Heavilest 357 mold?

[sheepdog]

Assuming a keith type for a 357 max would be the heaviest. Whats the max you can push on a 357 mag? 210 maybe?

[quilbilly]

Mixed message? Are you talking about a 357 Max or mag? You have both above

[Beagle333]

The 215gr 358627.


Read this:
http://www.lasc.us/FryxellLyman358627.htm

Then sign up here!
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...low-point-mold

[Dschuttig]

That 358627 is going on as a mihec group buy right now.

[bhn22]

216 grains of screaming fury!

[runfiverun]

I have and do use the saeco #248 in my 357 max revolver, it's 250+grs.
haven't tried it in my lever gun in 38 special brass yet, but probably will down the road some time.

[wlc]

I've got both 250 and 300 grainers that I'm going to be loading for my Max in the Encore. That said I went with a 12 twist barrel for stability sakes.

[GabbyM]

I've a 230 grain wad cutter. Its sickly a bowling pin bullets.
Some think they'd be good for shooting animals. I can't figure the logic behind that. Unless they thing a baseball kills deer better than a 357. For serious 357 magnum loads I've that Saeco 10 grain RNFP and a custom 170 gain. Then the Lyman 358429 SWC loaded to crimp over the front band so they fit our Colt. Mine is NOE mold that drops a 177 grain bullet. It shoots the same speed as the Saeco 180. After all it's still loaded cylinder length so you don't really give up anything by seating in deep past the crimp grove. I also have the Lyman 195 grain round nose #358430. Tat would be the heavy side of what you can propel to good effect. Stability will be pretty much maxed out also. I have to get out a forty year old Lyman 45th to find load data for it in the 357 revolver.

[osteodoc08]

There's got to be a point of diminishing return at some boolit weight. For me it's around 180-200gr. I either can't achieve the desired velocity or case capacity and OAL cause issues for me. That being said, I'd love to try those 215gr above in my redhawk.

[detox]

Latest issue of Handloader magazine has article on shooting heavy bullets in .357 Magnum. The LBT 200gr Flat Nose design with gas check was his chosen lead bullet for bear. The Sierra 170gr was his favorite jacketed bullet. None of the heavy bullets shot under 2 inch group at 25 yards using 686 revolver with 4" barrel.

He likes the lighter weight 686 when hiking to fight off bear attacks. I doubt he actually hunts bear with it.

[turbo1889]

The heaviest I'm using is an AM#36-210C:







I use it in all three 38-spl., 357-mag., & 357-max.

Not a very pretty boolit and not very aerodynamic but up close it hits like a freight train. Blue Dot load for it in the 38-spl. is my woods carry load allowing that cartridge to pack more punch up close then I ever thought it could. Not quite sure if its bear worthy or not but if any 38-spl. load is then that's it. What it does to stacks of wet phone-books is incredible for a 38-spl. load, does even better out of the 357-mag. & max.

[Beerd]

That's quite the bullet turbo. Have you run it over a Chronograph?
..

[bhn22]

A serious contender for the title of "Worlds Longest Wadcutter", for sure.

[helice]

Turbo,
What a gorgeous slug. I love the multiple crimp grooves - or are they tumble lube grooves. Are you sure you aren't loading it in backwards.

I tried to load a 240 WLN LBT in a 38 case to fire in an M-92 in 357 Mag. Didn't stabilize.

[turbo1889]

That's quite the bullet turbo. Have you run it over a Chronograph?
..

Yes:

.38-spl. revolvers = 600 to 700 fps
.357-mag. revolvers = 900 to 1,100 fps

.357-max. carbine rifle = up to 1,500 fps


Stabilizes fine and makes nice clean holes, no key-holing out of everything except a .38-spl derringer I tried it in (yah, I know, crazy idea anyway). and although I can't tell that it shoots any better then any other wad-cutter out of the revolvers it does stay accurate further out from the carbine then other lighter weight wad-cutters but still not as good as a truncated cone type nose or even some of the better shooting ogive nose carbine boolits for the 357-max.

Turbo,
What a gorgeous slug. I love the multiple crimp grooves - or are they tumble lube grooves. Are you sure you aren't loading it in backwards.

I tried to load a 240 WLN LBT in a 38 case to fire in an M-92 in 357 Mag. Didn't stabilize.

Both, they are tumble lube grooves but they do double as multiple crimp grooves. It stabilizes fine out of everything except the derringer I tried it in probably because it isn't as long as other boolits of similar weight due to it being a wad-cutter.

On some of the slower loads out of some of the guns its just stable enough to fly straight and true to the target but upon impact it can tumble damage and bounce around inside the target which for a varmint and self-defense load might actually be a good thing.

[Elkins45]

Is the nose the same diameter as the body for the entire length?

[Beagle333]

That is one beautiful wadcutter! Now I need one, dangit!!!!

I can already forsee a .172 HP pin installed in mine too!

[GabbyM]

As far as I've ever seen. Over 180 grains is the point of diminishing returns. In 357 or 38 Special. Odd thing is 38 Special does way more energy with the 177 grain bullet than the lighter 160's. There is some simple math behind that but I've not done my home work. To simplify life. I believe if you've any mold casting a 160 to 180 grain bullet for a 38 or 357 revolver you have it covered.
Hole will be punched. Anything past that is a hobby pursuit.

[turbo1889]

Is the nose the same diameter as the body for the entire length?

The little bands on the forward section come at at 0.357" straight out of the mold "as cast" where as the heavier bands on the bottom end drop from the mold at 0.360"-0.359". This to ensure chambering in revolver throats without having to size the whole boolit down in diameter including the bottom part down inside the case.

It goes right into all my revolvers with just thumb pressure to press the shells into the cylinder, some guns taking a little stronger press with the thumb then others but in all cases it only takes thumb pressure to make the little thin bands on the nose squeeze into the revolver throats and be really nice "snug as a rug in a bug" no looseness, slop, or play but also nothing more then firm one thumb pressure required to load them. Carbine rifle on the other hand is a different story since it doesn't have a long cylindrical revolver type throat and I have to either seat them deeper in the case crimping further up the nose with less of the nose exposed or have to use the hinge break action of the single shot carbine to cam the shells into the chamber engraving the first few little bands on the nose into the guns rifling upon loading.

[turbo1889]

That is one beautiful wadcutter! Now I need one, dangit!!!!

I can already forsee a .172 HP pin installed in mine too!

Nose Meplat is large enough to accommodate up to a 0.250" hollow point if you wanted. I've also considered this as well and thought about sending the mold into Erik and having him hollow point one or two of the three cavities but one of those "just haven't got around to it" things.