What are some of the oldest/most iconic Lyman Ideal molds?

[oldhenry]

qwpercle is right about the 358432.

I have a '77 era Lyman 4cav. that I'll never part with (even though it's heavy).

[bedbugbilly]

In .358, there are two molds that come to mind for me – the .358-311 and the .358-242.

The .358-311 has been around since the inception of the 38 Special (38 Smith and Wesson Special) cartridge – fathered by the 38 Colt Long Cartridge. The 38 S & W Special has been around since 1898 and the 358-311 dates to that time period as well. The mold casts a 160 grain plain base round nose bullet. I have several early Ideal molds for that particular bullet as well as a single cavity Winchester mold which casts an identical bullet and which is stamped “38 S & W”. I have found it to be an accurate bullet out of all of my 38/357s and I particularly like shooting the historical bullet/cartridge in my old Smith & Wesson hand ejector revolvers and my 1910 Colt Army Special (Colt Army Special came out in 1908 - same year that my Dad was born and the Model T was introduced - the revolver was renamed for marketing purposes in 1927 to Colt Official Police). I am currently using that bullet to load in 38 special brass to use in my Henry 357 Big Boy Steel lever action as it feeds like butter in the rifle. The same bullet/cartridge loading will be shot from my Uberti 357 Bisley – 4 ¾” as it has proven to be accurate out of that revolver and will be used by me for the dual purpose of working in the revolver and the rifle.

The second mold is the 358-242. This is an old design as well that casts a .358 plain base rond nose bullet but it was available in two different grain weights – 92 grain and 121 grain. It is a very versatile bullet in either grain weight. In a 38/357, both weights shoot well. I also use both grain weights in loading both the 38 Colt Short and 38 Colt Long cartridges. (I also load “heeled bullets” in 38 Colt Short/Long/Special - .375 diameter with .358 heel diameter for use in cap and ball revolvers with conversion cylinders – but those are not cast in Ideal/Lyman molds). Bothe the 92 and 121 grain 358-242 cast bullets can be used in loading .380 ACP and 9mm Luger if desired and they make for accurate loads. I have several sets of blocks for each grain weight – a mixture of Ideal and Lyman.

I have been a BP shooter for nearly 60 years but only got interested in re-loading cartridges perhaps around 20 or so years ago. I like to cast and reload for what I consider “historical cartridges” – cartridges that have been around for many years – 38 Colt Short/Long – both in .358 and in “heeled” loads, 38 Special, 45 Colt/Schofield, 30-30, 8 X 57 Mauser (to shoot out of a 1905 Danzig GEW98), etc. and I am all set up now to load 45-70. Many I load in both BP and smokeless. I don’t pay much attention to “who” came up with the design of the bullet but I do like to read about it and try molds that duplicate what was available at the time the cartridge was born. That is just my preference and others enjoy those designs that were developed by noted shooters such as Kieth, etc. We all like different things.

The other bullet mold I will mention is the .454-190. I have several sets of Ideal blocks for this traditional 45 Colt bullet that has been around since it was adopted by the Army. A nice RNFP – 250 grain bullet that casts well and shoots even better in my 45 Colt revolvers – whether loaded with BP or smokeless. While I use a number of different .452 - .454 molds and designs in the 45 Colt/Schofield cartridges – there is just something fun about shooting the same bullet that goes back to 1873 and which has been used for many generations.

A fourth mold that I almost forgot about is the 450-225. This mold was designed for a 170 grain plain base round nose bullet to be used in the original .44 caliber cap and ball pistols from the Civil War - Colt, Remingtons, etc. I have both an old Ideal mold and a set of Lyman blocks for this bullet that I cast and sometimes use in my Colt 1860 Army and Remington 1858 New Model Army clones. The Ideal mold is a very early one and it still casts excellent bullets. So many of these revolvers ended up in the hands of those who carried them during the war, carried them in the westward movement, etc. that Ideal saw a marketing opportunity for bullet molds and took advantage of it.

[Green Frog]

Somewhere in my Web Surfing I found a table that goes through the series numbers of all the Ideal and Lyman Moulds. It's 12 pages long, but I'll try to post the first page;

Ideal/Lyman cherry numbers & weights...

Harsh obscenity!! When I tried to post it, the file lost its formatting and became a jumbled bunch of numbers. OP, if you would like me to send it to you as an attachment, send me a PM with your e-mail address.

Froggie

[Green Frog]

BINGO! Check out the following URL;

http://www.castpics.net/subsite/HistMolds/IdealCN.pdf

It's the one I had also stored away as a 12 page pdf.

Green Frog

[45-70 Chevroner]

457122. This one has been around sense I can remember. Made in the Ideal line and later the Lyman. My favorite 45-70 boolit, a hollow point that drops from my Ideal mold with my alloy at almost 350gr.

[Green Frog]

Yes, there’s much to be said for some of those classic designs that have stood the test of time. The 3118 has long been a favorite of mine, and now I am tracking down one tha shouldn’t exist, a 3119. I don’t know it’s history but there is a 3089, IIRC that runs right around 100 grains, so the same design a couple of thou larger would be maybe a 103 or 104(?). It may be a misprint, but it should be worth a look.

Froggie

[Larry Gibson]

The 3118, the 308284 aalong with it's PB'd version the 308282 and the 308291 are what pops into my mind from memory.

[Green Frog]

I got it out and looked at it again very closely… it was a 3118 with the 8 stamped crooked and a little lightly. It’s a single cavity I found many years ago at the famous Hillsville Gun Show and Flea Market. It was up on the hill across the street from the VFW Hall, and IIRC I paid $10 or $15 for it. Needless to say, I’m keeping it!

Froggie

[Forrest r]

I'd have to say the 35870 & the 356402

Don't know how long the 356402 has been around for but the 35870 is in the 1898 ideal handbook.

The 35870 is a fn bullet that also had a hb version. 50yd 10-shot group from a nm 1911 shooting the hb version of the 35870 bullet.
[IMG][/IMG]

[oldhenry]

I have 2 single cavity Ideal molds that got me into casting in 1960 after I lucked into a perfect '73 Win. in 38/40 aka 38WCF.

The 401 43 is a classic RFN weighing 172gr. . It will feed through the magazine with the original 40 Gr. of black powder, but light charges of Unique require a filler as it has no crimp groove (cream of wheat will do).

The 401 88 is a SWC (with crimp groove, but did not feed due to shape).

Both are very accurate.

[Green Frog]

One thing I expect with these earliest designs is a round nose or flat meplat on an otherwise rounded nose.

Froggie

[MT Gianni]

If you are after rifle molds look at the Guy Louverin designs. In general, several even bands with a gc. They can run with as little lube as you need. 311466 has always done well for me.