measureing for boolit fit help

[Thinktwicez71]

i wanna get a 358429 mold to load some bullets for my dan wesson 15-2 .357 . i read about how its such a great bullet , but also read about the length being too long for some cylinders . what is the overall lenth of a .357 case that is normal length ( not trimmed shorter) with the bullet seated in the crimp groove ?

i want to see if they will fit in my gun before i order a mold.

thanks - Art

[Thinktwicez71]

if i insert a fired case in the cylinder , and then measure from the case mouth to the front of the cylinder it measures .379" , that is the room available for the bullet , is that enough

[Thinktwicez71]

i think i might of figured this out on my own , my cases measure 1.282 fired , the space available for a bullet to cylinder face is .379 so technically i have room for 1.661 , my lyman 49th book calls for oal for the 358429 to be 1.553 so i guess im good , sorry for the pretty simple question

[runfiverun]

i'd like to thank all the responders to this thread for all thier good work. :lol:
it still wouldn't hurt to get a measurement confirming this though.
i don't have the mold or i could tell him right off, as i have the same revolver.

[MikeS]

Runfive, I don't really think that criticism is warranted. I mean he answered his own question within 10 minutes, only an hour ago. It's Saturday night, unlike myself, most forum members have a life, and might not be reading the forums at this time.

[runfiverun]

wasn't criticism or sarcasm it was an underhanded congratulations for doing the homework,and measuring stuff on his own.
i see a lot of threads that start with the first post and that's it...
that's all the effort the o.p. is gonna put out.
and if they do get the answer there is no follow up posting.

i am applauding the o.p. for setting an example of how we done things before the internet existed.

b.t.w. that's almost exactly how i figured out i could use 32-20 brass and a 32 cal mold in my 30 carbine black hawk revolver.

[Thinktwicez71]

Thanks guys . Do any of you have a 358429 loaded in a 357 mag case , crimped in the crimp groove know what the oal would be ? Thanks again - art

[357shooter]

i think i might of figured this out on my own , my cases measure 1.282 fired , the space available for a bullet to cylinder face is .379 so technically i have room for 1.661 , my lyman 49th book calls for oal for the 358429 to be 1.553 so i guess im good , sorry for the pretty simple question

Hi,
The Lyman OAL is crimping onto the front band, which shoots fine. Loaded to the crimp groove will be longer. If it doesn't fit, load to the Lyman OAL.

Either way, it's a great mould from Lyman, loading either way has produced the same results in my revolvers. So it'sll work in your DW loaded short for sure, it may work loaded to the crimp groove.

If I recall, I had some that loaded to 1.650 OAL loaded into the groove. That's from memory and not necessarily the shortest it'll load to.

[Thinktwicez71]

alright , thanks alot - I'll see if i can find an older mold so i won't have to deal with the undersize stuff i always hear about - thanks - Art

[Jal5]

Thinktwyce-
If you want to try some 358429 BOOLITS I would be glad to send you a sample. Send me a PM
Joe

[Thinktwicez71]

jal5 , pm sent

i found an older 358429 mold with lyman nutcracker handles on it in great shape on ebay so i bought it.

it is a 4 cavity one.

wish me luck :)

[Thinktwicez71]

is there a way to tell the age of a lyman mold ?

it is a lyman 358429 , with a 162 marked on it ? is that a date code ?

ive seem some with other numers on it , curiositys got me

[45 2.1]

The distance from the meplat to the crimp groove on the 358429 I have is 0.357"................. so the OAL is 1.282" + 0.357" = 1.639".

[Thinktwicez71]

45 2.1 ......a big thank you ! :drinks:

by that measurement , i would still have .022 to the front of the cylinder , and .026 to the barrel

[MtGun44]

162 is probably the production number. When Lyman makes a batch of blocks, they number them
in pairs from 1 to 999, then start over, just to keep the half blocks together. Means nothing once
the blocks are done. Be aware that Lyman has let their designs drift around a lot over
the last 50 yrs. Current Keith designs that I have seen which were made in the last
3-5 yrs are all very much back to what Elmer intended, proper flat bottomed lube groove,
three pretty equal driving bands, etc. Somebody at Lyman apparently realize that their
drift from the original design was not pleasing the customer base and fixed it.

358429 is a great design, I use it a lot and like it, especially in HP form, but do not overlook
the 358477, not a Keith design, but quite similar and a very good one. 150 SWC and a nose
short enough to work in any cylinder that I am aware of.

Bill

[MikeS]

Thinktwice, as MtGun44 says, the 162 is just a number used internally by Lyman to keep track of the mould halves. You will also see moulds that sometimes have 2 letters after the mould number, and I think those have to do with what cherry was used, and what machinist made the actual mould. Sometimes you'll see a U either in front of, or after the mould number, and that usually means the mould was cut undersize. Also sometimes moulds will be marked with an S either in front of or behind the mould number, and that indicates Special, in that the mould is different than the normal one. Unfortunately with the S it doesn't tell you what is different from a normal one, unlike the U that's always for Undersize.

[cbrick]

b.t.w. that's almost exactly how i figured out i could use 32-20 brass and a 32 cal mold in my 30 carbine black hawk revolver.

Same here, rimmed brass for the 30 Carbine. :mrgreen:

Rick

[leadman]

I know that this boolit is too long for the S&W 27 and 28. When S&W went to the L frame they made the cylinder longer.
I can't recall any other revolvers in 357 that this boolit was too long for. If others know of more please post so it can be searched.

[felix]

In my experience by shooting/loading many different guns, a self imposed limit of meplat top to crimp top for any pistol cylinder and/or rifle magazine should not exceed 0.300 in length to fit, without making any OVL problem whatsoever. ... felix

[Thinktwicez71]

I got my mold yesterday , it makes really nice boolits

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