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Hot Lead
12-05-2006, 07:55 PM
I bought my very first Lyman 41 mag bullet mould off e-bay.
I normally am a 100 % Lee mould man, but I wanted to try out a Lyman.
Then, I ordered a set of large Lyman handles off of e-bay. I attempted to attach the mould to the Lyman handles and something is missing. There is a hole drilled in the mold for a pin, I think. Please share with me the steps to bring this mould and handles together. I realize this is an elementary question, but I am newbie to the Lyman mould scene. Any advice you can give me on the correct steps to make this iron mould spit out shootable bullets will be a help. Using aluminum moulds, it is so very, very easy to cast good shootable bullets. Hopefully this heavy iron mould will do me the same.

Hunter
12-05-2006, 08:06 PM
The three sets of Lyman molds have aligining pins on the right side and holes on the left that help align the 2 mold halfs as you close them. Then there are the holes on the bottom of the mold the screws go through to hold the handles on.

floodgate
12-05-2006, 09:52 PM
Hot Lead:

If it is the (two) screw(s) that enter the blocks from the bottom and pass up through the holes in the handles when they are slid into the slots in the sides of the blocks (whew!), I've got some spares I'll be happy to send you. If it is one (or both) of the alignment pegs Hunter mentions that fit through the holes from the outside of one of the blocks into the face of the other, you can make these up out of the shank of an "el cheapo" drill from the hardware store that is a press fit into the hole. The inner end needs to be filed and sanded into a smooth, rounded point, and they take a little "adjusting" to get them just-so - but it is all do-able. If these are the older, long-discontinued small single-cavity blocks, the handles MAY take a little adjusting too - but we can walk you through the process.

floodgate

9.3X62AL
12-06-2006, 01:09 PM
Hot Lead--

Cool nom de plume, sir. Good info above, can only add that Lyman has Mould Rebuild Kits that include new sprue plate, plate bolt and washers, and attaching bolts (2) within them. There are also thicker aftermarket sprue plates available. The Lyman and RCBS molds are a lot more "maintainable" by the owner than the Lee tools are.

oso
12-06-2006, 02:09 PM
Let's get more basic. Lyman molds take different mold handles depending on whether they are 1 cavity (old "small" or new "double cav" handles), 2 cavity (old "large" or new "double cav" handles) or 4 cavity molds. Since you mention this is a "heavy iron mold" I'm wondering if you've got a 4 cav which takes a "nutcracker" handle (I've not had any luck with the alignment of the holes on a few of the new plier style 4 cav handles.) In any case, the holes of the correct handle should line up with the holes going perpendicularly through the slot in the outside of the block when the handles are in the slot. I've also noticed that often one on the screw holes is not drilled and tapped deeply enough to fully seat the retaining screw.

GLL
12-06-2006, 03:03 PM
Hot Lead:

If you already have a few of the 6-cavity Lee handles they work just fine on Lyman 1 & 2-cavity moulds. I actually prefer them to the Lymans (especially the new design). The Lee's are much cheaper as well ! :)

Jerry

SharpsShooter
12-10-2006, 06:15 PM
Ditto here on the Lee 6-cavity handles. They fit great and the extra length keeps your hand back from the potential spatters we all encounter now and then. The price is good too.

SS