Lyman 358156GC

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Last Post 14 November 2021

CBA Member

Shopdog posted this 25 July 2021

Little back story;

Back in the 1970's when first casting for 357's I loaded up on Hornady GC's not knowing. Figured they were required? Well they aren't,but am sitting on a pile of these things. This is what led me to looking for an additional GC mould.

Now it gets interesting. The time period was about 2017? Trump had been in office and there was a very noticeable "dip" in mould prices,especially from the west coast area. Lead laws WRT hunting,and in general were pushing lead bullets off to the side. So this was a pretty durn good time to be mould shopping.

So I snag a used but,REALLY sweet condition Lyman 358156. The whole deal .....,pricing,quality,and easiness was very good-great. Firing up the ole Lyman 10#'er with a combo of old WW's and range lead produced some great bullets. VG fill out,bullets falling from both cavities. Just exactly how the whole process is sposed to be..... from procurement to finished bullet. The bullets are dropping "at" a smidge over .359,just perfect.

Finally,here's the question. All the dooe I've read on this mould is putting the dropped,with GC installed weight right around 155-158g . This mould is dropping and GC installed @168.5g.

Does anyone have any info on this? Like said,they drop at .3591 or 2. And using pretty much middle of the rd alloy. Was there any generational or time periods where this mould went on a diet?

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BigMan54 posted this 14 November 2021

I have a 2cav mold bought new in 1975 that drops 2 different bullet weights; 154gr & 159gr. Obviously each cavity was cut with a different cherry. This is the weight that drops with pure Linotype.

My 2nd mold is a 2cav bought used maybe 2-3yrs later. It drops both bullets right at 155grs out of Linotype.

Haven't cast either one since the late 1980's, had about 3,000 on hand when I started Cowboy Shooting in 1987. Hot Loads were put on the back burner for the next 25yrs.

It's a great bullet. Put about 35,000+ over Max 2400 thru My NM Blackhawk before being swept up by Cowboy Shooting. Bullets cast from the 2nd mold would group into just over 1" at 25yrds.

I wouldn't worry so much about bullet weight until I had done some accuracy testing. Never loaded other then Max loads.

Long time Caster/Reloader, Getting back into it after almost 10yrs. Life Member NRA 40+yrs, Life S.A.S.S. #375. Does this mean a description of me as a fumble-fingered knuckle-draggin' baboon. I also drool in my sleep. I firmly believe that true happiness is a warm gun. Did I mention how much I HATE auto-correct on this blasted tablet.

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nitro-express posted this 14 November 2021

Lyman did make heavy versions of this mold. Basically the shank for the gas check is longer, adding weight and the gap acts like another lube groove. My heavy mold is an older one, bought used. My records show the heavy one at 162 gr, (probably naked).

A good bullet, that you can load long in a 38 Spl case by crimping in the lower crimp groove.

I believe, that back in the day, you could call up Lyman and they would make you what you wanted. I have a 2 cavity mold, a 431244 for one cavity and a 429421 for the other. Customer service like that is not seen very often today.

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hanover67 posted this 29 July 2021

My Lyman molds, a variety of different calibers, all seem to vary in not only weight, but cast bullet diameter. I'm using range lead of unknown hardness/origin, made from scrap and smelted on a Coleman stove in a cast iron frying pan. Pretty basic lead supply, but most bullets shoot fine, except for .303 British that I've never found a good bullet/powder combination for.

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Shopdog posted this 26 July 2021

In Lyman's 3rd edition;

It's listed 158 in the 38 sp page. Then,155 in the 357 section. Most of the written research shows it as 155. Having a bunch of Lyman moulds,and being used to them varying "slightly" in weight from printed data..... this one was way more than what I've seen.

Big difference in 155 and 168/9 when looking at data. Not complaining as the almost 170 actually fits in better here,for where this moulds expertise is required. Just a large discrepancy.

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hanover67 posted this 25 July 2021

My 358156 mold dropped bullets weighing 152.9gr (10 bullet average) the only time I weighed them. This was using range lead and without a gas check or lube.

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Larry Gibson posted this 25 July 2021

The 158 gr weight is for a naked bullet cast of linotype (referenced Lyman manuals). Cast of other alloys with greater lead content means the bullet will be heavier. The weight of your m358156's with the alloy you're using sounds about right for a fully dressed 358156. My 35156s when cast of range lead/Pb/Sn run 162 gr naked and 168 gr fully dressed. With COWW + 2% tin they run 164 fully dressed.

The 356156 is my "go to" bullet for soft cast +P HPs in the 38 SPL and for magnum hunting loads in the 357.

LMG

Concealment is not cover.........

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