Lyman Composite Bullet Kit (358624, 429625, 452636)

[ohland]

Cast Bullet Supplement #1, C.E. Harris, pages 17-18
Lyman Composite Bullet Kit

In 1978, Lyman Products introduced kits for making composite pistol bullets for handgun hunting in .357 Mag., .44 Mag., and .45 Colt calibers. The three composite bullet designs, #358624 (170-gr.), #429625 (232-gr.) and #452636 (245-gr.), are Keith styles resembling the standard #358429, #429421, and #454424 bullets which are popular in these calibers. The composite bullets are intended to be used with the same load data as their conventional counterparts.

Composite bullets permit loading to full magnum velocities without leading because the rear "jacket" is cast of hard alloy, such as linotype metal, which resists deformation under the high pressures of magnum loads. Unlike conventional hard cast bullets, though, the composites expand reliably in magnum handgun loads. The front "core" is cast of pure lead, which is soft enough to expand easily at striking velocities above 1100 f.p.s. at normal handgun hunting ranges. Those composite bullets offer handgun hunters a homemade alternative to expensive jacketed bullets, giving good expansion and penetration with excellent weight retention, while delivering accuracy comparable to conventional hard cast bullets, using the same loads.

The kit contains two single-capacity molds, one for casting the soft lead core and another for the hard lead jacket, plus a special top punch for seating the jacket before cementing the core in place. Full instructions for assembling the bullets are included. Cores and jackets are cast of appropriate material, plumber's lead for the core and linotype metal for the jackets. Jackets may also be cast of wheel weight metal, sized and then heat treated to suitable hardness before cementing the core in place. This is done by placing the sized jackets in an oven at 425' F for one hour, then fully quenching them in room temperature water within three seconds. After about 10 days’ age, these heat-treated jackets will attain hardness greater than linotype and will be suitable for full .357 Mag. or .44 Mag. loads.

Jackets are sized without lubricating them, then the base (small end) of the core is dipped in two-part epoxy and slipped into the jacket cavity. The two pieces should be rotated together to insure a uniform distribution of cement. Excess epoxy is wiped away without pressing the core into the jacket. Assembled bullets should be set aside for 24 hours before loading, to insure the epoxy has had time to cure fully. Then, composite bullets are lubricated in the usual way and loaded the same as conventional cast bullets.

In testing by the Technical Staff, Lyman composite bullets gave excellent accuracy, equal to carefully cast, conventional cast bullets, with good penetration and expansion, using water-soaked telephone books as a test medium. At low velocities around 1000 f.p.s. in the .45 Colt, expansion was not significant, although recovered bullets showed some flattening, and would probably be more effective than hard Keith type bullets. Expansion would be more reliable in higher velocity .45 Colt loads which are possible in Ruger Blackhawk or T/C Contender pistols.

At velocities up to about 1200 f.p.s., the composite bullets perform like soft-points, the expanded nose portion remaining intact in a "mushroom" shape. Much above 1200 f.p.s., the expanded nose shears away from the body, leaving the remaining core and jacket (about 80% of the bullet's original weight) intact to provide good penetration. This mechanism is very effective on game, provided the bullet retains at least 2/3 of its weight to attain adequate penetration, as the composites do. If the fragmentation is not wanted, however, use somewhat harder core material, such as 1:20 tin/lead or 3 lbs. wheel weights to 7 lbs. pure lead. This will raise the velocity at which expansion occurs to about 1300 f.p.s., and reduce fragmentation of the core up to about 1600 f.p.s.

In high velocity loads above 1600 f.p.s. in the T/C Contender pistol, the jackets of some bullets fractured above the grease cannelure, though the epoxy bond between the expanded core and the remaining base of the bullets remained intact, and no core-jacket separations occurred. Penetration of the Lyman composite bullets was approximately equal to that of jacket hollow-point factory loads of the same caliber. In the .357 Mag., .44 Mag., and .45 Colt test guns, they equaled the accuracy of factory loads.

Although some bore leading was experienced in loads above 1500 f.p.s. in the T/C Contender, accuracy was not impaired. Results of accuracy and expansion tests are summarized in the accompanying tables. Although the composite bullets arc more time consuming to make than conventional cast bullets, they are a highly practical, inexpensive alternative to jacketed handgun bullets. They offer a useful level of accuracy, penetration and expansion which is well suited to most handgun hunting purposes in the calibers for which they are suited.

v/r,
Fellow servant to heavy metal

[J..]

For those who cant imagine such an ungainly and awkward contrivance ever existed:

The original packaging was a cardboard box in the usual Lyman pattern, containing two smaller mould boxes. unfortunately, sometimes these sets turn up 'broken' and you find only one mould or the other for sale instead of both as a single package. While the 'front half' mould was pretty useless on its own, the 'back half' mould could at least make a impressive hollowpoint (like an upsidedown HBWC).