IDEAL 358477

Rally

NC Minnesota
P&P,
can’t tell you how many of those RCBS 150-swc’s I’ve cast and shot. Sold my first two moulds and pot to a shooting buddy when I left Germany, then bought two more when back stateside. Learned how to cast with two moulds on that model. Still have the last two moulds and two of the RCBS 148 Wc moulds.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
My take on the Lyman #358477 is that it is a SWC form with a radiused flatnose. It cuts clean holes in paper like any other SWC or WC bullet IME.
 

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
It clearly is a SWC .
But, if you prefer to call it a RN, that is fine too.

Ben
 
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L Ross

Well-Known Member
The reason I never really messed with my 4 cavity .357446 is that I have two RCBS two cavity moulds. One is 38-150-SWC and the other is the 38-162-SWC. They do everything I want in a plain base semi-wadcutter.

I'll bet that 477 is a great bullet too.
 

Joshua

Taco Aficionado/Salish Sea Pirate/Part-Time Dragon
Well, we went through this last summer. The 358477 was made over the years with a number of slightly different nose styles. Mine has a flat meplat, with radiused corners. I don’t think that I would consider it a round nosed bullet.
939D8126-6914-45F5-BE76-FE32FB2C495C.jpg
 

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
Going by the pictures posted by the OP, in particular the 3rd photo, the point appears to be flat. There is a generous radius leading into that flat point that gives it a little more rounded appearance from the side views. I would call that bullet a SWC but if you want to call it something else, that's not a deal breaker for me.

I did notice the lube groove had a rounded bottom; something Keith wouldn't have tolerated easily. Keith had a strong preference for a square cut lube groove. The rounded bottom lube groove will help the bullet release from the mold but the price is slightly less area for the lube to occupy given the same width and total depth of the groove. Again, not a deal breaker for me.

The basic form of a SWC provides a fairly sharp leading edge on the forward driving band and a flat point. The differences between various SWC designs are largely the form of the forward portion of the bullet leading up to that flat point. Some folks get pretty worked up over the exact profile of that front section of the bullet; I'm not convinced those small differences make much difference in the performance of the bullet.
You can trade small changes in the shape of that forward section for equally SMALL changes in the bullet's center of gravity - but within the same basic weights and same basic SWC style - you're not going to set the world on fire with those minor differences.

I've seen 158(ish) grain SWC profiles with a forward section that was almost a pure truncated cone. There was almost no curve at all to the sides and a very abrupt transition to the flat point. Others have a more pronounced radius near the point (like the OP's 358477).
In the end, we may be discussing how many Angels can dance on the head of a pin.
 
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CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
Po-TAY-to, Po-TAH-to. It has shot well for me for almost 40 years, and any critter that absorbed one was in far worse condition afterward than before. That would be a couple hundred jackrabbits and a like number of ground squirrels, at conservative estimate.

All of this discussion has convinced me of the need to extend this casting into the wheelhouses of my 357 Magnums, esp. the pre-27 x 6.5". Because it's there.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
Keith was dealing with tallow and bees wax.
most lube grooves are too big for most of the lubes we use today.
we can get away with such a small amount of lube anymore that quite often filling just the area above the gas check is enough for even barrels over 24"s long.
 

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
I have no doubt that Keith was dealing with different factors that we are now. I'm not saying he was right or wrong; I'm just saying he didn't care for rounded grease grooves. He may have had good reasons for that preference or he may have just been a bit stubborn. It really doesn't matter.
I do think the rounded groove will help the bullet release from the mold and it's probably easier on the tooling when you're cutting the cavities in the mold.
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
Of coarse I see that driving band but SWC traditionally had a more pronounced FP and not as rounded.
As stated maybe from a different view it would look more like a SEC. but that pic in that profile.... It looks like RN.
CW
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
or a rounded nose on a swc profile.
I have both types where you have the kinda truncated cone nose and the rounded edge swc.

I can't tell them apart when I'm shooting them and they both make good holes in the paper.
the only difference between them is when I'm running them through the size die the pointy nose one takes a lot more effort.
not because of the design it's just bigger in diameter.
 

Walks

Well-Known Member
I've cast and shot this bullet most of my life. Have a 2cav and 4cav. Always weaved back and forth between it and the #358429, just depended if I was loading for My M27 or not.
It uses the same Top Punch as the #358429, #357446 & #358156, I can't see a Round Nose in it at all. Guess it's all in your perception.

Accurate.............What else do you need.