I have both newer, and older Lyman molds. I've never had an ill issue with any of them. My 311041 is the best mold I have as far as ease of casting and producing perfect boolits.
|
   
   
|
|
I have both newer, and older Lyman molds. I've never had an ill issue with any of them. My 311041 is the best mold I have as far as ease of casting and producing perfect boolits.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7
Most Lyman customers are satisfied. I have a great number of their molds, many very
old and some pretty new. All perform about as expected, although a few cast on the
smallish size for me.
We have had reports of folks that have returned recently made Lyman molds and gotten
their satisfaction from good customer service.
I wonder if this vitriol is based in actual customer dissatisfaction or some imagined
problems. It seems to not match most people's experience with Lyman.
Bill
If it was easy, anybody could do it.
Well, yeah if ya let it and tried to go out and accumulate everything all at once. Don't be intimidated by some of the descriptions of mold & equipment collections that some here have. I can assure you that none of us started with everything, it is a collection of stuff acquired over many years. Casting is a hobby that you can get into as little or as deep as suits you and for some of us it is a passion that results in there never being enough. More molds, more lead, more everything. It's a disease for which I really hope there is no cure.Originally Posted by kungfustyle
Just start with the basics you need to shoot your 8mm and as time goes by your collection will grow and you'll be casting for more calibers & guns. You started so you could shoot a particular gun and one day you'll realize your shooting so you can cast more.
Pay zero attention to post #12 in this thread, obviously written by someone with a severe case of opticrectosis.
Enjoy, Rick
"The people never give up their freedom . . . Except under some delusion." Edmund Burke
"Let us remember that if we suffer tamely a lawless attack on our liberty, we encourage it." Samuel Adams
NRA Benefactor Life Member
CRPA Life Member
Casting is like about everything else, you can do it on a budget (10lb lyman pot on the stove with a ladle) or go all out (PID controlled 40lb electric pot with bottom pour). Thing is the Boolits are the same!!!! It open dimensions to reloading that you can't get to any other way and is worth every penny you spend on it. You know you are hooked bad when you have a bookcase devoted to molds/sizer dies/top punches !!!!
A bit late in getting into this thread, but I'll take a swing anyway...
I completely agree with the approach mentioned by others here, saying that the "stuff" will accumulate of its own accord as time goes on. I started with a cast-iron skillet on the kitchen stove and a borrowed single-cavity Lyman .45 ACP roundnose mould.
There are now AT LEAST fifty lyman or Ideal moulds out in my shop, and likely about another fifty moulds of varied manufacture..... no exaggeration. This mass of tooling grew over 45 years or so of "need" and also "opportunity".
I will further echo earlier posters, and say that I have NEVER had occasion to complain about a Lyman/Ideal mould. Yes, a few have been marginal in diameter for certain uses, but even those proved usable for other "certain uses". There have been times when I embarked on searches for OLD Lyman/Ideal moulds in the hope of finding one of slightly-larger diameter.... for "certain uses". Still, I am a happy user of Lyman moulds, and the most-recent one is a brand-new 2012-production 311359 (.30 Carbine) mould which casts perfect bullets at .311" diameter....exactly what I wanted and needed.
Lyman has been a mainstay of our hobby for many, many years for very good reasons. I hope and trust that this role will continue far into the future, as new handloaders and casters come along to extend the reign of the cast bullet in shooting activities.
Regards from BruceB in Nevada
"The .30'06 is never a mistake." - Colonel Townsend Whelen
I needed a small part for my Lyman M die; a different plug. The part was $4; shipping was $4; & they charged me CA sales tax. The Lyman co is in Conn.
The long and the short of it is, quality tools that are in demand just don't depriciate much. Doesn't matter if you're talking woodworking, bullet casting etc. Bullet casters know the value of a good tool and know that a mold is always a good investment.
As to why Lymans are so popular, honestly that has long puzzled me. They have been notoreous for taking a given design, say a swc handgun bullet and changing the design over the years so that you never really know what you'll get or if the dimensions will be friendly to your gun or provide top accuracy.
My approach has been, if Lee offers a design that will work for me I'll get one of their molds as their designs have always shot well for me and their molds are reasonably priced. If I want something different, then I'll get a custom mold made.
Kungfu, The good thing about buying a used mold from a caster here is that you will get the info on the cast boolit. Most post the size as cast with cow or their mix.
I started on here with 2 molds that were given to me. I had no use for them but learned to cast with them and of course plenty of help and great info from this site. While reading and checking the selling section I wound up with many molds, ideal, lyman,lee, noe,accurate and have enjoyed casting with all of them.
