Lyman 429303 clones?

[Echd]

Are there any currently-produced 429303s, or similar SP .44s or .357 boolit molds out there?

I don't know if the 429303 is actually GOOD for anything, but it sure does look cool! If I could find a singlecav one I'd be a happy dude.

I've read that the lube grooves are a bit too square on the Lymans, though, and that they can be a pain to get to drop free. Any truth to that?

I sure like the looks of the .434 NOE mold at http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=65&osCsid=0uvno4s4t7l3hqsvpll7c9soh1 , but why in the world is it .434 dia?

[longbow]

I think you answered your own question. The NOE version is currently produced and they have some in stock.

Not exactly sure why NOE went to 0.434" for a handgun boolit but of course it can be sized down unlike boolits from an undersize Lyman mould (seemingly very typical). My Lyman 429421 casts exactly 0.429" which is basically useless for most .44 mag handguns and virtually all .44 mag rifles. My Marlin runs 0.4315" groove diameter which is about average.

You generally want the finished boolit to be at least 0.001" over groove diameter. My marlin likes 0.002" or more and being tube magazine I resisted buying the NOE pointy version and went with an Accurate Molds 43-165B TC that casts 0.433".

Not sure if that helps at all but if your groove diameter is 0.430"/0.431" you would want at least 0.432" to 0.433" ~ that's not a lot of sizing from 0.434".

Longbow

[Blammer]

the NOE 303 version (probably has some) sure knocks bowling pins off the table better!

[Shuz]

Echd--I played around with Lyman's 429303 for a few years in both GC and PB design. I finally sold all my moulds in that design because of all the "issues" with it. The grease groove design causes the boolits to hang up in the mould, the design itself, being rather pointy, precludes it's use in my lever guns, and most importantly, it never gave me the accuracy that I was hoping for. The only good thing about that design is that it requires a Lyman 303 nose punch to properly size the boolits and I still have that top punch and find it very useful on many designs, even tho it may round the meplat edge a mite on a few of them. I've found that a Saeco 446-A or Lee 200RNFP much easier to use in the 200g arena than a 429303. The 429303 looks "cool", but that's where it ends for me!

[Hardcast416taylor]

I acquired a 429303 "clone" here on the boolets site this Spring. It is a 2 cavity GC design that was supposedly made by Mt. Molds. I`ve since found that the maker is an unknown. It drops the boolets nicely weighing 210 +/- grains. Another rumored reason about this mold being taken out of production is that if cast hard enough and water quenched these boolets when driven fast enough were pretty good penetrators of bullet resistent vests used back in the `70`s and `80`s.Robert