Load DataMidSouth Shooters SupplyLee PrecisionReloading Everything
Titan ReloadingWidenersRepackboxRotoMetals2
Inline Fabrication
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 21

Thread: Old Ideal 4C Mould Help ID and Price

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master

    jonp's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Posts
    8,281

    Old Ideal 4C Mould Help ID and Price

    This mould came with my RCBS. It's an old Ideal mould in a box marked Lyman Gun Sight Corporation. The numbers stamped on the mould do not match the ones on the box. It has 4 different cavities as follows:
    358495
    311419
    225438
    22445

    I would like any information on this mould as I can't find anything online and the cavity mix seems odd to me. Is this a custom mould? How would I price a custom made mould like this for sale if it is one? I'm going to cast with it this fall and winter and probably let it go but have no idea where to start on something I can find no info on. Would an auction be the best bet?
    I Am Descended From Men Who Would Not Be Ruled

    Fiat Justitia, Ruat Caelum

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master
    rintinglen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Orange, VA NOW
    Posts
    6,492
    That is a custom mold, with as indicated by the stampings, 4 different design cavities. You have a 38 wadcutter, a light weight 32-20 boolit, a 22 Round nosed gas checked design, and one that I do not recognize, the 22445. This was a fairly common practice back in the 50's and 60's. But in my experience a darned stupid one. Nobody ever uses exactly the same number of such disparate boolits, which means a pile of boolits go to waste while the one you need slowly accumulates. They have some value as a curiosity, but I wouldn't pay 50 bucks for such a thing.
    _________________________________________________It's not that I can't spell: it is that I can't type.

  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master

    jonp's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Posts
    8,281
    Quote Originally Posted by rintinglen View Post
    That is a custom mold, with as indicated by the stampings, 4 different design cavities. You have a 38 wadcutter, a light weight 32-20 boolit, a 22 Round nosed gas checked design, and one that I do not recognize, the 22445. This was a fairly common practice back in the 50's and 60's. But in my experience a darned stupid one. Nobody ever uses exactly the same number of such disparate boolits, which means a pile of boolits go to waste while the one you need slowly accumulates. They have some value as a curiosity, but I wouldn't pay 50 bucks for such a thing.
    Kinda my view but it was free. The wadcutter and 22 i might use, the others only for sale
    I Am Descended From Men Who Would Not Be Ruled

    Fiat Justitia, Ruat Caelum

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Posts
    1,091
    I bought one of those custom 4 cavity moulds, had three popular .30 cal cavities, and a useless to me .244 cavity. It does cast nicely, so I suppose I'll have to buy a .243

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master

    gwpercle's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Baton Rouge, Louisiana
    Posts
    9,254
    Isn't it amazing what Lyman would do for a Customer ... back in the day when a customer ment something . A 4 cavity mould ... with 4 different boolits .
    I don't know what they are worth ...but I would keep it just cause it's so Dang Cool !

    Got to thinking ...if you can still sell moulds on E-bay ... list it as Rare , Antique , One-of -a-Kind , custom made by special order , not another on the face of the planet ... for sell to the highest bidder, $500.00 starting bid and see where the chips fall .
    Gary
    Last edited by gwpercle; 08-21-2021 at 07:43 PM.
    Certified Cajun
    Proud Member of The Basket of Deplorables
    " Let's Go Brandon !"

  6. #6
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Posts
    55
    Quote Originally Posted by Gewehr-Guy View Post
    I bought one of those custom 4 cavity moulds, had three popular .30 cal cavities, and a useless to me .244 cavity. It does cast nicely, so I suppose I'll have to buy a .243
    Which 243 design? I'd look into the Savage rifles, for value/cost, but I'm an enabler..

  7. #7
    Boolit Master Idaho Mule's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Viola, Idaho
    Posts
    1,000
    Quote Originally Posted by Gewehr-Guy View Post
    I bought one of those custom 4 cavity moulds, had three popular .30 cal cavities, and a useless to me .244 cavity. It does cast nicely, so I suppose I'll have to buy a .243
    You and I think the same.

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master

    jonp's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Posts
    8,281
    Quote Originally Posted by gwpercle View Post
    Isn't it amazing what Lyman would do for a Customer ... back in the day when a customer ment something . A 4 cavity mould ... with 4 different boolits .
    I don't know what they are worth ...but I would keep it just cause it's so Dang Cool !

