marlin35
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Post by marlin35 on Jan 13, 2024 12:06:04 GMT -5
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Post by wendigo on Jan 13, 2024 12:25:03 GMT -5
Lyman/Ideal is historically well known for playing around with dimensions when it comes to mould cherries, as well as the round vs square grease groove thing. I have a Lyman marked 452424 with square grooves and an Ideal 454424 with round grooves. Conventional wisdom says those should be the other way around, but there they are.
RE: 452 diameter. As-cast diameter will vary by alloy, some shrink more than others. Someone more savvy about alloys can explain that better than me, I'm a mostly wheel weight kinda guy.
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marlin35
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Post by marlin35 on Jan 13, 2024 13:10:31 GMT -5
Lyman/Ideal is historically well known for playing around with dimensions when it comes to mould cherries, as well as the round vs square grease groove thing. I have a Lyman marked 452424 with square grooves and an Ideal 454424 with round grooves. Conventional wisdom says those should be the other way around, but there they are. RE: 452 diameter. As-cast diameter will vary by alloy, some shrink more than others. Someone more savvy about alloys can explain that better than me, I'm a mostly wheel weight kinda guy. Thank you for your input! I should have mentioned I was casting straight wheel weights. I do have some pewter pins I could drop into my alloy for better fill out. I WANT these to drop a little larger than .452 so I can size to a nominal .452. My throats have been reamed to .4525. I have a good shooter but this is my first go casting for my .45 colt. Casting for my acp has been great with the 452460. My concern is the skinny front driving band. Elmer Keith wrote that the front driving band was of utmost importance for grabbing the rifling and that they took the biggest bite of the grooves. He liked a wide front driving band. I am looking at the MP copy of the 45-270. I know that I need to shoot these before I start drawing conclusions. But you know how the mind is. |
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kooz
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Post by kooz on Jan 13, 2024 13:49:16 GMT -5
FWIW , I had an old 429421 lyman mold that I bought many years ago, cheap . This mold was the one with a smaller front driving band and a round grease groove, this is the design most looked down upon by Keith bullet purists and the most basdardized of the keith copy molds ..... it was one of the most accurate bullet molds that I had , made great bullets and they shot with boring predictability out of most of my guns , killed a lot of deer with those bullets . Also have a couple custom .45 Colt molds that are copies of the 454424 , but purposely made with a round grease groove and slightly thinner width(.080), but still full diameter front band, and these bullets outshoot the original Keith 454424 all day long in my guns , go figure .
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shorty500
.327 Meteor
too many dirty harry movies created me!
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Post by shorty500 on Jan 13, 2024 13:52:13 GMT -5
Years ago I recall an article where the author displayed multiple versions of the 454424/452424 mold.
All varied significantly in both width and diameter of front driving band, square vs. round grease grooves
and crimp to meplat dimension.
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marlin35
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Post by marlin35 on Jan 13, 2024 14:00:12 GMT -5
 I gotta say they load up pretty. Keith bullets with the ogive and everything always remind me of the hat he always wore. Almost like he’s standing there ready to get fired down the bore and share on every adventure. Anyway… I’ve got these few loaded up to try when the weather clears. Y’all have me feeling better about it. |
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marlin35
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Post by marlin35 on Jan 13, 2024 14:06:12 GMT -5
Anyone know what the JM means at the end of the 452424?
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Post by wendigo on Jan 13, 2024 17:31:11 GMT -5
According to Lyman, the two letter code identifies the specific cherry used to cut the mould. A lone "U" means undersize (cut with a worn cherry?) and an S means "short", as in the cherry wasn't inserted at the normal depth, resulting in a shorter, lighter bullet variant. There are some other codes on older moulds where the meaning is lost to history, but makes for interesting speculation and discussion.
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marlin35
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Post by marlin35 on Jan 13, 2024 17:48:17 GMT -5
According to Lyman, the two letter code identifies the specific cherry used to cut the mould. A lone "U" means undersize (cut with a worn cherry?) and an S means "short", as in the cherry wasn't inserted at the normal depth, resulting in a shorter, lighter bullet variant. There are some other codes on older moulds where the meaning is lost to history, but makes for interesting speculation and discussion. Ahh, maybe JM means Just Marvelous! |
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Post by boatswainsmate on Jan 13, 2024 21:18:57 GMT -5
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marlin35
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Post by marlin35 on Jan 13, 2024 21:47:02 GMT -5
Thank you! I thoroughly enjoy Mr. Fryxell’s writings. |
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Post by bigbore5 on Jan 14, 2024 10:02:24 GMT -5
Been heavily considering the Arsenal 454424 myself. It's supposed to be a copy of the original design.
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marlin35
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Post by marlin35 on Jan 14, 2024 10:13:11 GMT -5
Been heavily considering the Arsenal 454424 myself. It's supposed to be a copy of the original design. I will have to check it out. MP molds are very reasonably priced. I can’t believe the prices for Lyman and RCBS molds. I’m glad you mentioned them. Comparable prices to MP molds but American made. I’ll be giving my business to arsenal. |
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Post by bigbore5 on Jan 14, 2024 10:19:55 GMT -5
Been heavily considering the Arsenal 454424 myself. It's supposed to be a copy of the original design. I will have to check it out. MP molds are very reasonably priced. I can’t believe the prices for Lyman and RCBS molds. I’m glad you mentioned them. Comparable prices to MP molds but American made. I’ll be giving my business to arsenal. I have several of their molds and all are excellent. In fact my favorite 32 is their 32-98 Keith and the best 475 I found so far is their 476-415 swc. Both are accurate in my guns and great on game. |
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marlin35
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Post by marlin35 on Jan 14, 2024 10:26:16 GMT -5
I will have to check it out. MP molds are very reasonably priced. I can’t believe the prices for Lyman and RCBS molds. I’m glad you mentioned them. Comparable prices to MP molds but American made. I’ll be giving my business to arsenal. I have several of their molds and all are excellent. In fact my favorite 32 is their 32-98 Keith and the best 475 I found so far is their 476-415 swc. Both are accurate in my guns and great on game. Do you prefer the brass or aluminum? |
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