I've promised some more test results, and plan to continue updating this blog. However my 50-60 hour a week job, with a lot a travel, is slowing progress down quite a bit. Since it's a great job in a company whose business is growing I'm very fortunate. The past few years haven't been good for many people.
The local shooting range that closed in February is still being refurbished in late May, that's another twist to getting shooting time.
However, I'm still testing, casting, shooting and measuring results and will continue to publish it all right here.
Currently my Rossi 357 lever action is loving the Group Buy Keith's. They are the long "as Keith designed them" version. Loaded in the crimp groove in 38 special brass, over 12.5 grains of 2400, this is a very nice magnum load, with excellent accuracy.
Using the 38 special brass, the OAL is actually longer than what the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook specifies for 357 brass. With 1,500 38 special cases on hand, it makes good sense to use them. Just be careful they never get loaded into a 38 special rated gun.
Have fun shooting tight groups with your 357 magnum!
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Saturday, March 31, 2012
357 Lever Rifle-Crimp Test the Rifle FCD & Ladder Test 2400 - Plain Base and Gas Checks
For some time I've wanted to test a custom Lee rifle Factory Crimp Die. Now that there are two new bullets designs in the works, it has to be done before proceeding with them. The purpose is to determine if these new design needs a crimp groove for the lever rifle or not. Conventional wisdom says yes, this crimp die however, says no.
The 125-RF likes to be loaded long (1.597-1.600), with the crimp below the crimp groove and right on the middle band. That makes it a great test bullet for the rifle FCD. It makes sense the collet style crimp die (this is not the pistol FCD, it's completely different), could be highly effective in the lever action. This die is available from Lee as a custom order, or from Ranch Dog who stocks them in house. The can both be found via Google. These FCD's will not work on 38 specials, the cases aren't long enough.
In the lever rifle's magazine, the firm grip prevents the bullets from being pushed further into the case. Even with max magnum loads there is no concern of a dangerous high pressure situation due to compressed case volume.
Also, in the chamber, a bullet like the 358-125-RF can be loaded enough to bump up against the rifle's throat. This is proving to be the most accurate OAL so far.
There's no reason this won't work just as well in a revolver too, but that's beyond the scope of this test. Conventional crimp groove bullets can be loaded long. But not having the groove in the way makes fitting the bullet to a gun easier, quicker and cleaner.
The rifle FCD is adjusted to touch the shell plate on the press. Adjusting it down further, the shellplate drive a inner slide up into the die, forcing the four collets to close in and crimp the case mouth. This picture shows a rifle bullet extending through the die, and the four collets crimping right on the case mouth.
The 357 bullets I'm using don't extend through the die like that, but has the four collets further down in the die body.
I wanted to show the difference in the standard roll crimp and the rifle FCD crimp. In the following picture, the first bullet is the standard roll crimp, the second pictures show a rifle FCD crimp adjusted 1/2 turn, and the third picture shows a rifle FCD crimp adjusted 3/4 turn.
It's tough to tell the differences, but it's the best shot I was able to get. I noticed that the third case has a split mouth... not good. If you click on the picture is will expand, maybe you can make out the differences.
The following pictures show test groups, at 25 yards, rested, with the iron sights on the lever rifle. It's the longest distance available, so that's what I use. To better indicate the differences, each group is 10 rounds.
These test are using the Lee 358-125-RF over 5.4 grins of Unique. An extremely accurate load, and a personal favorite.
The follow group is rifle crimp die adjuste 3/4 turn.
The best result is with the rifle crimp die adjusted 1/2 turn.
In the final analysis. When crimped directly on the bullet and not in the crimp groove, the rifle FCD is the most accurate. Adjusted 1/2 turn, for non-magnum loads. The rifle FCD may work just as well using a crimp groove, it just isn't part of this test.
Now, let's take a look at ladder test results using this bullet and Alliant 2400. In a previous post I covered the laddter test methodoloy. Basically using one loaded cartridge per powder charge, the idea is to find the two sequential charges that shoot the closest together.
