lead 38 cal bullets

[Jeff H]

I know everyone on this forum raves about Missouri Bullets, but it seems that they don't really have much to choose from if I want to load anything other than SWC for 357 mag.

Dardas bullets seems like they have a much nicer selection of pullet profiles and I really like that several designs are flat base bullets, or the bevel is much smaller than normal. They use the same alloy of lead for all of their bullets according to recent email correspondence with a hardness of about 18.

Whats everyones opinion of this company and more specifically the 158g RNFP that they offer, that bullet looks like it will work very nice for both 38spec and 357mag.

 

[rcmodel]

Don't know what you are looking at on Missouri Bullet website, but he has a pretty wide range of bullets in .38 Spl./.357, including 158 RNFP.

http://www.missouribullet.com/results.php?category=5&secondary=9

Maybe you just looked at the extra hard .357 Mag SWC?

rc

 

[MissouriBullet]

I know everyone on this forum raves about Missouri Bullets, but it seems that they don't really have much to choose from if I want to load anything other than SWC for 357 mag.

Dardas bullets seems like they have a much nicer selection of pullet profiles and I really like that several designs are flat base bullets, or the bevel is much smaller than normal. They use the same alloy of lead for all of their bullets according to recent email correspondence with a hardness of about 18.

Whats everyones opinion of this company and more specifically the 158g RNFP that they offer, that bullet looks like it will work very nice for both 38spec and 357mag.

We have the 125 grain TCFP, 148 grain DEWC (in .357 and .358) 158 RNFP, 158 RN, 158 SWC, and a 140 grain TCFP that isn't on the website yet.

We will happily make any of these bullets in any hardness between 12 and 18 if the style we offer doesn't come standard in that hardness. I don't know about anybody else, but I don't think that a 12 BHN bullet is optimal in a true .357 Magnum loading and that is why we separate the .38's from the .357 Magnum categories, given that we offer the customer the option of softer or harder alloy across our entire line of 51 bullets.

So, that makes 6 bullets suitable for the .357 Magnum, all with the same standard bevel that everyone who uses Magma Engineering bevel-base moulds produces. How does that number of .358 bullets compare with the competition, Jeff?

And what's a "pullet profile" and how do we get a wider selection of them?

 

[Jesse Heywood]

And what's a "pullet profile" and how do we get a wider selection of them?

And I thought you were from farm country!

 

[squarles67]

There is also one listed under rifle bullets, #1 Ranger

http://www.missouribullet.com/details.php?prodId=110&category=6&secondary=&keywords=

 

[Jeff H]

Well, I stand corrected Brad, thanks for clearing that up. I was only looking at the 357 mag section and only saw the SWC listed. I like the idea of a RNFP bullet for 357 because I can feed those a bit better in my levergun and they also work well in my revolvers. Would the price be any different for these in a harder alloy vs. the SWC?

pullet profiles

And yet another example of my typing skills at there very finest...

 

[MissouriBullet]

Jeff, the RNFP is made for the Marlin carbine. The RN feeds fine there, but some people are twitchy about the possibility of a chain fire resulting the impact of a bullet nose impacting the primer in front of it.

We don't charge any extra for twiddling the hardness, as it is just a matter of switching the alloy from one to the other (normally done at the end of a run of regular bullets.)

Thank you!

Brad

 

[moooose102]

i have used dardas before, (before i started casting my own) with very good results. no apreciable leading, as long as you keep velocities somewher below mach 4. LOL! seriously though, never had a problem with them, even with bevel base bullets. i would reccomend them.

 

[azar]

We don't charge any extra for twiddling the hardness, as it is just a matter of switching the alloy from one to the other (normally done at the end of a run of regular bullets.)

That's good to know. I was actually wondering that myself and considering e-mailing you to ask you that very question.

Keep up the great work!

 

[Oyeboten]

Hi Brad,


What about 148 grain and even other weight HBWCs in .38 Special?


Have you thought about offering those? Or, do you have them but I missed seeing them?


Not trying to drive you nuts! Just curious...

 

[rcmodel]

I don't think you are going to find many bullet casters offering hollow-base wad-cutters.

They are almost always swaged by the factories.

Casting requires a three piece mold with a removable tapered base plug to form the hollow base.

And they don't generally work so good on auto-casting machines from what I've heard.

rc

 

[Walkalong]

I have never seen any other than swaged HBWC's either. The various cast DEWC's shoot real well too. They just are not as good for the really light target loads. They take more pressure to get them out of the barrel OK, as well as bump them up to seal the throats etc.

 

[Oyeboten]

Ohhhhhhhhh....okay...makes sense.

 

[MissouriBullet]

Ditto to the above re: hollow-base. Can't do 'er!

 

[Travis Two]

www.pennbullets.com has an extensive list of .38/.357 bullets available from 100 gr to 230 gr. available in different alloys. The 158 TC is my favorite and is superb in lever action guns as well as revolvers and is more accurate than the rnfp designs. The 125 is also quite good and is popular among many of the top cowboy action shooters across the country. Check it out.