You have a very valid concern in not wanting to spend a lot of money on a mold that doesn't work well. Trust me, no one gets poor results from LBT molds if they ask questions about which bullet design to purchase, and let me know what kind of work they want the bullet to do. I have set up LBT to eliminate that completely, and I did it 20 years ago because I was let down on so many molds which I had bought. Since I've developed the technology to make lead work, fitting a gun is a scientific matter with me, with certain good results, whether it is your gun or mine. I consider this claim my legitimate right to be your mold maker.
The 180 gr FN gas checked is an excellent choice for the maximum, and suitable for 357 magnum revolvers as well. If you intend to use it only in the maximum Contender only, a 200 gr would make it act more like a heavy rifle, with considerably more whallop and accuracy at the longest ranges.
If you've followed my forum you already know that I reccomend lapping of most guns, and slug it to be sure of the diameter bullet you need. If you do those two things, are reasonably carefull with your casting and sizing, and use LBT lubricant you will find bullets from your LBT mold will shoot as well or better than any bullet you can buy, and will not be particular about specific loads to obtain accuracy. IF you don't love the performance you get, just let me know and I'll walk you through the problems which are hurting performance. LBT stands for Lead Bullet Technology, and I'm not done with you till you understand how to make your guns work.
I hope that doesn't sound like hard selling, because it isn't. It is just a matter of being scientifically precise, which makes your gun the precision launch pad everyone hopes for.
Cast Performance probably uses a few molds which I made yet, as I did produce their molds up to 1990, and made the original Federal Cast Core molds which they origainally used to produce bullets for Federal. However they have no affiliation with us any more, and sell quite a few bullets which are definately not my designs and which I would not make for a customer without warning him that it would give inferior performance. I WILL make nonstandard molds at customer request, and have made quite a few that way, but I always warn them if I know it isn't a strong design. -- For this reason, I definately cannot reccomend anyone trying bullets from Cast Performance, or Beartooth, who both claim to sell LBT designs. The last mold which I sold to Beartooth was probably around 1995. Both casters are using personalized "copies" of LBT designs and claiming they are LBT designs. When another moldmaker cuts the mold, it probably won't cast bullets with the precision balance which LBT molds do, and if the design isn't mine, trying their bullets will not necessarily make LBT look very good. Two more very serious problems is that cast bullets MUST fit your gun to shoot properly, and commercial casters probably won't deliver the size you need, nor equal the quality you will produce yourself. Furthermore neither of these suppliers use LBT lubricant. For all these reasons, trying bullets from them will not show yoy the performance that LBT will sell you.
To date I've only stated that I knew no one who sells LBT design bullets, but with your pointed questions, and the missinformation which is purposly being advertised by these cast bullet makers, I feel it is time to make the truth clear to the public.
