MidSouth Shooters SupplyPBcastcoWidenersLee Precision
Reloading EverythingRepackboxRotoMetals2Load Data
Titan Reloading Inline Fabrication
Results 1 to 20 of 20

Thread: Lyman 429360??

  1. #1
    Boolit Master Guesser's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    North Central Montana; across the wide Missouri
    Posts
    2,069

    Lyman 429360??

    Been using this mold for 20 years, figured out that it is a finicky design that takes a lot of experimenting to find a recipe that works. I like the looks of the bullet and it casts really easily. Has anyone modified the mold to drop a slightly different variation that is not as finicky??

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
    GLL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    California
    Posts
    3,580
    The LYMAN 429360 is a nice looking bullet BUT both of my molds produce bullets with very undersized front bands !

    This makes for poor accuracy in my .44 Special revolvers.

    429360 (right) and 429421 (left)


    It is indeed an easy casting bullet !

    Jerry
    S&W .38/44 Outdoorsman Accumulator

  3. #3
    Boolit Master Guesser's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    North Central Montana; across the wide Missouri
    Posts
    2,069
    That's what I determined, also.

    I compared it to the 429421, the 421 always is easier to shoot accurately. My 429360 drops at 240+ from WW, I can make 245 with 50/50 WW/PB. I like the mold but I'm seriously considering thinning the herd. That's why I asked the question.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Spokane, Wa.
    Posts
    2,636
    I thinned my herd of .44 boolit moulds of the 429360 quite a few years ago. No matter what I tried, I always got better accuracy from other designs. The 429360 design only holds nostalgic value for me because it was the very first .44 mould I bought in 1963 when I was living in Caribou, Me.
    It's all chicken, even the beak!

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master


    Larry Gibson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Lake Havasu City, Arizona
    Posts
    21,289
    Year ago I converted a S&W M28 to 44 SPL and used the 429360 bullet in it. Cast of old COWWs and loaded over Skeeter's Unique load it shot very well indeed.....to the point a fellow offered me so much for it and the mould I couldn't refuse! I now have a very nice 4 cavity 42360 mould and will thoroughly see what it can do accuracy wise in my Colt Anaconda and Ruger FTBH but mostly in the Contender. We shall see if it is "finicky".

    Larry Gibson

    Attachment 109073

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
    GLL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    California
    Posts
    3,580
    Larry:

    When you get your mold up and running could you post the diameter of the front band compared to the other two?

    Jerry
    S&W .38/44 Outdoorsman Accumulator

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Spokane, Wa.
    Posts
    2,636
    GLL--FWIW, I can remember that on the 2C and 4C 429360 moulds that I have had experience with;both of them had a smallish in width, or narrow, front driving band, AND it was .002 less in diameter than the other two. I always wondered if that was the reason for the relatively poor accuracy compared to other designs, or was it the extremely straight taper from front driving band to meplat.
    It's all chicken, even the beak!

  8. #8
    Banned 45 2.1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Little Egypt, Part of the political fifedom of Chicago
    Posts
    7,099
    Quote Originally Posted by GLL View Post
    ......my molds produce bullets with very undersized front bands !

    This makes for poor accuracy in my .44 Special revolvers. Jerry
    Back some years ago I found a new single cavity hollow point Lyman 429360 mold at a gunshow..... without the HP pin in the old black and gray box. It would not have mattered if the pin was there as the alignment hole for the pin was seriously out of line with the boolit cavity. I sent the mold to Buckshot with instructions to recut the hole in line to my specs along with the HP shape and depth.... and he did a wonderful job. The resulting HP'd boolit has been shot over a healthy dose of Unique in a couple of S&W 624's with excellent accuracy. A softer alloy than normal helped do that..... it has collected several deer now with no loses. Sometimes what you choose in terms of alloy and load defeats you.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master


    500MAG's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    South Florida
    Posts
    1,230
    Love the 429421. I had Buckshot HP mine.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails image.jpg  
    "If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month."
    Theodore Roosevelt

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master


    Larry Gibson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Lake Havasu City, Arizona
    Posts
    21,289
    Quote Originally Posted by GLL View Post
    Larry:

    When you get your mold up and running could you post the diameter of the front band compared to the other two?

    Jerry
    Can do.

    Larry Gibson

  11. #11
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Posts
    569
    Fellers if it helps any I have that mold in a 2 cav. and the driving band measures .420+ in mine. Now this might be a bit larger than some because this is the mold I lapped out to .431+ in an effort to get it to shoot. Never could get it to shoot. Ran several powders thru a Ruger and an S&W with it and nothing worth loading. I don't think Lyman makes many really poor designs, and Larry has had good luck with it, so I'm sure it's just me. Oh, I set the mold aside with boolits left in the cavities so was measureing them...not the cavities. Audie...the Oldfart.

