Lyman 358429

[Ben]

I've owned 2 of these, neither shot very well for me.
Of course, I have 3 or 4 different pistols now that I didn't have 6-7 yrs. ago when I was shooting the 358429.
KHornet has had good luck with the 429', so I decided to try it one more time.
( Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment ? ? Who knows, I'll find out )

A few days ago, I found a nice clean , 2 cav., 358429 that the owner said dropped its bullets at .360". He offered to ship the mould for $45. It appeared near new, I thought the mould was worth his asking price.

I've become leary of buying any new Lyman mold.
I've cast with my new 429' mold, the owner was right, it drops for me at .3602" nice and round.

Now to size some to .358" , lube with Ben's Red and BLL and shoot some in my T/C Contender Hvy barrel , 12", 357 Mag.

We'll see how they perform ? ?

 

[Brad]

I have one of those but in the HP version. Khornet is a huge fan, I am not so easily sold on it. I far prefer the MP 360640 HP as it shoots far better for me.

 

[Cherokee]

I was never impressed with that bullet but I still have the old mold. The 358477 was more accurate for me in my guns at the time. A report will be expected...

 

[Ben]

Will do Cherokee !

Ben

 

[RicinYakima]

Ben, you are a most lucky man, as I have never seen one cast larger than .358" from WW's.

 

[KHornet]

Really looking forward to range results Ben!

 

[Ben]

You're right, the two I sold cast small.
This one may be the answer to the riddle ? ?

Ben

Ben, you are a most lucky man, as I have never seen one cast larger than .358" from WW's.

That was a selling point with me that closed the deal. I've had problems with earlier 429' moulds ( obviously like you ) that cast small.

 

[jmsj]

Good luck with your testing.
Like others here I've not found the 358429 to be the most accurate bullet for 357 magnum. I have an old single cavity that is a dream to cast with, the bullets seem to jump out of the mold when opened. I'm having better luck with the Mihec 359-640 solid for a bullet of similar weight.
Let us know what you find, maybe I'm missing something.
Jeff

 

[Ben]

jmsj,

maybe I'm missing something.

Most likely I'm just a glutton for punishment and want to get beat up some more.............
I've already been down this road twice, dead end both times.
Maybe, I'm just a slow learner.

Ben

 

[waco]

They don't fit in my Taurus with it's short cylinder. I sold the mold before I got my Colt King Cobra.

 

[KHornet]

Don't fit in my Colt 357 either, but do very well in my Blackhawk, and my 94 Win.

 

[9.3X62AL]

Lyman #358429 came along much later in my casting career than did Lyman #358477. In terms of numbers of each design fired, there have likely been 10 of "477" for every one of "429". That said, both have done quite well in 38 Special for me, no accuracy preference to be found for me. I've never tried "477" with 357s, only load "429" to 900-1000 FPS in the Magnum, and not many of those. Magnums get Lymans #358156 and #358430, and some group buy 180 grain FNGC.

 

[Cherokee]

9.3 ... FYI the 358477 does very well in 357 Mag from mild to hot. I have the 358156 but found the gas check unnecessary for 357 Mag loads. Just my experience...

 

[Pistolero]

View attachment 1334 What Cherokee said.

I have had good luck with the 358429, too, mostly with full power loads. This is a fairly typical
result with 586, and similar results with Security Six. 1-2" at 25 yds, back when I could still see
well enough to do that sort of work.

Oh, yeah, of course it is impossible to shoot full power loads in a .357 Mag and soft
alloys without a gas check and get any accuracy and without leading..... or not.

View attachment 1334

 

[9.3X62AL]

I should try both 477 and 429 in Magnum loadings close to full caliber potential. I just haven't out of possibly misplaced concern over leading issues. One of these days. Gas checks were not (until recent years) a significant cost factor in cartridge assembly, but current pricing really makes ammo costs run the meter faster. I'm not interested in making my own checks.

 

[Cherokee]

I might point out that most of my magnum loads were with bullets cast of Lyman #2 and sized 358, no leading. Now days I don't see as well, muscle control is reduced and recoil tolerance is less so I shoot milder loads. I have also learned, thanks to the CB forums that started up years ago, that 5/5/90 is not needed so I use a 2/3/95 alloy mostly today.

 

[Paul]

The single worst-looking mould I have ever owned was a 429 I bought from a member on a CB forum for $25. It had been damaged and repaired at some point in its life. Sprue plate was destroyed and I needed to chase the threads of the sprue plate bolt AND drill out/re-tap the retention screw hole to make it whole again....
After replacing the sprue plate, sprue bolt, wave washer and bolt retention screw, the mould drops lovely bullets that measure a consistently round 359. They do seem to work best with hot loads of 1,100 or so, but it sure gets a lot of funny looks when I show the mould to others! Ha ha.

Got the same in a '57 vintage HP version that is gorgeous all-around.

Please post some results, Ben. I have not had much success with 4227 in 357 loads in the past, but just yesterday I loaded up three batches of 50 each with varying loads/charges of 4227 in hopes of getting good results by giving the old powder "another chance" with this heavier bullet.

 

[Barry in IN]

I haven't shot that many 358429s. My mould is a single cavity, so I haven't really given it a fair shake since each bullet seems more precious when using a single cavity mould.

I found my .357 (converted) Win 92 shoots them well- pretty well, in fact- but they have to be single loaded due to length/shape.
I don't know of anything it will do in the 92 that it's preferred NOE 360-180WFN won't do, and it feeds.

I tried some in my 10" .357 Contender barrel, but it didn't care for them. Thats no surprise, since that barrel hasn't found a cast bullet it likes yet. I need to look into that someday.

I've only shot a few through a 4" S&W 19 at 38-44 levels. They shot well, and I should try more, but I honestly don't see much reason to get away from the 358156 and the 360-180WFN.
I could say that about those bullets and any .38 or .357 though. Those two bullets take good care of those calibers for me.

 

[KHornet]

It seems to me that shooting the 429 is sort of a love/hate deal. I love mine, and they shoot well for me. Others hate the bullet and it doesn't shoot worth a flip for them. So be it. That is, I guess what makes a horse race and makes the world go round.

 

[Lost Dog]

Howdy! New member here. Old coot with casting though. This thread caught my eye. Cast the HP version since 1974 and always found it to be an accurate and reliable bullet. Last year I broke down and bought an older Lyman 358429 double mould and enjoyed equal success with it. Both in .38's & .357mag's. I've heard of issues with new Lyman moulds, but the information is sketchy at best having seen no articles, just word of mouth. When I still had my old M28 Smith, I crimped on the leading edge of the front driving band with mag cases but my Colt SAA, Ruger Flattop Blackhawk, and others were fine as they all had longer cylinders. But back to this mould. As with others here mine drops a good solid projectile miking out at .360" and .359" with some of the softer alloy I have. When pushed above 650fps it seams stable enough for my needs.

Nice forum. Glad ya'll let this old stray in.