38 Wad Cutter Mold

[Simone]

Hello, i reload .38 special with wad cutter bullets for my smith&wesson 28 HP and 52-2. Often I cast these bullets with the Lee double cavity mold you can see in the attached picture. I lube the bullets with Lee Alox. Results are good and after 70 rounds the bore is clean without leading. The only issue is that during the casting these bullets don't come off from the mold. Moreover, i'd like to buy a 4 cavity mold to speed up the process. I have already the pincers and i was thinking to buy the Lyman .38 wad cutter 4 cavity mold. Anyway speaking with other shooters i hear that the best performance, specially with SW 52, are with hollow base wad cutter bullets, which make an effect like Minié bullets. I see that NOE produces these molds:

360-148-WC-T1 4 Cavity RG4 HB | NOE Bullet Moulds

Did anyone try this mold? In your opinion is it a good choice and casting with this is more complicated then with a normal "non hollow base" mold?
Thank a lot and stay healthy.
Simone

 

[cowboy4evr]

Simone , I only have 1 mold for 38 wadcutters . I have the LEE 6 cavity with normal lube grooves . I have no trouble getting the bullets out of the mold . I powder coat them and use the LEE push through sizing die before loading . I do not " smoke " my molds before use . Regards Paul

 

[max503]

I have used that same 2 cavity mold in the past. Now I have the 6 cavity Lee mold. It gives me all the bullets I need. Alox works fine. Casting hollow base bullets would be more difficult. The plain-base bullets are plenty accurate for me.

You should go to the Cast Bullet Association forum. We have many international members. Some from Italy. Cast Bullet Association Forum
I highly recommend them for the type of questions you have.

 

[gwpercle]

I have been reloading 38 special for over 50 years , shot in NRA Bullseye competition with a purpose built model 64 S&W that was set up for accuracy and 38 wadcutters . I have tried just about every WC and SWC mould looking for the Magic Bullet .
After much testing ...the design that keeps beating all the rest is
NOE 360-162-WC-AW3 . This is Lymans discontinued # 358432 - 160 WC design.
After getting a old used single cavity Lyman off E-bay and discovering what an accurate bullet this was and how slow single cavity moulds made bullets , when I spotted NOE's 4 cavity aluminum mould in this design , I ordered one so fast it made my head spin .
Do I like it ? It's a work of art and when properly broken in will cast like a dream . Follow directions and keep the mould lubed .
I have used a lot of Lyman , Lee and RCBS moulds ... the last 4 moulds I have purchased were all NOE . I don't spend money foolishly ...But , NOE Moulds are worth every penny ... Buy one .
I have the NOE 360-148-WC-T1 and have found it to be accurate , it seems to be more geared to casting as a Hollow Point for defensive use .
The 360-162-WC-AW3 , cast as a solid base and solid point, seems to shoot just a little tighter groups out of my 38's and 357's.
The solid base / solid point bullets are faster and easier to cast also .
All my shooting is paper targets and tin cans so hollow points are not required . Even as a solid the wide flat point hits hard and would not be a poor choice for game or defense .
Most people overlook this design which is a shame ...
it's an accuracy winner in my book .
Gary

 

[Drm50]

Buy a better quality mold. A mold with steel blocks such as Lyman Ideal, RCBS last forever and usually cast a well defined bullet. There are also a couple companies overseas machining some very good molds. I just got a 44 HBWC/ 4 cavity. It has a system of floating core pins. Beats one at a time casting. Like firearms, you have to pay for what you get. Used WC molds are scarce but 38 cal molds are the most common. I shoot 99% WCs and have 32,38, 44 & 45 in several styles, no 41 yet.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Suggestions from a long time bullet caster:

1. Keep a candle burning on the bench. About every 3rd or 4th casting hold the open mold over the burning candle to allow the soot to coat the aluminum mold interior. This helps in getting the bullets to fall from the mold after casting. (You can accomplish the same thing using paper matches, but that is less convenient).

2. Keep a hardwood tool (like a hammer handle) and use it to tap at the mold handle pivot pin, which will help to dislodge the cast bullets from the mold.

3. There is a definite rhythm to the casting process that eases bullet release from the mold, opening the mold and dropping the bullets at the proper time makes everything much easier. Not enough time in the mold and the bullets have not completely solidified and shrunken away from the mold cavities. Too long a wait and the bullets seem to want to hold onto the mold cavities. I watch the sprue (little button of lead at the fill hole) and when it frosts over I know it is time to cut the sprue and dump the bullets, then promptly refill the mold so that mold temperature doesn't drop significantly.

