Cast From The Past

Reloader762

Active Member
I haven't cast this old bullet for a while at least not for personal use since I started powder coating my bullets, so yesterday I fired up the pot and cast about 400 from the old mold. A couple years ago I had picked up a couple old Lyman/Ideal molds from a friend that owned a bullet casting operation / gun shop. Often time he would take in reloading equipment, components and bullet molds, some things he couldn't sell due to liability issues such as powder and primers but he had no interest in most of the molds so I usually got first pick if there was anything I was interested in.

One day while I was there he told me he had gotten a couple 38 cal. molds for me to look at. Both were in great condition and one set of blocks even had the handles and if I was interested I could have them both for $50, they had just been in a box of stuff he had gotten from an estate sale.

Both molds still has the last two bullets the old caster had cast as it was traditional at one time to leave the last castings in the blocks, some probably still do that with their iron molds. Here are two of the bullets that came from the molds which I kept and keep on the shelf in my reloading shack as a reminder of the old caster. The bullet on the Left is the Lyman / Ideal #357443 which was the first bullet Lyman designed for the 357 Magnum. It first appeared in the Ideal Handbook #32 in 1936 but not listed as a regular molds but was listed in the specialty section, why I have no idea. It never really gained popularity as was dropped from production in 1960.

Cast from Lyman #2 the plain base bullet has a spec. weigh of 160 grs. has three lube grooves as has a fine crimp groove that runs in the middle of the top driving band. The mold I have using my alloy drops bullet that weigh on average of 161 to 162 grs. when weighing a random group of 50 bullets. It's a great bullet in 38 Special as well. The bullet on the Right is the Lyman 150 gr. #358477 which is a great bullet in 38 /357 loads. I can work around it but the last time the bullet I posted had published data was in the Lyman #41 manual back in the 50's.

12081


12080
 
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S Mac

Sept. 10, 2021 Steve left us. You are missed.
Another oldie, Ideal 358271. I read it is the first swc, aIMG_20191214_104328036-2624x1476.jpg man named BF Wilder came up with the design 1903 or so.
I should add, my research was a goggle search, thanks Glen.
 
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fiver

Well-Known Member
square lube groove 477 hmm.

that last one is interesting, it surely pre-dates the 357 magnum, but it looks like it was meant to be pushed pretty hard.