.357 Moulds

[sundog]

If you could have only ONE mould for your .38/.357 pistol(s), what would it be? For me it would be the Ly 358156. It's GC but can be shot without the check, it's an iron mould for durability, casts good with straight WWs, and it's accurate even when pushed hard.

Yes, I have others, such as Lee 148 WCs, Ly cowboy, the latest Lee 6-banger 180, a 358311 HP, and few others, but they'd all have to go in favor of the 358156 if I was forced to do it.

Just curious what ONE y'all would keep. sundog

[AnthonyB]

My choice, hands down, would be the 358439 and an extra nose plug so I could produce HPs or solids as the need arose. Use a soft lead/tin alloy for rapid HP expansion and great weight retention, or WW for a boolit that acts like a Nosler Partition - it will expand rapidly and the nose will shear off to create secondary projectiles, leaving a solid base for deep penetration. Heat treated WW alloy will produce a solid capable of shooting through anything I have ever seen in the woods. That boolit and a four-inch Model 19 can do everything I need a pistol/revolter to do. Tony

[45 2.1]

Thats an excellent choice Sundog, I would want the same bullet although it would be nice as a plainbase with a little bigger lube groove.

[anachronism]

Which reminds me, has anyone tried dropping a heated piece of steel shot in the cavity of a hollowpoint mould to make a solid bullet. I imagine it wouldn't be a good idea for lever-actions due to the chain-fire thing, but I wonder if it would expand when fired from a revolver?

Bob

[beagle]

Well, hard choice. Speaking about stock moulds, it would have to be the 358477. The 358429 might be a bit heavy for some applications and the 358156, although good, requires those pesky GCs.

Now, if you'll let me have two, it would be the 358477 and the 358439./beagle

[9.3X62AL]

It would be hard to out-do the #358477 for all-around use. It has done such good work in so many revolvers for me that it would be a form of betrayal to not take it as #1. It is THE boolit for 38 Special for me, at least equalling and often surpassing the accuracy of wadcutters. That it shoots flatter and goes farther just gilds the lily.

I recently got a two-holer x #358429, and it seems to be one of the older, lighter variants of the design. Castings run about 163 grains, and I haven't fired any yet. It's a cool design, but has its work cut out for it to keep up with #358477.

#358156 is likely a better and more usable boolit in the 357 Magnum, but only at 1200 FPS plus. Up to about 1100 FPS, the "477" stays ahead of the "156" in my revolvers accuracy-wise, then yields the baton to the 156 for the anchor leg.

[BCB]

I’ll have to go with the 358429. Mine weigh in right at 170 grains or a few tenths less. I would select this bullet for the simple reason that it is ALSO accurate in my Marlin 1984 with the Micro Grooves. The mold was purchased in hopes of finding a bullet that would shoot in the Micro Grooves—that was definitely it! It also shoots very well in a Security-Six 357 Magnum and a Model 10 thirty-eight special. Of the 30+ loads I have listed on a spreadsheet using this bullet, 16 of them are in bold, underlined print which means they are very, very acceptable accuracy. On a good day it will stay between 1.0” and 1.25” at 100 yards from the 1894 and at the 1.0"+ at 25 yards from the Security-Six. Good-luck…BCB

[DOUBLEJK]

It'd havta be my #358156HP mold fer sure.....the #358439 being a close second n that only cause it don't fit in all my .357's least not crimped in the crimp groove...
Accuracy of both is quite acceptable in all my guns that fit em...and the #358439 werk's well in .38Special brass in the 2 that have limited cylinder length n almost as well crimped over the front drivin' band...but heck sundogs limitin' me to just one????
Gotta be the #358156HP
anachronism....Try droppin' a BB....yep just like yer RedRyder fodder in the mold while yer castin' in place of the HP pin.....

[MT Gianni]

The 358477 wins for me, cause mine is a 4 cavity. I also have an LBT 180 FN 4 cavity that I would keep as my only bullet if I had only my Ruger Blackhawk as a handgun in NW Montana. Gianni.

[Maven]

This is a tough choice! For versatility and accuracy, I'd go with the RCBS 158gr. Keith as it outshoots #358429 in my 2 revolvers. However, if I wanted wrist-torqueing speed & accuaracy and didn't mind paying for gas checks, I'd choose the LBT 180gr. ogival nose (FP) bullet. It is as accurate as the RCBS Keith in my Ruger Blackhawk & Dan Wesson, but the latter can't handle the pressure as well as the former. ...Maven

[Dan in Wa]

Many years ago a friend lent me a mold for my .357/38
It was a semiwadcutter that I thought was a Keith style orignal.
It was made my Seaco and weighed 174grs. out of WW and a little tin. Anyone have the number of this mold? Liked this bullet so much that we purchased a Lyman #358429 because it was supposed to be a more correct Keith bullet according to the Lyman catolog and the pictures. It was not. Front drive band was undersize and not as wide as the Seaco in fact they didn't look all that similar and didn't shoot worth crap. Would like to find the orignal Seaco on Ebay. Any help?

[beagle]

The shot in the HP trick might work.

It would be easier to take a HP bullet and a falt top punch and "seat" a steel shot in the HP cavity when sizing.

With this method, I'd see no problems at all in safety in levers at the steel ball would be seated flush.

Now, whether or not that would aid in expansion is another story and would have to be tried./beagle

[Char-Gar]

I have a 4 hole 358156 as well as a SC HP of the same bullet. It is a truly great bullet. I also have a 3 hole SAECO/Cramer No.12, that I bought in 1965 that has never let me down. It is plain base and I have shot it full snort thousands of time without lead. It always gives great accuracy.

[johniv]

For me it would have to be the H&G #51 4 cavity. Good for 38 or 357. no leading sized to .357 and lubed with FWFL Only drawback is it is a bit too long for my Colt 357. Use 358156 for that, but I could trim brass a smidge and use the 51 in everything.
John