NEW but OLD LEE MOLD ----- HELP please

[HIGHRPM015]

Hi everyone. I need some help with a brand new mold I bought many years ago, but it is old stock and the part number is now on a different mold. It is a Lee 90324 mold , .358 166 grain SWC marketed for .38 Special and .357 Mag. I would like to use it but am at a loss for any possible data. Anyone out there have experiance with this mold ? Any help is greatly appreciated ! Thanks for your time.

[WILCO]

You can use j word data.
Has to be reduced for cast though.

[Delkal]

This is the problem with cast bullets and the thousands of molds / commercial cast bullets out there. Unless you have an exact match from the limited cartridge listings in a Lyman reloading manual there is no load data. Sure some casters give recommended loads but they are usually mid range target loads and not actually pressure tested. Loading cast bullets is easy and safe with a little knowledge but it is not for beginners who should start with the exact combinations listed in the newest manuals.

The usual recommendation is to use the load data for a heavier bullet but you will not be able to do that with a wadcutter. In a pistol believe the pressure is mostly dependent on how far the bullet is seated into the case so if you try and seat a 166 wadcutter flush the charge should be drastically reduced. If you seat it out further like a regular bullet you should be OK but unfortunately you are on your own with deciding the OAL..

[sureYnot]

Find load data for a projectile of equal weight. Most mold manufacturers will provide schematics on their site. From the cartridge length in the load data and the projectile length in the schematic, you can figure the seating depth. It is the seating depth that affects pressure. Seat your projectile to the same depth and use the data. You should be good to go, unless this lengthens the C.O.AL. to the point that it's jammed into the rifling upon chambering.

[Barry54]

Find load data for a projectile of equal weight. Most mold manufacturers will provide schematics on their site. From the cartridge length in the load data and the projectile length in the schematic, you can figure the seating depth. It is the seating depth that affects pressure. Seat your projectile to the same depth and use the data. You should be good to go, unless this lengthens the C.O.AL. to the point that it's jammed into the rifling upon chambering.

What a great explanation with comparison of seating depth. Brilliant!!

[gwpercle]

Use the data in Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook 4th Edition
for the Lyman #358429 - 170 gr. SWC boolit - there is data for both 38 special and 357 magnum ... data for the 4 grain heavier 170 gr. boolit will be perfectly safe for the 166 gr. lighter boolit .
Seat the bullet and crimp in it's crimp groove ... no book OAL number is required .

Also look at the data for the 6 grain lighter boolit , Lyman # 358311 - 160 grs.-
This data will give you another point of view / suggested starting & midrange loads and as long as you don't load any Maximum loads with the 6 grain heavier Lee boolit you will also be safe .
What kind of loads are you looking for ... I am pretty sure I have worked with this Lee mould and have my notes ... used Unique and Red Dot ... glad to check for you .
Load Safe ,
Gary

[sureYnot]

Use the data in Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook 4th Edition
for the Lyman #358429 - 170 gr. SWC boolit - there is data for both 38 special and 357 magnum ... data for the 4 grain heavier 170 gr. boolit will be perfectly safe for the 166 gr. lighter boolit .
Seat the bullet and crimp in it's crimp groove ... no book OAL number is required .

Also look at the data for the 6 grain lighter boolit , Lyman # 358311 - 160 grs.-
This data will give you another point of view / suggested starting & midrange loads and as long as you don't load any Maximum loads with the 6 grain heavier Lee boolit you will also be safe .
Load Safe ,
GaryThis'll work if an educated guess is good enough for what you're doing. Lord knows I've done exactly the same many times.
But, if you want to know exactly what the manual says is a max load, you MUST know your seating depth. Especially important for pistol and revolver loads.
As an example, my load for my 9mm increases pressure by about 1,900 psi by seating 0.011 deeper. A little bit, in that tiny case, makes a big difference.

