A very versatile pistol

[Ben]

I recently acquired an 84 gr. wad cutter bullet mold ( 313492 double cav. ) for my Thompson Contender 30/30 pistol.The Contender has a 10" barrel , 30/30 Win. with a 2 X - 6 X variable scope on it.

I've shot this 84 gr. wad-cutter with " laser like accuracy " at 25 yards. I've also shot all weight .30 cal. bullets from 84 grs. through the 311284 at 218 grs. It shots them all very well.
A pretty amazing and super versatile pistol. I have since added a heavy barrel 10" in .22 Long Rifle. It is likewise super accurate.

This 1st photo is a combination of 84 gr. wadcutters along with Modern Bond 190 gr.spire points. An example of the extremes that this pistol will shoot very well.

If you just want to get out on the range and have some FUN, this is the one to take with you.

[RED333]

Very cool, I like a fire arm like this, shoot a lot of projectiles well.

[osteodoc08]

That's just dang cool. Have you run them over a chrono?

[Ben]

No chrony here on this end of things..........Please SANTA ! ! !

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

22222

[seaboltm]

I have considered a 30/30 barrel for my contender. I have 44mag 10" and 357 8", both scoped. They are very versatile and I probably don't need another barrel, but so what????

[Ben]

seaboltm

OH Heck, what's one more barrel ? ?

[Ben]

I've shot over 20 different 30 cal. cast bullet styles in this particular gun, it shoots very well with all of them.

I'm thinking that my 84 gr. W/C load would be some mean squirrel medicine !



Ben

[thehouseproduct]

I have a single shot 300 blackout bolt gun that I love for the same reason. Everything from 80gr pistol bullets to 250gr cast.

[9.3X62AL]

Freq drift alert......your Lyman #313492 casts at 84 grains? Mine pours identical-appearing castings, but the products weigh 93 grains in 92/6/2 alloy, and the box was so hand-labeled by Lyman on its orange Lyman IDEAL cardboard container. Their bases, drive band section, and nose portion are in similar proportions to yours. Lyman moves in mysterious ways.

[Forrest r]

Only 3.7gr of powder, that's very impressive to say the least!!!!

[btroj]

No chrony here on this end of things..........Please SANTA ! ! !

Santa! This injustice must be addressed.

[Ben]

Lyman moves in mysterious ways.

My preacher talked about that today, but he didn't mention Lyman's name.

[Plastikosmd]

I wish I could find a .224 dia wadcutter for my .223 encore

[waco]

OK. That's just COOL!!!!!

[9.3X62AL]

Lyman moves in mysterious ways.

My preacher talked about that today, but he didn't mention Lyman's name.

Understandable, Ben--the man is likely not a caster, after all.

The design IS a cool little boolit. I have been meaning to pour some more of these all year, but never quite got around to it. A new-to-me Colt Army Special in 32-20 obliges me to get off my aspirations and get moving on the matter. The boolit has a slightly undersized button nose ahead of its crimp groove, for all the world like a short bore-rider portion. In this regard it mirrors Lyman #358432, a 38/357 wadcutter design of 160 grain weight. On account of this "bore rider", these wadcutters line up in speed-loaders for cylinder filling MUCH more easily than flush-seated wadcutter loads do.

I can't remember the last time I shot a wadcutter load. The Semi-Wadcutter Siren Song with lead vocals by Elmer Keith led me astray a long time ago, and I could be beyond redemption. The round flatnose has made a few inroads into this monopoly on revolver chow, but only in shallow depth.

[Ben]

Only 3.7gr of powder, that's very impressive to say the least!!!!

You'd have to shoot this out of my Contender to be able to relate to this.....

It is no chipmunk load, it is a fairly potent load.

Ben

[Ben]

Freq drift alert......your Lyman #313492 casts at 84 grains? Mine pours identical-appearing castings, but the products weigh 93 grains in 92/6/2 alloy, and the box was so hand-labeled by Lyman on its orange Lyman IDEAL cardboard container. Their bases, drive band section, and nose portion are in similar proportions to yours. Lyman moves in mysterious ways.

Al :

You got me to wondering if my copy of the 313492 is in effect casting at 84 grs. I went down to the bench a few minutes ago to check this out............

I weighed 5 of the " as cast " bullets pulled at random, they are all with 1/10 th of a grain of each other . My alloy is ACWW's with " a touch " of tin added for good mold fill out .

I thought that maybe my electronic scales were playing tricks on me ( although I've never had a problem with them in the past ) . So, I placed a few of the bullets in my balance beam scale also to double check things.....same identical weights verified there also.

Looks like maybe there are at least two versions of this mold out there for the .32 cal. boys ? ?

[Catshooter]

Ben and Al,

I too have noticed that some of my Lyman's will drop heavier than is considered normal. My 375449 goes 284 grains and my 311284 does 222. This is lubed and checked, but still.

No mortal man can follow the ways of Ideal/Lyman, for sooth.

You know Ben, I would bet that the TC 30-30 is a versatile set up. Never thought of one before. Cheap and plentiful brass and a million thirty caliber moulds to pick from.



Cat

[9.3X62AL]

No mortal man can follow the ways of Ideal/Lyman, for sooth.

Lyman mould poetry is nowhere close to iambic pentameter.

Ben, it wasn't your weight measurement I held in doubt. Seeking consistency between Lyman moulds of same number is a fool's errand, they are more like Duesenbergs--no two alike.