shil
Member
Has anyone had any experience with the swaged .358 158 grain lead round-nosed bullets from Magtech or Everglades? I'm looking to assemble some "traditional" .38 Special loadings. Those bullets from both vendors look quite nice!
.358 swaged bullets
- Thread starter shil
- Start date
venomballistics
Member
Not really.
The advent of coated cast kinda put the swaged lead projectile back with other historical notes.
The advent of coated cast kinda put the swaged lead projectile back with other historical notes.
Not the two brands you mention but I have loaded a fair number
of Hornady 158 gr swaged RN bullets. They are accurate but velocity
needs to be kept modest to avoid leading. Velocity of loads with the
swaged bullets will be a little less than the same load with a cast
bullet. The dry lube on them tends to build up in the dies. For that
traditional look you want I would suggest you buy a quantity of the
cast 158 gr RN bullets sold by most of the vendors that sell online.
They have a crimp groove and are cheaper and less messy to work
with than the swaged bullets and are accurate.
of Hornady 158 gr swaged RN bullets. They are accurate but velocity
needs to be kept modest to avoid leading. Velocity of loads with the
swaged bullets will be a little less than the same load with a cast
bullet. The dry lube on them tends to build up in the dies. For that
traditional look you want I would suggest you buy a quantity of the
cast 158 gr RN bullets sold by most of the vendors that sell online.
They have a crimp groove and are cheaper and less messy to work
with than the swaged bullets and are accurate.
slickracer
Member
I really like the 158 cast RN from Missouri Bullets. The shoot very well out of my 19, 686 and 27 and they have the old school look.
Acme Bullet Company - Wisconsin is another source for quality cast bullets. Have shot a few thousand now and they shoot well.
RussellD
Member
Nick B
US Veteran
By the time you order a 1000 of those coated .38 bullets and pay shipping you might as well buy plated bullets from Xtreme or jacketed bullets from Roze Dist. for the same price .
Shipping is included from those two .
Shipping is included from those two .
I've had good luck with the magtech 158 grain round nose. I also have the Missouri Bullet Co's 158 lead round nose and haven't had much luck finding accurate loads with those. The most accurate I have tried are the Speer swaged hollow base wadcutters.
Vulcan Bob
Member
With any of the swaged bullets keep the velocity's around 850 fps or less to prevent some rather heavy leading. I myself having forgotten this, awhile back loaded up some Speer swaged 158gr LSWC's for the .357 Mag at a modest 1,050 fps or so and the third bullet tumbled badly, took a look down the barrel and it looked like a smooth bore with all the lead. I have found that 3.5gr of Bullseye, standard primer with the 158gr LSWC of LRN swaged or cast makes for a good .38 Special load that can be fired from your .357 mag as well. Just remember to give your chambers a good scrubbing afterwards in the magnums. As was already said a cast bullet is a lot more versatile concerning velocity's. As I'm a bit old fashioned I am not yet "sold" on the "coated" bullets quite yet.
Clovishound
Member
I bought a box of the Hornady swaged SWCs last year, but was not overly impressed. I liked the dry lube, it was not as messy as traditional lube. Leading was more of a problem than with traditional cast, but not excessive. I agree that if you are interested in lead bullets, look at cast bullets from any number of good companies.
I have had great luck with Dardas cast in .38. I have been using their 158 SWCs. They are accurate, and leading has not been a problem for me using middle speed powders. Cost is attractive. They have 158 gr round nose for just under $70/K plus shipping. No affiliation other than a satisfied customer.
I cast my own this past year, but now that they are readily available, I don't think it's worth the time and hassles for under $10 a hundred.
I have had great luck with Dardas cast in .38. I have been using their 158 SWCs. They are accurate, and leading has not been a problem for me using middle speed powders. Cost is attractive. They have 158 gr round nose for just under $70/K plus shipping. No affiliation other than a satisfied customer.
I cast my own this past year, but now that they are readily available, I don't think it's worth the time and hassles for under $10 a hundred.
venomballistics
Member
not sure why, but it kinda pains me to see they do not offer coated bullets.
As folks discover the coatings, old school lubed will become a nostalgic shop project to make people better appreciate advancements
The Mag-Tech does not have a "Can" on the bullet.........
but it can also be adjusted to any OAL with out any problems
and the soft lead will take a light crimp if needed or a heavy one.
In my J frame snub nose I can go as long as 1.55" with light
target loads...... It just depends on the weight of the weapon,
amount of recoil and fsp of the load on what amount of crimp
you will need on each type of load.
In my snub nose this LRN works great at 570 to 650 fps but
in my K frames or heavier this bullet also does quite well with
4.0gr of trail Boss at 755 fps to medium heavy loads of CFE or
Unique that run from 855 to 939 fps, out of a 6" barrel.
A nice Quality bullet and I also like the concave bottom design.
Good loading.
but it can also be adjusted to any OAL with out any problems
and the soft lead will take a light crimp if needed or a heavy one.
In my J frame snub nose I can go as long as 1.55" with light
target loads...... It just depends on the weight of the weapon,
amount of recoil and fsp of the load on what amount of crimp
you will need on each type of load.
In my snub nose this LRN works great at 570 to 650 fps but
in my K frames or heavier this bullet also does quite well with
4.0gr of trail Boss at 755 fps to medium heavy loads of CFE or
Unique that run from 855 to 939 fps, out of a 6" barrel.
A nice Quality bullet and I also like the concave bottom design.
Good loading.
BigChief52
Member
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I'm now a fan of Missouri bullets. I always had some leading with swagged target loads. With the 12 BHN Missouri 158g SWCs I'm at 400 rounds without a single Chore Boy session. That's the traditionally lubed cast bullets. You have a choice of regular or HiTek coated. And, you have a choice of a harder , 18 BHN bullet for high powered loads. Great company.
As a note;
The new plated and "Baked" bullets do have their good points
but I have not tried them for minimum loads due to the friction
their coatings may put on the barrel when fired.
I do know that in my M49 J frame snub nose that I did get the
158gr LRN Mag-Tech all the way down to just a 494 fps average
using the new CFE pistol powder, for a Xtra-Lite recoil load.
A light load of Bullseye or w231 should start out near 550 fps
out of a snub nose.
Later.
The new plated and "Baked" bullets do have their good points
but I have not tried them for minimum loads due to the friction
their coatings may put on the barrel when fired.
I do know that in my M49 J frame snub nose that I did get the
158gr LRN Mag-Tech all the way down to just a 494 fps average
using the new CFE pistol powder, for a Xtra-Lite recoil load.
A light load of Bullseye or w231 should start out near 550 fps
out of a snub nose.
Later.
