2cav vs 4-6 cav

[Drew P]

Can someone explain why you'd want a 2cav vs a 4-6 cav mold? Seems like the bigger molds give you much more return on your investment (no pun intended) with minimal increase in cost.

[bangerjim]

Several Lee designs are only available in 2 cav versions. That is the ONLY reason I would ever buy a 1 or 2 cav mold. Everything else I have is 4,5,6 cav for speed of casting.

banger

[bedbugbilly]

I only have single and double cavity at the present . . . . been casting for 50+ years. I ladle pour mine and once i get my cadence, can pour all that I need for the shooting that I do. I like playing with different designs/weights for the various calibers that i reload so two cavity molds are affordable (used ones - ideal, lyman, ribs, ohaus, etc.) for the variety that I want. If I were shooting competition where I was using bookoo rounds, then I'd probably consider a 4 - 6 cavity and maybe even a good bottom pour pot but for the variety of calibers I shoot just plinking, I can keep up with my usage very nicely with a double cavity. In a single casting session, I usually cast up between 400 - 600 boolits - sometimes all the same, sometimes a variety of different calibers. Depends on how bored I am.

[Boolseye]

When buying a custom mold such as a NOE or an Accurate, a two-cav will often be just the ticket. This is particularly the case if it's a large boolit or an HP mold. The custom molds use more metal (brass, aluminum or iron) than Lee, so that a four or 5 cav may be pretty heavy. If Lee makes a six-cav version, I will always get it over the 2-cav. Some Lee molds only come in two-cav. When casting with two-cav molds one can cast in series, using two molds. This picks up the pace a lot over the pour-and-wait routine of just using one. When ladling, I only use one mold a a time. YMMV.

[tazman]

Price, and weight. If I am casting for a gun that I don't shoot much, there's no need to pay for a 4-6 cav and also hold up that extra weight if I only need 60-100 boolits every few months. It's a minimal increase in cost if you are only buying one mold. But if you like brass HP molds (as I do), or if you have a hundred or so molds (as I do), that extra $20-40 for the extra cavities becomes a factor in your complete collection.

If I'm casting for one of my favorite shooters, I want a bigger, faster mold and make a gallon jug of boolits when I cast, and I don't mind paying more.

I agree with Beagle333 on this.

[TXGunNut]

I prefer the 4-5 cavity moulds as they fit my bottom pour furnace and casting style best. I like the 1 and 2 cavity moulds for a change of pace, often alternating two to give me a production rate similar to a 4-cav. With brass and steel moulds the weight would probably tire me out a little quicker but I keep my sessions pretty short with frequent rests.

[koehlerrk]

I own molds from one to ten cavities. For me, the four cavity and higher molds are all about making piles of boolits. But, the most accurate cast boolits I've ever made come out of a one cavity Hoch nose pour mold. Don't get me wrong, my Mihec and NOE molds are amazing tools, but I'm always trying to get them full... With a one or two cavity mold, you gear down because production won't be high quantity, but it will be high quality.

[Hickory]

I try to limit the cavities of my moulds to two.
I have arthritis in my left wrist & elbow among other places
and casting with a brass mould in 4 cavity is very painful to say the least.

I have a brass 4 cavity Mihec 429421 solid I'll trade even up to anyone with a 2 cavity solid of the same condition, make & number. I used it twice, it's in very good shape.

[cold1]

I have only been casting for a year, I still like the "Zen" of casting with a 2 cavity. No real hurries, just me, the pot, the lead. I cast and reload more than I shoot, presently. I am considering one or two six cavities, but I am not ready yet. I feel like I still have some learning to do and I think its easier to do with the 2 cav molds. Most of my molds are LEE and I have a good feel for them. I did buy a 2 Cav NOE 460-360 RD last year,it was a big learning curve on getting that one to cast good bullets. It wasnt the mold, it was the operator that was the problem. A quick email to Swede and he had me fixed.

[Drew P]

Great discussion here thanks. I guess it depends on a few factors. I believe my question was born from my indecision wether I reload to shoot, or shoot to reload. I guess if I were being honest I'd buy the 2 cav mold and cast my heart out. Thanks!

[corbinace]

Great discussion here thanks. I guess it depends on a few factors. I believe my question was born from my indecision wether I reload to shoot, or shoot to reload. I guess if I were being honest I'd buy the 2 cav mold and cast my heart out. Thanks!