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master
    rintinglen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Orange, VA NOW
    Posts
    6,472
    I have a 4 cavity and I can only echo the results mentioned by others in that it does not shoot very well out of any of the 44's I have. I am convinced that the small diameter front band is the reason for it's poor performance. I had hopes for it in a 44-40 as a heavy boolit load, but never got around to testing it there.
    _________________________________________________It's not that I can't spell: it is that I can't type.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master AlaskanGuy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Cordova, Alaska
    Posts
    1,603
    I have one as well, the 429640, and it sits on my shelf... It just dont work as issued for me either.... Now my 429649 seems to do a lot better, but it is HUGE, and ends up running over 340gr with its pants on... So it doesn't get used much either....

    AG

  14. #14
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Posts
    216
    In a rather round about way, I was given a 2 cavity 429360 from my uncles estate. The mold was lightly used but heavily abused. A bit of time was spent resurrecting it, removing the rust and burrs. It cast OK, but the accuracy out of my Vaquero was so bad, I removed the mold from the handles and put it away. If it were not for my hoarder mentality, I probably would have thrown it out. Oh, and it leaded the bore somewhat awful as well. Fast forward to another purchase, a '94 Marlin in 44 Mag. It didn't seem to want to shoot any of my ammo, even mounted a scope to facilitate testing. I believe the issue is the different standards for Rifle 44 and Handgun 44. The rifle 44 calls for a 1-38 twist barrel with a 0.424"/0.431" barrel and the handgun is 1-20 with a 0.417"/0.429" barrel. A quick check confirmed that my Marlin was nearly dead on spec. I don't have many molds that cast large enough to size 431, but old "rusty" did according to my records. So out it came and i quickly cast up a handful. I sized them 431 and did some testing. 50 yard groups (I bought this for CAS, so anything after 50 yards is moot) were promising, and a quick check @ 100 confirmed some pretty decent accuracy. At app 950 fps, they were stable at 100. They are garbage in the handgun, good in the rifle. BTW, the front band is 0.422".

    Unfortunately the will not feed reliably, in Mag or Spl cases. A 429421 and a 429438 will but the 429360 refuses to. At least I know that I need 0.431" bullets, and it looks like I'll need a new mold as well.

    But I do wonder why it shoots so nice in the rifle and like garbage in the hip gun.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Posts
    829
    Shot some 429360's out of two different molds and was not impressed at all. Also shot the same design out of a Lyman mold for the .41 Magnum also with dismal results. Not worth messing with as there are so many more superior molds available.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master


    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Perryville, Ky,USA
    Posts
    4,511
    Okay fellers, I went a step farther. I opened the front band on one to .432" and it still wouldn't shoot. Gave it to somebody...maybe Shuz or Ben and last time we talked, it had moved on to a new owner......just like a stray cat./beagle
    diplomacy is being able to say, "nice doggie" until you find a big rock.....

  17. #17
    Boolit Master


    Walks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    3,028
    I RARELY part with a mould. But a 2cav I bought more than 40yrs ago, because the store didn't have a #429421 in stock.

    Two weeks later the store got the #429421 2cav in stock. The #429360 Was heavily greased, wrapped well in plastic wrap and was given to a new caster 20years later.
    I cast 200+ bullets from it. 5" groups at 25yds from a Super BlackHawk that shot the #429421 into less than 2.5" . Most disappointing mold I've ever owned.
    I HATE auto-correct

    Happiness is a Warm GUN & more ammo to shoot in it.

    My Experience and My Opinion, are just that, Mine.

    SASS #375 Life

  18. #18
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    The deep south,... of Vermont!
    Posts
    4,922
    I liked the looks of the boolit, but it shot so poorly I couldn't part with it fast enough. I haven't run into too many true stinkers, but this one was for me.

  19. #19
    Boolit Master


    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Perryville, Ky,USA
    Posts
    4,511
    Walks, that's how I ended up with my first one. Got rid of it and later bought another one and went through the hoop jump trying to get it to shoot. Now, I recall the old saying: "If at first you don't succeed, give up. No sense in making a fool of yourself."/beagle
    diplomacy is being able to say, "nice doggie" until you find a big rock.....

  20. #20
    Boolit Master Maven's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Posts
    4,946
    My #429360 cast wonderfully, but it's droppings didn't fit my Ruger SBH and gave erratic grouping no matter what I did. Like beagle, I sold it rather than monkey with it. Btw, Glen Fryxell wrote about it (can't find the article) and maintained it was cut to a different dimension than modern .44Spl. and .44Mag. standards, and hence would not give stellar accuracy in modern guns.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

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