Help to I.D. some bullet molds.

[Mad Professor]

I got two NOS bullet molds ( Lee and Lyman) for free I'd like to determine what bullets they make and if they might be useful for me? I have 50, 54, 58, 62 and 12 ga guns........various barrels/twists.

The Lee is complete with handles and box. Doesn't seem to mention what sort caliber, but does say "Real" bullet mold. The mold is stamped Lee 91400. No such product # on Lee website but similar molds are listed, and bullet weights. I need to take a caliper to it to see what caliber and measure cavity.

The Lyman seems to be for a 58 minnie. Has a separate part to mold the hollow base. Lyman 285 on one side, Lyman 575213HM (M is superscript), under that 07 285. Several varieties of the 575213 molds on the Lyman website, but none with this exact number. The mold looks like the 575213NS "new style" 510gr, or could be 575213PH "parker hale" 560gr (no picture on website, just cutaway of bullet, cavity/base is similar to new style. These are pricey, ~$100. It seems any single or two cavity Lyman mold takes the same handles, need to look into those.

Could this mold's "HM" stand for Hale Minnie? I have a 58cal Lyman Plains rifle with 28" 1-48 barrel. It shoots PRB and 525gr Hornady GP bullets well.
The latter is NLA, but I have a stash.

Anyone tried Lyman Minnies in a 58 Lyman/Investarm "hawken" 1-48 barrel? Loads that shoot and those that don't?

Sorry no pictures, need to get out my camera and download some pictures, I only have a "dumb phone"

 

[hanshi]

Yep, photos are needed for this one. But we'll still be here.

 

[Mad Professor]

Yep, photos are needed for this one. But we'll still be here.

Will take me a few days/week. The molds are at my other place, and my camera is here. Other place does not have internet so will depend on how my travels work out. Will grab an internet picture meanwhile.....

The Lyman mold looks like this 575213NS, but as stated numbers are different. I'm thinking I have a version of the Parker Hale minnie.

The Lee website had some more information on a video. Still not same/matching part #, but caliber and grains/wt should be stamped on the mold on the face covered by the sprue plate. Will have to check that. I did find a 91401 mold, that is a 54 cal 380gr real. Maybe just a newer version?

 

[hanshi]

All I can say at present is that I have a mold similar to the one pictured from Lyman that I bought over 50 years ago for a .58 caliber. It cast a 500 + grain minie bullet. The number on mine is 575213 with no letters.

 

[Mad Professor]

TOTW has the Lee mold I have listed, 91400, 54 cal 380 gr real. So I'm sure of what that mold is.

They also had a pdf of the Lyman bullets/molds. Still not a matching number with my mold (575213HM), which I suspect is the 575213PH mold. I'll get a picture and the calipers out to measure things up.

@hanshi, You seem to have the "old" or "new" style 575213 mold, 460 or 510 gr. Have you cast any bullets to check weights?

When I get the calipers out I'll measure the depth of the cavity. If yours is handy, could you check your mold. No rush I won't get to mine until next week or so. The Parker Hale Minnie seems to be a bit taller, as shown in the pdf.

The pdf also mentions that the 575213PH is designed to fit Parker Hale and Enfield muskets. Is there anything special about the bores/rifling of these rifles?

If anyone has shot these Lyman Minnies above in 58 cal 1-48 TC/Investarm/Lyman, and/or experience with the 54 cal 380 gr Lee Real, your insights would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance, everybody have a Happy New Year too!

 

[mooman76]

The last two letters in the mould number don't really have anything to do with the style of the mould made. If I remember correctly one letter is for the cherry they cut. And the other is for who cut the cherry. I'm not 100% positive about this but believe it is something along those lines anyway.

 

[Mad Professor]

The last two letters in the mould number don't really have anything to do with the style of the mould made. If I remember correctly one letter is for the cherry they cut. And the other is for who cut the cherry. I'm not 100% positive about this but believe it is something along those lines anyway.

See the chart I posted above. The OS and PH suffixes are for "old style" and "Parker Hale".

My mold has a HM with the H superscript. We'll sort this out ..........

 

[hawkeye2]

There is a 575213HM listed on that unmentionable auction site for $92 without a base plug. I sent him a message about that however he hasn't corrected the listing. He also has a Lyman shotgun slug mold listed ($82) with no base plug, sent a message there too. Buyer beware!

 

[mooman76]

See the chart I posted above. The OS and PH suffixes are for "old style" and "Parker Hale".

My mold has a HM with the H superscript. We'll sort this out ..........

I guess I was woefully misinformed.

 

[Mad Professor]

There is a 575213HM listed on that unmentionable auction site for $92 without a base plug. I sent him a message about that however he hasn't corrected the listing. He also has a Lyman shotgun slug mold listed ($82) with no base plug, sent a message there too. Buyer beware!

That's about list price for new molds, but they are all backordered.

The minnie mold without the base plug is going to pee out hot lead all over!

 

[hanshi]

I bought my minie mold in the late 1960s. I'm pretty sure from the chart you posted that the one I have is the "new" style minie. I haven't owned a .58 since the '70s so haven't cast from it since then. IIRC, I weighed it at 505 or 510 grains; can't recall exactly which.

 

[ord sgt]

The 575213 Lyman mould will throw a .575 minie, weighing 213 grains. Size is right for Parker-Hale Enfield. These minies are made to have grease in the driving rings, no patch, lube only. Shallow rifling preferred. The hollow base will expand to grip the rifling when the powder is ignited.
I have never had any experience with REAL bullets. Never fired any, never cast any.