Lyman 429421

[Brad]

Many years ago Khornet gave me a Lyman 429421 mould. This is one with a round grease groove.
It always leaded my SRH as it cast too small. The front band is lucky to make .428 and the other bands barely make .429. Yeah, it might make the size indicated by the mould number but it is too small for my revolver with .432 throats.
Months back I lathe cut the bands in one cavity, it is a 2 cav mould, to a larger size. Today I decided to cut the other cavity.m the second cavity got only the rear band enlarged.
Lie now have a 2 cav mould that makes bullets that have a same size rear and middle band but one has a smaller, by far, front band.
I will post some photos later.

So, will a revolver show a difference based only on front band diameter? One is .428, the other a full .432 after sizing.

Will be interesting to see what, if any, difference can be seen on target.

 

[Ian]

I got one of those, an SC Ideal HP with the rounded groove, it casts .4325" with 16:1. It will be interesting to see what difference the band work makes.

 

[Rick]

Possible that if you mix them some could be slightly canted hitting the forcing cone and on down the bore the same way. How much effect? How fast and how far? Could possibly make a difference. Next spring you should know.

 

[Brad]

I wonder if the smaller front band will allow the bullets to cant a little in the throats. I also wonder what will happen in the for it come and rifling origin. The smaller band won't engage the rifling nearly as fast or surely as a full diameter band.

Will be interesting to see if any difference will be noticed.

 

[Rick]

Hhmmm . . . Uh? Well, read post #3.

 

[Brad]

Why would I mix them?
I marked the nose of one cavity to be able to easily sort them. I want to be able to shoot groups with one, then the other.
As for distance, will start at 100 and see what I can get.

 

[fiver]

what ya gonna do when the smaller front drive band engages the barrels throat better and lines things up for ya?

 

[Brad]

Buy a new Lyman mould, it will likely cast about the same size.

That is after I destroy all evidence......

 

[fiver]

gotta love consistency.

 

[williamwaco]

I vote no difference. Please let ys know.

 

[Rick]

I vote no difference. Please let ys know.

Depends entirely on what your trying to do. At close range low velocity could probably never tell a difference. At 200 meters & max velocity everything makes a difference. At distances where ya could just thump the target with the muzzle & save the ammo I agree, no difference.

 

[9.3X62AL]

44 caliber revolvers and their bullets can make you crazy. The world of component makers believes in .429", but SAAMI says "up to .433 inch" and a number of makers take them at their word, S&W in particular through the early 1990s. I am VERY lucky to own three 44 Magnum firearms (1 long, 2 short) that have throats ranging from .430"-.431". All of my 44 caliber moulds will make .432"+ with 92/6/2 alloy, so life is good and has meaning.

A shoot-off is in order, for certain.

 

[Brad]

You can easily see how one cavity gets the front band sized, the other does not.

 

[fiver]

I think a little more tin in your
LOL

 

[Rick]

SAECO makes a bullet like that. On purpose.

SAECO #396 35 cal 180 gr PB and #399 35 cal 180 gr GC. The front driving band on each is .005" smaller than the middle and base bands as cast. Both of these bullets leaded my revolver's cylinder badly by allowing the bullet to cant in the chamber, when fired the middle driving band struck the entrance to the throat causing the leading. With continued shooting the lead spread out of the throats onto/into the forcing cone. With more shooting it continued on into the bore.



While a disaster in the revolver these did fair in a Marlin 94 357 mag.

.

 

[Brad]

Interesting. Will need to try these in the Marlin too.
I don't have high hopes for longer range accuracy in the handgun.

 

[gman]

Anyone looking at the NOE buy for the Kieth molds? Supposedly the real deal.

 

[Brad]

I have an HG503 clone from them. It does all I need.
I'm not that hung up on the "Real Keith" concept. I just want something that works.

I tend to be cheap when it comes to buying moulds. Well, cheap in my own way. I will spend well for a mould but I don't buy lots of moulds.

 

[Pistolero]

The smaller front band does seem to be a near certain disaster in a revolver, but
for a rifle with a "correctly shaped" (for that bullet) throat, I could imagine that it
might be just perfect.

 

[9.3X62AL]

I don't think a hard and fast rule Like Mr. Keith insisted upon for 3 drive bands of equal length and equal diameter is always true. E.g., Lyman #358 477, its front band on my Lyman mould is ~.350". It shoots WONDERFULLY in over a dozen 38 Specials and a 38 S&W on staff at my ballistics emporium (garage). My own thoughts are that if the center and rear drive bands span a length that enables good center band engagement into forcng cone and leade while the rear band still has cylinder throat support--it is far less likely to cant and go off on tangents. Caveat--I was a social science major, so you pays yer money and takes yer chances.