    Got to thinking ...if you can still sell moulds on E-bay ... list it as Rare , Antique , One-of -a-Kind , custom made by special order , not another on the face of the planet ... for sell to the highest bidder, $500.00 starting bid and see where the chips fall .
    Gary
    I was going to ebay it but a member here expressed interest so i sold it to him for A BILLION DOLLARS! Picture Dr Evil at this point

    Actually, I told him to send me what he thought it was worth. I'd much rather sell it here to someone that appreciates it no matter the price than ebay it to someone just trying to flip it for a buck
    I Am Descended From Men Who Would Not Be Ruled

    Fiat Justitia, Ruat Caelum

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
    Bent Ramrod's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Southern Arizona
    Posts
    4,284
    An antique reloading Happy Ending! Excellent!

    It’s only once in a blue moon that you find one of those multidesign moulds a really practical tool, all right. Three out of four useful cavities is pretty good odds. More often, you're always out of one cavity, while the rest pile up.

    My best is a 2-cavity that casts a .45 Auto and a .45 Colt boolit. It came with a revolver with .45 AR and .45 Colt cylinders. Neither setup is superior to the other, so one can use the boolits at the same rate. A mould that needs a specialized ”weapons system” to bring out its full potential. Weird. Supposed to go in the other direction.

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master
    rintinglen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Orange, VA NOW
    Posts
    6,492
    I am curious about the "22445." 445 was supposed to be a 32 caliber wadcutter, but that was the 313-445?
    _________________________________________________It's not that I can't spell: it is that I can't type.

  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master
    Mk42gunner's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Butler, MO
    Posts
    9,021
    See that is a different take on what I thought it meant, and I do have an Ideal SC 313445.

    My thought was it is a 224 diameter, cherry #45.

    Absolutely no idea what it would look like though. Could be mis-stamped too.

    Robert

  12. #12
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Posts
    181
    Old Buffalo mold tables has a pdf listing of old lyman / ideal molds.
    Bill

  13. #13
    Boolit Grand Master

    jonp's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Posts
    8,281
    Quote Originally Posted by wwmartin View Post
    Old Buffalo mold tables has a pdf listing of old lyman / ideal molds.
    Bill
    Not that one, i looked.
    I Am Descended From Men Who Would Not Be Ruled

    Fiat Justitia, Ruat Caelum

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master

    jonp's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Posts
    8,281
    Got off the phone with Lyman. Guy spent 20min trying to find that mould 22445 and drew a blank.
    I Am Descended From Men Who Would Not Be Ruled

    Fiat Justitia, Ruat Caelum

  15. #15
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    South Jersey
    Posts
    6,314
    The Ideal 22445 mold is not listed in any Ideal documents that I have or have seen
    Regards
    John

  16. #16
    Banned

    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    South Texas
    Posts
    1,419
    Any pics?

  17. #17
    Boolit Master



    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    tropical southern vermont
    Posts
    3,157
    My take - Undersized by .001 (worn cherry ) Lyman 225450 = 22445. Sometime the earlier versions of some molds only used two numbers after the diameter. Look at the photo of a 225450 and see if it matches what that cavity looked like
    Being human is not for sissies.

  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master

    jonp's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Posts
    8,281
    Sorry, square butte. I have already passed the mould on so if the member I sent it to sees this and cares to chime in he can.

    It looked to me like an old Colt .36 Cal conical which is an odd thing with the others but is near the same weight. Guy i got it from was elderly and a gunsmith so who knows? He may have had one of those and had Ideal add the cavity to the others
    Last edited by jonp; 08-27-2021 at 03:50 PM.
    I Am Descended From Men Who Would Not Be Ruled

    Fiat Justitia, Ruat Caelum

  19. #19
    Banned
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    In the Gopher State of Minnesota
    Posts
    6,711
    I have the mould in my possession. What seemed like a great example of Lymans ability to make whatever the customer wanted is seriously damaged and it's Historical significance greatly diminished.

    Bubba, or some other knuckle dragging mouth breather has taken a hand drill and bored out one cavity, slightly lopsided and rough.
    There's still 3 usable cavities. What an idiot.
    Yesterday was a great day till I got home and opened the box and found that. Did I say I am mad?

    Ken

  20. #20
    Boolit Grand Master

    jonp's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Posts
    8,281
    Dang, Ken. Mr Dremel strikes again. I just took the numbers off the bottom and didnt inspect it. Wish i had looked at it more closely.

    Send it back and i will reimburse you the postage, i dont want you to have something like that. If I had paid for it id get angry everytime i looked at it on my shelf.

    Sorry
    jonp
    I Am Descended From Men Who Would Not Be Ruled

    Fiat Justitia, Ruat Caelum

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check