hi ,can someone tell more about the history of the lyman Thompson SWC bullets 358156 & 357446 , oddly they are in two different diameter sizes ?? also how old are they molds ??please post, many thanks , grumpy
lyman Thompson SWC bullets
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I have both the Lyman 358156 and 357446, both in four cavity. These cast bullets are all that I have ever used in the .357 mag and .38 special. And later in a Win 92 357.
According to this article, both were designed as a result of the .357 mags introduction in 1935.
Google “The 38 SWC-Handloads.com” by Glen Fryxell for the rest of the info.
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Well, lets see: the '156 is my favorite 357 bullet as it is also good in the 38 special by seating short. That is why it has two crimp grooves. It has the least bore resistance and goes faster with less pressure than any other gas=checked .357 bullet according to Lyman. The '446 was my first mould in 38, but it is not my favorite as, for the 162+ grain weight, I can shoot the Keith bullet faster in 38 Special. If you want a heavy SWC in .357 S&W's this is the one, due to deep seating. It is very accurate, but no more so than several others. FWIW, Ric
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grumpy,
If you look closely at the 358156, you will notice that the top two grooves are both crimping grooves. If you seat the bullet to crimp in the top groove, it will be short enough, OAL, to fit into the S&W 357 N frame revolvers with 357 brass. If you seat to the bottom crimp groove, you gain more combustion volume with 38 special brass. Your Colt “357"'s and Troopers will allow you to use either as their cylinders are longer than the N frame S&W's. Lyman made the reloading data with bullets seated like this until the late 1960's. Then they began doing data with the bullet always seated in the top crimp groove. Another reason not to use 50 year old data for reloading reference any more.
HTH, Ric
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