160 grain .357 lead bullets

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Bucksnort1

New member
I have a lot of (for me it's a lot) 160 grain, .357 LSWC bullets. I looked for recipes and could only find one for a 160 grain linotype round nose bullets.

Other than the difference in the shape of the two bullets and that linotype bullets are probably harder, what's the difference in loading. I'm loading for 38 special.

160 grains is 160 grains, yes?

Is it ok to use the linotype recipe for the LSWC bullets?
 
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USSR

New member
Bucksnort1,

Cast lead bullet weights will vary according to the alloy used. Just use 158gr LSWC load data and you will be fine.

Don
 
B

Bucksnort1

New member
USSR,

A while back, I asked the question about loading 160 grain lead bullets. I believe you advised me to load as 158, which I did. I am curious to know the difference in the linotype and non-linotype 160 grain bullets.
 
P

P Flados

New member
My 158 gr Lee mold drops 160 gr bullets.

I use 158 grain jacketed bullet load data for reference.

I have used Quickload a bunch of times to determine how much adjustment to the specified charge is needed to compensate for small weight changers or small seating depth changes. The weight difference between a 158 and 160 is real close to insignificant. What is frequently much more important is any change in seating depth.

One really nice thing about my Quickload software is the ability to plug in the exact bullet used for the reference load and the software will figure out the seating depth (it knows the lengths of all common commercial bullets).

For example Alliant used the Speer 158 Gold Dot for some of its 357 magnum 158 gr loads. With a 1.575" OAL, the 0.680" long Speer bullet is seated 0.395" deep.
 
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P Flados

New member
As for impact from the difference in hardness, it is also small. Quickload uses a "start pressure" to deal with this parameter.

I ran a 6" 357 with a cast bullet and a jacketed bullet. All cases use the same charge of 16 grs of H110 and I started off with a seating depth of 0.395.

The 158 cast bullet calculated results: 1363 fps at 31698 psi.

The 158 jacket bullet calculated results: 1360 fps at 31749 psi.

I then ran the cast load with the weight increased to 160 gr.

The 160 cast bullet calculated results: 1362 fps at 32151 psi.

I then went back to 158 grs but increased the seating depth to 0.415"

The 158 cast bullet calculated results: 1393 fps at 34490 psi.

The above cases all support the position that seating depth is more important than a couple of grains bullet weight or the difference between jacketed data and cast data.
 
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44 AMP

Staff
If my math is right, 2gr is 1.25% of 160gr.
one and a quarter PERCENT difference
That is a very small amount.
At .38 special pressure and speeds this is an insignificant difference.
 
F

FoghornLeghorn

New member
The decimal should be moved a couple of places to 0.0125 which is smaller.
Click to expand...

Imperceptible.

Amazing what our digital age allows us to do.

"What time is it?"

"Twelve forty-nine."

Back in the day it was simply "ten till."
 
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USSR

New member
I am curious to know the difference in the linotype and non-linotype 160 grain bullets.
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Linotype is simply the alloy they used when testing that particular bullet. Back in the day, linotype was cheap and readily available - not so today. It makes for a light and hard bullet. Using alloys typically used today, the same bullet will be softer and weigh more.

Don
 
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T. O'Heir

New member
Linotype is lead. Pure lead too, as I recall. Used by printers in the olden days.
As mentioned, 2 grains won't make any difference.
"...a cast bullet and a jacketed bullet..." Different critters. A cast bullet using jacketed data can lead your barrel.
16 grains of H110 is .7 below MAX. Hodgdon doesn't give any cast bullet loads for the .357. Mind you, they also tested with a 10" barrel.
 
T

tangolima

New member
T. O'Heir said:
Linotype is lead. Pure lead too, as I recall. Used by printers in the olden days.
As mentioned, 2 grains won't make any difference.
"...a cast bullet and a jacketed bullet..." Different critters. A cast bullet using jacketed data can lead your barrel.
16 grains of H110 is .7 below MAX. Hodgdon doesn't give any cast bullet loads for the .357. Mind you, they also tested with a 10" barrel.
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Linotype is most certainly not pure lead.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
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Unclenick

Staff
Linotype is a category of alloys for casting moveable type. The most common composition is 84% lead, 12% antimony, and 4% tin.
 
R

recoil junky

New member
USSR said:
Linotype is simply the alloy they used when testing that particular bullet. Back in the day, linotype was cheap and readily available - not so today. It makes for a light and hard bullet. Using alloys typically used today, the same bullet will be softer and weigh more.

Don
Click to expand...

Depending on who's mould you are using. FME, Lee moulds tend to run light while Lyman moulds tend to run heavy. Maybe its just me.

Linotype can still be purchased from various suppliers at a few pennies more per pound than #2 alloy, or you can purchase the lead, antimony and tin separately and make your own for a few pennies a pound cheaper.

Wheel weights are a crap shoot as to composition, but adding tin (2-3%, which doesn't make bullets harder) facilitates mould fill allowing the melt to flow better in the mould thus casting "larger" bullets for better sizing.

When weighing cast bullets, always include the lube and gas check if there is one.

To the OP's original question, as with any new load, start at the lowest "starting load" and work up and you will always be safe.

RJ
 
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USSR

New member
Linotype can still be purchased from various suppliers at a few pennies more per pound than #2 alloy, or you can purchase the lead, antimony and tin separately and make your own for a few pennies a pound cheaper.
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Please do not try to make your own linotype by buying pure antimony and blending it into lead and tin. Antimony is very toxic and the temperatures required to blend it are beyond normal casting temperatures. If you want linotype, buy linotype.

Don
 
U

Unclenick

Staff
It's the alloying temperature that is the issue, so you want to buy an antimony/lead alloy if you are going to create your own blend.

Since this has turned into a casting discussion, I'll move it to the cast bullet forum.
 
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