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Post by 38 WCF on Jul 7, 2015 23:13:05 GMT -5
Looking for a good cast bullet design for my 357 Mag. Ruger Flattop NM
Is 180 grains to much weight?
Gas check or not?
Opinions needed.
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Post by oregon45 on Jul 7, 2015 23:17:28 GMT -5
180 is not too much. Gas check is never a bad bet, but plain base can work well at high velocity if cast hard. I'm running Oregon Trail 180 gr TC cast bullets over H110 in the .357 and I'm not getting any leading.
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Post by sixshot on Jul 8, 2015 0:11:58 GMT -5
I very seldom ever use gas checks & have shot tens of thousands of the Keith #358429 slug from mild to wild, from rabbits to muleys but the old Ray Thompson GC #358156 is an outstanding bullet in the maggie, most times giving better accuracy than the Keith slug & is probably just as good on deer although I haven't used it on them. It was Skeeters favorite, mostly over 13.5 grs of 2400 in 38 special cases & he ate a lot of venison using that load.
Dick
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Post by AxeHandle on Jul 8, 2015 8:24:00 GMT -5
Just use some common sense. Hard cast, properly sized and lubed with enough bullet weight to keep velocity down. These 125 Jacketed bullets that I ran over 1800 FPS out of my Contender last month would not be something I'd shoot as a cast bullet load. Doesn't mean that you can't make them work but we aren't shooting them in my gun.  |
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wgg
.30 Stingray
Posts: 150 
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Post by wgg on Jul 8, 2015 13:13:35 GMT -5
Have you considered plain based checks. I bought a 180 grain 38 mold from NOE to use with plain based bullets. I have not been able to cast with it yet, but several on the Cast Boolit site sing praises about plain based checks.
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Post by 38 WCF on Jul 8, 2015 17:29:50 GMT -5
Have you considered plain based checks. I bought a 180 grain 38 mold from NOE to use with plain based bullets. I have not been able to cast with it yet, but several on the Cast Boolit site sing praises about plain based checks. Tell me more. I have never heard of a plain base check? |
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Post by dougader on Jul 8, 2015 21:23:02 GMT -5
The 358429 was my favorite bullet in 357 and I never cared that it came without a GC. I even used it to knock down the 200 yard rams in silhouette and it did the job if I did mine.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2015 12:30:16 GMT -5
www.sagesoutdoors.com/content/7-plain-basePlain base gas checks were originally developed by Paco Kelley IIRC, and offered by the now-defunct Hanned Corp. Dennis Marshall closed Hanned about 10 years ago, and one recent source of PB gas check tool has been Pat Marlin. I'm sure others offer them though For some reason the 357 mag seems (to me) to benefit the most from gaschecks than other handgun calibers. The twist is normally a bit faster than the bigger bores may be one reason, but the 357 has always been the king of bore leading for me.
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Post by benny123 on Jul 12, 2015 13:17:14 GMT -5
My impression is that gas checks aren't just useful when you breach a certain velocity, but when pressures are high. In some cases, like with a 125 grain 38, it's likely gonna fly if your a hand loader without generating high pressures. So that may be a reason that you'll use a GC design. I think in the case of a 180grain, it depends. I have a 200 grain 357 that I use in a large size Freedom Arms that has a gas check. I felt that the high pressure of h110(for this bullet, little air gap between bullet &powder) warranted the check. At the end of the day, I don't have an equivalent non check, PB, version to test so it's more of a hunch. It's not to take away from the importance of slugging your barrel, but to keep pressure in mind when considering bullet design.  |
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