Lyman numbering vs style

[blysmelter]

This newbe is looking for a 250grains (take and leave som) 35caliber mold. I see plenty molds on ebay but how can I decode thoose Lyman numbers?
I know the 3 first digits is the bulletdiameter (cast with Lyman no2?), but what about the rest of it?

[45nut]

As you surmised, the first numbers are the diameter. the other numbers are "cherry" or "design" numbers. Lyman has re-issued cherry numbers so keep that in mind.
Some of the more popular designs utilize the same "cherry or design" numbers and issue them in ever increasing diameters.
"Floodgate" here is the Guru for deciphering the different Lyman molds, do a search on his threads and you will get quite the education.

[fatnhappy]

http://www.castpics.net/RandD/Lyman_moulds/Lyman_moulds.htm

[wdm004]

The numbering system seems to me to be sequential. And not even sequential within caliber. That is to say that they produced a 3571 (now referred to as 357001) then maybe a 4212 (or 421002 today) then a 3083 ,etc...

I have to use a reference table or my Lyman Cast Bullet manual listing of mould numbers. There was a web site that I saw once with this information, but I didn't save it. Anyone know of such a web reference?

Dan

[blysmelter]

http://www.castpics.net/RandD/Lyman_moulds/Lyman_moulds.htm

thanks, just what I was looking for!

[scrapcan]

here is another link

http://www.three-peaks.net/bullet_molds.htm

[TAWILDCATT]

get MIDSOUTHSHOOTERS.COM catalog it has RCBS/LYMAN/LEE pics of bullets.great referance.lyman cat only shows newer bullets.

[floodgate]

bly, wdm:

Yes, the "cherry numbers" are - more or less - sequential; the Ideal manufacturing Company - founded in 1884 - started in 1896 with 1 - 21 for a series of .25 and .30 caliber bullets for the new, "small-bore" smokeless military and sporting rounds, and then in 1897 and 1898 added another 175 or so numbers for the almost 200 designs for which they were making moulds at the time, these ones more or less in order of caliber, so they could keep track of inventory and orders (previously, one just asked for the "standard" bullet for a given cartridge, e.g., "38 WCF", or, for specialty bullets, caliber and weight: "38-255"; both seen on actual mould stampings).

Thereafter, higher numbers were assigned pretty much in order of the date the moulds were offered, regardless of caliber. After the Lyman Gun Sight Co. took over the business in 1925 (by then, the numbers had reached the 390s), they dropped many of the older moulds (and many others had been dropped earlier-on), but frequently re-used the "cherry numbers"; an example is a short-range .30-30 bullet from ca. 1896, #3089, that was dropped after a few years. Lyman assigned that number to a heavy RN GC bullet, #3589, and after the "computer revolution" added a few zeros to make it #358009, so all entries would have six digits #358(00)9 was dropped several years back, and maybe another #xxx009 will appear someday in the future, though they seem to have stopped that practice. They are now in the high #xxx600's.

There are a FEW exceptions, such as the Thompson .38/.357 SWC GC #358156, where the "156" was intended to reflect the bullet weight - an older #308156 having been dropped back in 1906, leaving the number conveniently vacant. Does this help?

If you think this is illogical, ask me about Modern-Bond mould numbers; or the numbers used by Hensley & Gibbs, NEI and others, which are just that: numbers in some sort of rough sequence of development, without reference to caliber, weight or style.

For a look at early and current Ideal and Lyman mould illustrations, and others for some other makers, go to www. CASTPICS.net/Research and Data and look around.

floodgate

[blysmelter]

Thanks for all this info, it is really helpfull in "decoding" those numbers.