The Lee TL 356-95 RF?

[Abert Rim]

Anyone fool with this one in .380? What are your thoughts for accuracy, punch, feeding, etc. ?

[dr_rick]

I was successful in loading these and shooting them.
Cartridge: 380 Automatic
Manufacturer: HODGDON Powder: TITEGROUP
Size: 0.356 Type: TL356-95-RF Weight: 095
BHN / PSI: 20.1 25710
Charge: 2.7
C.O.L.: 0.97 Trim: 0.68
Case: Range Primer: CCI:500 Qty: 50
Date: 2021/01/01
Comments: Lee Load Data Lead Liquid Alox Coated.
Burn-Rate: 15 Shell Holder: 4

Fed and shot good. Watch the crimp and don't overdo it on this small a caliber..

[Bigslug]

It's the Ranch Dog, and it has a lot of fans.

Same bullet: NOE TL-358-100-RF (I run that one)

Same bullet in a made-to-order, custom-tweakable format: Accurate 35-098R

Got a buddy who runs the Lee in a Ruger LCP and has confirmed it's effectiveness on possum. Ranch Dog traditionally tested them out on trapped feral hogs to good effect.

I've found it to feed in old Colts, old FN's, an Interarms era Walther, and the Glock 42. It's a very similar nose profile to Winchester's Q4206 flat-nosed FMJ.

Try it, you'll like it.

[kenrh]

Just got mine Wednesday and will try them out today Saturday. I only have Accurate #5 on hand which is what I use on a multitude of styled plated bullets at 4.6gr, I started with 4.2grs on these lead loads since there is simply no data with Accurate #5 and lead.
I'll let you know later how it went and if I blow things up.

[Abert Rim]

Thanks fellas. Debating on whether to fool with a real pocket gun -- an 11-ounce LCP Max -- and of course prefer handloads and cast boolits. Would powder coat.

[cwlongshot]

Feeds fine in my G42 & Ruger LCP. I tried a few powders before settling on Power Pistol. I can get 1000 in G42 and mid 900's in the LCP.

[SquibCity]

i Have cast a few of these so far, they seem to run fine, accuracy is good out of the micros i've tried them in.
i went back to plated for a while due to good prices on bulk right now. il cast more some day soon.
have also used in 9mm loads.

[rintinglen]

I got one of the Ranch Dog originals and I have used it for the last 10 years. Although I am not a big fan of Lee Molds, I am of this boolit. It works extremely well. 3.2 Grains of 231 loaded to an OAL of ~.950-.960 (your gun will tell you where to go) is a very useful load.

[fecmech]

I have the Ranch Dog version and it feeds fine in my P3AT KelTec, have put a couple thousand through it. Loaded it in my K38 and it is a very accurate bullet. Excellent design!

[FergusonTO35]

My Kimber doesn't like to hand cycle them. So far, it feeds them when firing just fine but I'd rather stick with a boolit that I know works 100% like the 356-102-2R. The Glock 42 eats anything and everything, it's normal diet is a 100 grain plated flat point over a Makarov level charge.

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

It was a Ranch Dog design. I shoot it a lot in .380 ACP. I don't size them, and lube them only with Johnson's paste wax. They work great in three pistols I have and a friend shoots them in his Colt 1908. Never had a single failure to feed. They are as accurate as anything I've fired in my pistols.

[Abert Rim]

Ordered the mold after dang Grabagun put the LCP Max on sale this morning ... :D

[FergusonTO35]

It was a Ranch Dog design. I shoot it a lot in .380 ACP. I don't size them, and lube them only with Johnson's paste wax. They work great in three pistols I have and a friend shoots them in his Colt 1908. Never had a single failure to feed. They are as accurate as anything I've fired in my pistols.

So, with the JPW do you just rub it into the grooves and call it good?

[EMC45]

I may have to get this mold...

[kenrh]

The LCP Max is what I shoot with these bullets. 200 rounds cycled flawlessly at a COL of .950.

Let us know what powder and load you settled on.

[Abert Rim]

Will do Ken. I see a lot of recommendations for 231 as optimal, but don't have any. Lyman 51st lists Bullseye, Unique, Red Dot, Blue Dot, etc, which I do have.

[rintinglen]

231/HP-38 worked best for me ( and I have pounds of it). However, 2.6-2.8 grains of Bullseye or Red Dot, or 3.3-3.5 grns. Unique ought to work just fine. I believe I have used the 2.7 Bullseye load in the past, but I have only a pound or so left and prefer to save it for 38 Wadcutter loads for my S&W M-52.

[FergusonTO35]

I may have to get this mold...

PM sent!

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

While warming the bullets in the oven to where they can still be handled, I put a little wax in a plastic container that I don't mind throwing away. When bullets are warm and wax melted I put some bullets in the plastic container and swirl them around until all coated, then pour out onto some wax paper. Repeat until all bullets are coated. Bullets will have a thin coat of wax and look nice and shiny. That's all there is to it. Takes some tinkering to get enough was in container for the amount of bullets to be coated. Too many bullets and they don't swirl good.

