Lee's new 356-147TC mold

[BC17A]

The mailman dropped off the mold today and I couldn't wait to try it out. Trued the sprue plate and milled .008" from under the attachment screw, then heat cycled it three times and it was off to the races. Whipped out 100 in no time with only two rejects. Cast using range pickups with a little tin added these dropped at 148 grains give or take a few tenths and measured just under .357". PC'd and sized to .357" I'm going to workup some 9 mil and 38 Super loads for next week. All the other Lee TC molds have been winners in my book and I don't see why these won't perform just as well.


https://i.postimg.cc/jdfsr7L2/spruplate.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/6pLt8xVN/sprumill.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/g2NcMPxH/100.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/QMfDqgn4/leesize.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/sX8Rkjz5/leeweight.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/449dXM0X/leepcd.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Outer Rondacker]

Looks good but why did you mill the plate?

[Txcowboy52]

Good looking projectiles ! Nice looking powder coat also! I have been very interested in this new mold from Lee , thank you for posting. Definitely on my want list now!

[BC17A]

Looks good but why did you mill the plate?

IME, Lee sprue plates are way too tight and gouge the molds. I like to heat the mold and test the tightness of the sprue plate, then remove just enough material under the plate so the wave (spring) washer can hold it snug, not overly tight.

[megasupermagnum]

Looks good but why did you mill the plate?

Its the easiest way to adjust plate tension on Lee molds. It can be done with a file just as easily. Most don't need it. Depends on the luck of the draw with the screw and spring washer that they come with.

[Dom]

Looks like a bullet that could be sized .355/.356 for the 9mm??

[BC17A]

Forgot to say these measure .655" long and need a generous chamber throat or they will need to seat real deep. Thankfully I purchased a 35 cal throating reamer recently and reamed 6 of my 9mil barrels so I no longer have to worry about loading different lengths.

https://i.postimg.cc/qBjvX5RT/reamer.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/VsT38qZt/barrel.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[sukivel]

I want a 6 cavity in this!


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[jdgabbard]

Dang, I like the look of that one. I bet it would do real well in my 9mm SBR. Be sure to give us some feedback on your range experiences with it, and load data too if you don't mind!

[Krh1326]

Ohhhhhhhhhh Hot Damn ! Now I gotta get one. Quick someone text Eric at HollowPointMolds !

[Willie T]

Dang, I like those!

[Johnch]

Looks Great

I just ordered a 6 cavity of that Lee Mold from Midway

Mine will be John Deere Green as my brother bought me a container of it
We did a few parts and I got the rest

But I may order another of the molds and remove the grease groves
As I want a 160 gr ( about ) bullet

John

[Super Sneaky Steve]

I'd like to know more about that throat reamer. Where you got the tool and how you used it. I have more than a few guns that could use that cut.

[ACC]

Me too! Where did you get that reamer?

ACC

[BC17A]

Brownells. 35 cal (9mm) throating reamer. Very easy to use. Chuck it in a tap handle and give it a few turns in the chamber. I made a block that keeps from reaming too deep so I can get an exact throat depth.

https://www.brownells.com/tools-cleaning/bore-barrel-tools/reamers-cutters/throating-reamers/?sku=184053380

[BC17A]

Had a good day at the range today with the new Lee 147TC boolit in both 9mm and 38 Super. Didn't do a lot of ladder testing but used several of the best loads I had from the 147XTP which is the exact same length as the 147TC and seats to nearly the same OAL. Testing was done at 15 yards from a bench rest using 5" 1911s.

https://i.postimg.cc/3xmwzr00/9mm1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/cv1ZnSmd)

https://i.postimg.cc/jdkqDwP7/9mm3.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/sfTsLQnN/9mm4.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/tTXGSpFb/9mm5.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/7hh849BQ/9mm6.jpg (https://postimages.org/)


https://i.postimg.cc/QxBGn6KF/38Sup1.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/85y9ZW1d/38Sup2.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/QtMnKtpF/38Sup3.jpg (https://postimg.cc/v1pvpG2y)

https://i.postimg.cc/br76594n/38Sup4.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/CM9SYTgG/38Sup5.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[gwpercle]

Nice !
You know that 148 grain projectile might do well in 38 Special / 357 Magnum loadings too .
Taper crimp it like you do 9mm/38 Super and run boolit through a .358" sizing die for revolvers .
That would be a extremely versatile mould .
Awesome looking targets !
Gary

[Tonto]

I’m thinking this is Lee’s version of a 350 Legend plinker. I’ll get a 6-cav and try in the 9 and Legend

[jdgabbard]

Looks like that boolit doesn't like to stabilize below 1000fps. Judging from the groups the sweet spot is right around 1025fps at the low end.

