O1yF38.jpg

357 mag versatile, accurate and fun to experiment with


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Umk68uyVxtA

[mdi]

While I have an excellent Lachmiller mold for a 160 gr SWC, I don't hunt with my 357 revolver and find lighter bullets more fun to shoot over the long run. I have had very good results with a Lee 358-125 RF which is pretty accurate in my 357s and 38 Specials. I PC a lot of them and they also shoot quite well in my 5, 9mm handguns. I also have a Lee 358-148 BNWC, that when cast fairly hard (15 BHN) and loaded over max loads of W231 (not +P) is kept for one of my house gun loads. I also have a Lee TL358-158-SWC but mostly PCed and loaded kinda light. I occasionally use an old single cavity Ideal mold for a SWC of about 150 gr. These keep my 38/357 handloads pretty well covered for anything I may need for my 38 caliber revolvers...

[jonp]

If you are on a budget, the Lee 158 rnfp is a very good boolit and a 6 cavity mold will make a bunch in a hurry.

I've cast and used quite a few of these in my Blackhawk, Target Masterpiece and Combat Magnum. Nice boolit

[El Bibliotecario]

Emulating the late Charles "Skeeter" Skelton' and beginning with the Lyman 358156 bullet saved me a lifetime of searching for the 'best' .357 Magnum bullet. I think the driving band on this bullet isn't wide enough, but the bullet apparently doesn't care what I think because it shoots more accurately than I can. I only wish Skelton had also advised that buying a two-cavity mold is false economy given the extra hours of casting time.

[358429]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211219/a211bece1e2d76f763d078590cf6ae89.jpg

Yeah man if I was casting these with the two cavity mold I'd lose my mind.[emoji1787]

It is such a nice day today how many of y'all have a turkey fryer lit with a lead pot

on top, ladle casting in the breeze on the second lowest heat setting[emoji3]

[Huskerguy]

I too like the RCBS 150 which is not on your list. Arsenal makes a clone of that same bullet. You may want to consider rounding up a few examples to load up and try. I would be willing to send you some.

[Groundpounder17]

Thanks for all the replies so far! Now I have even more options to research

[Papercidal]

I am partial to the mp clone of the 358429 in a 155gr hollow point. They are very accurate in both.38 & .357 through both my combat magnum’s and my old .38 bodyguard.293325

[Echo]

And 15 grains of 2400 - The BEST 357 cast load!

[Michael J. Spangler]

The 358156 was my favorite for a long time.

Then I picked up a 6 cavity solid 360640. Then a 2 cavity HP 360640. Then a 4 cavity of the same.

I have to say that’s my favorite 38/357 bullet. The mould cast amazing. It feeds like water. The hollow points work amazing and having 4 different cavity options will fit your needs for whatever velocity you want to move them at.
Penta for snub nose work where you need an easy expanding bullet and the cup for high velocity top end loads of 357 out a lever gun where you need them to hold together.

Oh and dual crimp grooves just like the popular 358156.

You really can’t beat that mould.
Having 3 of them now makes me want another but with a single crimp groove that’s a bit bigger. I don’t make use of the dual crimp groove as much as I thought I would.

[Bigslug]

Accurate 36-170D, 170T, 175B or NOE TL358-178RF would be my choices - - with the caution to check the front driving band length against your chamber throats.

The NOE works in .357 cases in my S&W's, but the ogive stops it just short of chambering easily in DA Rugers, so I've taken to loading them as hot .38's. A softer alloy might shrink them sufficiently to improve the fit, or a trip through a sizing die. . . which would defeat my purpose of having bought a tumble lube bullet. Nearly the same nose profile at 130 grains and 1030 fps delivers nine milk jugs worth of penetration from a 9mm - - -6.1 grains of Unique in a .38 case gets the 178 grains to about the same speed and fits my needs, so. . .done.

The Keith 358429 is properly a .38 bullet due to its long nose. It gets crimped over the driving band a lot in .357 cases, which, in my opinion sucks out the extra 0.10" of case capacity anyway, so you might as well load it as a hot .38. The lever gunners will tell you how well it feeds - or doesn't - due to that nose length.

[robg]

i miss my L frame <early model with firing pin on hammer.>

[quilbilly]

I have accumulated probably 9 different molds for my 357's (38 sp, 357 mag, 357 max carbine, and 357 mag Ruger Mod 77) and, of them if I were limited to two, would be the 125 gr RFpb from Lee and the NOE 180 gr WFpb. The Lyman Keith style #429 is close behind.

[zarrinvz24]

The new Python's cylinder is about 5 thou shorter than the original. If you like to crimp in the crimp groove, this will limit your boolit selection a bit. For strictly .357Mag, my choices would be: 358477, 358156 (w/gas check). A lot seem to have trouble with the 358446, but it has been decent for me. Maybe I'm the oddity.