[Joe K]

Highrpm105,

I have that mold. I use wadcutter data for the particular mold due to deep seating required to crimp in the groove. It looks like a wadcutter with a truncated nose. Below are some pictures. One shown beside a 38 special case. Hope this helps.
325223325224

[725]

I just use the data published in the Lee manual. Weight & cartridge.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I would think many manuals will have starting loads for 170 gr. SWC boolit. It's all good, just work up a load from the starting load, like any other.
.
If you are new to "working up a load." Here is some suggestions.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?310143-Handgun-Load-Development-Methodology

[WILCO]

I would think many manuals will have starting loads for 170 gr. SWC boolit. It's all good, just work up a load from the starting load, like any other.
.
If you are new to "working up a load." Here is some suggestions.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?310143-Handgun-Load-Development-Methodology

Great advice Jon!

[HIGHRPM015]

Thanks to everyone who replied. I do understand to use 170 data if the proper one was not available , I was mainly looking for someone who used this mold and had experience with it. Too heavy , seating issues and any reason why Lee discontinued this mold, poor sales or poor performance? Again big thanks to all.

[HIGHRPM015]

Highrpm105,

I have that mold. I use wadcutter data for the particular mold due to deep seating required to crimp in the groove. It looks like a wadcutter with a truncated nose. Below are some pictures. One shown beside a 38 special case. Hope this helps.
325223325224

And what did you think of it ??

[HIGHRPM015]

Use the data in Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook 4th Edition
for the Lyman #358429 - 170 gr. SWC boolit - there is data for both 38 special and 357 magnum ... data for the 4 grain heavier 170 gr. boolit will be perfectly safe for the 166 gr. lighter boolit .
Seat the bullet and crimp in it's crimp groove ... no book OAL number is required .

Also look at the data for the 6 grain lighter boolit , Lyman # 358311 - 160 grs.-
This data will give you another point of view / suggested starting & midrange loads and as long as you don't load any Maximum loads with the 6 grain heavier Lee boolit you will also be safe .
What kind of loads are you looking for ... I am pretty sure I have worked with this Lee mould and have my notes ... used Unique and Red Dot ... glad to check for you .
Load Safe ,
Gary

Thanks for your reply. If you could find it in your notes , that would be fantastic . And if you remember what did you think of it , performance wise ?

[Joe K]

And what did you think of it ??

It works fine and is accurate out to 25 yards as that is the farthest distance at the pistol range. I’m sure it would work well at farther distances or field use if needed. Attached is another picture with the Lee TL358-148-wc just to show why I use wadcutter data for the particular mold.
325374

[HIGHRPM015]

Big thank you for the info and pics , greatly appreciated !

[ACC]

Hi everyone. I need some help with a brand new mold I bought many years ago, but it is old stock and the part number is now on a different mold. It is a Lee 90324 mold , .358 166 grain SWC marketed for .38 Special and .357 Mag. I would like to use it but am at a loss for any possible data. Anyone out there have experiance with this mold ? Any help is greatly appreciated ! Thanks for your time.

Use the starting load using a 158 grain jacketed bullet. Then start working up in .10 grains at a time. As of right now I am loading 15.7 grains of H110 with the same bullet and getting about 1250 FPS using a standard primer in my Ruger Blackhawk with a 4 3/8 inch barrel. With no pressure signs. I have been using this load with many different .357 magnum guns and a couple of rifles for years. Your mileage will vary.

ACC

[HIGHRPM015]

Use the starting load using a 158 grain jacketed bullet. Then start working up in .10 grains at a time. As of right now I am loading 15.7 grains of H110 with the same bullet and getting about 1250 FPS using a standard primer in my Ruger Blackhawk with a 4 3/8 inch barrel. With no pressure signs. I have been using this load with many different .357 magnum guns and a couple of rifles for years. Your mileage will vary.

ACC

BIG thanks !

[gwpercle]

Thanks for your reply. If you could find it in your notes , that would be fantastic . And if you remember what did you think of it , performance wise ?

That bullet (Lee 358-166-SWC) in 38 special case , was most accurate with either 3.0 grains of TiteGroup ...
or with 3.0 grains of Bullseye @ abot 800 fps . Not a bad boolit , but my mould was a single cavity
and I discovered Lyman #358432 - 160 gr. WC ! It was the most accurate boolit in all my revolvers and NOE makes a sweet 4 cavity mould .
The Lee 166 simply lost the accuracy test to the Lyman 358432 and I could get that NOE in a 4 holer ... single cavities are just so slow when you want lots-o-boolits .

Give it an exhaustive test with some of the new powders and discover something I missed !
Load Safe,
:drinks: Gary