M92 38/357 Lead Bullet Accuracy Loads

[Cheyenne4090]

Below is the target from my December 14th post:

"Anyway the hands down winner was the last load tested which was some old and formerly corroded R-P 357 Mag 125gr JHP. This stuff was given to me years ago after being left in a damp barn. It had a white powder on the nickel cases and bullets. I put it in a vibratory case cleaner and it seems to work fine. Anyway I shot 8 of the 10 shots into a group 1 1/4" tall x 3/4" wide. One flier went high about 1 1/2" and one went low about 4" but also clocked 200fps slower. This stuff averaged 2050fps in my 24" barrel."

The target was shot at 100yds. I know what the rifle is capable of with jacketed bullets and I would think it can do as good with lead given the right load.

[Cheyenne4090]

Has anyone compared the Lee 158 RNFP to the Lyman #358665? They look like very similar bullets. Lyman list their bullet as having a BC of .267 while Lee list the BC of their bullet as .160, seems like a huge difference for nearly identical bullets. Based on a 100yd zero, the Lee would drop about 5 inches more than the Lyman at 225yds. More important to me is that at 225yds the Lee would have 19.5 inches of wind drift in a 10mph cross wind while the Lyman would only drift 11.2 inches. My original intent in starting this thread was to find the most accurate lead bullet load for shooting out to 200 meters or about 225yds in gong matches held in Alliance, Nebraska. Its always windy there so having the bullet with the best BC is a plus.

Anyone have any idea on the accuracy of the manufacturer's claims of BC on these bullets. I don't know of any simple way to figure it out myself.

Thanks

[GasGuzzler]

Someone needs to trade you some from that high dollar Lyman mold to see.

[Cheyenne4090]

Yeah it seems like somebody's being overly optimistic or being too conservative on their ballistic coefficients. The bullets look almost identical. I think I read that the ballistic coefficient can change based on the velocity so maybe one is using a real low velocity to determine the BC and the other one is using a really high velocity. I know one thing, that Lee bullet sure does work good in the rifle so for the price of one of the Lee molds I'm definitely going to own it.

[cdmajesty]

The Lee with the .16 BC is an accurate BC. Most lead bullets will be in the .16-.21 range, with .18-.19 being a good average, in my limited experience. And, yes, the BC changes with velocity. The slower the velocity, the higher the BC. The Lee 158 grainer at around 1800-2000 fps will probably be around .16. Yes, I have chronographed different loads (bullets) at various ranges to sufficiently prove this to myself.

I personally like the Mihec (MP molds) 360-640 (150 grain hollow point) at 1300 fps out of the Rossi (6.3 grains Unique). With peep sights it shoots around 5-8" for 5 shots at 200 yards. At 100 yards I had many groups in the 2-3" range for 5 shots. It's a good plinker practice load that does not require a gas check, is easy to load, and cheap & accurate to shoot.

[donhuff]

cd, I was going to recommend that same 360-640 bullet. I do not have the mold nor have I shot the bullet, but I have read nothing but praise about it's accuracy.

I have been wondering about this NOE mold 360-154 http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_in ... ts_id=1531

It appears to be a copy of the Mihec 640 bullet design, but I have not found any reports about how it performs. I prefer to buy from NOE because they seem to really be catering to us casters lately.

4090, you should do a lot better especially at distance, with a design more like this one. The smaller meplat and more pointy nose ought to make it better in the wind. And since your not hunting with it that big meplat of the Lee bullet is doing nothing helpful for you.

[cdmajesty]

Yes, that bullet looks similar to the 360640, although it has a very small front driving band (ahead of the crimp groove) that the 360640 doesn't. Bob (aka 45 2.1) on castboolits designed the 360640, and it flat out shoots!

[cdmajesty]

I should add that I can ring a 12x16" gong all day long at 200 yards when taking a knee as my only support. this is from a 16" Rossi. The Lyman 66 receiver sight that I use allows me to very quickly readjust zero for multiple loads at various distances.

I recommend a plain based bullet (like the OP mentioned) with a smallish meplat (keep it at or under .25, but .23 is better) in the mid-range weight at 1400-1800 fps (wherever the best accuracy is achieved). You can water drop them for more hardness if you want to get into the upper range of velocity.

[Cheyenne4090]

Thanks for all the insight. I think I will start with the lee 125 RNFP and the 158 RNFP molds as they are relatively cheap and readily available. My testing so far with both shows promise.

[Cheyenne4090]

I wanted to show you guys one of the inertia pulled R-P Target Master 158 LSWC bullets that shoot so well in my M92. These must be near pure lead as they are extremely soft. You can see the dent in the front driving band where the bullet hit the inside of the inertia puller.

I measured this with a micrometer to be as accurate as possible. Look how small the rear 1/3 of the bearing surface is and even the middle 1/3 is not that big. I have clocked these at 1032fps on a 70 degree day and 1009fps on a 30 degree day. I have shot groups of 1" at 100m and 5" at 200m with these rounds. What make a bullet of this weight/length stabilize out to 200m and shoot so well at low speed and then fall apart as the speed picks up. Has me baffled.