Lee, 6 Cav., 158 gr., SWC, T/L, 38 / 357 Mag.

[Ben]

My shooting friend got himself a 4", 38 Spec. revolver.
He wanted some ammo for 7 - 15 yard shooting.
Sized .358" with BLL.

The Lee 6 Cav. can certainly crank them out.
These drop at .3595 ".

 

[RBHarter]

Yes they will ! The biggest problem I have is the pot , it keeps running out .
I have the 358-158 RF also . It is good enough for my needs in the 357 revolver but really shines in a M10 Smith . It was excellent in a Marlin Cowboy Carbine in 357.

 

[Ben]

Yes, I also have that one.
It is a great all around bullet .

Ben

 

[JonB]

Ben, Wow ...those look great.
although, I think I see one with a flaw
...
Oh, nevermind, it was just a reflection

 

[Maven]

I have that mold as well, but am fortunate in that mine casts .358", which is a perfect fit for my S & W Mod. 10 (4" bbl.). I also like not having to size them: Cast, cool & sort, then swish around in liquid lox, dump onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. The bad news is that CB is .001" too small for my .357mags. I know I can beagle the mold, but that seems to defeat the TL concept, since I'd then have to size to .359".

 

[Ian]

Right behind you, Ben. I bought one of those in round nose (RN is easier on my self-healing polymer targets) and cast about 1200 last night, then powder coated about 200 of them to test. WW+2% tin makes .358" exactly coming out of a hot, frosty mould. So far this is the easiest-casting mould I have ever used, the bullets just fall out, didn't have to use the mallet one time in over 200 pours, and so far I only culled three, all due to base voids from me being a tiny bit over-exuberant with the Bullplate on the hinge bolt.

So, what's the load going to be?

 

[Ben]

I'm loading 3.2 grs. of B'eye with the 158 gr. T/L Lee bullet in
mixed ( range pick up ) cases.
All of my friend's shooting will be at 7 yards and 15 yards.( Most at 7 )

My friend isn't a great handgun shot.
All this is a bit new to him. He wants to have a dependable revolver
that would serve as a home self defense weapon.
I want to offer him some " confidence builder loads " 1st.
If we can get him shooting these well, we'll venture off into other
loads at a later date.

Ben

 

[Brad]

I use a Lee 158 swc with traditional grooves for most of my 38 special shooting. The mould is about worn out. Irritates me that Lee no longer makes that mould. I may look at this as a viable alternative.

 

[JonB]

I use a Lee 158 swc with traditional grooves for most of my 38 special shooting. The mould is about worn out. Irritates me that Lee no longer makes that mould. I may look at this as a viable alternative.

Brad, you're a machinist now, have you thought about removing the GC shank on a NEW Lee C358 158 SWC ?
http://leeprecision.com/6-cavity-c358-158-swc.html

=============
I really like the NOE 360 160 SWC with single lube groove and two crimp grooves(for the usual reasons). I wouldn't normally have bought it, but another caster claimed his mold was a problem child and sold me the used 5 cav PB mold for a cheap price. I did the usual bullet spin with automotive rubbing compound to dull the sharp machining edges, I think those 2 crimp grooves were the main culprit. I also cleaned off all the soot that was applied to the cavities by the previous owner, now it casts like a dream.

 

[Brad]

I could do that. Just easier to get the TL version and run them thru the Star like normal. Low velocity and pressure means I don't need but a couple grooves filled anyway.

 

[Ian]

Jon, the reason that mould was stubborn was the design. The front band and meplat have no DRAFT, same as most of the NOE SWC bullet designs. Any foundry person knows a little draft angle is essential to a functional mould, a fact that is somehow lost one a great number of today's bullet designers, and not NOE exclusively. The MP 452-200-SWC has the same affliction, as do many others. By lapping, wear patterns will naturally tend to draft the front band somewhat.

Here's my idea of an SWC that won't require lappings, lashings, or beatings to get the bullets to shuck: http://accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=36-170J-D.png

 

[Ben]

Here's my idea of an SWC that won't require lappings, lashings, or beatings to get the bullets to shuck: http://accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=36-170J-D.png

Oh I bet that puppy would rain bullets.
You're right , plenty of draft in his drawings.

That would be a very nice mould !

Ben

 

[Ian]

Maybe too much. I'd like a little bit steeper front band angle, but Tom knows what casts well and has built-in limits on what he'll cut. That particular mould may not be at the limit of steepness, I didn't check. I'm sad to hear Lee discontinued the plain-base SWC, I have an old DC version that still works (with lots of TLC) and has always shot well for me even though a previous owner practically destroyed the vertical alignment points. Lee got their draft angles right, and the more shooting I do with Lee handgun bullets the less I sneer at the shallow lube grooves.

 

[JonB]

Jon, the reason that mould was stubborn was the design. The front band and meplat have no DRAFT, same as most of the NOE SWC bullet designs. Any foundry person knows a little draft angle is essential to a functional mould, a fact that is somehow lost one a great number of today's bullet designers, and not NOE exclusively. The MP 452-200-SWC has the same affliction, as do many others. By lapping, wear patterns will naturally tend to draft the front band somewhat.

Here's my idea of an SWC that won't require lappings, lashings, or beatings to get the bullets to shuck: http://accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=36-170J-D.png

Good info, I always learn something new when I read your posts.

side note: I suppose getting the best cut cavity would be a good thing? but then I wouldn't get the warm fuzzies when this hamfisted redneck machinist has success spinning a bullet in a mold

 

[Ian]

If you get the warm fuzzies fixing other's engineering problems and restoring an orphaned mould to working order, more power to you. If I buy a mould new I expect it to WORK, especially from a premium custom manufacturer. If I wanted to spend a few hours dinking with it and tuning it so it would function, I'd buy Lee moulds. Wait, I DO buy a lot of Lee moulds, and come to think of it, I haven't had to work on any of them in years except maybe take a couple swipes across the underside of the sprue plate with a sanding block to knock off some burrs.

 

[LongPoint]

Ian, I couldn't agree more on the draft allowing the bullets to drop free. Care to explain the comment on shallow lube grooves. Is it lube quantity or something more sinister?

 

[KHornet]

I am to old to get the warm and fuzzies about anything! And Ian, have had the same results with Lee, and some of my molds go back to single cav round balls.

 

[Ian]

Ian, I couldn't agree more on the draft allowing the bullets to drop free. Care to explain the comment on shallow lube grooves. Is it lube quantity or something more sinister?

I'm not sure any of us will know for certain until we can take a ride through a gun on a bullet. What I have learned is that those who say steep, deep, square grooves are the only way to go still have some things to explore.

 

[JonB]

The warm fuzzies come from the "success", NOT from the act of fixing.
and then of course it's unequally balanced by hamfisted failure and we won't go into those feelings, they are better left suppressed.

 

[LongPoint]

I wonder if that bullet with that nice big nose would function through a lever gun. Seems it could be crimped in any one of the lube grooves to get a suitable o.a.l. !!

Marvin