Made a mistake, (talk me into a 358431 style mold)

[Chubbs]

With NOE shutting down, I've been buying molds I don't need. I recently put a 360-172-SWC in the cart thinking it was a 358429 copy. I just looked at my invoice and it is an HB mold copying the lyman 358431.

Not sure I'm interested. I shoot a lot of .38 Special and a fair amount of .357 Magnum. It should come with pins to cast a PB, but I'm not sure if I should see if I can cancel and just find a PB mold.

Does someone out there want to talk me into the benefits of a hollow based SWC?

[Chubbs]

I called NOE. The mold hadn't shipped yet, and Al processed a refund no problem. I bought a 200gr .45 SWC mold I didn't need instead. Then I bought a NOE 358429 off E-bay.

[Half Dog]

I’m sure if you listed the 45ACP mold there would be many people interested.

[Chubbs]

I like 200gr LSWC for .45ACP quite a bit. I'll use the one I ordered. I just didn't NEED another one.

[Mk42gunner]

I remember reading in one of Elmer Keith's books were he advise either of his 160 grain designs, the 358431 HB or the 358439 HP were better for .38's and maybe .357's that the 172 grain 358429.

Of course with a Lyman style HB or HP mold, it would be painfully slow to cast a significant quantity of either type.

Robert

[20:1]

I remember reading in one of Elmer Keith's books were he advise either of his 160 grain designs, the 358431 HB or the 358439 HP were better for .38's and maybe .357's that the 172 grain 358429.

Of course with a Lyman style HB or HP mold, it would be painfully slow to cast a significant quantity of either type.

Robert

Yes. The 358431 and 429422 were both Express bullet designs, not target bullets like the HB wadcutters. The hollow base was intended to lighten the bullet to allow higher velocities. This little detail appears to have been lost to time. I've had both moulds and the HB skirts were very thick, there's no way they could have been expanded with a light powder charge.

[murf205]

NOE still has 1 360-182 plain base mold in stock and it looks like a winner to me if you are in the market for a heavier boolit for a 357. With his close out discount, it is a steal. I have a 3 cavity GC in this same mold and it is VERY close to Veral Smith's LBT mold. My 686 shoots these into less than an inch off the bags.

[Chubbs]

I've already got that one. The plan is to find the right load this fall and make it my primary Marlin .357 bullet.

[20:1]

I've already got that one. The plan is to find the right load this fall and make it my primary Marlin .357 bullet.

For a Marlin you will probably want a bullet with a shorter nose than the Keiths anyway.

[murf205]

I've already got that one. The plan is to find the right load this fall and make it my primary Marlin .357 bullet.

Every 35 caliber gun I have ever feed this boolit shoots it well. It probably is because it is a gas checked boolit, which takes a bit more time to prep and size, but it's worth it to me.

If you ever get the need for a 160 gr for that Marlin, this one from Accurate looks like it would feed better that a Keith. I've had good success with it in my S&W revolvers.36-160H-D.jpg