Lyman 429215 gc 44 cal mould

Just got a new Lyman 429215 44 mould and thought I would report on my first casting session. After cleaning and preheat it took 5 or so cast to get god bullets. I was using a wheel weight mystery metal with 2% tin added. The bullets cast right at about .431 and size nicely to .430. I am very happy as many report Lyman moulds cast too small. I suspect some are not using enough tin although I too have an older Lyman 429421 that cast between .429 and .430(it shoots fine though even with bigger throats). I acquired this mould as a light weight 44 special bullet to drive at higher velocity(greater than 1000s). As I have many 44 cal revolvers, I like .430 as a do all sizing that should work at least ok even with .432 throat like my smith 29-2s. Just thought I would report on a new manufacture Lyman mould. I am happy because, at the end of the day, I think I like iron moulds like Lyman or rcbs(wish they made 4 cavity) the best. I will report on a new Lyman 429421 4 cavity when I get a chance to cast with it.

Dogdoc


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I picked up a used, good condition, 429215 a couple years ago. It drops nice bolts and sizes nicely to .431. Using my alloy mixture of summa dis an summa dat it drops and is finished at 236 gr. Really nice shooter using load data for 240 gr. It is perfect in my Taurus Tracker with the 4" ported barrel and performs nicely in the 10" Contender.

I have one of the old 429215 molds. it is designed like the old marlin .44-40 bullet . I used it in a ruger .44 carbine. later I used it to load .44-40 b-p loads used the gas check and did ot need a card or lube wad that way.

The 429215 is 1 of those under appreciated bullets. The trend has been to go with larger heavier bullets in the 44cal's. These "thompson" designed bullets are easy on lead, are extremely accurate with loads from mild to wild. A favorite plinking load for the 44mag, not a hand/cherry picked target by any means. Nothing more than the test target used that day to test several plinking loads.
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/EFjjcoZ.jpg[/IMG]

I always had a lyman 429215 mold, not only are they good for the 44mag. They are excellent in the 44spl/snubnosed 44spl's. Several years ago I ran across an old h&g #142 mold. It had the original hp pin (2-cavity). Bought it for next to nothing, the guy selling it thought it was an aftermarket/home made hp pin in it.
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/QCZLAQr.jpg[/IMG]

Most people are used to seeing the wood handle on the lyman hp molds. H&G used steel hp pin handles.

The 429215's are often overlooked and well worth owning. They are not only accurate a 200gr+ bullet doing 1000fps+ is nothing to sneeze at.

Shot some 25 yard groups with this bullet yesterday off a less than perfect rest and got some 5 shot spreads less than 2 inches. That was with a smith 69 4.25 inch barrel.

Update on bullet performance on game. My son shot a 200 pound 9 point whitetail with the bullet at about 35 yards out of a 4 inch Smith model 69. The bullet was loaded at 44 special velocities at 1000 FPS+/-. The bullet broke both shoulders and penetrated to lodge just under the skin on the far side. He shot it again through the chest to make sure and that bullet,not hitting the shoulder,completely penetrated. The second bullet was not needed but he did not want to take chances. I am sure if I increased velocity to 1100 plus ,we would never recover a bullet but at 50 yards or less but 44 special velocity is fine and if both shoulders had not been hit just right, it would have fully exited. Of course, break both shoulders and the animal is going nowhere.

The 429215 would be a great boolit in a Marlin 44, if the boolits dropped out of the mould at .434.
I don't know if any of the mould makers make that diameter boolit or not.

My old mold was a 42?215 that cast 427 and I decided to increase the dia a bit ..The first mold I ever tried enlarging on a lathe and it turned out a bit large at 434. But the bullets size down to 430 easy enough.

That bullet has been accurate in a few revolvers I've shot it in. It also worked on a couple of deer in a sabot used in an inline.

Over the years, in load development. I've shot a few groups under 1'' @50yds. It was always with that bullet!
BigboreShooter

Out of curiosity what do your 429215s drop checked and lubed vs the 429215HP?

I bought an old small block 1cav mold at a GunShow over 40yrs ago. It dropped .431 Bullets cast of #2. Sized, Lubed(50/50) & Gas Checked, they grouped in to one inch at 25yds.
Bought a 4cav, couple years later. None of those bullets came close to that old 1cav.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by curioushooter

Out of curiosity what do your 429215s drop checked and lubed vs the 429215HP?

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Not a lyman 429215, but my h&g version (#142) casts a +/- 200gr gc swc hp and a 220gr gc swc

Wow...a 20 grain hollowpoint must be massive.