Can a person size down 38-55 bullets to use for 357, or is that too much of a size difference? I recently got a nice lyman 38-55 fp mold that looks like it would make a good 357 rifle boolit, but I have no 38-55 :mrgreen:
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Can a person size down 38-55 bullets to use for 357, or is that too much of a size difference? I recently got a nice lyman 38-55 fp mold that looks like it would make a good 357 rifle boolit, but I have no 38-55 :mrgreen:
Good morning
I played with sizing .43 down to .41 . Sure you can do it but misalignment is easy. Then there is not much grease grove left when done. Use a soft mix ! If this is for plinking it works.
If you need accuracy then look for a mold.
God Bless You !
Don';t break your sizer!!
Even the strongest ones are "Iffy" when over burdened.
My best advice would be to get some Lee sizers to use in a full size loading press, like a Crusher or Rock Chucker. Hone them to size and reduce in stages.
You MUST be sure the lube grooves are FULL before proceeding or you'll loose ALL semblance of grooves.
Pepe Ray
You will end up with nothing more than a smooth slug, no lube grooves.
BTW you will be going from 375 to 357. The 38-55 is an old time measurment, 375 is closer to 38, hence the 38 designation.
I forget all the details on some of these calibers, 38-40 44-40 etc. I am sure there are several here who can go into that.
I ran across a tapered octagon barrel blank a while back. Stamped 38 on it and all I could think at the time was 357 mag. I am sure that is what threw the rest of the guys in the shop off and why the price was so cheap.
Jeff
Yes you can. I've posted this before. I size Lyman's 37583 to .360" and done correctly the lube groove is fine. The boolit does get longer. Here's how I do it. I dip lube the boolits as cast so there's a little lube part way up the nose. This helps guide the boolit and keep it centered in a NOSE FIRST sizer, like LEE. Hydraulic pressure in the filled lube grooves keeps them from disappearing. I size 452488's and 452460's to .406" the same way (in two steps) to fit my .38 WCF. Short boolits work best. With longer boolits bending may be a problem. Sizing in two or more steps will help keep bending down. YMMV Regards, WoodyQuote:
Originally Posted by Fish_N_Russ
hmmmm sounds tricky....might be better off just selling the mold and getting a 'normal' 357 one :)
I would recommend selling the mould also and buying one that would fit your needs. Also the mould you have even if you could size it down, the boolit would probably be to long taking up powder space too maintain over all length. What mould number is it.