Just got a new-to-me Colt Government .380. Barrel slugs at .356 and looking at the Lee TL356-95-RF, but thinking I should size it to .357. Can anybody tell me what their as-cast diameter is? I’m using recycled range lead with a little bit of linotype for the added tin.
Chuck, I cast mine from range scrap and they run pretty close to .356. I didn't size them, just tumble-lubed. I will powder-coat some in coming days. I only shot 10 of them this afternoon as part of my Max break-in along with a box of FMJs and some Hornady Critical Defense. They seemed no more or less accurate than the other loads.
While I was shooting, a twin-engine plane came in behind me ( our ranges are about 100 feet from the runway approach) and I heard him cut his engines and then a mild thump. Something seemed odd about it and I thought he had landed hard in the gusty quartering crosswind.
No. He had no landing gear and managed to belly land his twin perfectly in the grass along the tarmac, about 500 yards from our club's pistol bay. A skillful pilot with good nerves and a lot of luck!
Hey EMC 45, I tried to send you a message but it says your box is full!
Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF, .45-70.
Chuck, I'm using the NOE version of the mold and as I recall, it drops at .358. The Accurate Molds version can be ordered to drop at whatever you request. All of that comes down to whether you want to play with $60 molds, $100 molds, or $150 molds, but we're lucky with this specific design in that we have those choices available to us - I like Ranch Dog's stuff A LOT.
Reading Albert Rim's last post: If he's getting .356" out of his Lee with straight range scrap (probably pretty soft, higher-shrink-percentage stuff), you'll probably get a little fatter bullet with your added linotype. A fast burn rate powder should handle any additional obturation you might need.
WWJMBD?
In the Land of Oz, we cast with wheel weight and 2% Tin, Man.
I don't own the mold, but I used to have a Ranch Dog copy of the mold that I traded off a long time ago. I got better results in accuracy from the standard 358242 92gr Ideal mold. That said, the quotes below are on the money load wise. 3.4gr of Unique with either 358242 or the Ranch Dog mold are the most accurate in my Bersa Thunder. I should note however, that I had equally good results with the Lee 105 SWC over 2.5gr of Bullseye as I did with the Ideal 358242, giving you another option. Also, 2.4gr of Red Dot worked well with either the 358242 or the Lee 105 SWC, so that may be another starting place for you with the RD design. After this I went back to do another round of accuracy testing with the 358242 with PCing the boolets and using 3.4gr of Unique, and the results were duplicated. So the 3.4gr of Unique has been my standard load for both the 92gr 358242 and the 105gr Lee SWC, all sized to .357" in my Bersa. So with the Lee Ranch Dog boolit I'd say something in the neighborhood of 3.0gr-3.6gr Unique should be a good place to start. That said, confirm this with your own data from published manuals, but I think you'll probably be happy with either Red Dot or Unique. Bullseye was ok too, but I had better results with Red Dot and Unique.
JDGabbard's Feedback Thread
Jdgabbard's very own boolit boxes pattern!
GOA and FPC have done more in the last decade than your NRA has done in it's entire existence... Support the ones that actually do something for you.
My next mold is going to be the Arsenal 358-105-TC.
Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF, .45-70.
I like Arsenal molds. The brass ones feel like heirlooms.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |