.38 Special mould and sizer?

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Trinidad Bill

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I just picked up a couple of .38 Specials, S&W (Model 10 RHKP) and Colt (Police Positive).

I am looking for suggestion on a good all around mould and sizing die (size).

Suggestion and recommendation would be appreciated.
 
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I'm using the lee 6 cavity .358 158gr SWC mold, and the lee .358 sizing die for my S&W 1905 1st change. I've put up to 250 rounds through it at a time with good accuracy and no noticeable leading. Though I will admit the only load I've used with this bullet is 3.0grs of Bullseye which is a fairly light load.
 
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Casting for the 38

I have been casting for the 38's / 357's since the 70's and have a bunch of moulds for a variety of bullets.....if I had to pick just one...it would be the 158 gr SWC.....the SWC IMO is as accurate as the wadcutter, cuts a full size hole, and if shooting animate objects, it will cut a full caliber wound channel and in the 158 gr weight driven at reasonable velocities will have enough energy to penetrate sufficiently....if I wanted it exclusively for self defense, then a SWC hollow point - although a solid SWC will suffice nicely also....I size all of mine to .358 with my Lyman 450 sizer/luber....Almost every mfgr makes this weight and style for the 38 in the solid ( non HP ) SWC..I have several different brands for the 38/357:...Lee's are the least expensive ....then RCBS, Lyman, Saeco, they are all capable of "throwing" good bullets..I also cast the RN, wadcutters, SWC in HP with plain or GC bases....but for me the SWC plain base solid is my everyday"go to" bullet for the 38, 357,41,44,45LC....hope that helps.
 
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I would agree with the opinion that .358" is the proper size-to diameter. As far as moulds go, there is a world of them out there... I, too, would go with a SWC of about 158-160 grains, and I would opt for a steel four cavity mould from Lyman. Lyman moulds hold their heat better than any aluminum mould will, and four cavities will turn out a lot of bullets in an hour.

If you decide to go "all out", every now and then a Hensley and Gibbs #51 shows up on ebay. That is the Cadillac, to me... Ebay is also where I would go to find the mould I wanted. There are hundreds of moulds on that site every day...

Preferred moulds for me would be the Lyman 358156 or the 357446, and if you wanted to pay Homage to Elmer, find a 358429. That one will weigh ~173 grains; it adds a lot to what the old .38 is capable of!
 
My go to .38 cal bullet is the RCBS .38-150-KT a SWC. With my alloy, a mix that duplicates pure wheel weights, it drops at 155gr a bit over .361" diameter. This also allows me to size it to .360" for use in the .38 S&W. For .38 Special and .357 Mag I size em to .358".
 
Well, I have a Lyman 358156 4 Cavity that I traded an old Lee Loadmaster for. I will put it to good use.

All I need now is a .358 sizing die for my Lubrisizer and I am ready to go.

Thanks for all the input!
 
Doubless said:
I would agree with the opinion that .358" is the proper size-to diameter.

If you decide to go "all out", every now and then a Hensley and Gibbs #51 shows up on ebay. That is the Cadillac, to me...
Click to expand...

+1 on the .358 sizer

H&G are excellent molds & the #51 swc is an excellent bullet. If you look around there's allot of "custom" h&g molds out there. One of my favorite h&g molds.



51358 ='s 1 cavity is the #51 swc bullet design & casts a .358dia bullet that weighs 160gr.
50358 ='s 1 cavity is the #50 wc bullet design & casts a .358dia bullet that weighs 148gr.

One mold with 2 different classic h&g bullets, their famous #51 swc & #50 wc. I store my molds with grease in them to protect them.



Take your time & look around there are many different bullet molds out there for the 38spl's. I own several:

raphine 150gr hb fp
lyman 35870 147gr hb fp
lyman 358395 148gr hb wc
lyman 358477 140gr hp swc
lyman 358156 150gr hp swc
lyman 358439 158gr hp swc
lyman 358093 125gr sp
h&g #51/#50 160gr swc/148gr wc
h&g #51/#51hp 160gr swc/150gr hp swc
h&g #50bb 10-cavity 148gr wc
Mihec hbwc 4-cavity 148gr hbwc
Mihec 359-640 4-cavity 158gr hp rnfp/ 170gr solid points
cramer 2-cavity 158gr hp rn (known as the hunter special)
cramer 2-cavity 110gr wc

hb ='s hollow base
hp ='s hollow point
bb ='s bevel base
sp ='s spire point

You can never have too many excellent molds for the 38spl/357.
 
My favorite mold is a Lachmiller 160 gr. SWC (I also have a Lyman mold the same design; 158. gr. two lube grooves, flat base). But a 150-160 gr. LSWC is an excellent choice for a .38 Special (or .357 Mag.)

Regardless of what mold/sizing die you choose, make sure the bullets produced are the best size for your particular guns. Measure (slug, use pin gauges, or ball tip expanding gauges) the cylinder throats of your guns and size the bullets that same diameter. Fewer accuracy and leading problems this way...
 
I usually slug my barrels but odd number rifling causes a problem with measuring a slug.

I had the same issue with my .32-20s. There was a recommendation of .314 on this forum for the .32-20 which worked out great for both of my 1905 HEs.
 
Knowing barrel dimensions is great, but if the cylinder throats are smaller than the groove diameter of the barrel, yer gonna have problems. Smaller than groove throats will swage bullets to a smaller diameter than groove dia. and leading will occur. I slug/measure both, size bullets to throat diameter, and keep for my information...
 
mikld said:
Knowing barrel dimensions is great, but if the cylinder throats are smaller than the groove diameter of the barrel, yer gonna have problems. Smaller than groove throats will swage bullets to a smaller diameter than groove dia. and leading will occur. I slug/measure both, size bullets to throat diameter, and keep for my information...
Click to expand...

I think this is the issue I was experiencing with the Ruger SP101 that I used to own. Bullets were sized to .358, but leading occured after the throat. Emphasis on used to own.
 
I've been using Lee aluminum molds, over a dozen calibers of rifle and pistol, since 1972 with complete satisfaction.

Bullets for .38 Special application require only modest hardness. A BHN of around 12 is good for just about all .38 Special loads (about what the old lead alloy wheelweights provided).

For some reason many people have gotten the idea in their heads that sizing cast bullets is a necessary thing or a good thing. Actually, any amount of sizing will damage cast bullets to some degree. Nominal diameter for .38 cast bullets is .358". I would rather shoot .359 or .360" bullets as cast than to run them through a sizer.

I use lubricator-sizer machines (both Lyman and RCBS), but primarily for ease of lubrication and/or seating gas checks. For .38 Special bullets I use a .358" sizer die, but would be just as happy with a .359", again to avoid any more damage than is absolutely necessary.

Unsized, properly lubricated cast bullets of reasonable alloys usually shoot very well in .38 Special revolvers. If I were to have only one mould available I would choose the .358-150 SWC, cast of wheelweight-comparable alloy, lubricate with Alox lube in the lubri-sizer, or unsized and pan-lubed with Alox.

You can set up with a double-cavity mould, pan-lube pan and cookie-cutter tool for less than $50. Add a good Lee bottom-pour electric lead pot and you'll still be under $150 in equipment. You will recover that investment with the first day's use.

Just about all of my Lee tools are 30-plus years old and continue to perform perfectly.
 
As a basic do-it-all mould for the 38 special with high production, I would suggest Lee's 6-cavity 38-158-RF design. This is a RNFP design with a decent Meplat size. Either that or the Lyman 358665 RNFP design. I have used both of these in 38 loads and even pretty hot 357 loads and they flat out work. Feed in leverguns and sixguns, and both have a decent meplat (larger than many of the SWC designs) for hunting.

Mark in GA
 
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Bill,
You're not quite ready to go with that 358156 unless you also have gas checks. It's a great design and I use it all the time for .357's but you really don't need a gas check mould for a .38. I like the RCBS 150 also.
 
novalty said:
I think this is the issue I was experiencing with the Ruger SP101 that I used to own. Bullets were sized to .358, but leading occured after the throat. Emphasis on used to own.
Click to expand...

Seems to be an issue with Ruger. My 45colt had .0450" throats, leaded badly in the first 2". Opening the throats to 0.452" solved that & accuracy was about 50% better too.
I am not a huge fan of Lee molds, they are so hit or miss for QC, but a good one will make fine bullets. Tough to beat a 158gr SWC for general shooting, no gc please. They can be shot as cast or you can use the cheap Lee 0.358" sizer with tumble or pan lubed bullets.
 
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If you aren't sizing .359" bullets before you load them, you are prolly sizing them when they are seated or when they are fired through .357" cylinder throats...
 
txbirdman said:
Bill,
You're not quite ready to go with that 358156 unless you also have gas checks. It's a great design and I use it all the time for .357's but you really don't need a gas check mould for a .38. I like the RCBS 150 also.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reminder on gas checks. I almost forgot that 358156 was a GC mould!

Fredj338...same from GlockTalk?
 
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