[BC17A]

Looks like that boolit doesn't like to stabilize below 1000fps. Judging from the groups the sweet spot is right around 1025fps at the low end.


I agree. I had other poor grouping loads that I didn't post the results of and they were all sub-1000fps. Going to see what these will do in 38/357 as mentioned above by gwpercle, next time to the range.

[cwlongshot]

My buddy has a 6holer. He is sending me a couple hundred ta try.

But damn that looks GREAT! Beautiful PC brother!!

I dont do 9mm but I have supers and 357Sigs a d 2 9x45's I didnt first think of!!

I have been using the Lyman 356637 but altho it shoots and feeds fine it dosmen thrill me like a meplat does!!

CW

[Doughty]

Initial trials show it working very well in a Glock 19 and a Sig 365. Averaging in the 930s in the Glock.

[murf205]

Great looking pc and targets. I am really impressed with the fact that the rounded base is not quite pronounced enough to call beveled but yet is should facilitate easy loading in the case mouth. My Ruger SR9 is partial to 147 gr boolits as well. I bought a 500 ct box of Magnus 147's and and I have often thought about dumping them in the pot and buying a mold. I think you just solved this decision for me. Heck, I've even got the blue powder. I hear from a buddy that says the 147 gr 9mm boolits will give complete pass through of feral hogs-and they are tough.

[pworley1]

It looks to me like that mold will have many applications. Nice work on the throats.

[fredj338]

I'm happy with my Saeco 147 RN but I do like casting with a 6cav so this will be a future purchase.

[SkippyKustoms]

I picked up a 6 cav from midway on the restock. It drops beautiful bullets. Same results as OP 147-149 gr roughly .357ish. Haven’t shot them yet but need to load to 1.06” to plunk my Glock gen5 34/48 barrels.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230504/5a41dcde25629aaa573ba3f6767c3fa2.jpg


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[SkippyKustoms]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230504/3e1eec5dbfde714bb67ea005b103cedf.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230504/8d8c824d39c374f1047db0aaf4ce7ccc.jpg


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[mnewcomb59]

Skippy both of your loaded rounds show powder coat scraped around the case mouth. That would be a clue to needing your short OAL. If you get them loaded cleaner you can load a longer OAL. Plus you will have positive headspace instead of potential out-of-battery fail to fire from the case +pc ring being longer than just a case. Also, those rings of PC will accumulate in the chamber at the corner of the headspace ledge (You probably aready have some. Dig around with a pick) and eventually give you all kinds of failures to go into battery. I know it sucks, but every single semi-auto case over here gets chamfered after they get resized..

[SkippyKustoms]

Skippy both of your loaded rounds show powder coat scraped around the case mouth. That would be a clue to needing your short OAL. If you get them loaded cleaner you can load a longer OAL. Plus you will have positive headspace instead of potential out-of-battery fail to fire from the case +pc ring being longer than just a case. Also, those rings of PC will accumulate in the chamber at the corner of the headspace ledge (You probably aready have some. Dig around with a pick) and eventually give you all kinds of failures to go into battery. I know it sucks, but every single case over here gets chamfered after they get resized.

Thanks for the heads up. I think what your seeing is the reflection of the brass in the coating. I visually inspected these and don’t see any coating but will double check a few others to verify. I do have a bit of brass powder build up from the crimping stage. I don’t crimp but rather just touch the edge of the brass to remove any remaining bell. Maybe I need to clean my dies and chamber edges out. I also will pull my dummy rounds and check for PC damage.

I like the idea of chamfering the cases to prevent damaging the coating. I’ll look in to that. What is your process?


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[mnewcomb59]

I personally like a very low drag chamfer tool because they cut a shallow chamfer. The chamfer tool that came with your dies probably chamfers them on a 45 degree angle and you can get your case mouths knife edge thin pretty easily. For ultimate smooth reloading and loading with minimal runout you can resize and expand and bell first, then chamfer because your tool fits more parallel to the expanded case and just barely trims the burrs. But I usually don't have time for that all the time so I usually deprime and resize, then chamfer, then finish reloading.

The best thing you can do to reload good lead 9mm is pull a loaded round and check for scraping and measure your base driving band. You might have a looser resize die and hard lead and be ok, but 9/10 times when you load a heavy bullet that deep you need a special expander. If the base driving band loses even 1 thou it opens up your groups in 9mm.

[jdgabbard]

I just use a quick trim with the proper die after sizing/depriming. But I do try to seat and crimp separately if I have a taper-crimp die. If not, I just seat and crimp in one. Never had any issues with any build-up in the chamber.