To add another element of interest, there are two ladder test. One with gas checks and one with plain base bullets. I'm able to make and seat gas checks on plain base bullets such as the Lee 358-125-RF.
The numbers map to the charge, but they are different in each picture. I'll explain, first though, here is the gas check result:
The charge for each of the numbers is:
Wow, that's dramatically different. There are a wide ranges of charges that all group closely together.
It turns out that the potentially most accurate load is also 15.5 grains. That load produces and estimated 1,920 FPS in a 20 inch lever rifle. Pretty sweet. The 13.5 load is fun to shoot, the 15.5 has a bit more kick to it. Not painful, but a newbee to shooting may not enjoy it as much as 13.5 or the 5.4 grains of Unique.
The 125-RF likes to be loaded long (1.597-1.600), with the crimp below the crimp groove and right on the middle band. That makes it a great test bullet for the rifle FCD. It makes sense the collet style crimp die (this is not the pistol FCD, it's completely different), could be highly effective in the lever action. This die is available from Lee as a custom order, or from Ranch Dog who stocks them in house. The can both be found via Google. These FCD's will not work on 38 specials, the cases aren't long enough.
In the lever rifle's magazine, the firm grip prevents the bullets from being pushed further into the case. Even with max magnum loads there is no concern of a dangerous high pressure situation due to compressed case volume.
Also, in the chamber, a bullet like the 358-125-RF can be loaded enough to bump up against the rifle's throat. This is proving to be the most accurate OAL so far.
There's no reason this won't work just as well in a revolver too, but that's beyond the scope of this test. Conventional crimp groove bullets can be loaded long. But not having the groove in the way makes fitting the bullet to a gun easier, quicker and cleaner.
The rifle FCD is adjusted to touch the shell plate on the press. Adjusting it down further, the shellplate drive a inner slide up into the die, forcing the four collets to close in and crimp the case mouth. This picture shows a rifle bullet extending through the die, and the four collets crimping right on the case mouth.
The 357 bullets I'm using don't extend through the die like that, but has the four collets further down in the die body.
I wanted to show the difference in the standard roll crimp and the rifle FCD crimp. In the following picture, the first bullet is the standard roll crimp, the second pictures show a rifle FCD crimp adjusted 1/2 turn, and the third picture shows a rifle FCD crimp adjusted 3/4 turn.
It's tough to tell the differences, but it's the best shot I was able to get. I noticed that the third case has a split mouth... not good. If you click on the picture is will expand, maybe you can make out the differences.
The following pictures show test groups, at 25 yards, rested, with the iron sights on the lever rifle. It's the longest distance available, so that's what I use. To better indicate the differences, each group is 10 rounds.
These test are using the Lee 358-125-RF over 5.4 grins of Unique. An extremely accurate load, and a personal favorite.
The follow group is rifle crimp die adjuste 3/4 turn.
The best result is with the rifle crimp die adjusted 1/2 turn.
In the final analysis. When crimped directly on the bullet and not in the crimp groove, the rifle FCD is the most accurate. Adjusted 1/2 turn, for non-magnum loads. The rifle FCD may work just as well using a crimp groove, it just isn't part of this test.
Now, let's take a look at ladder test results using this bullet and Alliant 2400. In a previous post I covered the laddter test methodoloy. Basically using one loaded cartridge per powder charge, the idea is to find the two sequential charges that shoot the closest together.
To add another element of interest, there are two ladder test. One with gas checks and one with plain base bullets. I'm able to make and seat gas checks on plain base bullets such as the Lee 358-125-RF.
The numbers map to the charge, but they are different in each picture. I'll explain, first though, here is the gas check result:
The charge for each of the numbers is:
| Number | Charge |
| 7 & 8 | 16.3 |
| 6 | 15.8 |
| 5 | 15.3 |
| 4 | 14.8 |
| 3 | 14.3 |
| 2 | 13.8 |
| 1 | 13.3 |
During the test, each whole gets numbered, the target reset and then the next round is fired. Because of that 7 and 5 are misleading in the picture. In reality the potentially most accurate charge from this test is between 5 and 6, at 15.5 grains. They are closest vertically, I just pulled number 6 to the right.