I have found that your mission question is the key at least for me. I have always been a shooter. My main reason to reload and now cast is that I can not economically supply my habit with commercially available components. What really brought me to casting was a couple new rifles that required unobtainable sized projectiles. The casting is a fun new hobby all in itself and could easily supply many years of enjoyment. Thanks to all of the board members for teaching me the ropes.

Tim

[Don Fischer]

I only have one and two molds, doesn't bother me at all as I can cast an hour or so and have all the bullet's I need to go out and do some shooting. Of course I'm retired and have time to do as I will. Thought about a 6 hole mold for my 9mm, bullet's for me and my son. But do sso many so fast with the two hole'er, that's all I need. Just out of curiosity, How do you control the temp with a 6 hole iron mold? I use either a couple one hole iron molds and a few two hole aluminum molds.

[StrawHat]

I have more than a few molds. When I was shooting PPC, Lee did not offer a six cavity mold of any style and for any mold with more than two cavities, well, they were a lot more than this LEO could afford. I bought two molds that were cut with two 150 grain WC boolits cavities and used those two molds to feed a PPC competition diet. For a while, the boolits were used only for practice but eventually, I realized my practiced scores (reloads with cast) and competition scores (reloads with bought swaged) were the same so I stopped buying swaged lead WCs.

I use the 5 and 6 cavities when I want to pour a lot of bullets but still use the pair of WC molds for when I want a lot of WCs.

Kevin

[warf73]

I've got 1~6 cavity molds and each mold has a purpose and why it has the number of cavities.

1 cavity mold that I have is for my 460WBY, I can pour more boolits in an hour (and empty the pot several times) than I shoot out of that cannon in 2 years.
2 cavity molds that I've got are for rifles that I might shoot 100~300 times a years and hour or two at the pot will give me more boolits than I can shoot in a year or more.
Also the only 2 cavity mold is brass (heavy for 2 cavities) for a 480 Ruger and it only takes a few hours to make WAY more boolits than I have brass on hand or what I shoot in a year.
4 cavity molds are used for 44mag & 445SM that I used to shoot a lot but don't much anymore, but also in an hour or two the pile is huge.
6 cavity molds are my high volume shooting pistols and rifle, were 2 or 3 hours casting will give enough boolits for maybe 6 months’ worth of shooting. Also some of those molds are doubles were I'll run one till it’s hot then grab the other and continue casting.

If you noticed in the posts above and mine most all of us don't cast for hours on end. Get what will suite your needs were you don't have to spend hours on end casting (makes casting a job not a hobby) boolits. Not saying don't buy a 1 or 2 cavity mold in an unknown design, get it and see how shots in your gun. If it shoots good then jump on the 4 or 6 cavity route. I've made the mistake and bought a 6 cavity custom mold that wouldn't shoot for beans in my gun. I could have bought the same mold for several $$ less in 1 cavity, hind sight is always 20/20.

You never said if you bottom pour or ladle cast?
I've had little luck ladling in anything over 4 cavities, but that’s me. I gave up the ladle after getting used to the bottom pour and never looked back. Several guys on this sight have never bottom poured a boolit and make great boolits and lots of them.

Guess to wrap up my ramblings there is no real wrong number of cavities to a mold. Get what you want and cast till your little hearts content.

Warf

[dudel]

Some of my reasons:
1) Some profiles are only available in 2 cavity blocks. Lee is a good example. Not all of their designs are available as 6 cavity blocks
2) I don't need a many 45-70 type Boolits as 9mm.
3) The weight of a full 6 cavity mold is tiring over a longer casting session. Potential for more production; but not if you get tired faster.
4) 2 cavity blocks are good for experimenting with (removing gas check, hollow pointing, leementing, etc)

[TenTea]

RCBS makes a 4 cavity ! ? :kidding:

[MT Gianni]

The old timers used single cavity molds for the consistency. While we have gotten a lot better about uniformity between cavities there are still a few molds I use regularly that are sc molds. When accuracy is more important than numbers it makes sense. The same idea was to index and mark a cavity in a two cavity mold so you could differentiate between them. Do you want the ultimate in precision or just to bang away.

[Drew P]

I'm using a bottom pouring setup. I hear the brass molds are heavy. My next mold may be a brass one so that would suggest a reason to stay 2 cav. Is it possible to overheat a brass mold through casting so that a second mold would be a good idea during a session anyway? So far I've only cast using one mold at a time.

