Lyman 457621 mold design???

[mtnman31]

I have a Lyman 457621 mold and can't find any information on it. From wheel weights it casts a 508gr bullet. The diameter is a scrawny .448. Obviously not really suitable for the 45-70 that I purchased it for. I suppose I could paper patch it but I didn't buy it for that.

Does anyone have one of these or know anything about it? Since Lyman doesn't list it as a current design I most likely can't send it back and ask them to replace it with one that is a size more to my needs. I thought maybe it was a mis-stamped number but the box has the same number as well.

[Southern Son]

Mtnman, is it .448 on all driving bands? I have the Lyman 457677, it casts a 490-500gr projectile and the first couple of driving bands are .448-.449 so that you can seat the boolit out of the case further without getting your throat lengthened. When you load with black powder, this means more powder behind the boolit or less compression on the powder you have.

[HeavyMetal]

I enlarged the picture as best I could. Boolit looks good but maybe just a little rounding on the bands?? Tough to tell in the photo.

I will suggest you do as southern son suggested and "mike" all the bands. Then I'll suggest adding some bar solder or Lino type to your alloy in an attempt to increase diameter.

Rememeber lead casts the smallest diameter and heaviest, the type metal the largest diameter and the lightest.

You are attempting to go from .448 to .458 which may seem like a big jump but it's not.

We're talking about .005 a side here (on a round surface to boot!) So a little more heat, a little alloy fiddlin, and you just might hit .458!

[mtnman31]

Yes, the diameter is .448 on all driving bands. On the base driving band it measures .551 across the parting line but .448 all the rest of the way around.

You are correct about the rounded band. The bullet in the photo has some slightly rounded edges on the middle driving bands. I dipped the mold into the melt to pre heat it and only cast about two dozen bullets. It is a recently acquired mold and I was just getting a feel for how well it was going to cast.

[Buckshot]

...............That slug is casting WAY, WAY too small! Ten thousands is a whole 'nuther caliber I'd be pissed if it dropped at .457" let alone .448". Heck, that's .002" too small for the bore let alone the groove. I'd scrub the bejabbers out of the cavity with a toothbrush in hot water and dish detergent first. Then I'd get after it with some carb cleaner. After that I'd 'very lightly' smudge the cavity with a Bic type lighter.

All you need is a faint discoloration of the bare metal with the soot. Do NOT smudge it up like the inside of a chimney. You've got some serious shrinkage issues there. I'm also seeing some roughness or something going on in the drive band grooves in the cavity. I'd sure'nuff take the best boolit cast and set it up for lapping with some toothpaste there in the band area. Clean agin after that and give it another go.

Is this alloy you've used successfully in casting other boolits?

...............Buckshot

[mtnman31]

I cleaned the mold out with brake cleaner, denatured alcohol, and acetone. No luck. I looked at it under a magnifying glass and the driving band grooves have some sort of gold colored roughness to them. That is really the only way to describe it as I have no idea what it is. I scraped it with a dental pick as well as scrubbed it with some polishing paste. My efforts didn't even scratch the surface.

Whatever it is, it is not thick enough to account for the super small diameter. The base of the bullet does not have the "roughness" and it is pretty much the same diamter as the bands, .448-.451. The stuff is just thick enough to leave the bands with a rough surface, almost looks sand blasted.

Yes, this alloy has been used successfully with other bullets. It is just straight wheel weights fluxed with a little bullet lube and some sawdust.

This mold was purchsed on fleabay while I was in Iraq. Needless to say, I didn't even lay eyes on it for a good six months. By the time I got back and settled in the auction was no longer listed in my history and I haven't a clue whom the seller was. If I could figure it out, I'd email him and ask what the heck was going on. I'm guessing someone bought this mold and it was undersized for them and they decided to experiment with it - then pass it off on fleabay. One of the chances we take with online auctions I guess.

Like I mentioned earlier, I may just paper patch it and see how that works out... though I'd still like to know what the deal is with the odd mold number: 457621. The bullet shape is almost identical to the 457132 mold listed in the castpics section.

[squid]

That one is on Page 92 of Lyman hand book #38. On page 91 appears the molds I want. #457129 a 146 Gr. round ball for plinking and #457130 a 144 Gr. collar button type for small game in the 45-70. They recomend 'em with 5.0 Gr. of No. 6 pistol or Unique.
I use the RB (measures .454) with 9Gr. of Unique n tp filler in my Ruger #3. Would like to try the coller button. If any of ya run accorss 'em let me know.

[John in PA]

The 457621 is listed as the bullet for the muzzeloading Whitworth and Volunteer rifles. Just why Lyman changed their mold numbering policy from using the first three digits to indicate nominal diameter on this one is anybody's guess!! .448 is apparently the normal diameter for this bullet. There's a commercial caster that lists it on his site, in the .448 diameter as you measured.

[ascast]

i might be interested in taking that mold off your hands, if that will solve your problem. PM me

[Good Cheer]

Cheese and crackers. A Lyman muzzleloading target rifle boolit mold?
Now there's something you don't see every day.