38 150 k

[SPRINGFIELDM141972]

I have a single cavity Ohaus mold designated 38 150 K. It appears to be a Keith style PB bullet. It drops at .3585-359. Can anyone tell me if it IS an original Keith? I can't find it in a Lyman reference anywhere. Was Ohaus making molds during the Elmer's time or am I just wishing?

Regards,
Everett

[MtGun44]

Not exactly, but uses Elmer's concepts. Biggest diff is a short nose so it will work
in N frame S&W revolvers which have a shorter cylinder than almost anything else. Oddly
enough the smaller framed S&W revos have LONGER cylinders and work fine with
Elmer's 358429 design. 358429 was developed for .38 Spl well before the .357
mag was invented.

Your mold is one of THE best boolits for .357 mag and .38 Spl ever. Cherish it
even though it is not a 'real' Keith design, it is to his principles and is basically a
short nosed version of the 358429. Current designation is 38-150 SWC

Bill

[358wcf]

Yep, that's the one, all right!
I've standardized on this being my "go to" boolit in 38Spec and 357mag, unless I want the weight of the 358429 with its huge hollowpoint as recently done by NOE. Yes, I do use a few gas checks in the 358156, but 99% of the pistol work doesn't require them, and they are a nuisance.
The RCBS 38-150K is an outstanding swc design- accurate as any, and hard to improve upon. You'll enjoy it for many years!!

358wcf [smilie=1:[smilie=1:[smilie=1:

[Rick N Bama]

I recently bought a copy of that mold from a member of this fine board.

So far my backyard plinking experiments show it to be an outstanding design.

Rick

[9.3X62AL]

If your mould is the one I think it is--it is similar to Lyman's #358477. The design gets A LOT of use in my 38 Specials and now is working well in a Colt 38 S&W Police Positive that has .359" throats and corresponding groove diameter. The little Colt shoots it right to the sights at 25 yards and with splendid accuracy. I have used #358477 for close to 30 years; it was among my first mould designs purchased soon after I began casting.

Not often having an N-frame S&W in 357 Magnum in the house, #358477 hasn't seen usage in that caliber. That oversight needs to be addressed!

[Hurricane]

RCBS bought the Ohaus line of molds and continue to make them to this day. The mold you have is now listed as RCBS 38-150-SWC. Previously it had the name of 38-150-KT. RCBS makes it in a 2 cavity mold only. It is my personal favorite for 38 Special and mild 357 loads. Enjoy using your mold, it is a good one.

[MtGun44]

Al,

Right on as usual.

You can almost fully seat a 150 gr 358477 into my 38-150-K mold. Sometimes if I have
both bullets in containers I have to look close for the rounded lube groove to identify
the 477. For my two molds the band widths and location are identical. It is my guess
that Ohaus did a dead copy of the 477, knowing full well that this is a fantastic boolit.
Flat bottomed lube groove is the only significant difference, altho the crimp groove shape
is a tad different but this is really hard to tell from looking at the boolits, easier to see looking
at the molds.

Both are absolutely top notch in .38 Spl and .357 mag. I use them interchangably.

Bill

[SPRINGFIELDM141972]

Thanks fellas. I'm glad to know I have a winner. I guess a blind squirrel does find a nut once in awhile.

[9.3X62AL]

I ran the #358477 for 20+ years before getting a #358429--and that was more a matter of curiosity than need.

[casterofboolits]

I lucked into a couple Lyman four cavity moulds at a flea market in the mid 70's for $20.00 for the Pair! [smilie=w:

They were the 358311 38-158-RN and a 358429 38-168-SWCKT. They came with handles without wood on them, so I drilled out some pieces of old pool cues and put them to work. They were my first "iron" moulds.

Now, Lyman lists them as 160 and 170, but mine throw 158 and 168!:bigsmyl2:

The 358429 worked fine in my S&W 38's and my Mod. 19. I got a shock when I bought my first N frame and my standard load in .357 cases stuck out the end of the cylinder. Had to buy a 358477 four cavity to solve the (?) problem.

That started a life long addiction. I now have over one hundred molds. :violin:

[MtGun44]

Yep. Isn't it odd that the LARGER N-frame revolvers have shorter cylinders than
the medium-large (L frame) or medium (K frame) S&W revolvers.

Bill

[Hurricane]

Not strange at all when you consider when the guns were designed. The N frame came first before either the 357 Magnum or the Lyman 358429 existed. It was made to fit the 38 Special and 44 Special, S&W did not try to speculate on what boolits might be designed in the future. The K frame was designed when 357 ammunition was in common use and the S&W design considered existing boolits used by reloaders in the design. The L frame came last and used a cylinder the same size as the K frame.

[Doby45]

Do you guys have some pet plinker loads for the 358477 or the 38 150 K? 38spl loads.

[GLL]

As was pointed out the 358429 was designed for use in the S&W .38Special N-frame revolvers of the 1930's.
The 38-150K is also a favorite in these old guns !

Jerry

http://www.fototime.com/D1C1E88A3D3343A/orig.jpg

[DLCTEX]

Doby45: My most accurate load so far for the 38-150KT is 3 gr.Bullseye. in the 38 Special. BTW I'm really liking the alloy of 8#WW = 1# Isotope lead air cooled for this boolit. It adds just enough tin to get good fillout.
4 gr. 231 also shot very well today.

[9.3X62AL]

Oh, NO! GUN PORN!

Excellent photography of a splendid example, sir.