Was just given 3 IDEAL moulds. Do you like these?

[UnderDawgAl]

A friend just gave me three of his dad's moulds. My friend said he wanted to give them to someone who would use, enjoy, and appreciate them. Needless to say, I am delighted and grateful.

What are your thoughts on these moulds?

(1) 358432 wadcutter mould, 2-cav--boolits inside weighed around 163 grains.

(2) 358439 hollowpoint SWC, 1-cav--boolit inside weighed around 152 grains.

(3) 429421 hollowpoint SWC, 1-cav--boolit inside weighed around 230 grains.

Two sets of handles came with the moulds, although one is missing the screw attaching half the block. Any idea what the screw size is?

I've got all three moulds soaking in Kroil right now. In a couple days, I'll clean up the moulds. It'll be a couple weeks before I can begin casting with them.


Ive been casting just since January of this year, all with LEE moulds, so using these much heavier moulds will be new for me. I'll have to check into the standard maintenance and care for them.

By the way, thanks, guys, for all the information you share. I can't express to all you folks how much I appreciate all the knowledge I've gained here.

[Heavy lead]

I'd say lucky dawwwwwwwgggggggggggggggggggg! Especially on the last two moulds. Enjoy.
You have a good start with the Kroil. IMO iron moulds are the standard and also IMHO easier to use as well.

[dualsport]

Yes, they're good bullets. You scored big time.

[GabbyM]

You've a wise good friend thier.

If that wad cutter is the one I'm thinking of. Crimps with a bit out front to fit into the throats. It has a following. They ran a group buy copy of it last year as it's discontinued by Lyman.

All three great bullets their that you won't see for sale much as no one wants to let good ones like that go.

[Edubya]

UnderDawgAl, where are you located in NC? I've been casting for a while and have found only a couple local that do it also. It's good in a way, less competition for the WW :)
I think that I've got enough moulds to take care of all of the casting that I'll do and probably enough lead for the rest of my life (unless it starts to become a real commodity, like gold).
EW

[Landric]

Good score especially on the 429421 HP mold. I've got a factory 358429 HP, and I'd love to have a 429421 as well. I've been thinking about having the one I have hollowpointed.

I started with Lee molds too, but I was never happy with the results I got (I am sure it was me, not the molds), but since I have switched to iron/steel molds (all mine are Lyman or Ideal), I couldn't be happier with the results. I think you will like your "new" molds!

[MT Gianni]

Close enough to the "Holy Grail" as most casters will ever buy, let alone have given to them.

[fecmech]

Buy your friend dinner. I saw those same two molds sold on Ebay last year. The 358439 went for about $ 140.00 and the 429421 went for $170.

[UnderDawgAl]

Well, guys, y'all sure know how to make a fellow feel good! Glad to hear the positive comments.

Edubya, I'm in Elizabeth City. Probably not a lot of casters here, but the competition for WW is INTENSE because of the fishermen here on the Albemarle Sound. A lot of folks fish commercially as a source of additional income, and those WWs make for nice fishing weights.

I don't have a 44 gun yet, so the 429421-HP will get cleaned and put away, until I break down and buy one of those Ruger Lipsey 44 Spl's with 4-5/8" barrel. I've got everything for loading 44 but the gun.

Couple of questions for you pros.

(1) Will the 358439-HP boolit do well in 38 Spl, or is it best used in 357?

(2) Anybody know offhand what size screw attaches the handles to the mould? There's one missing.

[Lumpie]

Buy your friend dinner. I saw those same two molds sold on Ebay last year. The 358439 went for about $ 140.00 and the 429421 went for $170.Pm your address, and I will send you the screw. Lumpie

[Catshooter]

Excellent!

The screw that holds the blocks to the handle is an 8 x 32, generally about an inch and a half long. MidwayUSA has Lyman rebuild kits that have the screws.


Cat

[Heavy lead]

Well, guys, y'all sure know how to make a fellow feel good! Glad to hear the positive comments.

Edubya, I'm in Elizabeth City. Probably not a lot of casters here, but the competition for WW is INTENSE because of the fishermen here on the Albemarle Sound. A lot of folks fish commercially as a source of additional income, and those WWs make for nice fishing weights.

I don't have a 44 gun yet, so the 429421-HP will get cleaned and put away, until I break down and buy one of those Ruger Lipsey 44 Spl's with 4-5/8" barrel. I've got everything for loading 44 but the gun.

