I'm wanting to powder coat some Keith SWC for Ruger revolvers. 357 Magnum out of my GP100 and 44 Magnum out of a Redhawk. The trouble I am having is which brand mold to go with and what weight. Any advice on which route I should be going? I want to do this right and measure my revolvers and the whole 9 yards but this will be my first revolver cast loads.
I actually spent time on ebay trying to get a decent deal on the old Lyman/ideal molds, and managed to get both the .357 and the .44, but they were single cavity. When I wanted to do larger quantities for .45 Colt, I bought the NOE copy of the Keith SWC with the square lube groove. Beautiful mold, drops great, and the boolits are perfect.
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How do you even identify the older versions?
Research. Orange cardboard box with metal edges and marked IDEAL for the old ones, later ones come in orange plastic boxes and are marked Lyman. In between is a grey area where they were phasing out the ideal name. If they aren't in the box you can't really tell when they're from unless they're stamped IDEAL on the mold.Originally Posted by Stopsign32v
As long as they have the right profile, I'm good with one from the 70's or 80's. They're steel, so they're not going bad as long as they were taken care of, no matter how old they are.
The point, though, is to find the original Keith profile. On several of them Lyman later made the lube groove rounded so they would drop easier, but it came at the cost of some room for lube. Keith's designs had a square lube groove. They made some other adjustments too, over time. So you can find 454424 with a round lube groove, but the square ones are harder to find.
Anyway, the NOE reproduction is faithful, and a great boolit. I'm sure several other makers do reproductions too, but that's the only one I can speak for.
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You can argue about tiny details here and there, but Accurate, NOE, and Arsenal all make a good version of the 38 and 44 caliber Keith bullets. A 38 caliber Keith is somewhere in the 170-175 grain range, depending on the alloy you use. A 44 caliber Keith is around 255-265 gr again depending on the alloy. If you use Linotype for some reason, I think the 38 is as light as 168 gr, and the 44 is 250 gr.
Accurate is always a top of the line mold maker, and I have a lot of their molds. That said, I opted not to use them for Keith bullets for reasons I'll get to. For 38, I have the NOE 360-176-SWC. My 44 is the NOE 432-264-SWC. I opted for NOE, because I could get them in hollow points. If you don't want hollow points, then I would opt for Arsenal molds. I believe Arsenal has the closest replica of the H&G #503, and their version of the 170gr Keith looks pretty close to the NOE version. Arsenal molds makes a high quality product, and the great thing about them is that they are relatively inexpensive. You can get a 4 cavity Arsenal mold for $83, compared to a NOE at $92, and an Accurate at $136.
You don't have to measure your revolver, they should all cast big enough, and Ruger is fairly consistent on sizes. In my GP100, I size .358". In my Redhawk, I size .431". If they don't shoot as you hope, then worry about it, else it isn't a huge deal.
Are you sure you need a swc style? A design like this will not hang up when your loading the cylinder. http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_...bullet=36-158V
It has the square base and generous grease groove like the Keith style which I think helps the boolit obdurate. And the meplat is larger too.
This mold powder coats nicely and drops the boolits easily. At a bhn of 10 the coated boolits weigh 173 grains. Over 7 grains of HS-6 they are great performers out of my 5" Model 27.
http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_...bullet=36-170T
Last edited by Cosmic_Charlie; 07-11-2021 at 06:19 AM.
"If everyone is thinking the same thing it means someone is not thinking"
"A rat became the unit of currency"
In 44 I like the #503 clones available from MP Molds (432-256) and Arsenal.
Mal
Mal Paso means Bad Pass, just so you know.
+1 on the MP 503 clone.
Paper targets aren't your friends. They won't lie for you and they don't care if your feelings get hurt.
Plus 1 on the MP 503 clone. Available in 6 cavity too!
It's all chicken, even the beak!
They are out of country? Their website says Slovenia?
I believe that's where he's located. I've got 4 or 5 molds from him (as have many others here) you can buy with confidence. His is a stand up company with an excellent product.
Yep, I have an MP mold too, not a Keith clone, but a .45 acp hollow point, and it's excellent.
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Do you guys bother with gas check for these 357 and 44 loads? I plan to powder coat them if that matters (I know it is a thin layer of lubricant and not a protectant coating)
Well I just got this mold for $60. Just realized it has the round lube groove and not the square. Dang
For the 44 I would select the Accurate Molds 43-253K and not look back.
Still a good boolit. Look at one of the recommended brands when you're looking for a 4-6 cavity to speed up production.Well I just got this mold for $60. Just realized it has the round lube groove and not the square. Dang
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With modern lubes like FWFL I have never had the problem of running out of lube, even in a 24" rifle barrel. With some of the old BP/ early smokeless lubes, you might.
Robert
https://www.mp-molds.com/product/mp-...lid-6-cav-alu/
If you put in your email he will notify you when he does a run. I just got one that way.
Plane base boolits are fine for pistol speeds.
Mal
Mal Paso means Bad Pass, just so you know.
Thanks Mal, I just was setup for an alert
What type lead would you guys go for, for a general 357/44 Mag loading? Hardcast? Again...Will be powder coating with Eastwood.
ive both the older with square groove and newer with rounded groove both Lyman molds for the 44 they both shoot the same lubesized with carnauba red at .431.
I got the one in plastic box with round lube groove then came across an older 4 cavity Lyman in carboard box. the mp 503 clone with hollow points is an a great mold also. it was a group buy here quite a few years ago.
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