[wattjb]

I am wanting to get into casting my own bullets for whitetail hunting next season and was wondering if a 240 grain semi-wadcutter bullet would be adequate or should I go with a 240 or 250 gr. round nose flat point mold.  I understand the flat point bullets would probably work better, but would the swc bullets do the job.  If anyone has had any experience with swc vs. fp on deer, I would appreciate hearing from you.

 

[wattjb]

Thank you so much for your help, RugerNo3, but your reply has raised another question or two.  First, what are the differences between cowboy style bullets and LBT bullets?  I know you mentioned the larger meplat of the LBT which brings me to my next question.  Doesn't a SWC have a smaller meplat than either the cowboy bullet or the LBT bullet, and if so, why would the SWC be better for hunting than a cowboy style bullet?  I am new to reloading and like I said, I am wanting to get into casting my own bullets for hunting, so any info you can give me would be much appreciated.

 

[wattjb]

All of your posts have been very helpful, but I am full of questions so here is another one.  I am on a limited budget and was looking at the Lee moulds, particularly the C429-240-SWC.  Have any of you had any experience with Lee moulds?  If so, good? bad? so-so?
Or would I be better off with the Lyman or RCBS moulds that you mentioned?

 

[wattjb]

I will be using the bullets in a S&W 629-4 with a 6.5" ported barrel.  I have read other posts about the durability of the 629 with 300+ gr. magnum loads; the 310gr. WFN Lee mold caught my eye, but after reading some of the posts about S&Ws not handling the heavy bullets, I am hesitant.  That is why I started looking for a good 240 or 250 gr. mold.

 

[wattjb]

MikeG,  I would only be using gas-checked bullets, but thanks for pointing that out.  I did not realize that plain-based bullets were a problem in ported guns.  

Since we're talking about gas checks, I've got another question for you guys.  Like I said, I am fairly new to reloading, so I have all kinds of questions.  I will be loading primarily cast bullets of one type or another and was wondering if there is a certain "magic" velocity barrier where gas checks should begin to be used?  For instance, I also shoot a 357 SBH, and I want to shoot 158gr SWCs but the only bulk bullets I can find are either plain base or bevel base.  Would these bullets work fine at any reasonable velocity and not lead my barrel or is there a certain velocity where I would need to go with a gas check design?  Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated as I am trying to learn all I can.

 

[wattjb]

I just wanted to let you all know that I am glad I finally found a website where everyone seems to know what they are talking about.  I can tell almost everyone here is extremely knowledgeable about reloading, guns, and all other aspects of shooting.  As a beginning reloader, I find all of the information on the forum a big help as I try to tackle the seemingly daunting task of getting all the variables just right in order to produce an accurate load that my gun likes.  I can't tell you all enough what an excellent source of useful information this website is.

By the way, after reading all of the replies, I think I have decided to focus more on the task of reloading and finding the bullets and loads that my guns like before I spend the money to start casting my own.  I'm expecting an order of BTB 185gr. WFNGC bullets for my 357 SBH that I ordered back in the summer, so I am excited about getting those and trying them out.  I also think I might try some Cast Performance 300gr. WFNGC bullets for my 629 to see how the gun and myself handle them.