Curiosity about unusual Lyman mold designs no one mentions anymore

[yeahbub]

I’ve been using the Ideal/Lyman mold pic .pdf, which I got from the ‘net somewhere, so I can see what people here are talking about when they call out mold numbers. There are a few boolit designs pictured there that I don’t get the purpose of or why they look like they do, so I figured I’d ask and find out what other people know about them and their history. I notice all of these have a 5xx suffix to the mold numbers, so maybe they were designed by the same person or they’re related to some new idea, thinking or alloy maybe? The first group look like SWC heel boolits, but they have no lube grooves and their shape suggests a much later design. Is that a long gas check shank? It would leave one heck of a lube groove. They are mold numbers 357511, 357512, 429510, 429513. Does anyone cast any of these, and how do they shoot?



Having trouble posting images for some reason. . . . . Hmmmff, what the. . . figger this. . . how the heck is. . . mutter grumble, snort, GAAAAH!. . . . Maybe later.

There’s another bunch I haven’t figured out what the thinking was and they’re sort of the opposite of the narrow driving band and long shank type above, with wide driving bands and tiny lube grooves, and they have a conical point of lead poking out of the heel. A long time ago, I read of a cast boolit idea, maybe before gas checks, where a concave zinc washer was riveted to the heel to scrape out any leading left behind. Is this them? Most have almost no lube capacity. Considering how little lube they carried, maybe they didn’t work so well? I never noticed them mentioned by anyone. They’ve sure got plenty of driving band, but velocities would need to be pretty low, I’d expect. I’ll bet they’d do well with powder coat. Zinc boolits, maybe? The mold numbers are 358500, 358502, 358503, 429508, 429509, 429518, 452505, 454506. What’s their story?

[KCSO]

Back in the day Lyman was like the custom makers are now, if you thought you had a better idea they would make it and if they sold a few they cataloged it. I have a mould designed by Al Dinan for the 45 acp a semi wadcutter that was supposed to be the cats meow for target work. The Keith designs and the Thompson and a lot of discontinued bullets with wide deep grease grooves for black powder use or the collar button bullets for indoor practice.

[sigep1764]

I believe the molds that used zinc washers were called Harvey ProtXbore molds. The washer was placed in the mold and then filled. No riveting involved, but I think you are correct about the conical nubbin on the bottom of the boolit being for a washer.

[smithnframe]

I just cast some Harvey 38 caliber bullets for the first time last weekend. The zinc washers were close to $50.00 shipped for 1000. I only cast a few hundred of them and once I got a rhythm with inserting the zinc washer in a hot mould it went well!

[sigep1764]

This is the mold chart I use when trying to understand what mold folks are talking about.

http://ps-2.kev009.com/ohlandl/Cast_Bullet/Ideal-Lyman_Molds/Ideal-Lyman_Mold_Descriptions.html

[gwpercle]

#358500 and 358502 are the ones that have a zinc washer cast onto the base . It was best to get the zinc washers nice and hot too .
The washers were inserted into the hot mould and the mould closed and filled .
If you were lucky the lead went through the hole in the zinc washer and formed a button to hold it onto the base .
Single cavity mould and hot washers inserted with tweezers , insured a slow rate of production .

But they did work ... that zinc base scraped the bore clean .

#429508 and # 429509 are the same zinc base washer setup but for 44 cal.

For those who can't stand Gas Checks...these are just the ticket !
With all the zinc wheel weights we get now days I have been expecting to see something developed that might use it...zinc base and lead body ?
A mould to cast the zinc washers .... Come on guys THINK !
Gary

[yeahbub]

Has anyone else had trouble loading photos lately? I click "insert image", the dialog box opens, I browse to the file name and click "open", that box closes, leaving the "insert image" box, but nothing happens after that. everything is at a complete standstill at that point. How do I bring this to the right person's attention?

Before the server change, I could post photos with no problem.

[bedbugbilly]

The zinc washer boolit worked on the same principle as the "Williams Cleaning Bullet" did in the rifled musket during the Civil War. An Arsenal pack of ten 58 caliber rifled musket cartridges contained three Williams bullet cartridges intended to keep the bore clean, along with 13 Musket caps rolled up in cartridge paper.

[dbosman]

Lyman 357511 and 357512 are, I believe, designs for half jackets. Same deal with the 429510 and 429513. They are, as are the ProtX bullets, designed by Jim Harvey. Finished bullets, with the jackets, were sold as Jugular Jacketed.

[Shuz]

I have a rather rare Lyman mould. It is mould A of the two part 429625 set. With the A mould, which is the nose of a 429421, I can cast pure lead noses and drop them after they have cooled into a 429421 or 429650 and I end up with a soft nosed boolit for hunting. In a weak moment several years ago, I sold mould B from the set to a member of this site. I figgered he was looking for a light wad cutter mould with a large hollow point.. Several attempts by myself and others to glue the A and B halves together couldn't stand the recoil of a .44mag. This composite mould theory of Lyman's didn't work as designed, but pouring a hot hard alloy behind the nose works well as far as standing up to the. 44 mag recoil.
Since my hunting days are over, I guess I'll get rid of this mould. I will entertain any offers to buy it.