Lyman Handles Accurate Molds

[stainless1911]

The Accurate mold website asks for Lee or RCBS handles, but I wanted to use a Lyman handle. I was wondering if they would work, and if not, why not. I am saving up for one of their molds, I have designed this bullet with help fom accurate, and am looking forward to the purchase. Not too happy with the Lyman mold that I have now, it throws oval bullets, and the screw that holds the sprue plate broke off flush with the block when I tried to tighten it up. I wound up turning it around 180* drilling and tapping it for a 7/16" bolt. Its my first and only mold, so I had no choice but to try and fix it.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/stainless1911/40-160B-DMydesign.png

[RobS]

Lyman two cavity mold handles are the same thickness as the Lee six cavity mold handles. The Lyman 4 cavity handles are thinner than the Lee so they won't work to well as the blocks will have quite a bit of play on too thin of handles. With the single/double Lyman handles the only thing I could see maybe is the length of them on the fork end where you attach the mold block to may not be long enough if you buy a 3 cavity mold and maybe even a double cavity mold as Lyman mold blocks are fairly small in comparison.

Which lyman mold handles do you have??? New or old ones, single, double, 4 cavity also refered to by Lyman as small handles and large handles

[RobS]

A 40 cal bullet around 150-155 grains or so???

[stainless1911]

New ones, 2 cavity.

[stainless1911]

the part number is 40-160B, so I think around 160. I was shooting for 165, but 160 is good.

[RobS]

You can ask him to make it to 165g if you like and he'll make the changes for you no problems. I have designed now 4 different bullets in his catalog and have had him make changes after his initial drawing as I didn't quite like what was up the first go around as it wasn't what I hand envisioned in my head.

[RobS]

If your handles are the ones with the ribs cut in the wood then I think you'll be ok with his two cavity molds and possibly his three cavity. If you give me the measurements of the length of the forks of your handles (from the pin hole up to where the handles start to make a curve) as well as the thickness we can see if a three cavity will fit as that is what I have. If the three cavity will fit the others will too.

Be back with some measurements of the 3 cavity blocks.

[RobS]

Ok just did some measurements of the 3 cavity molds I have.

The length from the middle of the mold bolt to the end of the block is 1.26" and the width of the slot for the handles is 0.311. I can't remember what size of hole is in the handles though.

[stainless1911]

The slot in the Lyman mold is .315. From the middle of the bolt to the end of the block is just shy of 5/8" There is less than 1/16" between the rear of the block and a step that's in the handle. The step goes from .302 (the part that enters the mold slot), to .415 that continues back to the pivot hinge. I suspect that this step is the issue with the accurate mols, however very simple to grind out with an angle grinder, bench grinder, or die grinder.

I like the pivot system in the Lyman handles.

[RobS]

With just a bit of work on those Lyman Handles it seems like you'll be good to go as they are long enough. I've modified several Lee 6 cavity handles to fit both Lyman 4 cavity molds and RCBS molds in the past with a simple grinder and then filed across both forks to smooth/level out the grinder marks. The first time I made the mistake use a course grinding wheel and those handles are not as nicely done as the others.