357 Cast Loads

[OS/N]

With the ever increasing cost of primers, powder, and bullets, I have put more effort and time into producing accurate cast loads.

Here are a few of the later and time tested loads I use for lever carbine and also the revolver. Velocity listed is for carbine which has a 10:1 twist liner. Powder type is given but not the charge - as always work up your own charge weight with the use of a trusted published manual.



200GC FP - 1450 Lil'Gun T
180 TCGC Sil - 1650 Lil'Gun T
158 Lee RFP GC added - 1850 Li'Gun H/T
150 RN GC added - 1780 W296 T
125 2R GC added - 2300 W296 H
(H = hunting use: T = target)

When loading the same bullets (less the 200) for the revolver, I do not use the above listed powders. For handgun a mid range burn powder is used and charge determined by impact to point of aim. Powders used in revolver: Longshot, True Blue, Blue Dot, or as always 2400.

Alloy - Lyman #2
Lube - Lyman Moly
Sized - same as groove in carbine and same as cyl throat for revolvers (within reason).

Sure others are doing or considering cast bullets. I refuse to pay what bullets go for now days. Scrounged lead is what it is but purchased alloy still will run close to 6 to 9 cents a piece depending on source and bullet weight.

 

[AJC1]

With the ever increasing cost of primers, powder, and bullets, I have put more effort and time into producing accurate cast loads.

Here are a few of the later and time tested loads I use for lever carbine and also the revolver. Velocity listed is for carbine which has a 10:1 twist liner. Powder type is given but not the charge - as always work up your own charge weight with the use of a trusted published manual.

View attachment 1178390

200GC RFP - 1450 Lil'Gun T
180 TCGC Sil - 1650 Lil'Gun T
158 Lee RFP GC added - 1850 Li'Gun H/T
150 RN GC added - 1780 W296 T
125 2R GC added - 2300 W296 H
(H = hunting use: T = target)

When loading the same bullets (less the 200) for the revolver, I do not use the above listed powders. For handgun a mid range burn powder is used and charge determined by impact to point of aim. Powders used in revolver: Longshot, True Blue, Blue Dot, or as always 2400.

Alloy - Lyman #2
Lube - Lyman Moly
Sized - same as groove in carbine and same as cyl throat for revolvers (within reason).

Sure others are doing or considering cast bullets. I refuse to pay what bullets go for now days. Scrounged lead is what it is but purchased alloy still will run close to 6 to 9 cents a piece depending on source and bullet weight.

Have you found any of the lil gun loads to get a decent sd/es. My loads with that powder are over 50

 

[Anchorite]

Casting is a labor of love. I did it for twenty-plus years until I just couldn’t justify the time anymore so I shelved much of my equipment. Wife still mumbles at me over my scrap lead out in the garage.

 

[AJC1]

Casting is a labor of love. I did it for twenty-plus years until I just couldn’t justify the time anymore so I shelved much of my equipment. Wife still mumbles at me over my scrap lead out in the garage.

Even in long term storage you still have the capability and knowledge... not a loss imo

 

[Targa]

Casting is a labor of love.

For me this is exactly what it is. I have never paid a dime for lead but after all my molds, casting pot, antimony, sizing dies, powder coating/lube set up, turkey fryer, cast iron processing pot, my time etc…etc…I would be fooling myself to think I was saving any money casting vs. just buying bullets.
I imagine some could go very minimalist in their casting endeavors and save money in the long run but that isn’t me, I went down the casting rabbit hole and am now looking at a RCBS Pro Melt.
Yep….this casting addiction of mine has cost me quite a bit, no doubt about it. As of now I still enjoy it but I can see that changing in the future.

 

[Anchorite]

For me this is exactly what it is. I have never paid a dime for lead but after all my molds, casting pot, antimony, sizing dies, powder coating/lube set up, turkey fryer, cast iron processing pot, my time etc…etc…I would be fooling myself to think I was saving any money casting vs. just buying bullets.
I imagine some could go very minimalist in their casting endeavors and save money in the long run but that isn’t me, I went down the casting rabbit hole and am now looking at a RCBS Pro Melt.
Yep….this casting addiction of mine has cost me quite a bit, no doubt about it. As of now I still enjoy it but I can see that changing in the future.

Exactly, my friend. No one ever saved any money reloading or casting. My father told me that forty years ago when he started teaching me. And as for casting, I enjoy it, the tinkering and joy that come from making your own, but the older I got the more I wanted to spend time shooting. And not to mention, the abundance of cast bullets you can buy now is overwhelming!