[mdi]

I have two single cavity molds that I occasionally use, but I normally don't suggest them fo new casters, not for quality or speed, but there are a lot of folks out there that believe in "faster, faster, more, more!" and one at a time is too slow/little. I have a "hard time" wondering why many casters and reloaders are in a hurry. If I use my 6 hole molds I just stop sooner because I have a good pile of boolits (I don't rounds nor have a "quota"
). If I'm using my single cavity molds, one for 45 ACP and one for 44 Spec/Mag, it just takes longer for the pile to be big enough to stop. Not everything is about rounds per hour or boolits per session (or $$ per round). Do so many casters/reloaders dislike casting/reoading that speed is so important? I enjoy my bench time, liking casting and reloading. I even like spending bench time just prepping brass (Last week I looked for some 357 Mag brass to size, flare, prime, but the 357 Brass box was full of primed, ready to charge and seat cases, maybe 300). Even when I was younger full of pxxx and vinegar I was never in a hurry. At 75 I am a bit slower, but no less detailed, meticulous than 40 years ago and I still enjoy my reloading/casting just as much, even with work, wife and kids, Church and my favorite TV shows. I turn on the heater in the shop, turn on the lights (extra lighting on bench and press) get out the components and double check the load and data, turn on the Willy or Do-Wop CD and enjoy a couple hours. If I cast 50 or 200, reload 20 or 100, Life is good...

Am I just a weird old man?

[gun toting monkeyboy]

I have probably at least a dozen molds for .38 caliber. Several of them are oddballs that I have picked up on ebay or estate sales over the years. Most of my revolvers are older guns that have the sights regulated for 158 grain bullets. So they tend to do well with bullets from about 145 grains through about 160-ish. I like the various SWC or SWCHP flavors out there for general use. However, I also have a couple of heavier bullet molds, including one that casts bullets in the 200-204 grain range. While not ideal for many applications, they are good for loading a replica of the .38-200 British military load (in .38 S&W and .38 Special). I would see what bullet weights work on your gun, and then track down a SWC mold in that weight range, first and foremost. After that, get whatever molds appeal to you.

[Targa]

If you are on a budget, the Lee 158 rnfp is a very good boolit and a 6 cavity mold will make a bunch in a hurry.

I concur with Mr. Thumbcocker. I have a few .357 molds and the 158 rnfp is my favorite.

[murf205]

293452 This is a 358160H mold from Accurate. It weighs 160 gr cast from coww+ 1% tin. It shoots great from everything I've shot it in, especially my 686 no dash S&W. The 150 gr RCBS aint no slouch either, but I wanted a 3 cavity mold so Accurate got the nod. If the cylinder of a new Python is indeed 5 thou shorter than the original like zarrinvz24 said, it would not take much boolit jump for a 170 gr Lyman to tie up the gun unless you crimp over the front driving band.

[358429]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211222/848cb798a7811b38bc6a0ff8c6551321.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211222/54664fafc3db89b41688112871c0387d.jpg

[Groundpounder17]

293452 This is a 358160H mold from Accurate. It weighs 160 gr cast from coww+ 1% tin. It shoots great from everything I've shot it in, especially my 686 no dash S&W. The 150 gr RCBS aint no slouch either, but I wanted a 3 cavity mold so Accurate got the nod. If the cylinder of a new Python is indeed 5 thou shorter than the original like zarrinvz24 said, it would not take much boolit jump for a 170 gr Lyman to tie up the gun unless you crimp over the front driving band.

This boolit looks similar to the LBT FN. It sounds as though you like it. The length isn’t a problem?

[jaysouth]

If you are on a budget, the Lee 158 rnfp is a very good boolit and a 6 cavity mold will make a bunch in a hurry.


I don't have a single NOE or LBT mold that casts a more accurate bullet than my 6 cav 159 SWC. If I hunted with a .357 carbine, I would get a 180 flat nose with widest meplat possible.

[lightman]

Its hard to beat a Keith Type SWC. All of the mold makers offer one. I currently cast with an H&G but I shot a lot of the RCBS 150 grain and I even talked them into making me one that weighed 170 grain.

[tazman]

Both the 38 Special and the 357 Magnum have been around for a long time as have the molds for them.
It is hard to beat the classic designs that have worked so well for so long.
Nobody has come up with a magic boolit design that works better than the classics in these cartridges.
If you only want one mold, get either a round nose flat point(RNFP, WFP) or a semi Wadcutter.
If you want to experiment, get every design you wish to try.
I have two Semi-wadcutter designs, two full wadcutter designs, and two RNFP designs that I use regularly for different purposes. Experimenting with different loads is a lot of fun.
I have used nearly all the designs mentioned so far in this thread and found them all to be good, serviceable designs. Your particular gun may like one a bit more than another. The only way to find out is to try them out.

