Lyman 358665

Volume One

New Member
I've been reloading for .357 and I bought the Lyman 358665 thinking I could shoot this bullet in my revolver and, eventually, buy a lever action rifle and shoot the 358665 in that to.

Read an article by Glen Fryxell yesterday, wherein he says that the Marlin is finicky in .357 and that the 358665 will not smoothly feed in that weapon if it is seated to the crimp groove in .357 brass.

I was wondering if anyone here is shooting the Lyman 358665 in a lever rifle? Which one? And is anyone unsing the Marlin with this 358665 bullet?
 

S Mac

Sept. 10, 2021 Steve left us. You are missed.
Load a dummy or two and try it. Good looking bullet.
 

Volume One

New Member
Load a dummy or two and try it. Good looking bullet.

That's going to be tough S Mac. I don't have a lever rifle. But I'd like to buy one. But just the rifle, not a rifle and another mold.

I agree - it is a nice looking bullet. :)
 

S Mac

Sept. 10, 2021 Steve left us. You are missed.
Apples and oranges, I have a Marlin 444, SWC's feed through it well.
 

Volume One

New Member
Volume One You can always use 38's and load as long as the lever will work with.

Thanks. Maybe I should do this. It is harder to find reloading data for magnum loads in .38 special cases - at least, it is harder in the Lyman and Lee data that I've got. Is there a reputable source where Keith style .38 "magnum" loads are published?

The OAL for the 358665 is - I think I remember right - 1.575". So it shouldn't be too long. It's the article I read that's got me doubting. Fryxell has so much good info that I'm inclined to believe him. But nobody's perfect and indavidual guns aren't always the best example of their respective type.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
Lyman also has this thing about changing their designs every week or two also.

I use the 665 in my Rossi model 92 Lever-gun [which is a titch picky about feeding most 38 specials]
they slide through that rifle like goose poop.
they are also pretty accurate in the revolvers.

Glen might see this post and elucidate a bit more on what he had happening too.
 

Volume One

New Member
Lyman also has this thing about changing their designs every week or two also.

I use the 665 in my Rossi model 92 Lever-gun [which is a titch picky about feeding most 38 specials]
they slide through that rifle like goose poop.
they are also pretty accurate in the revolvers.

Glen might see this post and elucidate a bit more on what he had happening too.

Thanks for the response, Fiver. Did you shoot any 665s in .357 magnum?

The Fryxell guy posts here? Ha! That is too cool.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
that's all I shoot in the Rossi, it has never really seen anything but that bullet. [and a 'handful' of target rounds in 38 special cases single fed when I was teaching the nephew how to shoot]
the 665 in the 357, the 664 in the 45 colt, and the 667 in the 44 mag.
the 45 and 44 have seen a few others along the way but those are their main staples.
I keep a 5 or 7 gallon bucket full of those 3 bullets at all times, and generally have around 3-4K loaded rounds kicking around the place for them too.
 

RedHawk357Mag

New Member
A little post drift... I have a newer 358665 and it casts a bit on the small side. As soon as the weather cools down a bit here in Oklahoma it's gonna be my first test monkey to enlarging the cavities. I also have a Accurate 36-160H which is a much prettier sister to the 665. It casts the right diameter and its not beveled based. Both shoot well with the 160H edging out probably due to fit. In about everything I have to shoot it out of. Pretty much pick a powder and a gun and go be happy. Functions fine with 357 brass in my Henry. Don't recall if I have tested 38 brass with either bullet in the Henry. Bottom line if you don't already have a 665 check out Accurate before you spend your currency.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
makes me wish I hadn't of fixed a couple of mine, they were just about perfect for a .002 increase as they come from the store.
 

Ian

Notorious member
Ain't that the truth. I threw away, gave away, traded, or fixed nearly a dozen of them bought since 2007, some I'd like to have back. The good news is that they're still typically undersized if you buy a new one, bad news is they're also likely to be .002-3" out of round.
 

Walks

Well-Known Member
I've been loading that LYMAN #358665 bullet in both .38SPL &.357MAG since 2002. It functions well in a MARLIN 1894CS, 1894CB(24") and various ROSSI's & WIN TRAPPER's.

I used TITEGROUP in both, 3.3grs in .38 cases & 3.6grs in .357 cases. Most COWBOY ACTION SHOOTERS use .38 cases. They also use the lightest bullet possible. My kids shot for fun so they wanted accuracy and a good time. Not Trophies. They're both grown and gone now. Too busy to shoot.

I moved on to the LEE 358-158-RF, 6cav. Much lighter then a LYMAN 38CAL - 4cav iron mold. Not much different except for the bevel base. Much more output. Easier on these arthritic hands & wrists.

Check out the offerings from N.O.E. , ACCURATE &ARSENAL. I have aluminum molds from both N.O.E. & ACCURATE.
THEY ARE BOTH FANTASTIC !
 

mikld

New Member
I've learned over the years to approach "problems" when I have them, not before (excluding preventative maintenance!). The 44 Magnum is my most favorite caliber and I had 4 before I got my Puma in that cartridge. Had I worried about feeding, rather than fixing a feeding problem, I prolly wouldn't have purchased the Puma. (FWIW, most styles of bullets will in my Puma with a little tweeking, but I didn't work on a fix before I had a problem). I guess I'm saying, don't let hear say keep you from getting a 357 levergun that may or may not feed a specific bullet.
 
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