Lee Loader

So anyone familiar with my whining and constant questions knows im still new to reloading but now im thinking of picking up two different bullet weights for 357, 158gr which im now reloading and possibly 125gr for plinking in 38SP power loads

Part of me thinks 'neat, flexibility!' buy another is 'boo, more cost and complexity'

So experienced reloaders whats your SOP, do you typically have more than one bullet weight for your favorite calibers?

Yes. For 9 mm and 38 sp most are the lee 358-125-RF , but I also load jacketed HP and other cast bullets in both of them. The 357 mag gets everything from the 125 gr up to 200 gr. The 200 gr is in a 38 sp case, It is seated long, and will not chamber in a 38. I do not lube most of my bullets, but powder coat or Hi-Tek them.
I use different colors to easily ID them.

I use different bullets (weight and lube) for my .38 spl nitro and blackpowder loads. One reason for me was that I can easily identify single rounds as nitro or BP loads. The other was, that Moly isn't a good lube for black powder.

When you have specific seating dies set up for every bullet, you don't have to readjust every time. Then it's actually not complicated at all. If you place one finished sample/inert round to every seating die, you can't even mix them up.

I cast for several different caliber milsurplus rifles and handguns. At a minimum I have at least 2 different molds for each different gun. For the .30 cals and 9mm I must have 6 different molds for each.
Every rifle and handgun has it's bullet likes and dislikes. Some just don't seem to care like my S&W .38spl . It's the powder type and weight makes each bullet weight behave up to it's potential. Notes for each gun make this not as complicated as it was before I kept detailed records.

The reason for different load/bullet combinations is because it is fun to learn what combinations work for the kind of shooting I want to do and that individual gun. I admit I get stuck in a rut with some guns now that I've found the "perfect" load for a specific gun like the M1 Garand or my Bulgarian Makarov. Some guns the search go on and on.

Oh, my, yes. 357 everything from 110 gr to 180, 45 Colt 200 to 300 and it goes on and on,up through numerous rifle calibers. Experimentation mostly and different bullets (loads) for different games.

Make smoke,

35/38 cal ?
I have moulds at 90,125 , 140, 158,161, 200 and 228 .

45 is even worse
200,250,255,257,350,405 (3 different bullets) , 420 .

Only 4 in 30 cal .

Of course I can justify this madness by loading 380,9mm,38, 357 and 358 Win .
45 ACP, Schofield , Colts , Raptor and 45-70 .
X39,30-30,308 and 30-06 .

Multiple bullets lend flexibility . With the 38/357 you literally have the option of loading from a 22 mag all the way up to bear defense with 3 bullets and 2 powders . Enter the self cast bullet . While the 358-90 RNFP is intended for the 380 I'd bet that powder coated a guy could run it over 1500fps but you can also take a powder like Bullseye or Red Dot and put it in a rifle for a squirrel whacker and hardly hear the shot . Use H110 or 2400 with a 358-200 RNFP and it's a drill that wrecks stuff . With the 158s you can punch paper from 38 wadcutter levels up to , in a rifle , nearly 30-30 levels .

I have a soft place for the 38/357 . If everything goes wrong it is among the few I would keep close just because of it's usefulness and more bullets just make it better .

38 spl/357 What I have and use, 158 gr SWC with gas check, 150 gr SWC plain base, 158 gr tumble lube SWC, 105 gr SWC plain base and I recently picked up a 148 gr WC mold. All but the 148 are Lee molds. The 105 and the 150 are great for light 38 loads, the 105 has also made it into 9mm and 380 loads.

I dont go way low like 125 in .357/38. I do go up when it makes sense.

Well i bought a sample pack of MBC's 125gr TCFP and i think i could go lower, maybe 105-110 for my Special plinkers

Question, in your experience, which bullet type generally seats at the groove to give the longest COAL? Or does it change by manufacturer? I have some 357 loaded with MBCs 158gr RNFP and others with ACME 158gr LSWC and the latter are much longer (visually, didnt caliper them) and both are in the crimp groove

Im loading Special for a Special only pistol but would like to shoot them out of my Rossi 92 to make it a popgun and it helps if theyre as long as possible

The correct answer is to work up each bullet from scratch .

I once had a 45 Colts load that called for a shorter OAL than I wanted to load . Think a bullet with 2 crimp grooves . The longer load just wouldn't deliver so I dropped back to the start load or maybe a little over . That load went from 900-1050 shotgun groups to 1200 fps and 5" at 50 yd I don't know how much that takes with the powder in question but it is a bunch with a 265 gr bullet in a 45 Colts . While it was a great load it was too much of a good thing for me .

With time you will figure it out and have enough notes made up to know if a load is too much for a bullet change . In this case work the load for the deeper seating bullet first . Then start there or backed off .1 and work up the shallower bullet . More case space will almost always lower pressures .

Some powders will become erratic like H110/W296 when their happy space get too big and BP is a bomb with any airspace at all .