MP’s 358-180 RFGC
Bullet Mold
A Multi-Purpose Marvel
MP-Molds 358-180RFGC is very versatile, capable of loading (left to right)
.38 Special, .357 Magnum, .357 Maximum, .35 Remington and .358 Winchester, to name a few.
When it comes to casting bullets and handloading, versatility is my favorite word. Being versatile means something can fill-in, or be substituted for, several different purposes rather than being specialized for a specific task. We all love powders filling this niche for several different calibers, right? Unique comes to mind here, performing well in cartridges from the .32s to the large .500s.
Bullets can be the same way. Of all the calibers, I think the .358 may have the most cartridges with this diameter. I recently bought a new mold. Surprise, surprise, eh? This four-cavity masterpiece has the ability to cast solids and three different hollow-point designs, all weighing around 180+ grains and dropping out at 0.360″. Think of the possibilities.
Shown are the insert pins allowing for different hollow points.
A solid option is also possible.
MP Molds 358 180. GCHP
The mold comes from Slovenia and its four cavities make it a casting machine. It comes with four different pins, allowing you to cast solids, pentagonal hollow-points (HPs), and two different round HPs with different depths, depending on how much expansion you want. It is of a Gas Check (GC) design so you can drive it faster with softer alloy, without leading your barrel. As you see the options are endless between solid or HP designs. Now start thinking about the different calibers you can load, and you really have versatility. Don’t you love it? I sure do!
In solid form, bullets drop at 187 grains. The solid will drive straight and true, while providing the best penetration. The wide, flat meplat, or nose flat will cause a large, permanent wound channel, too. Solids are great for heavily muscled game like pigs to penetrate the tough gristle plate.
Loaded in .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .357 Maximum, or 350 Legend, it carries enough weight to be effective in all these calibers. Plus, it can be used in .35 Remington, getting almost 2,400 FPS, for a flat-shooting, hard-hitting option. The short and often forgotten .358 Winchester can drive these bullets over 2,500 FPS. Wow! It’s one of my favorites.
One mold for all — (above, left to right) Powder-Coated, Sized
and Gas-Check applied, and different hollow points.
The Loads
Starting with .38 Special, we have a heavy load for magnum-sized guns only. It’s based off of Elmer Keith’s famous load using the 358429 over a stiff charge of 2400. With this bullet, we’re going to use 13 grains of Alliant 2400. Velocity is over 1,250 FPS from my 6.5″ old model Blackhawk revolver.
It shoots 1″ groups at 25 yards on my good days. I would have no qualms taking deer-sized game with this load. Out of my Marlin 1894C, velocities crank up to over 1,600 FPS.
The .357 Magnum does well with 14.5 grains of 2400, breaking 1,400 FPS with the same accuracy as the .38 Special. Out of the Marlin 1894C, it jumps up to over 1,800 FPS and is extremely accurate.
Out of my Ruger .357 Maximum, loaded over 20.5 grains of 4227, I get 1,630 FPS. My TC Contender carbine launches them at 2,000 FPS with all the accuracy you could want!
The .35 Remington is a favorite of mine because of its efficiency and my love for Marlin lever guns. Loaded with 38 grains of H335, we can get almost 2,400 FPS. That’s smokin’! Loaded with HP slugs, it is a devastating deer hammer.
The .358 Winchester does even better. With 47 grains of H335, velocity is over 2,600 FPS, with no leading. Pretty cool, huh?
As you can see, this one mold feeds all these calibers without missing a beat. I sure don’t feel cheated shooting these loads. Far from it! I’m feeling the satisfaction and excitement of being self-sufficient plus you’ll save yourself some money doing it yourself.
I know I’ve excluded the .356 Winchester and .35 Whelen, as great as they are. Maybe we’ll cover them on another day? However, with this mold and my lead and powder, I have an unlimited source of available ammunition. The .35 caliber cartridges really bring out the effectiveness of cast-bullet cartridges.
Tank uses his Dillon 550C to crank out loads by the thousands.
In this case, some hot-loaded .38s with this slug.
Cost Effective
Here’s something to consider when you start tallying up the cost of reloading equipment. I’ve saved enough money over the years handloading to have bought my equipment 20 times over, while having the satisfaction of shooting ammo made from my own two hands — something no amount of money can buy!
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