A new 357 MP mould

[nueces5]

Good afternoon, I was looking for the box for my 357 mag and I found that the manufacturer recommends using it with 125 grain bullets.
It's a taurus 605, I never really paid attention to it.
Does anyone have experience shooting heavy boolits in this revolver?
I wanted to buy some of these MP molds.
https://www.mp-molds.com/product/359-640-solid-plain-base-no-lube-groove-8-cav-alu/
https://www.mp-molds.com/product/358-429-360-cal-keith-solid-gas-check-8-cavity-mold/
https://www.mp-molds.com/product/359-hammer-mold-multi-choice/

I'm going to do PC
I have already read some previous posts and I understand that Keith's designs are very precise

Nowadays, mp is the best option living in Argentina, there are people selling a used two-cavity mold at exorbitant prices
thank you so much

[Lakehouse2012]

All 3 of those are good depending on your game.

I've been calling this one my absolute favorite:

https://www.mp-molds.com/product/359-135-swc-round-nose-6-cavity-mold/

Sent from my SM-A526U using Tapatalk

[Recycled bullet]

All of those are good molds. I have loaded 357 Magnum with plain base powder coated bullets. 357125, 358429, 359 hammer. 358-429 loaded into 357 Magnum brass is too long for the cylinder of a Taurus revolver. My personal favorite is 359 hammer. I like to powder coat them light blue or Chrome plate powder coat. They look really good and if you can manage casting the enormous hollow points then you can apply that skill to just about anything else. It's all just heat management and timing.

[Forrest r]

All 3 of those are good depending on your game.

I've been calling this one my absolute favorite:

https://www.mp-molds.com/product/359-135-swc-round-nose-6-cavity-mold/

Sent from my SM-A526U using Tapatalk

Yes it's a fantastic bullet.
https://i.imgur.com/xHUCNJn.jpg

I shoot them in the 38spl/9mm's. More so in the 9mm's, it's extremely easy to find accurate loads with multiple powders and this bullet.

Unfortunately they are to long for the 357mag's when crimped in the crimp groove.

[Forrest r]

Of the 3 molds the op is looking at I'd pick the 1st one. The 640 design is accurate, easy loading & the multiple crimp grooves. The ability to move the bullet in or out with multiple crimp grooves is huge!!! It allows the reloader more options to seat the bullet in the leade of the cylinder increasing velocity/accuracy.
https://i.imgur.com/Lcmp4hk.jpg

Myself. I use this version of the Mihec 640 series bullet in the 38spl/357mags.
https://www.mp-molds.com/product/359-640-hollow-point-plain-base-cavity-mold/

Something to think about with fixed sighted revolvers.
If taurus recommends a 125gr bullet, that telling you that the poa & poi is set for that bullet at the yardage they set them up for/tested. This is a 2" bbl'd ca undercover. It's sights are setup for 38spl/158gr bullets. It has a red dot in the center of the front sight.
https://i.imgur.com/7iOwgin.jpg
With standard 38spl/158gr loads @ 7yds the poa/poi were the same with a 6 0-clock hold (top of the front sight at the bottom of what your aiming at). Those reloads pictured above are that 359-640 Mihec 158gr bullet loaded to p+ levels doing 950fps in that 2" bbl'd revolver. With the increase in velocity/recoil I have to put the red dot (raise the front sight and cover what I'm aiming at) on whatever I'm trying to hit @ 7yds to have the same poa/poi.

125gr bullets hit extremely low compared to 170gr+ bullets in the 357mag.

I shoot a +/-170gr bullet in a short bbl'd 357 that I keep around the house. It's the solid nosed version of that Mihec 359-640 that I posted the link to. I'm only getting +/- 1200fps out of that short bbl. But even with the heavy bullet the sights are still down (picture below), it's sighted in for 50ft. The compensated bbl plays a huge role in the revolver shooting so flat with the heave bullets.
https://i.imgur.com/5vi2mrE.jpg

I'd give some thought to what load/bullet is the best choice for that fixed sighted revolver you own.

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

On a side note:
The bullets pictured above are the Mihec 135gr himmelwright clone on the left and a 115gr cramer #33 "indoor swc" bullet on the right. I loaded those 115gr bullet with a p+ load of unique in 38spl cases and shot them in that fixed sighted snubnosed 38spl pictured above. That 115gr.p+ load did 1100fps and had the same poa/poi as the standard 158gr/38spl loads @ 7yds.