Next up, the test result from the plain base bullets. Note, these are full magnum loads which produce no leading. It could be the low round count, or that gas checks aren't needed. The 16.3 grain load estimates out at 2,020 FPS. That's getting up there for a 357 magnum.
Wow, that's dramatically different. There are a wide ranges of charges that all group closely together.
This test also uses the same load for 1 & 2, a 13.3 grain charge. That's very close to previous results a few months ago, indicating 13.5 grains of 2400 to be an accurate load too.
| Number | Charge |
| 8 & 9 | 16.3 |
| 7 | 15.8 |
| 6 | 15.3 |
| 5 | 14.8 |
| 4 | 14.3 |
| 3 | 13.8 |
| 1 & 2 | 13.3 |
It turns out that the potentially most accurate load is also 15.5 grains. That load produces and estimated 1,920 FPS in a 20 inch lever rifle. Pretty sweet. The 13.5 load is fun to shoot, the 15.5 has a bit more kick to it. Not painful, but a newbee to shooting may not enjoy it as much as 13.5 or the 5.4 grains of Unique.
It's unclear so far if gas checks are needed, or helpful, for this bullet and load. The Rossi has a slow 30 inch twist that may offset the tendancy for these magnum loads to lead. If your lever action has faster twist rate, such as 16 inch, than your result may be different.
These ladder test both used the rifle FCD with a 3/4 turn crimp applied. As I continue to shake all this out and refine this die, and 2400 charges, I'll post final crimp results. Right now when using the rifle FCD, it looks like the best setting is for custom die to touch the shell plate, then add 1/2 turn for non-magnum load or 3/4 turn for magnum loads.
I'm looking forward to getting back to the range! Enjoy your time casting, loading and shooting.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Rossi M92 - 357 Magnum 20 Inch Round Barrel, Lever Action. New gun in the house!
My new stainless Rossi is here, and it's one sweet rifle. Or more technically correct, carbine.
For the new readers, this is my second Rossi. I sold my blue gun, and regretted it immediately. It had much of the action job recommended by Steve's Gunz (more later), a Rossi weaver mount and a 2x scope. Since 99.9% of my shooting is indoors, it's usually limited to 25 yards maximum. Off a rest it shot a best five round group of .18 inches. That's not a slam dunk, even at 25 yards.
Now, let me show you the new gun!
It looks just as great on the other side too:
The round barrel Rossi's come predrilled and tapped for a weaver mount, which Rossi also manufactures. The holes are underneath the rear sight and make it easy to swap sights back and forth.
I really liked shooting with the 2x scope on the old gun. However, I decided to keep iron sights on this beauty. It came with a brass beaded front sight, and a nice rear sight. There's no need to mess up it's lines with a scope.
The rear sight looked good, but it was swapped out for a Marbles Bullseye rear sight.
It's hard to make out the inner ring, here's how it looks:
This is one fun sight! The open field of view helps to aquire the target. Your eye naturally centers the front sight in the center ring. It's not as precise as the scope off of a rest, but shoots better off hand.
With my range closed for renovations, I have to trek quite a way to be able to shoot. But the temporary range has some 30 yard lanes. With the Marbles Bullseye rear and stock front sight, it is lot's of fun when shooting off-hand.
This new gun came with a nice smooth action, and a great feel. However the Steve's Gunz ( http://www.stevesgunz.com/ ) DVD contains video for a step by step action job. This gun now has some light work done on:
Two things to know about these Rossi Lever Action rifles. There are some tricks to getting them back together. If you haven't ever tried before, get the Steve's Gunz DVD. It's worth every penny.
Also, keep an eye out for the loading gate. If it slides back, you will get jams. It must be adjusted to be "in" the gun and not flush. Believe it or not, lightening the magazine spring lessens the pressure on the gate and minimizes the chance of a jam. When the gate is right, it works like it's supposed to.
The everyday - super accurate & fun target load is the proven Lee 358-125-RF, over 5.4 grains of Unique. Proven in the old gun, it's just a accurate and just as much fun in this gun.
