357446 HP

[Ben]

I sent Buckshot my Lyman single cav. 357446 several years ago for hollow pointing.
A few months ago Rick said he no longer did mold work. However, as you can see below he certainly did a great job on my mould.

Rick made me 2 pins of different diameters for the hollow point portion of the mould.

I specified a .160 pin as I felt that for 38 Spec. velocities ( from my experiences ) that .160 HP pin would offer some good expansion at 900 fps.

He also sent me a pin of smaller configuration that seems to be just about ideal for the 1,200 - 1,300 fps range in the 357 Mag.

With gas check prices continuing to climb, This mould should do " double duty " for my .38 Special loading and my 357 Mag. loads without the need of a gas check.

Many shooters in the past 50 years have said that the 446' would not shoot well unless you pushed it to magnum velocities.

I have not found that to be the case.

It has been my experience that the Lyman 357446 is an accurate bullet from 850 fps - 1,300 fps in my 38 Spec. and 357 Mag. revolvers.

I wonder if today's lube's have made a change in the performance of the 446' for me, allowing me to obtain better performance from the 446' cast bullet ?

Obviously many of us have access to bullet lubes that shooters in 1935 didn't have access to. We also understand more about bullet diameters , throat fit, and alloys than shooters did in that era of time.

Many praise the 358156 Lyman as a great bullet ( I certainly agree with that statement ), you have to admit this bullet looks an awful lot like the 156', it just doesn't have the g/c shank.

If you have experiences with the 357446 ( Good or Bad ) , please share them.
I, along with many others here , would be interested in reading your comments.

Ben

 

[358156hp]

I foolishly sold my 357446 a couple of months ago since I never seemed to used it. I regretted it before I even got it packaged to ship. Mine was an elderly Ideal version with the heavy front driving band that is rarely seen. It was a great mould, and dropped a great bullet.

Enjoy your mould, it sure looks like a great one!

 

[Ben]

UUUmmm, that one hurts.
I don't think I've seen the version with the thick band.
My front band looks identical to the 358156 in width.
Interesting.......

Ben

 

[Glen]

The 357446 HP is an excellent bullet. My mould was a personal gift from John Taffin. The story can be found here: http://www.lasc.us/FryxellJohnsMould.htm

 

[Ben]

Glen,

I wonder why so many have " lam-blasted " this design in the past ?

Ben

 

[Brad]

Probably because it wasn't a design by someone named Elmer?
I care far less about what people think of a mould than I do what my guns think of a mould.

 

[Glen]

I don't know. I suspect it may be due to the immense popularity of the 358156 (which was due, in part, to Skeeter's writings and fondness for the bullet).

 

[Ben]

Probably because it wasn't a design by someone named Elmer?
I care far less about what people think of a mould than I do what my guns think of a mould.

Ah, now we're getting the hay down where the goats can get to it ! !

Ben

 

[358156hp]

UUUmmm, that one hurts.
I don't think I've seen the version with the thick band.
My front band looks identical to the 358156 in width.
Interesting.......

Ben

The guy who bought it on the other site was absolutely delighted to get it. The front driving band was perhaps 2/3rds the width of the base band.

 

[fiver]

that thicker drive band would make it similar to the 358477.
I have a pair of [different versions] of the 477 and it is super similar in length and shape to the 446.
but it only has one lube groove and heavier drive bands.

I have shot it down to about 700 fps from my 6" 357 revolvers in the 38 cases.
I dunno why but it seems to shoot a tick more accurately in the 38 cases than the 357's.
even in my lever gun where I have to single feed them.

 

[358156hp]

358477 is a much lighter bullet. This was clearly 357446

 

[fiver]

for sure the 466 has more length and weight to it, with those extra drive bands and the second lube groove.
I was just comparing the drive bands height [volume] and shape.

 

[358156hp]

I had two Ideals like this at one point. I sold the single cavity and kept the double cavity. Later I bought a Lyman marked double cavity, but it ended up having the more common narrow front band, so I traded it for an RCBS DC 148 gr wadcutter mould, and an Ideal marked 358439 that had no sprue plate or hollowpoint stem. I sent the 358439 to Erik to have a stem made, and added a sprue plate from Red River Rick. That gave me what turned out to be a very early full weight 358439 and a wadcutter mould I later sold off. I need more deals like this, as do we all. I've even broken down and started searching ebay for another early 357446 like the one I sold. No joy so far, and I do guarantee that it was a 357446, and not another design. I probably shouldn't sell any more moulds, too much sellers remorse anymore.

 

[Rick]

I probably shouldn't sell any more moulds, too much sellers remorse anymore.

I have never sold a mold and have every mold I have ever had, it would be like selling off my children and how could ya do that.

 

[Brad]

I have away two moulds, does that count? One was the biggest pain in the butt I ever used, the other was something I didn't need any longer.
Sadly, the people I gave them to turned out to be unworthy.

I have never sold a firearm, at least not other than a few ML riflles and revolvers.

 

[358156hp]

I've sold off a bunch of them in the last few years. Sadly, some may have had some historic significance because of their ages, and the history behind them.

But they're gone now.

 

[Brad]

Moulds or children?

 

[358156hp]

Moulds. Children are too expensive.

 

[Brad]

No doubt!
I buy few moulds so I have few to sell. I doubt I own 30 moulds.

Rick owns so many moulds he can't even afford a "u" for each of them so he has to call them molds. Poor Rick.

 

[Rick]

The kids aren't nearly as expensive as those wife things, now that's expensive! All's one of those will cost you is every paycheck you will ever have for the rest of your life.