If it was me I'd be looking at the lighter bullet options for that fixed sighted revolver you own.

[justindad]

I expect the hammer mold will get the best fill out. That narrow feature between the two cannelures of the 640 will take more care & tin for good fill out.

[Recycled bullet]

Here are some blue 359 Hammer bullets. I cast them from 90%lead/5%tin/5%antimony aka lyman #2 alloy. They cast easily. I size them through a357 size bushing in my Lee hands press and shoot them over 16.5 grains( compressed load) of H110 in starline 357 magnum brass.

Does not lead my gun, cleanup is 10 minutes or less after hundreds of shots.

I shoot at paper plates 30-50 yards and steel plates 80-110 yards, lots of good safe fun.

Good luck and be safe, happy Sunday.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240204/6aeefbdf7441c305448f35cd39c404b6.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240204/fa04e052bef8cb71f1bdd84d8551f92e.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240204/4e3fb20b33aa7560f302fd6a793e0c96.jpg

[nueces5]

Not only do you read good reviews and I see nice boolits
The weapons also look very nice
I was going to decide on the hammer, but I don't need hollow point, and I don't see that there is a mold option without HP.
I think I'll have to go for the 640 NLG

[Recycled bullet]

There are multiple options. If I wanted to I could replace the pins with flat nose pins and cast flat nose bullets. There may be a hammer mold available that does not use the pins also.

[xringshutr]

I expect the hammer mold will get the best fill out. That narrow feature between the two cannelures of the 640 will take more care & tin for good fill out.

I have this exact mold, MP 359-640 170 gr, in an aluminum 8 cavity. Zero issues with fillout using COWW. No tin sweetener. Just an outstanding mold and very accurate boolit.. As a bonus it shoots 1.25" groups out of my 35 Rem JC Higgins Mod 45 on top of 11.0 gr of Herco at 100 yds! Not trying to start an argument, just sharing my experience. Like it so much I got the 150 gr HP version in brass. Both of mine are plainbase versions.

[Recycled bullet]

I have this exact mold, MP 359-640 170 gr, in an aluminum 8 cavity. Zero issues with fillout using COWW. No tin sweetener. Just an outstanding mold and very accurate boolit.. As a bonus it shoots 1.25" groups out of my 35 Rem JC Higgins Mod 45 on top of 11.0 gr of Herco at 100 yds! Not trying to start an argument, just sharing my experience. Like it so much I got the 150 gr HP version in brass. Both of mine are plainbase versions.Have you tested the 640 in revolvers? I've been eyeing that mold it looks so cool.

[xringshutr]

Yes, I have tested the 640 in multiple revolvers. My experience is that it is as accurate as all of my SWC target loads and even keeps up with my WC target loads in the 38 Special. Also seems to be very, very accurate in a Model 19-5 that I recently acquired with 357 Mag and 6.0 - 6.2 gr of Unique. I REALLY like this boolit. Nothing not to like. Just get it. You won't be disappointed.

[Forrest r]

I cast a bunch of different bullets for the 38spl/357mag. Here's some of them that I cast.
https://i.imgur.com/0A0Ga7O.jpg

I do head to head testing with them all the time. Different powders/firearms.

The top row 2nd from left: 359-640 158gr fn hp
Top row 4th from left: Cramer #26 158gr swc hp
Bottom center: Cramer 158gr rn hp "hunter bullet"

Playing around with bullseye powder in the 357mag (5.5gr and 6.0gr loads) in a s&w 686 using 8/9bhn cast bullets (26/640/hunter).
6-shot groups @ 25yds with the revolver benched.
https://i.imgur.com/9YSO2RC.jpg

This chicken scratch of a target was shot @ 50yds/6-shot groups the same day as the target pictured above. The left (top & bottom) targets were loaded with 5.5gr pf bullseye.
The right (top & bottom) were loaded with 6.0gr of bullseye. Top left/right targets were with the hunter bullet. Bottom left/right targets were with the 640 series bullet.
https://i.imgur.com/CfpwHXk.jpg

Anyway it's nothing to get +/- 2" groups @ 50yds using that Mihec 359640 bullet and several different powders or firearms with nothing more than mixed brass.