Though my range is still closed for renovations, I'll be working up some hotter, high velocity loads for this gun. There are two new bullet designs in the works. I'm unsure if the 110 grain gas check mould or the 150 grain gas check bullet will the test bed. Maybe both, over time. I posted an early draft 110 grain GC and tumble lube bullet several weeks ago. Here is the conventional lube groove version, which is another option in the works:
For the new readers, this is my second Rossi. I sold my blue gun, and regretted it immediately. It had much of the action job recommended by Steve's Gunz (more later), a Rossi weaver mount and a 2x scope. Since 99.9% of my shooting is indoors, it's usually limited to 25 yards maximum. Off a rest it shot a best five round group of .18 inches. That's not a slam dunk, even at 25 yards.
Now, let me show you the new gun!
I really liked shooting with the 2x scope on the old gun. However, I decided to keep iron sights on this beauty. It came with a brass beaded front sight, and a nice rear sight. There's no need to mess up it's lines with a scope.
The rear sight looked good, but it was swapped out for a Marbles Bullseye rear sight.
It's hard to make out the inner ring, here's how it looks:
This new gun came with a nice smooth action, and a great feel. However the Steve's Gunz ( http://www.stevesgunz.com/ ) DVD contains video for a step by step action job. This gun now has some light work done on:
- Trigger is lightened
- Loading gate is lightened
- Magazine spring shorten to lighten it
- Left cartridge guide smoothed
- Bolt bottom smoothed very slightly
- Replaced the plastic follower with a metal one from Steve's Gunz
Two things to know about these Rossi Lever Action rifles. There are some tricks to getting them back together. If you haven't ever tried before, get the Steve's Gunz DVD. It's worth every penny.
Also, keep an eye out for the loading gate. If it slides back, you will get jams. It must be adjusted to be "in" the gun and not flush. Believe it or not, lightening the magazine spring lessens the pressure on the gate and minimizes the chance of a jam. When the gate is right, it works like it's supposed to.
The everyday - super accurate & fun target load is the proven Lee 358-125-RF, over 5.4 grains of Unique. Proven in the old gun, it's just a accurate and just as much fun in this gun.
Though my range is still closed for renovations, I'll be working up some hotter, high velocity loads for this gun. There are two new bullet designs in the works. I'm unsure if the 110 grain gas check mould or the 150 grain gas check bullet will the test bed. Maybe both, over time. I posted an early draft 110 grain GC and tumble lube bullet several weeks ago. Here is the conventional lube groove version, which is another option in the works:
Over a heathly dose of 2400 or H110, this promises to be one awesome varmit bullet. With velocity potential up to 2,300 FPS. It's still in design with a lot of work remaining before it becomes a reality. The other option is a 150 grain version:
The 150 grain version could be really something special! Both bullets are designed specifically for the Rossi. Using chamber casting alloy, I carefully made a chamber casting, then designed each bullet to match the measurements.
They promise to be excellent bullets with a plain base too. With the Lee 125 and several 158 grain moulds so inexpensive, I'm not sure another low-mid velocity bullet design is needed. However all options are on the table. The only thing I'm 100% sure of is, I'll change my mind many more times.
If you have a preference which should happen, post your comments. I'm always interested in what fellow casters / handloaders think.
There are more immediate tests needed first though. They are designed to validate the effect of crimping and different dies with no crimp groove. Those results are needed before either of these will be given the green light. Getting custom moulds gets expensive and it all adds up rather quickly.
I'll be following up with those results shortly!
Have fun at the range and shoot tight groups.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Group Buy Update - 357 Lever Action Testing - New Blog Format Coming
My shooting range is closed for renovations, which means testing and development time has been scarce. Don't worry, there are some good projects underway. First, here's another look at the the Custom Lee 358429 Group Buy Bullet:
The sign-up phase runs out at 5pm on Saturday, 2/25. It's a sweet bullet, designed like the Lyman long nose version. Check out the link on the right for more info.
357 Lever Action Tests & Results Coming Soon:
OK, I've been enjoying the heck out of a Rossi 357, 20 inch, carbine. The goal is to explore higher velocity loads. There are some very accurate loads already in my results-database. I'm changing gears a bit and will pursue pushing some 110 and 158 grain cast bullets. These very strong guns respond well to pushing things a bit.
