#357443 help

[res45]

Picking this old mold up with a set of handles included for $25 tomorrow at a local shop,I've already checked it out and it's in mint condition,it was the first mold Lyman/Ideal made for the 357 Magnum.

The problem is there is no specific load date to use with this mold,called Lyman there no help so I'm asking members of the board if anyone has any experience loading 38 Special or 357 Mag with this design,any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Ronnie

[BABore]

Lyman lists it at 158 grains. It appears to have a similar bearing length as that of the 358429 which is 0.390". The 358429 OAL is 0.750 and the nose is 0.360 it is also about 4 grains heavier. They are both plain based. I would measure the bearing length and see if it's similar. If they both take up the same amount in the case, then you can use the data for the 429. Start low and watch for pressure signs.

[res45]

Thanks BABore,thats kinda what I had in mind if all else failed,it will be over the upcoming weekend before I can pour any lead and work on some loads. I just want to compile as much info as I can before I get to that point.

[Guesser]

I've got it in a SC. It is a nice bullet for all round use. I've never loaded it to max in 357 as I use 358156 for that. It works well with 3.5 gr. B'eye in 38 special.

[res45]

Thanks Guesser,that was what I was thinking also for the 38 Special load. Thought about just starting out with two coats of my Alox/JPW TL mix and see how it does. That seem to be a good accurate load in my BH with about any cast 158 to 160 gr. bullet.

[Echo]

I believe that design was first put forth as ideal for the .357 Magnum. Looks funky, but I have a mold, and it works well in my 15.

[res45]

Your correct Echo this is what limited amount of info I have found on the mold so far.

Ideal was not just sitting on their hands while these other companies were bringing out their new .38 SWC's. The first bullet that Lyman designed explicitly for the .357 Magnum is the Ideal 357443, perhaps the most enigmatic member of the .38 SWC family. Designed for both the .38 Special and the .357 Magnum, it was listed as early as Ideal Handbook #32 (1936), but interestingly not in the regular line of molds, but rather farther back in the specialty mold listing. This unique 160 grain bullet has 3 grease grooves and a minuscule crimp groove in the middle of the front driving band. I suspect that it was most commonly crimped using the top grease groove, only filling the bottom 2 grease grooves with lube, as that dinky crimp groove is virtually useless. The 357443 stayed in the shadows for its entire production life, being quietly dropped from the catalog in the 1960s.

[theperfessor]

If your mold looks like the one in the picture the first thing you need to do is throw away the split lockwasher on the sprue plate pivot screw and replace it with a flat washer or a wave washer. Anything is better than that sprue plate gouging *** that Lyman uses!

[res45]

Thanks perfessor,I'll take a look at that when I get it tomorrow,being my father was a mechanic for 40+ years and still tinker with small engines all the time I have more washers,screws and bolts among other thing than most hardware stores.

[Bushrat]

I have a four cavity mould like yours and have shot 20 thousand give or take over the years. Most of the rounds were 7 grains of Unique 357 Magnums in my 686. It shoots great and if sized properly leaves little lead. Looks funny but leads great from speed loaders or from the loops when speed is important.

[res45]

Thanks Bushrat I'll keep that data in mind and add it to my list of suggestions. Picked up the molds this morning,they need a little cleaning up nothing bad though and the bullet cavities look excellent saw just a tiny bit of rust in a couple of the lube grooves but it's not anything to worry about should clean up good.

Anyways the previous owner left his last castings in the molds so I have a couple little mementos to put in a little box and display on my reloading bench.


Here is one from each mold.

[94Doug]

...and as a shameless plug, I have one of these for sale in the selling section.

Doug

[Echo]

And Plus 1 for getting rid of the lock washer.