Lee 125 RF experience?

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
I have had outstanding results with the Lee 158 RF bullet in .38 Spl and .357 Mag. A new to
me Model 10HB is shooting high, and wanted to see if the 125 version would help put the
POI nearer the POA.

Anyone have experience with this bullet?

Bill
 

Jeff H

NW Ohio
I have not used it in a handgun that I can remember, but I've used it in several carbines.

At moderate velocities (1kfps to 1.2 kfps) it has not yielded spectacular results but seems to be extremely consistent, giving roughly one-inch five-shot groups at fifty yards, no matter what (faster) powder I use, twist rate, how I hold my mouth....

I've shot 1:30 twist in the Rossi 92, 1:16 in a couple factory H&Rs and a rebored H&R, 1:18(?) in a Ruger 77/357 and 1:14 in a MGM Contender barrel. It shot the best in the Rossi and the worst in the Contender.

This is a bullet I wish I could make shoot better because it uses less lead than my other 35 cal bullets. Can't say it's a "bad" bullet - I just haven't pushed the right buttons with it in the carbines yet. I'm sure when I get some time to play with it some more it'll come around. Easy bullet to cast too.
 

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
HMM. 1" at 50 yds needs better? OK, I guess from a rifle, but would be spetacular from a handgun, and pretty
OK from a rifle/carbine/

Bill
 
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Cherokee

Medina, Ohio
I use the Lee 125 RF in 38 and 357 mag, mid level loads. Works fine for me @ .358 size in my 686 6" and Mod 14 6". As to POI vs POA in your gun, you'll have to find out by trying it. I don't recall there was much difference between the 158 and 125 impact from my guns.
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
It works fine in an HP-9 and P95DA with Unique in WW brass . I intended for it to be a 38/357/9mm one size fits all .
 

Ian

Notorious member
I wrote about that bullet here as a solution to the seemingly perpetual problem of .38 revolvers shooting 4-6" high at close ranges. Eet verks goot.
 
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uncle jimbo

Well-Known Member
I use this bullet in my S&W 15-3, with a 4"barrel. I set it over 4gr of Green Dot. It shoots very good. POA is close to POI, as close as I can aim
 

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
OK, Ian and Uncle Jimbo have answered exactly what I was hoping to hear, as far as POI shift.
Sounds like everyone is pretty happy with it in .38, 357 and 9mm, hard to complain about that.

I really have had great results with it's big brother in 158 wt, so this is about what I expected.
Great to know for sure.

Thanks.

Bill
 
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fiver

Well-Known Member
the OAL is gonna be short in your 9mm.
I don't have the mold but airc it ends up being 1.0-1.1 ish. to feed and such.
 

Ian

Notorious member
Bill, I found the original thread. It seems that you, me, Str8tshot426, Lynn, and St. Elmer are the only ones that have experienced this. The one I linked above turned into a case trimming discussion right away. This one turned into a lively critical discussion, you might find interesting to read the whole thread:

https://www.artfulbullet.com/index.php?threads/38-special-revolvers-shooting-high.1310/

I fixed the problem by going to the lighter bullet and a powder similar to Titegroup and can now center-punch a target at 15-25 yards SA or DA with all my .38s.
 

Rick H

Well-Known Member
I use that bullet in a 3" Ruger LCR. I duplicate the 130gr. WW HP self defense load for practice. It is accurate enough at 875 fps in front of a load of Power Pistol for my purposes. My "as loaded weight" with PC is 129 gr.
 

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
OK, thanks, Ian. I had thought I remembered something about this, that is the thread. This is a pretty
newish (mid to late 80s vintage, HB, unpinned bbl 10-8) S&W Model 10 for me. I had a couple friends who were local
police officers in that era and they were issuing Rem 125 scaloped JHPs at the time. I am guessing that this was likely
the standard PD load of that era, so seems likely that S&W were sighting in the fixed sight guns for that kind of a
load. Like the 1930s guns were sighted for 158 gr lead, although perhaps at 50 yds. My Colt BP revolvers all
shoot high, too. The story is that they were sighted for 50 yds, and you held on the belt buckle of the guys in the
wrong uniform.

https://www.luckygunner.com/remington-38-spl-ammo-for-sale-38specialp125jhpremumc-50

Still made. May be worth buying a box just so see if it shoots to the sights. In stock at local
Scheels. I think I may stop by tomorrow, just for grins. Pretty decent, ammo, from what I heard
from PD shootings of that era, too. Lucky Gunner is way cheaper...but add in the shipping and
the local guys make it up by about $5 for a box of 50.

Bill
 
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Ian

Notorious member
I have a WW2 Victory Model 10, a late '60s JP Sauer K-38 target masterpiece copy, a couple of 2" snubbies, and an Airlite. Every stinking one of them shoots 4" high at 15 yards using 148 WC or 158 anything. Even the Saur would shoot 3" high with the rear sight bottomed out. I had enough of that nonsense and fixed the load that I shoot in all of them. That little Lee bullet is terrific, and comes in a six-cavity version as a bonus.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
That Rem 125 grain scalloped JHP 38 Special load is my old shop's current approved fodder for 38 Specials. A TON of deputies use the J-frame S&W 38s as backup/off-duty guns, so the round gets some usage--even in The Age Of The Bottomfeeder. Our range staff at the time of this ammo's adoption found that in the issued 2" and 4" S&W Model 64s that were still in inventory the 125 grain ammo by Rem, Win, Speer, and Federal all shot right to the sights at 7/10/15/25 yards. There was almost zero difference between brands--it all goes about 875 FPS from 2" barrels, and right-on-the-dot 935-950 FPS from the 4" tubes. FWIW.
 

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
Good info, Al, thanks. I managed to snag a mint 1965 Colt Cobra at the LGS tonight.
That Rem 125 is a +P, so not going to beat the old Cobra with it, but may get some for the
4" HB M-10. I would like to see how it does with the sights on that gun and my
342 Smith. The 342 was a real problem child. NOTHING that I tried of the high
dollar ammo would shoot anywhere near the sights at 25 yds. 9" high or 18" low,
or 6"-8" groups was the kind of bizarre results I had with HydraShock, Golden Saber, Gold Dots,
and other 'super bullets' stuff. VERY frustrated, and spent a lot of $$ trying this stuff.
Finally HP version of 358429 Keith, comes in at 158 gr in 8 BHN alloy, and with 5 gr
Unique shot 2" groups at 10 yds easily and to POA. I wonder what the 125 Rem
SHP will do?

Bill
 

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
I found a box of Rem Semi-Jacketed Scalloped HP 125 factory +P at the gun show today for a good
price. Shot 5 in the Model 10 HB at 25 yds. POI matches POA, about 1 or 2 inches right.
Works for me. Now, I will cast up some of these Lee 125s and load with something like
5 gr of Unique or 6.5 of Power Pistol, or 6.0 of BE-86, because it is flash suppressed.

Bill