[Groundpounder17]

Skeeter Skelton's suggestion of the Lyman 358156 ... a 155 grain GC SWC ... is still a good one in 357 Magnum and 38 Special +P and 38/44 HD loads .

A favorite of mine is the Lyman 358432 a plain based , 160 grain , Wadcutter boolit that is not loaded level with the case but has the nose exposed like a SWC ...it is very accurate !

NOE has re-created this mould in 38 cal , 41 cal. and 44 cal. ...it's a winner , I have both the 38 and 41 ...
the 41 cal is a delight in the model 58 in my avatar !

Gary

Thanks, Gary. I will check out that 358432 that NOE recreated. Also how do you like the 41 compared to the other magnum calibers? I remember my dad having a ruger 41 mag when I was a kid.

[Groundpounder17]

Thanks for the recommendations here, everyone. I have continued to research the different moulds and now my list has grown. If anyone has any has anything to add on these or other recommendations then I am all ears.

NOE Bullet Moulds
360-162-WC-AW3 4 cavity RG4 PB Brass

LBT
160 gr FN
180 gr FN

MP Molds
358-429 (358 Or 360 Dia.) Keith, HP GC 4 Cavity Mold
359 Hammer Mold HP (Multi Choice), Gas Check
359-640 HP Plain Base Mold (Multi Choice)

[Jim22]

Good advice all. Just make sure you use hearing protection with the heavier .357 Magnum loads. My ears have been ringing for almost sixty years now. All started by cast boolit loads in a Ruger Blackhawk in .357 - back when they were selling for $87.50 new.

Jim

[lotech]

I have many of the older designs listed here and all shoot reasonably well, but my favorite is the the H&G #51 at about 160 grs. in ww alloy. I no longer load .357 but it works as well in .38 Special.

[greenjoytj]

I don’t like the SWC style bullet because I find they are difficult to load smoothly into the chambers the SWC lip always snags on the edge of the chambers and its worse with a speed loader trying to get all 6 cartridges in when everyone wants to hang up on the chamber edges.

I prefer the smooth loading RNFP style bullet like shown in post #31 they load great even from a speed loader.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

4 cav steel or brass is a literal work out. A 6 cav lee is lighter and really cranks them out. I've shot many thousands of those and are perfect for general purpose.

[PhatForrest]

One of these days I've gotta order a 358432 clone mold from Accurate. I've got an old school 2 cav Lyman iron mold, but I wanted to be able to crank them out a little faster.

They shoot great through revolver and levergun alike!

[Forrest r]

You have a lot of $$$ in a well-made revolver, myself I'd spend a little time measuring the cylinders/chambers of the cylinders before making a decision on a mold.

Start with putting a piece of 357mag brass in 1 of the chambers of the cylinder. Measure from the top/rim of the brass to the front of the cylinder & write that # down. Take and measure that 357mag case and add the # you wrote down together. This will tell you the max oal of a load that you can use. It also gives you a usable number you can use to ask people who recommended bullets what kind of oal are the getting from them.

While you have the cylinder open you should find out the diameter of each chamber by slugging them. You want them all even along with now you have a # that you can use for sizing your bullets.

The next thing you should look at while the cylinder is out/open is to use the same bullet for testing making sure that bullet is 1/1000th" larger in diameter then the holes in the chambers. Lightly drop the large bullet in each cylinder and measure from the bullets base to the back of the cylinder. You want these #'s to be even or close to even. Add all 6 #'s together and divide by 6. Subtract that # from the 357mag case length. This will tell where the leade's in the chambers are.

A picture of 2 reloads, the top reload has the bullet seated to the mfg's recommended oal. The bottom reload has the bullet seated longer/out further into the leade of the chamber. Diong this aids in aligning the bullet in the chamber and increases accuracy.
https://i.imgur.com/Lcmp4hk.jpg

I recommended the Mihec 359-640 bullet, mp molds cast a .359" bullet (8/9bhn with range scrap) that weight +/- 158gr (depending on which hp pin is used) and a 170gr fn bullet that has an upper and lower crimp grove.
https://i.imgur.com/fjXhK9L.jpg

That 359640 bullet loaded in 357mag cases measures 1.610" (crimped in to crimp groove) from the bottom of the cases base to the top of the bullet. The cases base measures +/- .060", the part that does not go into the cylinders. The end result is a reload that's 1.500", in comparison the lyman 358429 crimped over the top drive band to be able to fit in the short cylindered revolver (n-frame and others/check your oal) is 1.553".