This time of year it seems many on here sell off their molds and good deals are here for you, just got to be fast on the keyboard as many others snatch up old molds or hard to find or just a "Needed" mold.
Good luck, enjoy and keep a look out.
Mike
Anything associated with guns and shooting seems almost stupid expensive anymore. Survivalists and hoarders, (think I'm a little of both) plus the fond memories of Keith, Skelton, et al, make for high prices, too.
Good Lord! Elmer invented the 44 Special? I would agree Lyman is less responsive to the casting market than we'd like, but the rest is nonsense. The 44 Mag is their only association with "the public"? So the 357 and the Sharpe moulds, the Loverin moulds, Thompson moulds, Hudson, Kephart and the myriad of other moulds don't count for anything? Wow. The lubrisizers, powder measures, the True Line, All American, the 61 pot.....all this means nothing? You have a different grasp of things I guess.
Whatever.
Last edited by Bret4207; 12-08-2013 at 10:55 AM.
Yep Bret, from that post and others of his I've realized the sky is a different color in his world, wherever that might be it sure isn't here.
Rick
"The people never give up their freedom . . . Except under some delusion." Edmund Burke
"Let us remember that if we suffer tamely a lawless attack on our liberty, we encourage it." Samuel Adams
NRA Benefactor Life Member
CRPA Life Member
Most likely black, probably pretty dark where his head is......
My only complaint about Lyman molds is the dimensional drift of virtually every bullet design they have made. Makes me wonder what bullet from what era they use to establish loading data.
The more specialized the market the higher the prices will be, even used. That's goes for casting as well.
Example: anyone who reloads needs a press. But you don't need to cast to reload....(even though everyone on here thinks differently on that)
I have over one hundred Lyman four cavity moulds. Some have cast hundreds of thousands of boolits when I had my casting business and are still casting excellent boolits. I have only purchased one Lyman mould that I would consider bad. A 452374 Which drops under size and light. I have another four cavity 452374 that drops a perfect 225 grains, but is about fifty years old.
I have quite a few out of production "vintage" four cavity moulds that I may have to put up for sale on crazybay!
How's that hope and change working for you?
They must have a facility in CA then. That would require them to charge sales tax. Assuming you're in CA too, of course.
I do like Lyman. Ralistically for the iron molds they are a very good price and quality. I do however prefer the custom molds. My favorite is accurate they just cast like a dream and the sprueplate thickness is just awesome. I like being able to request diameter and give a specific alloy I am using. If I could do the same with NOE they would be a tie. I started with lyman and lee. Once I bought an accurate and NOE, I haven't really bought another lyman. I am sure there are other awesome custom makers out there, I just have found something I like. For the price of the Lyman I can just about get a custom aluminum or brass in the same cavity. As far as any mold being ****???? They all have their uses and following the directions, one could figure out how to cast boolits of nominal size.
Our house is protected by the Good Lord and a gun and you might meet them both if you show up here not welcome son!
My local Pawn & Gun guy set a tool box on the counter about a year ago full of Lyman/Ideal moulds, and some other casting related things. I told him that I could probably sell them for him. He told me what he wanted for the lot, and told me I could have anything over that I could get. A little cleaning, and a little research to see what they all were for. I posted them on this site at what I considered to be reasonable, and about a week later they were all pretty much sold. I think posting to the last "I will take it" was about 9 days.
As for RCBS Moulds. They are not nearly as plentiful as Lyman/Ideal moulds. I have several Lyman/Ideal moulds, I have a single 2 cavity RCBS 44 mould. I also have a single 4 cavity Saeco. The Saeco is a great mould. HOWEVER New price in the Midway Catalog is $155.99 + $42.49 for the handles. Total $198.48
A Lee 6 cavity is $39.49 + $12.99 for handles = $52.48
Saeco does have some things going for it. Namely they market 17 different 45 caliber bullets. That should pretty much cover the needs of anyone. Lee also lists 11 different moulds, but not a 45 wadcutter. The Saeco is a top quality product, but at 25% the cost the 6 Cavity Lee will still have a big following.
At the time I bought the Saeco, Lee was not making the 6 cavity mould. I was needing a high production mould. Saeco was about the only game in town. This is way pre Internet.
Bob
What a load of hogwash...
Posting Permissions
| BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
| BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
| BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
| C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
| HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
| PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
| LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
| GC | Gas Check |
Reply With Quote