[EMC45]

PM sent!

Reply sent!

[Grayone]

Feeds fine in my G42 & Ruger LCP. I tried a few powders before settling on Power Pistol. I can get 1000 in G42 and mid 900's in the LCP.

Ditto, I have the same mold and have been pleased with the accuracy. I would recommend anyone who owns a .380.

[Abert Rim]

Cast up a batch and tumble-lubed a few dozen in Lee Liquid Alox. They make a purposeful-looking cartridge in .380. PPU brass, CCI 500, 3.3 Unique.
https://i.postimg.cc/fJW4P8d5/image-67213569.jpg (https://postimg.cc/fJW4P8d5)

[ChuckS1]

Just got a new-to-me Colt Government .380. Barrel slugs at .356 and looking at the Lee TL356-95-RF, but thinking I should size it to .357. Can anybody tell me what their as-cast diameter is? I’m using recycled range lead with a little bit of linotype for the added tin.

[Abert Rim]

Chuck, I cast mine from range scrap and they run pretty close to .356. I didn't size them, just tumble-lubed. I will powder-coat some in coming days. I only shot 10 of them this afternoon as part of my Max break-in along with a box of FMJs and some Hornady Critical Defense. They seemed no more or less accurate than the other loads.
While I was shooting, a twin-engine plane came in behind me ( our ranges are about 100 feet from the runway approach) and I heard him cut his engines and then a mild thump. Something seemed odd about it and I thought he had landed hard in the gusty quartering crosswind.
No. He had no landing gear and managed to belly land his twin perfectly in the grass along the tarmac, about 500 yards from our club's pistol bay. A skillful pilot with good nerves and a lot of luck!

https://i.postimg.cc/87dcfYPR/image-50412801-2.jpg (https://postimg.cc/87dcfYPR)

[FergusonTO35]

Hey EMC 45, I tried to send you a message but it says your box is full!

[Bigslug]

Just got a new-to-me Colt Government .380. Barrel slugs at .356 and looking at the Lee TL356-95-RF, but thinking I should size it to .357. Can anybody tell me what their as-cast diameter is? I’m using recycled range lead with a little bit of linotype for the added tin.

Chuck, I'm using the NOE version of the mold and as I recall, it drops at .358. The Accurate Molds version can be ordered to drop at whatever you request. All of that comes down to whether you want to play with $60 molds, $100 molds, or $150 molds, but we're lucky with this specific design in that we have those choices available to us - I like Ranch Dog's stuff A LOT.

Reading Albert Rim's last post: If he's getting .356" out of his Lee with straight range scrap (probably pretty soft, higher-shrink-percentage stuff), you'll probably get a little fatter bullet with your added linotype. A fast burn rate powder should handle any additional obturation you might need.

[jdgabbard]

I don't own the mold, but I used to have a Ranch Dog copy of the mold that I traded off a long time ago. I got better results in accuracy from the standard 358242 92gr Ideal mold. That said, the quotes below are on the money load wise. 3.4gr of Unique with either 358242 or the Ranch Dog mold are the most accurate in my Bersa Thunder. I should note however, that I had equally good results with the Lee 105 SWC over 2.5gr of Bullseye as I did with the Ideal 358242, giving you another option. Also, 2.4gr of Red Dot worked well with either the 358242 or the Lee 105 SWC, so that may be another starting place for you with the RD design. After this I went back to do another round of accuracy testing with the 358242 with PCing the boolets and using 3.4gr of Unique, and the results were duplicated. So the 3.4gr of Unique has been my standard load for both the 92gr 358242 and the 105gr Lee SWC, all sized to .357" in my Bersa. So with the Lee Ranch Dog boolit I'd say something in the neighborhood of 3.0gr-3.6gr Unique should be a good place to start. That said, confirm this with your own data from published manuals, but I think you'll probably be happy with either Red Dot or Unique. Bullseye was ok too, but I had better results with Red Dot and Unique.


231/HP-38 worked best for me ( and I have pounds of it). However, 2.6-2.8 grains of Bullseye or Red Dot, or 3.3-3.5 grns. Unique ought to work just fine. I believe I have used the 2.7 Bullseye load in the past, but I have only a pound or so left and prefer to save it for 38 Wadcutter loads for my S&W M-52.


Cast up a batch and tumble-lubed a few dozen in Lee Liquid Alox. They make a purposeful-looking cartridge in .380. PPU brass, CCI 500, 3.3 Unique.
https://i.postimg.cc/fJW4P8d5/image-67213569.jpg (https://postimg.cc/fJW4P8d5)

[FergusonTO35]

My next mold is going to be the Arsenal 358-105-TC.

[Abert Rim]

I like Arsenal molds. The brass ones feel like heirlooms.

[EMC45]

Hey EMC 45, I tried to send you a message but it says your box is full!

I cleared it all out. Should be good now.