Having 2 crimp groves makes a huge difference in the ease of use of this bullet. These reloads are loaded in 38spl cases, the 359640's were sized to .358" and crimped in the bottom lube groove (loaded long). The h&g #50 bb wc was sized to .357" and crimped in the middle lube groove/loaded long. These 38spl reloads loaded long were made to shoot in a 357/designed to get the bullet out into the leade of the chambers of the cylinders.
https://i.imgur.com/Daxlniz.jpg

Typical 6-shot groups @ 50ft with those reloads pictured above in a 357mag.
https://i.imgur.com/vrmI4za.jpg

Those groups were shot with iron sights with the revolver rested. The 357mag I shoot the most can be shot with iron sights/reddots or scopes with ease. The integrated rail on the bbl shroud allows the shooter to change over from irons to scopes/dots in seconds,
https://i.imgur.com/im4jQKD.jpg

Same revolver scopes rested @ 50yds using 2 different fn hp bullets & 5.5gr and 6.0gr loads (2 different bullets/2 different loads). The worst of the 4 groups was 2 3/16" outside to outside measurements.
https://i.imgur.com/CfpwHXk.jpg

Anyway with the $$$ you have invested in that python you might as well feed it the best blammo ammo you can make. I know my 686 does.

[Groundpounder17]

You have a lot of $$$ in a well-made revolver, myself I'd spend a little time measuring the cylinders/chambers of the cylinders before making a decision on a mold.

Start with putting a piece of 357mag brass in 1 of the chambers of the cylinder. Measure from the top/rim of the brass to the front of the cylinder & write that # down. Take and measure that 357mag case and add the # you wrote down together. This will tell you the max oal of a load that you can use. It also gives you a usable number you can use to ask people who recommended bullets what kind of oal are the getting from them.

While you have the cylinder open you should find out the diameter of each chamber by slugging them. You want them all even along with now you have a # that you can use for sizing your bullets.

The next thing you should look at while the cylinder is out/open is to use the same bullet for testing making sure that bullet is 1/1000th" larger in diameter then the holes in the chambers. Lightly drop the large bullet in each cylinder and measure from the bullets base to the back of the cylinder. You want these #'s to be even or close to even. Add all 6 #'s together and divide by 6. Subtract that # from the 357mag case length. This will tell where the leade's in the chambers are.

A picture of 2 reloads, the top reload has the bullet seated to the mfg's recommended oal. The bottom reload has the bullet seated longer/out further into the leade of the chamber. Diong this aids in aligning the bullet in the chamber and increases accuracy.
https://i.imgur.com/Lcmp4hk.jpg

I recommended the Mihec 359-640 bullet, mp molds cast a .359" bullet (8/9bhn with range scrap) that weight +/- 158gr (depending on which hp pin is used) and a 170gr fn bullet that has an upper and lower crimp grove.
https://i.imgur.com/fjXhK9L.jpg

That 359640 bullet loaded in 357mag cases measures 1.610" (crimped in to crimp groove) from the bottom of the cases base to the top of the bullet. The cases base measures +/- .060", the part that does not go into the cylinders. The end result is a reload that's 1.500", in comparison the lyman 358429 crimped over the top drive band to be able to fit in the short cylindered revolver (n-frame and others/check your oal) is 1.553".

Having 2 crimp groves makes a huge difference in the ease of use of this bullet. These reloads are loaded in 38spl cases, the 359640's were sized to .358" and crimped in the bottom lube groove (loaded long). The h&g #50 bb wc was sized to .357" and crimped in the middle lube groove/loaded long. These 38spl reloads loaded long were made to shoot in a 357/designed to get the bullet out into the leade of the chambers of the cylinders.
https://i.imgur.com/Daxlniz.jpg

Typical 6-shot groups @ 50ft with those reloads pictured above in a 357mag.
https://i.imgur.com/vrmI4za.jpg

Those groups were shot with iron sights with the revolver rested. The 357mag I shoot the most can be shot with iron sights/reddots or scopes with ease. The integrated rail on the bbl shroud allows the shooter to change over from irons to scopes/dots in seconds,
https://i.imgur.com/im4jQKD.jpg

Same revolver scopes rested @ 50yds using 2 different fn hp bullets & 5.5gr and 6.0gr loads (2 different bullets/2 different loads). The worst of the 4 groups was 2 3/16" outside to outside measurements.
https://i.imgur.com/CfpwHXk.jpg

Anyway with the $$$ you have invested in that python you might as well feed it the best blammo ammo you can make. I know my 686 does.

Thanks for the outstanding reply, Forrest r. I have never slugged a barrel. Do you recommend getting a slug kit? If so, do you have a recommendation?