Lyman mold designation question

[twidpa]

What the difference in a lyman 457193KS and a lyman 457193BV?
T

[theperfessor]

The last two letters are supposed to be the code for the cherry used to cut the mold, or the person or shop who made the cherry.

If Lyman's QC was up to snuff there should be little or no difference between the two. Notice the if. Other folks have posted pictures here showing how much Lyman bullet molds of the same designation have changed over the years. Different shaped grease grooves, dimensional and shape differences you can see with the naked eye - so are they the same? You won't really know unless you measure the molds or the bullets they drop.

[scrapcan]

those designation are also newer moulds. Old moulds do not have teh letter designation for the cherry.

You may see some other letters that mean something. Like S for small, U for undersize, and a few others.

Do a search here for Floodgate and ideal mould history

[MtGun44]

Just to back up what the perfesser said, this mold is marked 429421, but is WAY off of
the normal design. The front band is supposed to be the same width as the two rear
bands.



Here is a normal 429421 mold and the results, altho this one has been HP converted.
Look at the front band. That cherry that made the upper mold should have NEVER been
used.



Bill

[cbrick]

No kiddin Bill, not only the front drive band but Elmer should be flappin around in his grave with that lube groove. Lyman might have had a 429421 stamp handy but it should never have been allowed near that mold, whatever it is.

Rick

[twidpa]

Good info guys , thanks.
T

[MtGun44]

Elmer was unhappy about the rounded lube groove, and I have several of each kind
of 429421. Actually, if the driving bands are equal sized and the right diameter, I have
had about the same results with the flat bottomed lube groove and the rounded one.

I still prefer the flat bottomed ones, though. I think Elmer was basically right on the
design, but the lube groove was the least critical part of the design.

That front band is amazingly wrong.

Bill

[MikeS]

Lyman isn't the only mould company that made changes over the years. Even H&G have made undocumented changes in some of their moulds. It's my understanding that the 2 letters after a Lyman mould number are cherrie & maker. Has anyone else ever seen a 429421 mould that looks like that one? If not, I'd bet that it was actually a different boolit, and just mis-marked, rare, but it does happen. Looking at a mould chart, that boolit actually looks more like a 429422, or maybe a 429360. What weight boolits does it cast?

[BigRix]

I recently picked up a Lyman 429421 and was wondering what the LA stamp might designate. Same thing as the two letters after the number? Person working on it or the cherry? Any thoughts?

[220swiftfn]

I recently picked up a Lyman 429421 and was wondering what the LA stamp might designate. Same thing as the two letters after the number? Person working on it or the cherry? Any thoughts?

Just so you know, if that mold casts right, it's a keeper........

Dan

[MtGun44]

A good bit of contrast on that front band, EH? LOL!

NICE looking mold, sir. I'll bet it is a good shooter, too.

Bill

[cbrick]

I agree that the lube groove is the least critical part of the design, today. But I also agree with Fryxell when said that Elmer hated the round groove because it didn't carry nearly as much lube. What was the quality of lube in the 1930's? How much better are most lubes today where less could be just as good or even better than more was then?

Still a shame to butcher a classic like that but if it shoots . . .

Rick

[MtGun44]

I believe that Elmer also wanted to slightly weaken the boolit in the lube groove so that it
would compress under load and push out the lube more forcefully.

The shallower rounded lube groove may not have worked this way as wel, either.

Bill