oh yea

1chig · December 18, 2010, 11:22 PM

I got my lee 358-158RF mold the other day, gonna cast me some boolits for my .38, so i went down stairs ,cleand the mold and melted my lead, and pourd me some boolits, well that didnt go so well. They looked like crap and the #s were all over the place, i thought to myself that maybe this wasnt for me. Then a friend of mine sent me some beautiful boolits and it struck a fire in me. Today i took my time and poured just 100 and they turned out very good, i like it a lot !! this leads me to my question

They are dropping at 164gn.+or-1 , Im going to load them for target shooting. The new lyman cast boolit hand book list 158gn. lyman cast using bullseye starting load 3.0 and max 3.4 . should i use this load for my boolits or go on up to ther 160gn listing which lists bullseye at 3.2gn starting and 3.6max. Im using bullseye because my local reloading /gun shop only carries it or unique. As you can tell iv never loaded cast boolits so all help is appreciated. Thank you and Thank you again friend!!

sorry for the double post

Rangefinder · December 19, 2010, 01:33 AM

6gr over weight with difficulty getting good fill-out in the mold both point to one thing---your lead has "too much" lead in it. Are you using pure lead, or are you running an alloy? Pure lead is going to cause not only pour/cast problems, but it's going to be too soft to run clean through your firearm.

Stick with the lower rating until you can evaluate what pressures are doing. Heavier bullets require less powder to achieve pressures A) due to more weight to accelerate causing higher resistance, and B) more bullet tends to mean less case volume due to slightly deeper seating depth to reach the same OAL. Less case volume builds higher pressure faster.

GP100man · December 19, 2010, 08:31 AM

Lees tend to run a little heavy even with wheel weights !

Worry more `bout size & fit than weight !!

Lee aluminum molds have to be cleaned good (I boil mine ) & it still takes 2-3 cycles to get all the machining lube out of the pores !!

& most noobs tend to start with a cold alloy , I don`t even flux till it hits 700f!

reloader28 · December 19, 2010, 10:33 AM

I have the same mold and mine drops right at 165gr with straight WW.

I dont remember which book it was from, but with 160gr data I loaded 4gr Bullseye (that was max) and they shot good and accurate but a touch high for my sites. A little bit of lead in the throat of the barrel, but it was the first test ones.

I always use data that is the closest to my actual bullet weight no matter what the mold is "supposed" to weigh.

1chig · December 19, 2010, 10:59 AM

the first batch that i did were terrible,, my fault,, the second batch were very good, i took my time and did everything correctly.The boolits had good fill and droped at 360ish and weighed 164 to 164.2 gn. I did 100 and had 2 culls.Now i need to lube and size them, then try them out. Looking for a good load. Thanks for all the help.

December 18, 2010, 11:22 PM	#1
1chig Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2009 Location: central missouri Posts: 246	oh yea I got my lee 358-158RF mold the other day, gonna cast me some boolits for my .38, so i went down stairs ,cleand the mold and melted my lead, and pourd me some boolits, well that didnt go so well. They looked like crap and the #s were all over the place, i thought to myself that maybe this wasnt for me. Then a friend of mine sent me some beautiful boolits and it struck a fire in me. Today i took my time and poured just 100 and they turned out very good, i like it a lot !! this leads me to my question They are dropping at 164gn.+or-1 , Im going to load them for target shooting. The new lyman cast boolit hand book list 158gn. lyman cast using bullseye starting load 3.0 and max 3.4 . should i use this load for my boolits or go on up to ther 160gn listing which lists bullseye at 3.2gn starting and 3.6max. Im using bullseye because my local reloading /gun shop only carries it or unique. As you can tell iv never loaded cast boolits so all help is appreciated. Thank you and Thank you again friend!! sorry for the double post __________________ those who anger you are those who control you!!!! Last edited by 1chig; December 18, 2010 at 11:41 PM.

December 19, 2010, 01:33 AM	#2
Rangefinder Senior Member Join Date: August 4, 2005 Posts: 2,017	6gr over weight with difficulty getting good fill-out in the mold both point to one thing---your lead has "too much" lead in it. Are you using pure lead, or are you running an alloy? Pure lead is going to cause not only pour/cast problems, but it's going to be too soft to run clean through your firearm. Stick with the lower rating until you can evaluate what pressures are doing. Heavier bullets require less powder to achieve pressures A) due to more weight to accelerate causing higher resistance, and B) more bullet tends to mean less case volume due to slightly deeper seating depth to reach the same OAL. Less case volume builds higher pressure faster. __________________ "Why is is called Common Sense when it seems so few actually possess it?" Guns only have two enemies: Rust and Politicians. Last edited by Rangefinder; December 19, 2010 at 01:39 AM.

December 19, 2010, 08:31 AM	#3
GP100man Senior Member Join Date: August 1, 2007 Location: Tabor City , NC. Posts: 1,969	Lees tend to run a little heavy even with wheel weights ! Worry more `bout size & fit than weight !! Lee aluminum molds have to be cleaned good (I boil mine ) & it still takes 2-3 cycles to get all the machining lube out of the pores !! & most noobs tend to start with a cold alloy , I don`t even flux till it hits 700f! __________________ GP100man Last edited by GP100man; December 21, 2010 at 07:57 AM.

December 19, 2010, 10:33 AM	#4
reloader28 Senior Member Join Date: October 13, 2009 Location: nw wyoming Posts: 1,061	I have the same mold and mine drops right at 165gr with straight WW. I dont remember which book it was from, but with 160gr data I loaded 4gr Bullseye (that was max) and they shot good and accurate but a touch high for my sites. A little bit of lead in the throat of the barrel, but it was the first test ones. I always use data that is the closest to my actual bullet weight no matter what the mold is "supposed" to weigh. Last edited by reloader28; December 19, 2010 at 10:42 AM.

December 19, 2010, 10:59 AM	#5
1chig Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2009 Location: central missouri Posts: 246	the first batch that i did were terrible,, my fault,, the second batch were very good, i took my time and did everything correctly.The boolits had good fill and droped at 360ish and weighed 164 to 164.2 gn. I did 100 and had 2 culls.Now i need to lube and size them, then try them out. Looking for a good load. Thanks for all the help. __________________ those who anger you are those who control you!!!!