[Walter Laich]

my main molds are 4 and 6-cav. I do have a bunch of 1 and 2-cav as they only come that way (sounds like an echo in here)

A couple are because I only shoot that firearm minimally and don't need a bunch of bullets for it.

I love casting but I also love having a big pile of bullets at the end.

[Electric88]

I love shooting, but I think I love reloading and casting even more to be totally honest! That's why I buy two cavity molds... also because it's a bit easier to justify the price of a MiHec two cavity than the 4 cavity :lovebooli

[warf73]

I'm using a bottom pouring setup. I hear the brass molds are heavy.Yes brass molds are almost 1.5x heaver than a 6 cavity alum mold. My next mold may be a brass one so that would suggest a reason to stay 2 cavty Depends on your strength, you can purchase up to 4 cavity in brass maybe even 5 depending on design of the boolit from Accurate Molds. Is it possible to overheat a brass mold through casting you can overheat any mold material if you run the alloy to HOT, or casting cadence is to fast so that a second mold would be a good idea during a session anyway? Lots of folks run 2 molds while casting So far I've only cast using one mold at a time.

I answered a few of your questions in BOLD above.

[RogerDat]

Hmmm Lee 2 cavity with handles is $20 and has some bullets that are often recommended for what I want to shoot. So for the cost of a larger and heavier mold without a handle I can have a couple of different bullet sizes, profiles, or weights to try.

The 4 cavity NOE molds are a nice size and manageable weight for me. I guess I figure if I want to store more already cast bullets I'll just do some additional casting sessions. Auto loaders or living someplace where outdoor shooting year round was more pleasant might influence me to want more cavities. But revolver and bolt or lever action the 2 & 4 cavity become perfectly viable options. Or for the "odd" light or heavy round that you only need a modest number of also make the lesser cavities attractive.

[ShooterAZ]

I find myself casting mostly with 2 Cavity molds. I have a lot of RCBS molds, and it is what you gets. Once in a while I'll cast up a big pile of 45 Cal H&G68 clone from my 5 cavity NOE mold...this one rains boolits in a hurry, but most of the time I'm just casting away with my RCBS 2 cavities.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

All my rifle molds are one and two cavity and I do just fine with them in terms of production. My molds for pistol are H&G 4 cavity designs and of course their production rate is higher. The four cavity molds go through a lot more alloy so I use my Promelt for them whereas the one and two cavity molds are fed by my Saeco 24 which is a ten pounder. Smelting is done in an old Saeco model 34 which holds 20+ pounds and I use it as well for ladle casting when/I have cleaned it. LLS

[Thin Man]

When I go shopping for a mold, I already have a fixed idea about the design I am hoping to find. This would be the diameter, nose shape, base shape, weight range...the factors that will give me the results I hope to generate. Many times the mold pattern will be a discontinued style, such as a .362 diameter for 38 S&W, so the main variable is diameter shopping. Once found, the mold will have whatever number of cavities it does (as in one only in a Lyman tong tool). If the pattern is common (9mm play boolit of .356-8" and weight 120-125) then a Lee 6X gets the nod. I have several group buy 6X molds that perform well (plus some that did not), this always being a roll of the dice. My future orders from the custom mold makers will be either a 2-cavity aluminum, or a 4-cavity with 2 different patterns. For my needs a 2 cavity mold will satisfy my needs very nicely. This is the result of having many toys to feed and limited time to share among all of them. I am currently geared up to load 20 different handgun calibers and 41 different rifle calibers, have about 165 mold, with multiple toys in several of these individual calibers. Having a blast (yup, pun intended) during retirement. Wish the same to others.

Thin Man

[Leadmelter]

4 cavity pistol molds
2 cavity HP molds
2 cavity rifle molds
1 cavity 45/70 molds
Leadmelter
MI

[country gent]

I have all single or 2 cavity moulds.But cast with 2 moulds. I can out pace a 4 cavity mould alone with 2 2 cavity moulds running together over a session, since there is now waiting for moulds to cool before breaking sprue and dropping. My next rifle mould is going to be for 350 grn 38 cal and Im going to order 2 2 cavity brass moulds from the get go. Should make a pile of bullets in a 4 hour session. LOL