Best diameter neilson slug for .35 cal texan lss

[Oldandintheway]

Gentlemen; I recently bought a Texan lss in .35 cal. I have been shooting homemade cast pistol bullets with only average accuracy results. I have read somewhere that Neilson 178 grain bullets shoot exceptionally well in the Texan. I bought some lighter weight slugs from Neilson that were in stock in 357 cal, and had several of them go out of the barrel at very low speeds. So slow that they didn't make to the 50 yard target. I thought it was caused by hammer lock, but I have come to the conclusion that that was not the cause. It sounded to me like the air went around the bullet, indicating that the diameter was not quite right, or that maybe I hadn't pushed the bullet into the chamber hard enough. Not quite Shure.

Anyway, I have been waiting for quite a while for the 178's to come back in stock, and today I see where they are finally available. They come in three diameters. .356, .357, and .358. Which diameter have you found through experience to be the most accurate?

Thank you for your responses in advance. As always a great bunch of guys, and a great forum.

 

[Babaganoush]

Yes, you really need to seat the bullet well in the Texan. I got a real bad case of shotgun thumb after my first long range day with my Texan. I wear a thin leather glove on my loading hand now so I don't get that nasty purple welt. I also reload for 38Sp and .357 so I have tried a lot of different pistol bullets through my Texan. That was one of the main reasons I got the .357 Texan, It could shoot the same bullets as my Henry and Blackhawk. After shooting a bunch of different styles and weights I can say for sure it didn't like the lighter stuff. 140 grains and above seem to be where it's at. Accuracy was only average for most of the flat and round nose stuff, but the H&G 148 grain full wadcutter was lights out in my gun. The 158 grain semi wadcutter did very well also. All bullets are sized .358

The other good thing about using non airgun specific ammo is it costs me 1/3 the price, but I do buy in bulk. 

 

[Oldandintheway]

Thanks for the info Babaganoush. I just ordered some 142 and some 178 grain bullets from neilson. I have been trying some of the Neilson 93 grains and have found that they really are subject to hammer lock. If i fill to 3000 lbs the first three to five shots go putt. This doesn't happen when I shoot the 150 grain bullets I cast. I think Airforce should warn buyers about that when using lighter bullets. Save someone a lot of aggravation figuring out what is going on.

 

[Babaganoush]

That sounds weird for getting hammer lock. When I shoot the 80 grain JSB pellets on 3000psi with the spring at minimum they still fly at 1020 fps. The accuracy is horrible, I get around a 4 inch vertical string at 50yds. I would send it back for warranty check, you may need a beefier spring in it.