My first Lyman .38 Caliber bullet mold was the 358311. Have lots of fond memories putting it to good use. However I soon got the .357 Magnum bug....that forced me to go to SWC cast bullets and the 358311 saw little use. I also started using a 358495 WC cast bullet in the .38 Special. These days I still load up a size-able quantity of .38's with the 358311 ... for old time sake. I have heard that others find that it is the most accurate .38 Cast bullet in their pistols. I have found it not to wanting when it comes to accuracy. The only drawback is that it doesn't make clean hols in p-targets. However I seldom shoot paper... I was wondering how others feel about using it.
Who doesn't like the Lyman 358311 158 RN ?
- Thread starter Wallyl
- Start date
Sort of like a politically incorrect bullet.
In the day of RNFP, SWC, T / Cone, full W/C, the lowly RN seems to have been lost in the shuffle.
Few have good things to say about round nose bullets anymore.
I have always found the 358311 to be a super accurate bullet in the 38 Spec.
I have no problems with it at all.
I have a double cavity 358311 and I believe I'll keep it !
Ben
In the day of RNFP, SWC, T / Cone, full W/C, the lowly RN seems to have been lost in the shuffle.
Few have good things to say about round nose bullets anymore.
I have always found the 358311 to be a super accurate bullet in the 38 Spec.
I have no problems with it at all.
I have a double cavity 358311 and I believe I'll keep it !
Ben
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I recall when I first used the mold. I cast the bullets and lubed with the old Lee pan lube sizer, then loaded them up in the .38 Special., It was a thrilling experience. In the 70's, as I recall factory .38 Specials came only in the 158 RN and the 148 WC. My bullets shot well and were as good as the factory ones, but much cheaper. Primers were less than 1¢ each and powder was $4.00 a pound. WW's were plentiful ...sure was a good time!
KeithB
Resident Half Fast Machinist
I have a 3 cavity mold of unknown origin that casts a bullet virtually identical to the 358311. Works great in my M10. I also own a 6 cavity Lee mold that casts a 245 gr RN .44 caliber bullet that works great as a factory duplication bullet for the .44 special. Yes, I love my SWC molds a lot but nothing loads easier into a revolver cylinder than a RN. Pop cans and wood blocks don't seem to mind what they're hit with.
462
California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
I was given a two-cavity version that had seen its best days many years, and most likely several decades ago. It was in such poor condition that the guy who gave it to me had rebuilt it with the Lyman kit -- thicker sprue cutter and all the screws. It cast nice enough bullets, but required a whole lot of forceful handle hinge hits before the bullets would release.
Then came that Kroil Kraze (written about elsewhere) and I decided to try it. Think what you may but it worked for me, resulting with nothing more than a gentle hinge tap, if that, to drop the bullets.
After all that, the Blackhawk prefers Lee's 158-grain SWC and RNFN, I haven't tried it in the New Vaquero, though, and the design is not compatible with the Rossi 92 and Uberti 1866 Sporting Rifles.
Then came that Kroil Kraze (written about elsewhere) and I decided to try it. Think what you may but it worked for me, resulting with nothing more than a gentle hinge tap, if that, to drop the bullets.
After all that, the Blackhawk prefers Lee's 158-grain SWC and RNFN, I haven't tried it in the New Vaquero, though, and the design is not compatible with the Rossi 92 and Uberti 1866 Sporting Rifles.
358156 hp
At large, whereabouts unknown.
I think I still have a two cavity example of 358311 (or is that 358250?) around here somewhere. As mentioned, it is nicely accurate, but the utility of a round-nose bullet doesn't grab me like it probably should. The last copy of this mould I bought was purchased for use on steel targets, and the RN design is very helpful for fast reloads with speedloaders. I know I still have a few hundred rounds of loaded steel loads around here somewhere. RN bullets are reputed by some to be more intrinsically accurate the flat nose designs, especially for longer range shooting.
The RCBS version has no crimping groove.....I much prefer the Lyman version over it. However many prefer a square grease groove vs the round one found in the Lyman.
Yes, you can do that, but I find it preferable to have a crimping groove. When you crimp on the front band all cases must be exactly the same length. I also have a Lyman 358429. I cannot load it in my M-27 crimped in the crimp groove. I tried crimping on the front band and never liked the result...so I trimmed cases just enough so that I can load/crimp in the crimp groove for it.
Not for me.............I always crimp separately.