Old Lyman 37583 Mould ???

[Russ in WY]

Have had this one so long I don't remember ever casting it. Found a listing for it in Lyman Casting book. Looks to be a pistol bullet, Flat nose, PB, single grease groove. Lyman book said 145 gr, however the 2 in the mould weighed 136.8 & 135.9. Dia is .375 that dosen't work for 38/357 cal . Any idea what this mite be loaded in / for ??? 2 cav block in VG condition if any one mite be interested. Tks Russ.

[onceabull]

Russ: That # is an oldtimer intended to cast a nominal 145 gr. boolit for the 38/55 to use as a "gallery" load.. Seems like a # of them cast on the small side for a lot of the rifles,though.. Mine has been useful in all the 375 Win.bores I've tried it in...e-bay proceeds for a 2c might be pleasant surprise...Onceabull

[Buckshot]

..............Could it be for a 36 cal cap 'n' ball? Not doubting what Onceabull wrote, but I just had to post something :-)

..............Buckshot

[floodgate]

Rick:

The old Ideal Handbooks say; "This is a [copy of the] regular factory .38-55 M[arlin] short range bullet..." But, of course, it can be used for whatever purpose it fits, including a .36 C&B with the proper chamber diameter.

Doug

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I have been loading this bullet for the 38-55 using 10 grains of Unique. It is a short(er) range bullet....50-100 yards with not much recoil. My mold is an older single cavity version and it casts at .378 with WW. For longer distances in the 38-55, the 250-255 grain bullets are more accurate, but need more of a slower burning powder...actually a medium burning powder like IMR 3031. LLS

[missionary5155]

This mold works well in my old Ballard ... it was a 38 Long overstamped with 38-50. I think the rifling is 1-36 ... anyway I quickly found out a 255 grain boolit was unstable past 50 yards.. keyholed at 100. But I tried wacking off the base and filing it square.. then the next grease ring and things got all straight.. so I bought one of these 37583 and bump to .380 (1-30 mix) and my Ballard is HAPPY... at least out to 100 yards. Will plow a good furrow into any groundhog.

[Baron von Trollwhack]

It just won't do in the Colt percussion revolvers. There is not enough room to set it over the chamber and put the loading lever plunger on top. Although I have shot the 36 Remington percussion copies with RB I could only speculate that the 37583 might work using a cylinder loader tool if its diameter were sized down for a proper cylinder hole/bore relationship. That's a bit impractical on the Colt.

I always considered the 37583 as a small game/gallery bullet for the 38-55 as my old mould casts large enough for the old rifle dimensions. BvT

[38-55]

I use it alot in the H&R 1871.... My mold throws the bullets .382 which matches my bore perfectly.
I've tried in my Italian colt clones and while it come out the barrel it does not seem to stabilize very well.. And yes you have to load the cylinder outside the frame...It works well in my old winchester lever gun to.. Knowing what I know about it if I lost mine somehow I'd track down another one.
Stay safe
Calvin