Well that was an interesting reloading mistake/discovery.

[Lance Boyle]

I have been working on a SWC accuracy load for practice. I’ve had a Lyman 358446 mold and just started working with an NOE 360477 mold. I wasn’t getting anything all that great or better than Hornady’s swaged SWC.

I had recently got some AA2 as MtGianni recommended. I started with 3.6 grains in a Federal .38 case and did some test batches with .358” and .360 sized. Ho hum off the bench. Not terribly surprising.

Then I loaded another step up with 3.8 grains of AA2 in a .38 Federal case. Same .358” and .360 sized bullets. Only this time I saw that my .360 sizing didn’t hit the front band, there’s no lock nut on the threaded stem on the Lyman sizer. So I sized some more fully hitting the front band. i shot three lots of ten figuring I’d shoot the ones with the unsized front band.

sized 0.358”

sized .360 completely

the sized .360 and the front band unsized. remained about 0.362”

 

[Lance Boyle]

All I can think of is the unsized band in a ,38 case in a .357 chamber got a straighter start.

Edit, I see the pictures are upside down. FYI they were shot at 25 yards off the bench despite using 50 foot targets.

 

[Dan W. Cady]

When shooting a revolver and many other firearms there seems to be a worry by some folks about oversize bullets. If the cartridge with OS bullet fits the cylinder without resistance the forcing cone (That area at the breech end of the barrel) will make sure it travels down the barrel and without raising the pressure. Many cast bullet shooters have found that sizing is detrimental to accuracy and use special size dies large enough to only add lubricant to the bullet.

 

[kadams]

what size are the cylinder throats out of curiority? ive been casting and sizing for two diff . 357's one with a cylinder .358 and one 356.5 a .44 special at .432 and two 629's both at .4275. they all have their own appetites for bullet size.

 

[Lance Boyle]

what size are the cylinder throats out of curiority? ive been casting and sizing for two diff . 357's one with a cylinder .358 and one 356.5 a .44 special at .432 and two 629's both at .4275. they all have their own appetites for bullet size.

.357, my RCBS or Lyman .358 die actually is more like .3575 with WW alloy. My .360 die is dead on with WW alloy. I also have a Star and a .359 sizer for it but it is currently set up for rifle use with 2500+ lube. I have a .357 sizer that I got in trade that has never been used.

None of my S&W revolvers have larger throats, one or two have a not unusual single smaller throat.

I check them with measured bullets as I don’t have plug gages that size.


That is a problem too that I have been mentally wrestling with. I have a Python, a model 64 and 5 different S&W .357s. It’ll most likely like taking the family out to eat, no one will like the exact same things!

My thought process is to find a load that works in one of my two favorites then see how that load does in the others. My current favorites are the well used 686 and the mint model 19. That load above was fired in the 686 yesterday and is probably the best that gun ever shot if you toss out the one wild flyer.