I’ve been looking for a way to make my own slugs. Can’t seem to find anything reasonable online. I already cast my own 38/357 ammo for my revolver. Can I use the same bullets?
Anyone know if I can use my LEE PRECISION 358-158-Rf Double Cavity Mold for my B
- Thread starter Bigdaddycres
- Start date
i'd slug it with a pellet and measure .. havent done it on a .35 but i imagine its closer to 356/9mm .. guessing ..
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I would measure one of your cast bullets and compare to your bore measurements first. Keep in mind the lead you use for pistol bullets is harder because it is a mixture of lead tin and antimony. If your measurements encourage you to continue make sure you use pure lead for a softer bullet, so as not to damage the rifling in the airgun barrel. I'm thinking I read something that said you can't size more than .005 larger because it won't do well in the barrel. If you get that far then weigh one of your pure lead bullets to see if it's a workable weight for you. If all is still encouraging to proceed then I would slug the pure lead bullet to see how it fits the barrel. It should be snug but not extremely tight. Keeping in mind it may all be for naught and may produce a bullet that won't fit well or not shoot well if you get that far. Good luck and err on the side of caution it would be a shame to go to all this trouble just to ruin a good gun.
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I have the lee 358-158-RF mold and I have the basic equivalent in RCBS and Lyman molds, They can all vary from the "358" size depending on the lead mixture, are you using pure soft lead or a slight mix of range scrap or wheel weights or??? They can also vary by how hot or warmed up your mold is when your pouring and by how hot your lead mix was when you poured.
That's why most of us casters end up using a bullet sizing die, but ideally a bullet straight out of the mold that is sized right from the mold will be the most accurate. I would slug your bore, cerro safe is a fast easy way to do it, then I would determine the size you need and as long as its no more then 3-4 thousandths smaller then what the mold is producing you should be good to go, Once you start sizing down bullets more the 5 thousandths you can run into some issues depending on the design of the bullet. and if your bore is larger then what the mold is producing then only powder coating them for a extra 1 thou in size or a bump size for more then 1 thou will fix that and honestly its better to just buy a new mold in a larger size at that point because bump sizing is wildly inconsistent.
They do make molds in 355. 356, 357, 358, 359, 360 and in general most molds produce a bullet 1-2 thou larger then what is listed, so if the stars align your 358 mold will produce a 359-360 bullet, again not always but I would say most often then not. It is possible to trick the system using a colder mold and hotter lead, but that usually leads to bad cavity fill.
For really good casting knowledge check out the reloaders network where they have a ton of cast bullet info and mold info especially on Lee molds if you run into any issues on casting.
That's why most of us casters end up using a bullet sizing die, but ideally a bullet straight out of the mold that is sized right from the mold will be the most accurate. I would slug your bore, cerro safe is a fast easy way to do it, then I would determine the size you need and as long as its no more then 3-4 thousandths smaller then what the mold is producing you should be good to go, Once you start sizing down bullets more the 5 thousandths you can run into some issues depending on the design of the bullet. and if your bore is larger then what the mold is producing then only powder coating them for a extra 1 thou in size or a bump size for more then 1 thou will fix that and honestly its better to just buy a new mold in a larger size at that point because bump sizing is wildly inconsistent.
They do make molds in 355. 356, 357, 358, 359, 360 and in general most molds produce a bullet 1-2 thou larger then what is listed, so if the stars align your 358 mold will produce a 359-360 bullet, again not always but I would say most often then not. It is possible to trick the system using a colder mold and hotter lead, but that usually leads to bad cavity fill.
For really good casting knowledge check out the reloaders network where they have a ton of cast bullet info and mold info especially on Lee molds if you run into any issues on casting.
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