Vintage Ideal 356402 Lyman 356402 comparison

[z4lunch]

Steve here... Picked up a Lyman 356402 at a gun show today... Lit up my pot of ww, and cast up a few to try out in my Glock...
First thing I did when I got down stairs was put it next to my old Ideal 356402 boolit.
They are totally different. As shown in the pic... The Lyman drops at 125gns with ww..
The Ideal drops at 135gns. The Lyman is right at .3585 out of the mold, the Ideal is .359 to .3595. Shocked how different they are. Guess updating the lube groove to hold more lube makes sense. The Ideal is on the left, and the Lyman on the right
Steve

[Guesser]

I use the old Ohaus design of that bullet and it drops @ 125 gr and has a rounded nose and a lube groove sized inbetween the two you have pictured. I've never tried it in a glock but it seems to work well in S&W 39-2 and FEG hi-power clones and a 1995 Browning High Power. I like the design, it feeds flawlessly in everything I've tried it in, accuracy has always been typical 9X19 for me; OK, but not great.

[dragonrider]

I have a Lyman 356402, I don't use it because it casts too small for my guns. Would like to have an aluminum 6 cavity that casts at 358-359.

[z4lunch]

I have a Lyman 356402, I don't use it because it casts too small for my guns. Would like to have an aluminum 6 cavity that casts at 358-359.


Didi you try and beagle the mold. I have a 44 mold I beagle to get out out to .432
Steve

[dragonrider]

Yes I could beagle it but no I have not tried. I have considered opening up the driving bands, will have to make a cutter to do it, one more task out of many that need to be done.

[fecmech]

I have a Lyman 356402, I don't use it because it casts too small for my guns. Would like to have an aluminum 6 cavity that casts at 358-359.
My Lee 120 TC 6 banger casts .3585 with WW+ 2% tin. Was great in my 9MM's when I had them and is one of the most accurate bullets in my .38/.357 pistols and rifles.

[Tedbytes]

The Lyman 356402 is an old mold and quite formidable for the 9mm Luger. This bullet replicates the original bullet shape for the ubiquitous Luger 9mm. This bullet has never failed to reliably feed in all my 9mm pistols. It works great as well in the 38 Special. The many people that complain that it "drops bullets too small" might try using a little harder alloy that will produce a bullet at .358-.359 out of the mold. My mold delivers 121 grain as listed. 4.0 Bullseye is an excellent load for the 9mm especially Lugers. I taper crimp the bullet into the front drive band with approx 1/32" exposed lead diameter outside the mouth of the case. Five grains of Unique also works well.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

The Lyman 356402 has been a popular choice for the 9mm for a long time. I preferred to use the RCBS 115 truncated cone version which resembles the 402 because I felt that the shorter nose of the RCBS moved the center of gravity back a bit. The (any) bullet must spin around its longitudinal center of axis and the shorter that is, the better, for it is centrifugally easier to achieve that equilibrium. It has worked very well for me; superior feeding, no problem with size and good accuracy. I have also used it in the 38 special with good success. LLS

[Catshooter]

I thought they looked pretty darn close to each other. But then I've used the 452424/454424 for years. Now those really differ.

[GWM]

The 358311 is another example where all kinds of changes have been made between different cherries during both Ideal and Lyman times. One could think that there would be some blueprint to adhere to or that a design were based on some lasting tried and true parameters but it's apparently enough that there is a passing resemblance to the general design.

[Screwbolts]

Guess updating the lube groove to hold more lube makes sense. Steve

Steve, with today's modern lubes, or even with NRA 50/50 how does enlarging the lube groove make sense to you?

Did you ever find the old Ideal was lacking for lube in the very long 9mm barrels or for that matter in any caliber it was suitable to shoot in?

Now a rounded lube groove makes sense over a square for cast ability. The bigger grove also weakens the integrity of the shank of the boolit.

Ken

[MT Gianni]

Another example of when the next cherry looked close enough.