Which molds for 357 Magnum and 44 Magnum should I buy?

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Stopsign32v

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I'm wanting to cast some accurate and useful (for protection, because why not?) 357 and 44 mag loads to use in my Ruger revolver and Marlin 1894s. Derek45 was very helpful (thank you Derek) and pointed me in the direction of Arsenal molds and their Keith clones.

I was looking at the 358-158KT and the 358429 SWC 170 for 357 Mag. I'd also like to find a nice 180gr mold.

For the 44 Mag I was looking at the 432-250 H&G 503 mold.

But I wanted to ask you guys, which molds would you suggest to me for some serious magnum loads? I will be powder coating these too BTW.
 
I have been casting the Lee 358-135 SWC for years and would have no problem using it for anything but very large game. You can vary the composition and hardness to suit your needs.
 
I love a Keith type SWC in my revolvers but many lever guns won't feed them reliably. I would look at a flat nose slightly rounded bullet. Every mold maker offers one. Weight wise I would look at 170-180 grains in the 357 and 245-250 grains in the 44. You listed some excellent molds above but I fear you will suffer feeding problems.
 
The H&G 503 is the mold for the .44, in my opinion - I have never fired the bullet in a rifle, though.

The 158 KT is a good bullet when it works, but hot .357 loads can be pretty hard on the bullet base and leading often is an issue. I really do like a gas check on a .357 Magnum bullet, and as far as I am aware, Arsenal does not offer one. Lyman's 358156 is my favorite. The actual Lyman molds work well, but max out at two pot, to the best of my knowledge. I often will use two of them in rotation to speed things up, but also have large capacity aluminum molds from Accurate (36-160DG) and NOE (360-165-SWC-T5).
 
.38 Special said:
The H&G 503 is the mold for the .44, in my opinion - I have never fired the bullet in a rifle, though.

The 158 KT is a good bullet when it works, but hot .357 loads can be pretty hard on the bullet base and leading often is an issue. I really do like a gas check on a .357 Magnum bullet, and as far as I am aware, Arsenal does not offer one. Lyman's 358156 is my favorite. The actual Lyman molds work well, but max out at two pot, to the best of my knowledge. I often will use two of them in rotation to speed things up, but also have large capacity aluminum molds from Accurate (36-160DG) and NOE (360-165-SWC-T5).
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So even with powder coating do you think leading would be a problem? Before you went gas checked, why wouldn't you just go fmj like RMR or Everglades sells?

But maybe it is weird, I like the look of pure lead bullets.
 
I've been hoodwinked by so many different coating fads that I'm pretty resistant to any new ones. I'll give PC a try if it's still around in 20 years.

I generally prefer plain base, but in my experience, the .357 often prefers gas checks. They are slightly more time consuming, and slightly more expensive, but worth it for that cartridge, at least as far as I am concerned.

With regard to jacketed bullets, they're too expensive to buy and too difficult to make. They also wear out barrels too quickly, and leave behind deposits that are much more difficult to remove than is light leading. And, for practical purposes, they can't be fitted to a revolver's dimensions the way cast bullets can.

<Edit> If you are dead-set on using a plain base SWC in the .357, I would recommend a heavier bullet. Arsenal's 358429 SWC 170 Keith is as good as any, and with a lower powder charge and velocity than comparable 158 grain loads is less likely to cause leading.
 
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.38 Special said:
<Edit> If you are dead-set on using a plain base SWC in the .357, I would recommend a heavier bullet. Arsenal's 358429 SWC 170 Keith is as good as any, and with a lower powder charge and velocity than comparable 158 grain loads is less likely to cause leading.
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I wonder if the GP100 revolver cylinders will accept the 170gr Keith?
 
PapaG said:
358156 gc, 357446 plain. 429421 plain, 429244 gc.
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I have used both Keith style bullets for my Python .357 mag & M29 S&W .44 mag for many years with outstanding results, on penetration testing on an old abandoned house the lead bullets ( cast 1/20 ) 357 mag would penetrate outside wall ( 1"-space-1" ) inside wall cross 15'' feet of room space then pass thru 2" thick staircase and lodge in other side, sometimes with nose of bullet sticking out. 41 & 44 Magnum bullets would pass thru 5 walls and outside, never recovered. Shot several deer ( filled my tag each year ) one shot kills each time. You can't go wrong using Keith style bullets!!!
 
Does anyone have access to the 170gr 357 Keith mold? I'd like to see if they will fit in my GP100. If possible I'll pay for 5 or so of them for testing.
 
Stopsign32v said:
Does anyone have access to the 170gr 357 Keith mold? I'd like to see if they will fit in my GP100. If possible I'll pay for 5 or so of them for testing.
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It won’t really matter as you can just go a little deeper into the case and crimping on the front driving band. For sure it’s going to be a tight fit and any movement under recoil is going to lock your cylinder. As I recall, the NOE 358 170 will fit when crimped o. The groove.
 
I have been waiting for someone to post a SWC that will cycle reliably in an unmodified Marlin.
 
bluejay75 said:
It won’t really matter as you can just go a little deeper into the case and crimping on the front driving band. For sure it’s going to be a tight fit and any movement under recoil is going to lock your cylinder. As I recall, the NOE 358 170 will fit when crimped o. The groove.
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I could be blind but I do not see the 358 170 NOE
 
751A5B36-F48B-40A9-8543-60DAC79BDA2A.jpeg
Stopsign32v said:
I could be blind but I do not see the 358 170 NOE
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Here you are good sir. In both 44,45 and 38 caliber molds, Al took what Elmer Keith WANTED to change about the molds and went from there. A little more meplat and shorter noses.

https://noebulletmolds.com/site/product-category/358/360-172-swc-bc1/

In regards to the WFN style bullets they definitely cycle in lever guns. And I load them long in 38 special brass all out for a load that’s 5-7 cents but can kill deer, bear and hog. 180 grain bullet in 38 special case with over 16 grains of 300mp. 1.5 moa 100 yard load with a plain base. No chance of getting it mixed up in a 38 only cylinder.
 
You will not be disappointed by NOE, Accurate, or MP molds. They are all top quality and NOE and MP also have several different popular profiles that are able to be had in hollow point if desired.
 
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