Couple of questions for you pros.

(1) Will the 358439-HP boolit do well in 38 Spl, or is it best used in 357?

(2) Anybody know offhand what size screw attaches the handles to the mould? There's one missing.

As far as the answer to number one, this mould (and it's brother 358429 solid nose) was designed for the .38, it will not fit in some .357 due to the length of the nose without trimming back the .357 brass. Although I do use it and it's my favorite for .357 in solid point form, as I've not been lucky enought to stumble on one.

[HollandNut]

My pride and joy is a 4 cav 462560 I snagged off fleabay for $150 .. I have several OLD Lymans ..

You get hold of an old Lyman when they were still great , you'll not want anything else

[Wayne Smith]

Elizabeth City isn't that far from Va. Beach where Bigthickethunter and I hang out. You are not alone.

Congratulations on the gift, you couldn't have done much better.

[GP100man]

Any revolver worth there salt & the cyl is long enuff ought to shoot the boolits dropped by those molds!!

All my IDEAL molds drop FAT boolits & shoot good !!

[Ajax]

thats one good friend you have there i would thank him again.

Andy

[AnthonyB]

I have different versions of the Keith 38 HP for different applications. Molds are marked both 358429 and 358439, which I think should be the proper marking. One mold has a "stepped" pin that produces a relatively narrow cavity that I use in the Magnum; the other has the normal tapered pin that produces a bigger HP cavity for 38 Special loads. They are both great designs. Tony

[Dale53]

underdawgal;
The 358439 is ideal for "Plus P" level loads in your .38's. Cast it rather soft, 20/1 lead/tin as an example, or WW/pure lead 50/50 or 80/20 with an added 2% tin for fill out. Then load to "Plus P" levels and test for expansion shooting endwise through two liter water filled bottles. This will tell you want you want to know.

This is a PREMIUM bullet mould...

Dale53

[UnderDawgAl]

Dale53: Great information. I'm going to try to round up an older Lyman manual for load info, because I suspect that the latest manual (49th, I believe) no longer lists loads for these moulds.

To the others: Thanks, again, for the comments. I'm going to let the moulds soak in Kroil another couple days before I clean them up. Can't wait to start casting with them.

A public thanks to Lumpie for sending me a replacement screw out of sheer generosity.

Wayne/Bigthickethunter: Glad to know that some folks nearby are into casting. Heck, I'm just trying to convince my friends and colleagues of the benefits of reloading. There's A LOT of money wasted in these parts on factory stuff for plinking.

[snowtigger]

The good part about that is; They create a lot of once-fired brass for the rest of us....

[Gerry N.]

About 25 or 26 years ago my wife's cousin's husband, (I call him my Cousin in Law) had a side job cleaning out an abandoned house prepartatory to demolition. There was an old wooden cheese box on a high shelf that the local hoodlums had missed and in it were three bullet molds in pretty good condition, a single cav. Ideal 311299 with the blocks and handles one piece, a set of Ideal 311299 2 cav. blocks, and an Ideal single cav. 358432 mold complete with handles. There were three sets of Ideal small handles, one missing the wood. I set up the 358432 with one of the handle sets and turned handles for the set that was missing its. I made ferrules for it from short lengths of copper tubing.

The one piece Ideal 311299 casts a fat boolit, .305 nose and .313 bands in WW. My '92 Krag, 03A3, and Rem. M1917 all love that boolit, especially the Krag. The 2 cav 311291 casts the most accurate boolit I've ever fired out of my 1963 production M94 Winchester. Both cavities cast for all practical purposes identical boolits. The .38 wadcutter is my boolit of choice for my nice little Taurus 82. Even though it's a fixed sight revolver, many grouse and cottontails have joined me for dinner after being invited with it. Those three were my first boolit molds, I had cast round balls in Lee molds previous to that.

Sometimes lady fortune simply smiles, it's important to do something nice to pay her back. We take my wife's cousin and my cousin in law to dinner a couple times a year. I don't want to lose karma points. As it happens their restaurant of choice is Skipper's so it doesn't cost all that much. See, lady fortune likes me a little.

Gerry N.

[stephen perry]

I have the 429 and the 432. Great is not a good word for Ideal/Lyman molds. Most of my molds are Ideal/Lyman probably 20 or more. My favorite if there is such a thing is my 311284. Also my 245496 is right up there. For pistol my 452374 and 358 63 are hot.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR :brokenima