New Lyman Mold - I'm Impressed

[John Boy]

* Lyman 2X Cavity 257420
Appears this mold dated 08-17 was cut with a CNC machine and it is perfect in all respects
* Complete mold has swirl rainbow lines (ID & OD) from the initial process cutting the block
* Block is squared perfectly with sharp edges
* Block has been annealed evidenced by coloration of the metal
* Sprue plate was not stamped - was cut because no edges on the bottom of the plate
* Deep black bluing of the plate
* Bullet cavities have no 'cherry cutter' lines - perfectly smooth
* Absolutely no day light showing between the mold halves
Overall - I am totally impressed with the overall quality construction and smoothness of the cavities
Click on attachment to enlarge picture ...

[square butte]

Cast with it - Tell us what alloy you used and what diameter it casts, and whether or not they come out true round

[sghart3578]

Cast with it - Tell us what alloy you used and what diameter it casts, and whether or not they come out true round

This plus 1.

[John Boy]

Will be casting with the mold next week with Lyman #2 - anxious myself to see the quality of the bullets and difference between the 2X cavity weights in a casting run. With the sharp edges on the bottom of the sprue plate - anticipate sharp flat bullet bases
The 257420 mold is a nominal 65gr weight depending on alloy

[Mitch]

Yes please do tell how happy you are after you cast with it.Looks are not everything.

[longbow]

Not sure whether Lyman is using CNC or not and even if they are for the most part the CNC methods still use cherries that are orbited around the cavities to cut to size (NOE and Mihec use this technique).

The last 4 Lyman moulds I bought all looked good, and in all honesty I like iron moulds and my old Lyman moulds are great, but... if they don't cast to the right size they can look as good as they want... they are useless.

I bought 3 round ball moulds and all cast 0.002" to 0.003" oversize using wheelweights ~ PERFECT! ~ but these are for my 12 ga. shotgun so a thou or two really isn't important. The 314299 I bought that was supposed to cast at 0.314" actually cast at 0.312" using wheelweights. No, I didn't use Lyman #2 Alloy and while it may have cast larger with Lyman #2 alloy I doubt a .30 cal. mould would cast 0.002" larger. The round ball moulds cast oversize with the same wheelweights go figure. So as good as my 314299 looked, it cast too small so I had to lap it out.

In the end I bought an NOE 316299 and it casts at 0.315"+ using wheelweights so perfect for my 0.314" groove .303 Lee Enfields.

Since then I've bought moulds for rifle only from NOE, Mihec and Accurate.

Yes, please report as cast size whether Lyman #2 alloy or not. If Lyman #2 alloy casts to stated size then the mould at least meets specs.

Longbow

[Taterhead]

Nice report. Like others, I'm curious about the casting results. The workmanship does look very good. Reminds me of the recent RCBS molds that I've bought. Those have been excellent in every way except for the limitation on numbers of cavities.

[dogdoc]

My recent 44 cal 429215 cast about .431 with wheelweight and some tin added. Very happy with

[lightman]

It’s a nice looking mold for sure. Hope it cast ok for you.

[John Boy]

OK, the curiosity got the best of me today about this new Lyman 257420 Mold ...

First of all, the Ideal 257420 mold is a nominal weight of 65grs. I believe that Lyman cut the mold to be a nominal 70gr bullet Communication to Mr DeAngelo @ Lyman is in order
* Alloy: Lyman #2 made from Linotype and pure Pb
Casting Results
* It cast like a dream, ranks with one of the best 247 molds in inventory
* Casting temperature - 730 degrees
* 5 second pour - 8 second frost with a large sprue puddle
* One tap on the handle Bolt - opened mold with a push on the right hand mold halve = 95% or better gravity drop of both bullets. Other times, one light tap on the end of the handle

The Bullets:
* All bullets shiny, completely filled out with perfect fills, sharp bands, sharp flat bullet bases, faint parting lines and no mold imperfections on the bullets ... the ogives are as smooth as a silk purse with a flat metplat
* Bullet diameters - 0.259, nominal S/B 0.257. Length = 0.603

The Bell Curve
69.5 to 69.8 = 19ea
70.0x = 56
70.1x = 0
70.2x = 6
70.3x = 21
70.4x = 14
70.5x = 6
63% of the bullets in a 0.3gr variance

Overall - The Mold is a Winner except for 70grs instead of 65grs

But believe my Stevens 25 won't know the 5gr difference

[Taterhead]

Awesome! Glad to hear that you have a mold that you're happy with.

[HangFireW8]

I have a 257AI Bob, but that is Lyman's only mold for 25 rifle, and I'm not interested in it.

My new 323470 didn't even drop at .323" until I used a high tin alloy, and after multiple lappings just barely gets to .324". I have a .325" groove Turkish Mauser.

When any of their 11 molds that start with 311xxx start dropping at something more than .309" with WW then I'll be interested.

So I'm happy for you, but my opinion of Lyman molds had not changed a bit.

[longbow]

I'm glad you got a good one! Like I said, I like my old Lyman moulds and they cast "to spec" with wheelweights so good. They do make a nice mould and iron is overall my favourite material. That one should last you a lifetime so lots of time to enjoy it.

Longbow

[Bazoo]

Nice to know. Thank you for the report. Might I ask, what you did to prep the mould?

[beltfed]

It is said by some that Lyman is now having molds cut in China???????
beltfed/arnie

[John Boy]

Might I ask, what you did to prep the mould?

Bazoo - Nothing. Cleaned the mold with 5% solution of Micro-90 - brought the mold up to temperature on the gas stove - lubed the pins with paraffin and started casting at 730 degrees. I put only 3 bullets in the scrap can before perfect bullets started dropping

Arnie - If they are coming from China, they are doing a better job than since Lyman bought out Ideal. Might add: I haven't bought a Lyman mold in years before this one and it's the first time a Lyman mold has had date stamp 08-17. The block is coded too with
257420AM
8078
1M

[Mitch]

Glad you got one you are happy with.I was not so lucky but lyman made it right but took a long while to get there.

[TXGunNut]

I have several Lyman moulds that I've been very pleased with. I'm not surprised by John Boy's success.

[Grmps]

question, do both cavities drop the same size boolit? Lyman's been real bad about this in the last few years.

[John Boy]

do both cavities drop the same size boolit?

Grmps, though I did not weight each cavity separately ... I'm going to say Yes based on the Bell Curve of 122 bullets and if the cavity variation is different, it is minor:
The Bell Curve
69.5 to 69.8 = 19ea
70.0x = 56
70.1x = 0
70.2x = 6
70.3x = 21
70.4x = 14
70.5x = 6
63% of the bullets in a 0.3gr variance
Casting session was with a Tel-Tru thermometer at 720 - 740 degrees in a 20 lb pot of Lyman #2 ... the majority of the time temperature at 730 degrees