Ordered new mold for the Legend

[Tomme boy]

My 350L really likes the Lee 200rf. But I need a HP. I am pretty certain I am going to get off my fat rear end and go. So I ordered a MP 358-200 rcbs. Last one he had. I got the gas check version as I don't have luck with plain base bullets even pc'ed.

Now I need to go to the local scrap yard and get some flashing for some soft. I have no soft lead anymore. The last was used to make conicals and balls for the muzzle loader,

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

Keep us posted! I haven't shot my legend in a while. Last fall I shot that Saeco 396 (180, this I sent ya some) shooting well. This spring when Midway had a sale and free ship, I stocked up on 165 FTX bullets.
Funny I "justified" the gun to myself as a cast bullet launcer cause of the bastard bore for rifle bullets. Now We have some better rifle bullets to choose from.

 

[Spindrift]

How do you size your bullets for the Legend?
I have the MP360-200GC solid, it works very well in my Whelen!

 

[fiver]

Spin.
the 350 is a slightly undersized or not supposed to be 35 cal so you gotta base it on your actual barrel diameter just in case someone screws up and screws a 357 diameter barrel on one and you happen to get it.

 

[Spindrift]

I understand. I have read conflicting information regarding the nominal bullet diameter. But not a big issue if you make your own bullets anyway

 

[Tomme boy]

If it is a factory barrel it is made off of the 9mm bore. So it is supposed to have 0.355". But most will take a 0.356" this is what I size to. Now if you use Starline brass you can fit a 0.357" bullet as it is 0.005 thinner at the mouth. Well some will fit anyway.

 

[fiver]

that whole 350 thing has killed me since day one.
it's almost legal to hunt with.
the states make it legal if the boxes say they have 357 bullets.
they didn't change anything they just print 357 on the box.
no other ammunition states the bullet diameter on the box,,,, just the legend.
now it's a deer slayer....???
they also somehow manage to manufacture factory ammo for it for about the same price as a box of the venerable 30-30,,,,, but can't manage to get anything else down to that price point.

 

[RBHarter]

You mean like $27 for 7mm RM and 45 for 264 WM for a .007 change in bullet dia . I'm pretty sure the R&D has been paid for for 308 & 06' for a while too .
Why are so many varmint cartridges packed in pistol counts that sell for just a little more than the rifle packs of the same cartridge ?
Why is 223 half the price of 222 ?
Why is premium 223 the same price as 308 fmj .
It costs us 14/100 for AR family if I amortize the moulds and count $1.50/lb for alloy , electric and 30/1000 for primers .
$1/ round is business I guess .

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

that whole 350 thing has killed me since day one.
it's almost legal to hunt with.
the states make it legal if the boxes say they have 357 bullets.
they didn't change anything they just print 357 on the box.
no other ammunition states the bullet diameter on the box,,,, just the legend.
now it's a deer slayer....???
they also somehow manage to manufacture factory ammo for it for about the same price as a box of the venerable 30-30,,,,, but can't manage to get anything else down to that price point.

Speaking for Tomme & myself in saying SO WHERE WE!!
For myself, I have been a long time maxi fan. This "is" a maxi + in ballistics. Only needing good bullets. Well its been a year or do and they are dribbling out. So far I have settled on two. BOTH FTX bullets. A 140 re sized and a 165. One for smaller critters and one for deer.
Im still Working on a good lead loading.
CW

 

[fiver]

I just don't know what they were thinking.
it's a good idea, the follow through was umm well umm schizophrenic to say the least.
who cares if you copy the 357 max [or 351 wcf magnum as I like to refer to it] in an AR platform?
why does it have to be complicated?

 

[Ian]

They had to make a whole new case that's slightly bigger than the .223 anyway, why not go three more thousandths?

 

[Tomme boy]

Pretty sure they were betting on that the actual 0.357"+ bullets could not be used. That way the people would have to buy their bullets or ammo. I can bet they did not see us reloaders resizing the 357 bullets in a cheap Lee die and using them.

The other thing is most all the bullets out right now are terrible. The only ones that are working are the poly tipped ones. The regular soft points might as well be FMJ with all the gell test I have seen. Or the shots will need to be kept under 100 yds for the bullets to work. Hornady HAD one of the best bullets a few years ago. It was the single shot pointed bullets for the MAX. They had a thinner tapered jacket that expanded and held together. Now the FTX is a spin off of that bullet with a poly tip.

The only bullet that shows awesome performance right now is the Maker REX all copper bullet. But I will not use these because of the price. I have 50lbs of lead mixed up ready to cast when this gets here. I will worry about the expansion after I find something that works well. I will adjust the alloy to get expansion and hopefully it will not mess up the loads accuracy without having to change the lead. Most all of my shots hunting are at less than 75yds. There is also a pig farm next to my old ladies parents farm. I think I can get a dead one to do some testing with.

 

[fiver]

do that Bruce-B soft point thing it really isn't that hard, and would lay down all sorts of smackage.

 

[CZ93X62]

BBSP works well, it's just a slow-production method. I can't see a bit of ballistic difference between BBSPs and homogenous-alloy bullets in paper grouping on target. That is six calibers and rifles to date, so I think it is a valid conclusion. How many hunting bullets per year will ya need, anyway? I can't use them in Kalifornistan any more (er, not supposed to, at least--I have lapses) but I am satisfied that IN THE U.S.A. a Bruce B Soft Point is a Poor Man's Nosler Partition. I did whack a coyote with a #311041 SP at 115 yards and it showed outgoing expansion.

 

[Tomme boy]

Most all of our shots here are about 75yds max. I am hoping that with the gas check and powder coat I will be able to get away with a soft alloy. Even if it blows the hp nose off it will still be better than what most people are using.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

Any mold yet Tommie?

CW

 

[Tomme boy]

Yah it came in 3 days from Yugo! I can't get anything from Amazon in that time right now. I just switched it over to the shallow HP pins. Have not cast with it since. The cavity that is closest to me the bullet sticks bad. Actually have to tap on the pins on the side to get it out of the mold. Not sure what it is yet. The bullet comes out round and has no defects at all.

 

[fiver]

try a little smoke.

 

[Tomme boy]

Tried. Does not work. Only time it releases is when the mold is too cold for good fill out. As soon as it gets to temp it sticks. Only other time I had a problem like this was with his 30 sil mold when the cavity was not centered between both halves. I may just try to lightly debur the edges of the cavity to see if it helps. They are very sharp

 

[Ian]

When I have one of those I twirl a pulled bit of 6-O steel wool around a bore brush and spin it both ways in the cavities with the mould shut tight. This deburrs without breaking the sharp edges of the cavities. I remember the first .30 Sil mould well, VERY frustrating, but promptly replaced.