Too much of a good thing ! !

[Ben]

A few years ago, I was hunting with my .358 Win.
I shot a 125 lb. buck through the front shoulders.
I was shooting the Lyman 358318 with deep hp .
The load was 40.0 grs. of IMR 7383. ( a very accurate and powerful load in my 358 Win. )

The load literally blew the front shoulder off of the deer.
The front shoulder was hanging " by a thread ."

The Lyman factory deep HP pin cast a bullet that caused far too much destruction on white-tailed deer.

Today, I've just completed making me a new HP pin to allow me to make a flat point solid. This should improve things.

 

[Brad]

That is a huge hollow point! Talk about a grenade on deer.

A cup HP would work fine with that bullet.

 

[Ben]

85% of our deer are 180 lbs. and under.

I think what I've made ( a flat point solid ) will do the job.

Ben

 

[JWFilips]

Ben,
I like your work! No Need to blow up Bambi! Actually I prefer Flat noses because I just kill paper..... I dislike Pointed or Round nose projectiles for punching targets ( at least with 24 pound paper stock which is what I use) It tends to make a really good group look bad because it tears the paper apart ( sans the blood)
Jim

 

[Brad]

That will do very well. Biggest advantage is that a should hit doesn't blow them up so bad.
That is a fine deer bullet in a great cartridge.

 

[JWFilips]

Ben Set me on a course to obtain my own JES 358 Win rebore ( 3 Groove): it is on a Weatherby Vanguard ! I did & It is a great shooting rifle
It sure loves all those big boy bullets!

 

[Ben]

That will do very well. Biggest advantage is that a should hit doesn't blow them up so bad.
That is a fine deer bullet in a great cartridge.

You bet Brad.
I fully agree ! !

Ben

 

[Ben]

It sure loves all those big boy bullets!

Your rifle will just chew out a hole with the 009' ! !

 

[KHornet]

Ben, isn't that the mold I traded you some years back for some Babbat?
Paul

 

[35 shooter]

Nice job on the flat point pin Ben. It will interesting to see how it shoots compared to the deep hollow point too.
Probably will be a drt type bullet with the big flat you have on it now.

 

[Ben]

Ben, isn't that the mold I traded you some years back for some Babbat?
Paul

Paul,

You're right, that is the mould that you sent me !

 

[KHornet]

That was shortly after I traded/sold my 358. Bet your new pin will
do a bang up job now.

Paul

 

[Ben]

Paul,

I got outside this morning ( before it hits 94 today ) with my Lyman 358318 mould with the modified flat point pin.

I think this is going to work out fine.

This one should shoot through a couple of freight trains.

Ben

 

[fiver]

I think your gonna like the improved version a whole lot more.
I run the small meplated saeco #248 at, well,, at just about top jacketed loads for the 358 and the smaller meplat is one reason it works at those speeds.
the 358's don't really need any extra 'help' as many have found out.
and generally do better when you impede the bullet from doing it's job some.

 

[Ian]

If a major leg bone gets center-punched with a fast-moving .35-caliber bullet, a lot of meat will get blown up whether it's bone fragments or bullet fragments causing the destruction. Ask me how I know . What I don't know is what Lyman was thinking when they crafted that pin, but a pin about 1/4 that length would serve much better, particularly if an alloy like water-quenched 50/50 + 1% tin were used.

 

[Ben]

Ian,

I'm like you, that factory 358318, Lyman HP pin turned these cast bullets into flying bombs.

To preserve the value of the mould, I'll keep the factory pin " as is ".
However, for casting and hunting use, I'll use the " new and improved " pin.

I KNOW I am going to like the " new and improved " version a lot better.
No more " blow ups " for me ! !

Thanks for all your comments,
Ben

 

[Ben]

He is the finished product.
Sized .3595" , lubed with Ben's Red , and rolled in BLL.
Hornady gas checks.
Ready to load.

 

[Ian]

That'll do nicely. I've made a few replacement HP spuds out of brass rods (brazing rods or hardware store stock) and found them to be a little easier to cast with than steel spuds, but for a blank your steel pin will give you less trouble with wear and with disproportionate thermal expansion in the leaded-iron blocks.

One thing about a .35-caliber rifle bullet, it doesn't really need to expand, much less grenade on impact by design.

 

[freebullet]

Woah doggy that's a deep pin for a 30 cal. Nice mod, Ben.

Maybe that original pin was for varmint shooting, can't think of another use for that rapid of expansion.

 

[Ben]

One thing about a .35-caliber rifle bullet, it doesn't really need to expand, much less grenade on impact by design.

Yes, a 250 gr. , 35 cal. bullet is deadly without being HP'd.

Ben