 

[lightman]

I shoot mostly cast in my handguns. And mostly clip-on wheelweight alloy. Lately I've been using high-temp lube from White Label Lube. It helps that their place is near me! My powder choices run from Winchester 231 to Unique to 2400. I cast up enough in the Spring to carry me through the year.

 

[bullseye308]

Cast is the way to go for most pistol uses, and I'm only target shooting so it really makes sense for me. I scrounge my lead, almost every bit of it for free, and powder coat for the pistols and tumble lube for the revolvers. My 357 load is a Lee 158SWC tumble lubed cast from WW over 5.0 grains of Bullseye. It's the only load for my GP-100 6" and it shoots very well. Its also self cleaning, the barrel hasn't needed to be cleaned in 8k rounds.


I avoid rabbit holes, can't afford them. 4# Lee pot, Lee ladle, 2 cavity Lee molds, Lee sizers(all bought new), $5 turkey fryer, gifted cast iron dutch oven, goodwill slotted spoon and ladle and muffin pans for pouring ingots, toaster oven for powder coating($15 total), and the rest I had. You can easily save lots of money reloading and casting, you just need to be thrifty and broke from the start.

 

[armoredman]

Exactly, my friend. No one ever saved any money reloading or casting. My father told me that forty years ago when he started teaching me. And as for casting, I enjoy it, the tinkering and joy that come from making your own, but the older I got the more I wanted to spend time shooting. And not to mention, the abundance of cast bullets you can buy now is overwhelming!

Well, actually I can honestly say I did save a ton of money, but that was because other people donated to my hobby, like the buddy who gave me hundreds of pounds of range scrap lead from a range cleanup, and the other buddy who smelted them for me into clean 1 pound ingots exchange for half, the loving wife who likes to shoot my loads, so she buys me components every so often, out of HER money, and the range brass that has somehow accumulated over the years - at one time I was loading 9mm for literally the cost of the electricity to run the lead pot and the powder coating oven. So, yeah, I can honestly say I have saved a bunch of cash over the last few years. Heck, that's how I got IN to reloading, with people giving me tools, saying it was time for me to learn! I have also passed on tools and components when I score huge deals to other reloaders/casters, too. Pay it forward!

 

[OS/N]

I just use a fish cooker, cast iron pot, and lyman dipper. I enjoy setting in the great outdoors under the shade tree next my loading shack. That helps to keep the cost down.

I mostly use lee commercial molds but have a good mix of old lyman molds and a few newer redding style and similar as well. Mold cost adds up after awhile but its a one time investment if taken care of and you make the right choices. I used to do a lot of WW but seems I end up buying more alloy these days.

I cast for 32, 38/357, 9mm, 45acp, and for the 30-30 lever gun. Well also round balls for 36 bp revolvers and the 50 bp rifle. Also a heeled bullet for conversion revolver historical bp cartridge 38C load.

Still buy high end bullets for the big CF hunting rifles but I don't shoot those very often anyway.

 

[OS/N]

Have you found any of the lil gun loads to get a decent sd/es. My loads with that powder are over 50 View attachment 1178441

If my memory serves me correctly, I think I use a 14.6 charge for the 180 tc cast load at 1.595 OAL. That was where the groups were best and powder was the most consistaint. As with your loads the LG topped out around there also more or less and the fps gain between a tenth of grain of powder gets closer and finally starts going down. Looks like the 14.8 +/- a tenth is your sweet spot (on that day anyway).

SD is funny sometimes though - a small one doesn't always equal the best group. You almost have to weigh brass, charge, and bullets all to within 1/10 grain to get in the low teens or single digits and if the charge is off for the barrel the groups may still be bad. Having a tight OAL makes a difference also.

Small SDs are easier to get in big bottle neck cases. If you are at 20 +/- in a handgun cartridge thats pretty good IMO.

 

[Anchorite]

If my memory serves me correctly, I think I use a 14.6 charge for the 180 tc cast load at 1.595 OAL. That was where the groups were best and powder was the most consistaint. As with your loads the LG topped out around there also more or less and the fps gain between a tenth of grain of powder gets closer and finally starts going down. Looks like the 14.8 +/- a tenth is your sweet spot (on that day anyway).

SD is funny sometimes though - a small one doesn't always equal the best group. You almost have to weigh brass, charge, and bullets all to within 1/10 grain to get in the low teens or single digits and if the charge is off for the barrel the groups may still be bad. Having a tight OAL makes a difference also.

Small SDs are easier to get in big bottle neck cases. If you are at 20 +/- in a handgun cartridge thats pretty good IMO.

I once loaded some 250gr LSWCs (.430) in my 4” barreled RH with AA#2 and got a s/d of ZERO on a few shots. As I recall, m/v was ~1150ish.
It left me and my shooting buddy (his chrono) scratching our heads.

