Lyman 313492 and a few questions...

So, I have neglected my S&W 631's for years... 1 has never been fired and the other only has maybe 30 or 40 rounds thru it. My 16yo daughter is only 5'3" and has very small hands, she really can't properly grip even a 686. We were in the safe the other day and she found my "shooter" 631 and fell in love with it. She is beginning the journey of learning to cast and reload, she finally decided it was time. She love to shoot 38 Specials and 22 LR semi's and 9mm 1911's. I am thinking that she and I can work thru the casting process for 32 H&R Magnum as well as load development over the next few months of weekends. She has started reading the Lyman cast bullet handbooks I have and has watched the casting DVD set, she has also spent a good deal of time sitting next to me while I cast. She is asking good questions and paying attention. My thoughts, teach her to cast for and load for the 631 and then award her a 631 upon completion of the process. She has been shooting for years, but only had passing interest in what it takes to make a round, that has changed!

I just purchased a great condition Saeco 325 mould and think that it will be a great one to work with, but would like to have a second backup bullet that she can work with. I like Lyman moulds, but they tend to drop small diameters. My question for the guys that have the Lyman or Ideal 313492... do they really drop .313 on the rear driving band? The 631 really needs .313 to start with. I have also been looking at the Arsenal 98 grain full wadcutter @ .315, the RCBS 32-98-WC and the Saeco #323. But, once again I am not really sure what the as cast diameters look like. Any input from owners of the other 32 WC moulds would be appreciated. I am also very aware of the custom mould makers and the option to get a mould cut to my requested diameter. I really like my moulds to be cast steel, iron or meehinite. Aluminium moulds just are not my favorite and custom iron moulds are just priced out of my range.

In the end, my goal is to set her up with something that will give her a lifetime of shooting and casting. I suspect that she will learn not, lay off while at University and shortly after and then will resume her interest later.

I have several .32 revolvers and dedicated .313 molds. My Lyman 313492 (85 grain WC) is a fun boolit but buyer beware of the prices the sellers are asking for these (and the buyers are pushing prices up at auctions). I bought an RCBS 313-95-SWC and thought well of it until I bought a Saeco 325. By far the Saeco mold creates the tightest grouping boolits I have ever fired out of any of my .32 Long and .32 H&R Magnum revolvers. Yes, each of these molds drop at or above .313 from the molds. There is only a slight difference in weight between 85 grains and 100 grains when loaded in any of these calibers. Your advantage is to use what you have and adjust the powder charge to meet your need, anywhere from mild to wild (considering the caliber). You already have what I consider the best mold available for these calibers, anything more would be just for the variety of weight and nose profile. As your daughter is just starting with handloading, keep it simple and let her learn. Later when she reaches out for another mold pattern, go shopping. Good luck, and congratulations on getting her safely into handloading. None of our 3 girls ever had the itch to go there, dangit. You are a lucky guy.

I have a S&W 631, it is a better kit gun than the 22lr kit gun, in that it has a wider range of options and power levels.

With my 631 I've killed blue grouse in Colorado with roundball loads and coyote in Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota with it, along with groundhogs here in Ohio.

Loaded with a 100-115 gr. bullet and 3.7 - 4 grs of unique, it will take the starch out of most adversaries.

I’m envious. ;) Not only do you have two of my grail guns, but a young partner to cast, load and shoot with. You are indeed blessed. I would suggest you might also enjoy using a SWC bullet like the Ideal/Lyman 3118/311008 or something similar to round out your selection of bullets for all uses in that gun. A SWC along with the WC you already have will do about anything you will want to do with the 631s. :mrgreen:

If your bullets are coming out too small, I have found that adding a touch of tin or antimony has a tendency to make my bullets a little fatter. I like to use a mostly COWW alloy with a little tin thrown in to make them fill out better. If your bullets still are too small, the process of “beagling” may work for you. 8-)

Congratulations again... you must be doing something right! :D

Regards,
Froggie

I had Tom at Accurate Molds cut this one for me, I didn't care for the 313492 Lyman so this is his spin on it. It works a treat. http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_...=31-095L-D.png

Oh, that Accurate is a pretty bullet! I like the idea of a "nose riding" WC, not sure why... but I do. Yes, I consider myself blessed by having one of my daughters decide that learning this hobby would be a good thing for her. She is a strong conservative already at 16 and understands why we are under constant assault. She will make a good voter and thinker when the times require it.

I used the 313492 in both the .32 Mag and also in my Smith .32 Longs and found it lacking in accuracy in my guns. I finally turned to a Lyman 313631 I had and removed the GC and HP'd it. Works well in all. The 311008 also works well in these as does a 311252 that I had on hand. Neither of the available wadcutter designs worked for me./beagle

I gave up on #313492 long ago.

As several others have said, Saeco #325 was most accurate production mold in the .32 S&W Long, but RCBS 32-98SWC is also very good.