Pushing a 110 grain cast bulllet over 2,000 FPS is on the test agenda.
A new Rossi is on the way, if you haven't cast/loaded/shot one of these, see if you can get your hands on one. There are some tips to smooth them out a bit, that will be covered too.
These will not be revolver loads, they are intended only for modern day, very strong, rifles. The M92 Rossi is one of them, and will be used for the load development.
I'm really looking forward to ringing this out! Here's a preview of a 110 grain bullet still on the drawing board:
There's more where that came from!
A Table of Contents is Coming Soon:
It's reached a point that the usual Blog format is getting hard for readers to navigate around. A Table of Contents to make it easier to find a particular topic and post is in the works. This will be a big help in seperating the Revolver & Rifle specific topics.
That is somewhat less exciting than a 2,000 FPS load, but worthy enough to mention.
Stay tuned, the range will be opening soon and more results are one the way.
The sign-up phase runs out at 5pm on Saturday, 2/25. It's a sweet bullet, designed like the Lyman long nose version. Check out the link on the right for more info.
357 Lever Action Tests & Results Coming Soon:
OK, I've been enjoying the heck out of a Rossi 357, 20 inch, carbine. The goal is to explore higher velocity loads. There are some very accurate loads already in my results-database. I'm changing gears a bit and will pursue pushing some 110 and 158 grain cast bullets. These very strong guns respond well to pushing things a bit.
Pushing a 110 grain cast bulllet over 2,000 FPS is on the test agenda.
A new Rossi is on the way, if you haven't cast/loaded/shot one of these, see if you can get your hands on one. There are some tips to smooth them out a bit, that will be covered too.
These will not be revolver loads, they are intended only for modern day, very strong, rifles. The M92 Rossi is one of them, and will be used for the load development.
I'm really looking forward to ringing this out! Here's a preview of a 110 grain bullet still on the drawing board:
There's more where that came from!
A Table of Contents is Coming Soon:
It's reached a point that the usual Blog format is getting hard for readers to navigate around. A Table of Contents to make it easier to find a particular topic and post is in the works. This will be a big help in seperating the Revolver & Rifle specific topics.
That is somewhat less exciting than a 2,000 FPS load, but worthy enough to mention.
Stay tuned, the range will be opening soon and more results are one the way.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Sign-up Phase in Final Week: Group Buy for a Custom Lee Mould. The 358-429 Keith
UPDATE: The group buy is going very well. There are 8 people signed up as I'm typing this. I'm making a change to the minimum number needed, to 7. That means the buy will happen.
I've decided to start a Blog based group buy for a custom Lee six cavity mould. I'm so impressed with the results from my mould that I thought this would be both fun and a chance for other 357 casters / handloaders to take advantage of this style mould. There aren't many places to get a Keith six cavity mould, as a matter of fact a custom mould is the only way I know of.
There's a Blog Page that describes the planned group buy. It's a slightly different protocol than other group buys so please read through it. The link at the top of the right hand column will take you to the details.
Comments, feedback and questions should be posted there as well.
Here are some results, rested at 25 yards:
A little reminder of how they look:
As always, have fun and shoot tight groups.
I've decided to start a Blog based group buy for a custom Lee six cavity mould. I'm so impressed with the results from my mould that I thought this would be both fun and a chance for other 357 casters / handloaders to take advantage of this style mould. There aren't many places to get a Keith six cavity mould, as a matter of fact a custom mould is the only way I know of.
There's a Blog Page that describes the planned group buy. It's a slightly different protocol than other group buys so please read through it. The link at the top of the right hand column will take you to the details.
Comments, feedback and questions should be posted there as well.
Here are some results, rested at 25 yards:
A little reminder of how they look:
As always, have fun and shoot tight groups.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Update on the New - Custom Lee 358-429 & Bullet Fit Tips
Getting a new-to-me Taurus 669 at the same time as the new mould came in created a double learning curve. It's what I love to do, but it takes some time to develop great loads. Finally, here's more detail about my target load and some early results from a full magnum load.
