Ideal #308223-175

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Hello all! A friend has one of these molds he said he would sell me for $100. It is an 8 cavity mold, appears to be in used, but good, condition. I was thinking this might make a good bullet for my Marlin 30-30 (micro-groove) and the Mosin-Nagant. He doesn't have a sample bullet (it was his dad's mold, hasn't been used in yers) so I can't tell what the "as-cast" diameter might be. Do any of you have experience with this mold? Do these bullets tend to run a bit oversize so they would be useful in this gun? Thanks for your replies!

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[floodgate]

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That must be one of the old Ideal/Lyman "Armory"moulds, made only 1901 - 1904 for the .30-40 Krag, designed by Dr. Walter G. Hudson; casts at 150 (2-grease grooves) and 175 (3 grooves) grains; a plain-base RN. He found it was limited in the velocity it would stand with the smokeless powders of the day (Ideal Handbook No. 16, 1904, pp. 39-40, available in reprint from <www.cornellpubs.com>; see also p. 125, top right); he redesigned it a bit for better performance. Should work OK in the .30-30, at least at 150 grs. (if the rather "pointy" RN doesn't give you heartburn in a tubular magazine), probably too small for the "Noisy Maggot", but cast a few in WW + tin and see how they come out. The $100 is a very reasonable price for one of these big, older moulds in good shape, just as a collectors' item.

Floodgate

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Thanks floodgate! Yes, it is the 3-groove 175 gr bullet w/ a plain base. It has a relatively long nose section, I was wondering if it could be loaded short enough to function in my 336! Do you have any idea how large they cast with WW alloy? I was hoping it might go .311-.312" OD. Does anyone know if this mold tends to run that large? I've googled it, but there's almost nothing out there!

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[floodgate]

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The only way to find actual size is to cast a few. They were still exploring as-cast vs. bore/groove diameters at the time that mould was made. Keep us posted; photo maybe?

floodgate