Tom at Accurate molds has done several custom .32 revolver molds for me which work well. The 31-090B and 31-095T were both designed for the .32 ACP and feed in the Colt M1903 Pocket Hammerless, but also work well in the .32 S&W Long and .32-20. 31-105T is a double-crimp-groove design which is based on original factory load bullets for the .32 Colt New Police and .32-20. 31-114D is a heavier bullet for single-shot "Bunny Guns"

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I picked up a Single Seven in a trade last year. I bought this wadcutter from Arsenal http://arsenalmolds.com/products?product_id=77&limit=75

It shoots very accurate and it's a awesome looking little boolit.

I just ordered a mold from Accurate Molds for the single seven I just bought. http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_...=31-085B-D.png

I hop

I've had mixed results with the 313492. The RCBS 9 SWC, the Saeco 325 and the old Modern Bond SWC have all been winners in all of the guns at just about any reasonable velocity. The H&G #66 has been doing well for me as a full WC bullet.

OK, I'm just getting around to doing some load testing for my recreated Model16-3 homage. I've got a box of HBWCs (discontinued Hornady) and a mould to cast a similar bullet as well as the 3118, 313445 and 313492 Ideal moulds in DC versions that will serve as the basis for my initial testing.

Outpost75, did you load those unsuccessful 313495 bullets with the bearing band out or were they flush seated like factory loads? It looks to me like that "bore riding" band would add to accuracy potential, but I haven't tested my hypothesis yet.

Froggie

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Originally Posted by Green Frog

....Outpost75, did you load those unsuccessful 313495 bullets with the bearing band out or were they flush seated like factory loads? It looks to me like that "bore riding" band would add to accuracy potential, but I haven't tested my hypothesis yet. Froggie

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I had them seated out with the front band sized to fit the throat. Problem was that the Lyman mold cast .003 oversized and .002 out of round and bullet was damaged in sizing down from .316" to .313" to fit my Colt. If yours is better then you might expect better results.

Of mass-produced molds Saeco #325 and RCBS 32-98SWC were head and shoulders above anything else until I got Acurate 31-105T clone of factory .32 Colt New Police.

Thanks for the quick response, Outpost75. I didn't mention that the custom group buy HBWC mould I have also came with a set of plain base plugs... I can make standard solid WCs with it if the 313495 doesn't work out for me. My faux 16-3 has real tight .313" chambers, so I'll have to get whatever I put into it down to that dimension. Our buddy Dale53 brought me a batch of the same Lee TL WCs you and he were both playing with and I had to size them before they would begin to go into my chambers, so I guess I'll start with bullets as close to 313 as possible then go from there. :coffee:

Froggie

Mattw - just a note on mold material. I understand your prejudice for iron molds. If you haven't tried a brass one be willing to do so. I think it will open your eyes. It did mine.

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Originally Posted by Wayne Smith

Mattw - just a note on mold material. I understand your prejudice for iron molds. If you haven't tried a brass one be willing to do so. I think it will open your eyes. It did mine.

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Brass is awesome! I only dipped my toe into the brass world last year. Man, now I wish I had gotten my NOE molds in brass instead of aluminum.

A 4” 631 is one of my grail guns.

I have a couple 32 revolvers. An old S&W I frame in 32 long and then 2 single-sixes in 32 h&r Mag. In them I had iffy accuracy with the rcbs 98swc.

I’ve have very good luck with the NOE 315-118 SWC, it’s a mini Keith lookalike. It does very well in 32 long, 32h&r Mag, 32-20 and sized to 311 its good in 30carbine and 30-30.

Also Ive have had good results with a Arsenal mold I had Jared make for me a few yrs ago, a 311008 in .315. It’s a little heavy dropping 124grs with my alloy, but is a great shooter in 32 long, 32h&r in the Single-Sixes. It does equally well in my 32-20, 30 Carbine and 30-30s.

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Originally Posted by Green Frog

Thanks for the quick response, Outpost75. I didn't mention that the custom group buy HBWC mould I have also came with a set of plain base plugs... I can make standard solid WCs with it if the 313495 doesn't work out for me. My faux 16-3 has real tight .313" chambers, so I'll have to get whatever I put into it down to that dimension. Our buddy Dale53 brought me a batch of the same Lee TL WCs you and he were both playing with and I had to size them before they would begin to go into my chambers, so I guess I'll start with bullets as close to 313 as possible then go from there. :coffee:

Froggie

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What is the group buy mould? I am assuming they are long gone.

I will be casting up a batch of the Saeco 325 this weekend for testing with and without PC. I will likely lube the nonPC with 2500+ white or maybe 2700+ red. I think the tack of 2500+ would not be an issue at these velocities and with the short barrels.

There is a 32 Ranch Dog clone group buy in the group buy discussion area right now. It’s a clone of Ranch Dogs TL313-118 RF

I've got a real Jones for neat 32 bullets and the moulds they come from. I bought one Mihec and two NOE group buy moulds, but the one I'm referring to is a brass 2 cavity HBWC with the captive pins (that can be changed out to use "blank" pins for a solid base WC.) I also have a HP-SWC aluminum mould and a honkin' big 125 grain SWC based on the classic 3118 Ideal design. My problem is getting a round tuit and casting up enough of any of these bullets to do some load testing and development.

Froggie