 

[AJC1]

If my memory serves me correctly, I think I use a 14.6 charge for the 180 tc cast load at 1.595 OAL. That was where the groups were best and powder was the most consistaint. As with your loads the LG topped out around there also more or less and the fps gain between a tenth of grain of powder gets closer and finally starts going down. Looks like the 14.8 +/- a tenth is your sweet spot (on that day anyway).

SD is funny sometimes though - a small one doesn't always equal the best group. You almost have to weigh brass, charge, and bullets all to within 1/10 grain to get in the low teens or single digits and if the charge is off for the barrel the groups may still be bad. Having a tight OAL makes a difference also.

Small SDs are easier to get in big bottle neck cases. If you are at 20 +/- in a handgun cartridge thats pretty good IMO.

I've gotten single digit SD in 357 s few times

 

[garandsrus]

Cast can be quite a rabbit hole! I have two RCBS Pro-Melts and a couple Lee pots. I didn’t really intend to have two pro-melts, but that’s how it worked out. After I was already pretty far down the rabbit hole, I went to an estate sale and bought over 60 molds. I sold some to friends but kept most of them.

A mold is “free” after casting about 500 bullets with it. I have a LOT of free molds! I can also load anything from 22 Hornet to 45-70 for about a dime per round, some less. I probably don’t save any money, but I shoot a whole lot more for the same as buying a couple boxes of ammo at $2 per round. I cast for about 30 or 40 different carteidges.

 

[Reeferman]

I don’t worry about the cost as I enjoy casting, reloading and shooting. I haven’t smoked or drank for decades and the money I saved from not doing either more than pays for it plus I’m healthier and happier.

 

[mdi]

I started reloading in 1970, cast bullets in 38 Special. Don't (can't) remember when I started casting, but I never reloaded a jacketed bullet until the mid 2000s when a 9mm came into my life. Casting opens up a whole new world in addition to our reloading hobby. Besides learning/perfecting casting one learns much more about their guns. (taking some dirty, greasy junk lead, melting/cleaning to get some clean ingots, then melting those ingots and carefully casting up a bunch of perfect, custom fit bullets, especially for your gun is one of the most satisfying aspects of reloading/shooting). I have some guns that have never fired a jacketed bullet since they have been in my possession and I still have not purchased a 44 caliber jacketed bullet.

I had a very good supply of wheel weights so that was the bulk of mu casting alloy, and I did delve into alloying but that can be a lot more research and experimentation so today most or my casting is done with my "Mystery Metal" that runs about 11-12 BHN and works for 98% of my cast bullet needs.

I do understand that casting isn't for everyone as it can be a lot of work and very time consuming. But it is a major part of my shooting life and will prolly keep casting till I can't carry the lead to the pot anymore...

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I started casting for my first revolver, a black powder cap & ball 36 cal. I started out with an old electric hot plate I found in the barn and a 10lb lead pot and lead spoon.
I don't cast that much because I don't have the lead supply I once had, I'm down to my last 25lb and those ingot are also mystery metal, mostly wheel weight.
I use Lee's economy molds, they do good enough for my needs.
I've been watching for a toaster/oven to start powder coating with but have too many other priorities right now. Someday, maybe when I retire.

 

[dannyd]

Casting can be addictive.

 

[DMW1116]

When I was tinkering around with knife making, one thing from the pros came up often. They advised to buy known alloys and not resort to scrap until one had enough experience to tell what was going on. Is this sound advice for new casters too? Get alloys with known compositions to learn and then start using scrap after one gets enough practice to identify issues and correct them?

 

[Anchorite]

Casting can be addictive.
View attachment 1178555

It sure can be. I joke with a shooting acquaintance who really gets into his own barbecue that casting is a lot like barbecue cooking.….time, technique, devotion, experimenting, and tools! He’s so far stuck with cooking, but maybe one day he will take up casting.

 

[Armored farmer]

I pretty much cast everything I shoot except 9mm and I am starting to do them too.

 

[Targa]

I started casting for 9mm after the last covid panic fiasco. I casted a small stockpile for the next panic, now I will just need to worry about toilet paper.

 

[dannyd]

I have casted over 200,000 bullets, it's just fun to do. But, these days because of age I do 25 to 30 lbs. and that's it for the day. 30 years ago I could cast all day in 100 degree weather.

 

[eddiememphis]

You can easily save lots of money... you just need to be thrifty and broke from the start.

This applies to life, not reloading.

 

[dannyd]

This applies to life, not reloading.

Never have saved a dime in 60 years of shooting and 34 years of reloading, just shoot more and more.