This Lyman styled six cavity mould is cut to my specs and drops soft alloy bullets over .360 inches. Just as I wanted.
The Taurus has a conventional groove diameter of .357. It's throats are huge, at .3595 and .360. It's a good thing that mould drops some fat bullets!
Bullet Fit Tips
The basic rule for shooting cast is for the throats to be bigger than groove diameter, whatever they actually measure is less important, in my opinion. If the throats are equal to the groove, the gun can shoot good, but it's not ideal. If the throats are smaller, it's a problem, the gun will lead, most of the time, and accuracy will be dissappointing.
If you have some dead soft lead (sinkers work well), here's a quick way to check your revolver dimensions are OK:
Here's how my bullets checked out, this becomes important later:
Note: If you want, you can slug your barrel and throats and measure the slugs with a micrometer, the basic rule to prevent leading is for bullets to be +.001 or +.002 over groove size. I've found that helps avoid leading, however often isn't the most accurate. Using the simple approach above works as well, in most cases.
3.5 Bullseye Target Load
The 3.5 grain Bullseye load is still tops for a light target load. I was suprised to some degree when this bullet like to be loaded short. In 357 revolvers the vast majority of great bullet/load combinations are with a long OAL. Pushing the bullet as far into the throat as possible has become almost second nature. Loading a 358-429 so the nose is .005 from the cylindar face has proven to be a good starting point, backing it down from there. Typically a 358-429 has performed at it's best loaded 1.620-1.630, in my guns. Cylinders lengths vary a bunch, so your revolver may like a different OAL. In this case, it doesn't seem to matter.
I always try a few loads loaded short, or near the minimum length for the given recipe. The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook list 1.553 as the minimum. This load really came alive at 1.560 with a light to medium crimp. Very accurate, and a great load that anyone can shoot. At least in a 6 inch revolver, it does smooth out the recoil.
This load shoots best with a pan-lubed & unsized bullet. They are over throat size an do not even push through the throats.
So the target load likes a short OAL, an unsized fat bullet that is over throat size and a light crimp. Another surprise to me is that 700X was outdone by Bullseye, as they say: It is what it is.
12.7 H110 Magnum Load
The long OAL 358-429's liked 13.5 grains of H110, loaded short this bullet and gun really like 12.7 grains, with a heavy crimp. It's a nice, big load, that shoots to the same point of impact, time after time. I admit that after shooting a while I have to work to avoid flinching.
This full-house load works the best, still loaded short with the same 1.560 OAL, but with a heavy crimp. Pan-lubing and then sizing with the custom Lee nose-first .360 sizer proved to be the most accurate combination. This load likes the bullet to push through the throats with finger pressure. Use a pencil to test your bullet / throat fit. I suggest trying throat size and over-throat size bullets to see what shoots best in your revolver.
In Conclusion
So far, this magnum load likes a short OAL, a Lee sized bullet (finger pressure to get it through the throats) and a heavy crimp. What else?
There will be more pictures coming, so stay tuned as I continue to ring this combination out. Have fun shooting those tight groups!
This Lyman styled six cavity mould is cut to my specs and drops soft alloy bullets over .360 inches. Just as I wanted.
The Taurus has a conventional groove diameter of .357. It's throats are huge, at .3595 and .360. It's a good thing that mould drops some fat bullets!
Bullet Fit Tips
The basic rule for shooting cast is for the throats to be bigger than groove diameter, whatever they actually measure is less important, in my opinion. If the throats are equal to the groove, the gun can shoot good, but it's not ideal. If the throats are smaller, it's a problem, the gun will lead, most of the time, and accuracy will be dissappointing.
If you have some dead soft lead (sinkers work well), here's a quick way to check your revolver dimensions are OK:
- Tap the sinker into the muzzle, no more than 1/8 inch
- Grab it with pliers and pull it out
- From the cylinder face, see if the "sized" portion of the sinker will fit into each throat
Here's how my bullets checked out, this becomes important later:
- Unsized a bullet will not push through the throats of the Taurus
- Sized to .360, with a Lee custom sizer, they push through with finger pressure, using a pencil
- If they drop through, they are to small. My Lyman .360 trims them a little to much, they drop through and they lead.