 

[4barrel]

^^^^^^^ Get at least a 4 cavity if you shoot much. I heat the mold on top of the pot and then smoke with a candle. I like the Lyman or H&G 148 more than the Lee boolit. You can get a nice 4 cavity mold on ebay or G.B. for about $80. If you need handles you can buy Lee handles and file them down. I have Lee molds that do good also. Temperature is a factor. A new 6 cavity Lee is $50 shipped. For shooting in the 52 you need a flat base 148 dewc the same on both ends and taper crimp for the most accurate. Most Lees are taper a little on the ends.

 

[mtgianni]

I have gone through at least 5 38 wc molds at different times in the last 28 years. I now have a Lee 6 cavity. My eyes can no longer tell the difference between shooting them. I did agree with Col Chas. Harrison that groups were better with only one groove lubed but now tumble lube wadcutters and see little difference @ 25 yards. Simple is good.

 

[Simone]

Simone , I only have 1 mold for 38 wadcutters . I have the LEE 6 cavity with normal lube grooves . I have no trouble getting the bullets out of the mold . I powder coat them and use the LEE push through sizing die before loading . I do not " smoke " my molds before use . Regards Paul

Ciao Paul and thanks. For you "normal lube groovesmold" is the 38 WC Lee mold shown in the picture attached here, right? Because in my opinion my mold with all that grooves is unlucky when i have extract bullets. For this reason i'd like to buy a 3 or 4 grooves mold Lyman or NOE.

 

[Simone]

Dear All, thanks a lot for all your answers. About my Lee WC mold i have the suspect that my difficult to dislodge the bullets from the mold can be due just to alloy temperature and maybe also the alloy composition. I don't have a lead termometer but when i decrease the temperature of the lee furnace the situation improves and the bullets fall down better. I actually use an alloy 90% lead and 10% tin, but sometimes also pure lead.
If i understand well the base cavity gives a limited advantage in term of accuracy and flat base and point bullets are faster to cast.
About the lube grooves i'd like to leave my actual mold with multiple grooves and choose a 3 or 4 grooves mold, maybe this can help in bullet extraction.

 

[STCM(SW)]

Two things that helped with molding...
And I still have about 55 lbs of Lyman # II alloy ingots.

 

[mikld]

When I get a new mold I "season" it. I clean it, very clean, no oil, grease of any kind in the cavities. I then heat the mold on my hot plate set on max. for 15-20 minuted then turn off the hotplate and allow the mold to cool to room temp. I will repeat this 5 or 6 times
over a couple/three days before I start casting. Most of the time this will help casting and bullet drop. I do not put anything in my molds (smoke, mold release, etc.). On rare occasions I will "lap" the cavity with a bullet coated with Comet and oil paste. This will remove any burrs and polish the cavity without removing any metal....

 

[cowboy4evr]

Simone , yes that is the WC that I have in a 6 cav mold . If you alloy is too hot the bullets will be a bit stubborn about dropping from the mold . Like I said , I quit lighting a candle and smoking my molds yrs ago . It's not necessary , trust me . I use a hot plate to warm my mold while the alloy is melting . I use a middle heat setting on the hot plate . You will get it right and won't need to buy another mold . That LEE mold will do just fine , take you time . Regards Paul

 

[StrawHat]

First, welcome to the forum!

The Lee six cavity molds are much better quailty than the two cavity molds from Lee. But they are a soft aluminum and do not take harsh treatment without getting damaged. If the bullets do not fall from the cavities take a hammer handles a tap the hinge pin to get them to release. Make a note of which cavity or cavities are sticking. If it is always the same one, you have a couple of options. Easiest is to skip that cavity when pouring. That does defeat the purpose of buying a multicavity mold. Polishing all of the cavities will improve performance also. I have sent you a message regarding this process as it is long and wordy.

I have been casting for over five decades. Started with Ideal and Lyman molds. Went to the new Lee molds when they first came out and found them okay. I really liked the 150 grain dewc mold they used to offer. Bought three if the two cavity molds in that style and cast them in rotation. Produced a pile of bullets fast! I now have molds by a couple of other companies and they all cast well.

Good luck with your new mold. Lots of knowledge on this site. If you have questions, ask them. You will get answers!

Kevin

 

[mtgianni]

I was about to post that 90% lead 10 % tin is a waste of tin and then I saw your location. You might try reducing to a 16 to 1 lead tin and running that.I find that cavities not wanting to easily drop bullets can be fixed with a wooden pencil. I rub the graphite tip all over the mold looking for small burrs, then break off the point and go over the whole thing again with the wood. That often removes the burrs that can catch and hold the bullet.