Any Info on this Lyman Mold

[wired54]

An old friend left this Lyman mold 358482 148gr and a casting pot over my house 25 years ago. Pulled it out of storage and fired it up to see if would work.

The castings seem large at .363 diameter weight is 157 gr straight ww as cast.
It seems like an overly large mold.

He probably bought the mold in the 60's or 70's.




I also picked up an RCBS mold 40-180-fn and it casts .401 dia and 187 gr with the same ww. The diameter seems a little small but the weight seems high. My .40 pistol slugs at .401, I just hope it works out.



Now I know why people buy those 6 cavity LEE molds, casting with a 2 core is real slow if you want any volume.

[shooter93]

The Lyman is a 358432 160 grain wadcutter also available in 148 grains. The RCBS is for a 38-40 but may work in 40 S&W or 10mm.

[theperfessor]

Wow, an oversize Lyman mold.

[Dale53]

Wired54;
You might be able to get by with the oversize W/C's if you use a push through sizer for minimal damage when sizing. I size my .38's and .357's to .358". Five thousandths reduction is "quite a bit".

The .40 calibers would seem to be undersized. Try them and see if they shoot well without leading. If they lead, then either have Lyman replace the mould or I would probably "Beagle" the mould, increasing the diameter a couple of thousandths.

Dale53

[excess650]

I used the Lyman 40143 sized .401" in my 40 S&W. I always had a little leading, but not enough to worry about, or so I thought. Most IPSC stages were "up close and personal" and shooting 50 yards was only an occasional thing.

Iffn' ya decide to part with the RCBS 40cal, PM me. You can most definitely cast a lot of bullets quickly with a Lee 6 cavity....

[wired54]

shooter93 was right about the Lyman mold number I rechecked it. It is marked 148 gr for weight. Im not going to use the mold, I just casted a few to see the results and thats when I noticed the large diameter. Not sure if it was meant for something other than a .38. Dale53 sums it up .005 is a lot to swage down. Thats probably when the handle on the sizer bends!

As far as the RCBS mold I don't own a sizer yet to use to try it out in my pistol. If the .401 isn't enough I could always try to lap the mold and see if it will open up a bit.

[crazy mark]

Sounds like a good mould for the 38 S&W Ctge. I have one that drops arounf .362 and it works great in some of my 38 S&W GTGE guns.

[Buckshot]

Sounds like a good mould for the 38 S&W Ctge. I have one that drops arounf .362 and it works great in some of my 38 S&W GTGE guns.

.............Darn, Mark beat me to it So, here's your excuse to buy yourself a Colt Police Positive, a Victory model or an Enfield.

................Buckshot

[9.3X62AL]

What Mark said, concerning #356432's utility for many 38 S&W revolvers.

I also have a #358432 mould, a 2-banger that produces 161 grain castings. It was one of the first boolit moulds I bought in 1981 when I began casting, along with the very similar #313492. Both are wadcutters with a small "bore-rider" nose, at standard weights for 38 Special and 32 S&W Long respectively. Both shot very well for me, but have languished since I heard the siren songs of the SWC and Keith designs. Both deserve a warm-up and casting/reloading work, but I already have a bevy of boolit designs in those calibers that are difficult enough to keep in stock.

[Dale53]

wired54;
I was serious about using a push through sizer before you call it quits with that mould. If you have a Star, size nose first with a flat punch and that should work. Or, maybe even better, use your reloading press with a Lee push through sizer. You can pre-lube them by pan lubing, or you can use case lube spray before you size them. They'll slip through a Lee push through without effort...

Just a thought...

Dale53