Note: If you want, you can slug your barrel and throats and measure the slugs with a micrometer, the basic rule to prevent leading is for bullets to be +.001 or +.002 over groove size. I've found that helps avoid leading, however often isn't the most accurate. Using the simple approach above works as well, in most cases.
3.5 Bullseye Target Load
The 3.5 grain Bullseye load is still tops for a light target load. I was suprised to some degree when this bullet like to be loaded short. In 357 revolvers the vast majority of great bullet/load combinations are with a long OAL. Pushing the bullet as far into the throat as possible has become almost second nature. Loading a 358-429 so the nose is .005 from the cylindar face has proven to be a good starting point, backing it down from there. Typically a 358-429 has performed at it's best loaded 1.620-1.630, in my guns. Cylinders lengths vary a bunch, so your revolver may like a different OAL. In this case, it doesn't seem to matter.
I always try a few loads loaded short, or near the minimum length for the given recipe. The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook list 1.553 as the minimum. This load really came alive at 1.560 with a light to medium crimp. Very accurate, and a great load that anyone can shoot. At least in a 6 inch revolver, it does smooth out the recoil.
This load shoots best with a pan-lubed & unsized bullet. They are over throat size an do not even push through the throats.
So the target load likes a short OAL, an unsized fat bullet that is over throat size and a light crimp. Another surprise to me is that 700X was outdone by Bullseye, as they say: It is what it is.
12.7 H110 Magnum Load
The long OAL 358-429's liked 13.5 grains of H110, loaded short this bullet and gun really like 12.7 grains, with a heavy crimp. It's a nice, big load, that shoots to the same point of impact, time after time. I admit that after shooting a while I have to work to avoid flinching.
This full-house load works the best, still loaded short with the same 1.560 OAL, but with a heavy crimp. Pan-lubing and then sizing with the custom Lee nose-first .360 sizer proved to be the most accurate combination. This load likes the bullet to push through the throats with finger pressure. Use a pencil to test your bullet / throat fit. I suggest trying throat size and over-throat size bullets to see what shoots best in your revolver.
In Conclusion
So far, this magnum load likes a short OAL, a Lee sized bullet (finger pressure to get it through the throats) and a heavy crimp. What else?
- An old trick: So just as I'm thinking this is as good as it gets. I decided to lube both grooves in the bullet. The lube groove, and the crimp groove. Loaded short, it's fully covered by the brass, so why not.
- Wow, this shoots even better. So let me add a lubed crimp-groove to the list of what works for this bullet, in this revolver.
There will be more pictures coming, so stay tuned as I continue to ring this combination out. Have fun shooting those tight groups!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
The Best All Around Mould to Cast for your 357 Magnum Revolver
What makes a particular mould the best? Good question. In my opinion there are a few criteria:
After casting, loading, testing, shooting, measuring and recording the results of over 30,000 357 magnum cast bullets: The Keith 358-429 design is the clear winner. That sounds like good news, and it pretty much is. The problem is, there a many flavors of this old design, and they aren't all equally effective, either on target or on the wallet.
Three of the best and my favorites, in no particular order, are:
There are other 358-429 moulds that are excellent, they all range in price from $84 for a four cavity Lyman to $120 - $170 for a three or four cavity custom or semi-custom mould.
However, I wanted a great casting six cavity mould that met all of the criteria above. I now have one. Based heavily on the Lyman design, with some changes, I sent my design to Lee Precision as a custom order. Not cheap, it cost $205 when everything is all said and done. But the bullets are the best of the best.
A Lee custom mould looks just like their standard mould, from the outside.
The bullets from the 358-429 Lee custom mould all drop larger than .360. As I've written about before, these fatter bullets have consistenly outperformed thinner bullets.
Using my favorite soft alloy of 98% lead and 2% solder (lead free), the Lee custom bullets drop at 178-179 grains, so I round up and call them 180's. Wheel weights are about three grains less. They took some load development for my revolver, just as it would for your revolver.
