Lyman #358477 What gives!

[Leadmelter]

Group
I bought a Lyman #357477, 150 gr. boolit and they list to the top punch #429. Well, I tried fitting my RCB #429 top punch and it does not bottom out. I tried it on the 170 gr boolits ande it fit like a glove. The not of the 477 is more rounded and is not a "Keith" sytle nose like my RCBS 2-cavity mold. Their website lists the correct top punch as 429 but the this does not fit their nomenclature pattern.
Puzzled

Gerry
MI in the Mitten

[Ben]

Degrease the top punch, coat the nose end of the 477 with some good quality grease. Put a " dab " of JB Weld inside the degreased top punch.

Pull everything down and keep it like that with a small bungie cord overnight.

Problem solved.

[runfiverun]

lyman is pretty good at changing thier nose designs.
i have two two cav's and a 4 cav.
all designated 358429 you wouldn't know it from looking at them.
rounded groove,square groove,button nose keith kinda nose.
screw a 1/4" bolt in there cut off the head and use the flat.

[kawalekm]

I had and now have the older and newer versions of Lyman's 358477. The older version was a classic SWC, but I damaged that mold and replaced it. The new version has a more rounded nose which I don't find as attractive as the original.

Your punch was designed to fit the old design, but you can simply wad a little chunk of aluminum foil inside the punch to take the new contour.

[dnepr]

I have a set of molds that are marked 358477A anybody know what the A is about ?

[bamacisa]

I just use a wadcutter top punch on swc bullets...works for me. No marks on bullet and it works fine.

[Bret4207]

I have very few TP's that fit precisely, just part of the game when you use moulds with a 75 or 80 year production run.

dnepr- The "A" is just an identifier for the cherry used I'm told.

[Larry Gibson]

Hmmmmm......let's see; "a Lyman #357477, 150 gr. boolit and they list to the top punch #429. Well, I tried fitting my RCB #429 top punch and it does not bottom out". A RCBS top punch not fitting a Lyman bullet, fathom that! Yup, Lyman sure is making bad moulds these days, eh;-)

Larry Gibson

[GabbyM]

Yep RCBS numbers do not cross with Lyman. See post #2 for he cure. About half the nose punches you get don't fit securely and will benifit from the epoxy fill.

I hear many people dissatisfied with Lyman’s newer #358477 design. Not me. I have that bullet. It drops from the mold like rain. Unlike the square grove square nose SWC’s. It weighs around 154 grains from 2/6 alloy and shoots good.

My favorite 38 Special bullet is the Magma 150gr TCFP. Saeco makes one similar. Then for a heavy the 177 grain #358429 I have in a NOE mould that drops the most perfect bullets you could ask for. Even in a 357 mag six inch I like a 150 grain at around 1200 fps to keep the muzzle blast down over trying to go to full up magnum loads. For an every day shooter anyway.

[Iowa Fox]

Several years ago I picked up a very old 225415 Ideal single cavity. In the mold box was a 225 sizer but no top punch so I ordered a new 415. I sized about a half dozen and the top punch was not even close.

I called Lyman and they asked me to ship one as cast bullet and one sized with smushed nose so I did. In about a week I received the top punch modified to correctly fit the nose at NO charge. That company has always been good to me.