Mold ID/design purpose

[JudgeBAC]

Cast pics and other sites list a picture and other info regarding Lyman and Ideal molds. The only information missing is what each of the bullets was designed for in terms of caliber etc. Does anyone have any information in this regard? For example. I just purchased Lyman 41027 a hollow base mold which I intend to use in a .41 magnum. What was this bullet designed to do? What caliber? What purpose?

[9.3X62AL]

Floodgate--to the rescue!

[floodgate]

Moulds
Floodgate--to the rescue!

Judge:

Floodgate here! From the mould number, you can determine the approximate caliber from the first three digits; the remaining one, two or three are a "cherry number" identifying the specific design and - more or less - its date of origin. The best source for the info you want, in general, would be the original 1958 First Edition Lyman "Handbook of Cast Bullets". Look for a plastic bound 5 1/2" x 8" booklet of about 200 pages with an orange-ish front cover with a drawing of an engraved Sharps rifle action and assorted bullets and mould, at the gun shows or on eBay. It has the old engravings of the bullets, with a little load data and some choice anecdotes by old-time designers and users. Unfortunately, weights of the bullets are generally not given. Your #40127, however, was not introduced until 1963 (along with PB WC #41026, RN #41028, and SWC #41032) for the new .41 S&W Magnum (using the #...27 cherry number recycled from a obsolete .25 caliber hollow point design from the 1890's). It was dropped as a regular item in 1974, but was available on special order through 1978. It, and #41026, which had the same life-span, were primarily for paper-punching, which was not the preferred use of the Maggie; the other two lasted longer: the RN until 1979. and the SWC until 1991.

A more useful - if less entertaining - source would be the 1973 Second Edition "Cast Bullet Handbook" (they switched the title around for the later editions), which gives photos, weights, and recommended sizer top punches and bullet seating screws for virtually all the moulds made up to that time (over 500!). Same size, but found in either plastic comb binding or glued and stapled; cover shows a scoped rifle lying across a plank floor on a pile of targets and .30-'06 cases. This is the source for the charts on CASTPICS. The long 217-gr. hollow-base Wadcutter is shown there, but no loads are given in the book for its use in the .41 Magnum. You'll have to extrapolate from the data for the lighter (199 gr.) #41026 plain-base wadcutter.

Thus endeth the first lesson.

Doug

[JudgeBAC]

Floodgate: Thanks for the info. Sorry it took so long to say thanks. I've been out of town celebrating 25 years with the Mrs. Went to Charleston and had a great time. No cast bullets of course but I did get to see the H.L. Hunley (I highly recommend it) and fort Moultrie.

Back to cast bullets. I have the 1973 Lyman book but not the 1958 version. Yet another book I must find for my collection.

Thanks again.

[floodgate]

Judge:

I haven't seen the Hunley, but I read the book on it. Fascinating!!

Doug