Here are a few from my first casting run:
I'm loving these, here's one more look:
Load development and results using my new-to- me used Taurus 669 are outstanding. I'm lovin' shooting this gun:
It does have large throats, so your revolver may shoot best after you refine my recipes (coming after load development is complete). For a light target load, 3.5 grains of Bulleye is a top perfomer. For now, this is what is possible at 25 yards, rested, iron sights:
I can't shoot six rounds, with iron sights, without pulling one. I think you get the idea, the five round group measures .8 inches, center to center, so far.
The load development and refinement is going so well that I'm thinking of offering it as a group buy on eBay or other online marketplace. To get a custom mould from Lee is $205. At $150 it would be a great value, a custom six cavity 358-429 that if full size, and shoot light and heavy loads. But that wouldn't meet the criteria... I believe it can be done for less than $100.
Stay tuned for load development results! I'm loving this bullet!
Shoot safely, and shoot tight groups.
- The bullets must be capable of less-than one inch groups. Shot at 25 yards off a sandbag
- To raise the bar, a magnum load must group less than one inch with iron sights, and
- A light target load must group less than one inch, with iron sights
- It doesn't lead the barrel
- The mould must cast consistently from cavity to cavity
- The mould shouldn't cost more than a car payment
After casting, loading, testing, shooting, measuring and recording the results of over 30,000 357 magnum cast bullets: The Keith 358-429 design is the clear winner. That sounds like good news, and it pretty much is. The problem is, there a many flavors of this old design, and they aren't all equally effective, either on target or on the wallet.
Three of the best and my favorites, in no particular order, are:
- NOE 358-429 - a semi-custom mould, available as a group buy, so if a buy is going on you can get one. Available is two cavity aluminum, five cavity alumunum, and I think four cavity brass.
- Lyman 358-429 - a standard mould, made of a soft steel and lead alloy, in two or four cavity versions. In the past several years they have been cut to drop small undersize bullets. This is a big frustration as the design is superb.
- Mountain Molds Custom - you create the design using the website, the three cavity mould is first rate and one of the finest I've ever cast with. So you can't just order one of these, it takes work to figure it out. But they make great bullets. I've posted the specs I used in a prior post if you are interested.
There are other 358-429 moulds that are excellent, they all range in price from $84 for a four cavity Lyman to $120 - $170 for a three or four cavity custom or semi-custom mould.
However, I wanted a great casting six cavity mould that met all of the criteria above. I now have one. Based heavily on the Lyman design, with some changes, I sent my design to Lee Precision as a custom order. Not cheap, it cost $205 when everything is all said and done. But the bullets are the best of the best.
A Lee custom mould looks just like their standard mould, from the outside.
The bullets from the 358-429 Lee custom mould all drop larger than .360. As I've written about before, these fatter bullets have consistenly outperformed thinner bullets.
Using my favorite soft alloy of 98% lead and 2% solder (lead free), the Lee custom bullets drop at 178-179 grains, so I round up and call them 180's. Wheel weights are about three grains less. They took some load development for my revolver, just as it would for your revolver.
Here are a few from my first casting run:
I'm loving these, here's one more look:
Load development and results using my new-to- me used Taurus 669 are outstanding. I'm lovin' shooting this gun:
It does have large throats, so your revolver may shoot best after you refine my recipes (coming after load development is complete). For a light target load, 3.5 grains of Bulleye is a top perfomer. For now, this is what is possible at 25 yards, rested, iron sights:
I can't shoot six rounds, with iron sights, without pulling one. I think you get the idea, the five round group measures .8 inches, center to center, so far.
The load development and refinement is going so well that I'm thinking of offering it as a group buy on eBay or other online marketplace. To get a custom mould from Lee is $205. At $150 it would be a great value, a custom six cavity 358-429 that if full size, and shoot light and heavy loads. But that wouldn't meet the criteria... I believe it can be done for less than $100.
Stay tuned for load development results! I'm loving this bullet!
Shoot safely, and shoot tight groups.
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