if you want an LBT, Veral Smith, mold-something to consider

[trfourtune]

All,
First off, I have no monetary interest in this post what so ever and am posting this without permission. Hope that's OK.

If you've ever thought of getting a mold from Veral Smith, LBT Molds, you might want to consider the following:

1. Veral is about 75 years old and he makes each mold himself (I believe)
2. Veral has no succession plan for LBT molds.

So, if you've ever wanted one of his molds, you might not want to procrastinate any longer, not that Veral has any plans to go anywhere soon, but you never know.

[noisewaterphd]

I've been meaning to check out one of his hardness testers. Perhaps I will actually stop procrastinating this week.

[Cherokee]

We know what happened to NEI mold quality when Walt went away, get your LBT today.

[Iowa Fox]

Everyone should own at least one LBT mold and his book. I've been using his stuff since he lived in Cornville, Arizona.

[fredj338]

It will be a bummer when Veral goes, but you can have an identical mold from makers like Accurate. Same thing btw for over paying for a vintage Lyman design when you can have it recreated for 1/2 by Accurate. Just sayin.

[spfd1903]

The same thought has crossed my mind also. I bought a .44 magnum and a 9 x 18 Mak mold from him last year . The hardness tester is very simple to use. His soft blue lube is also easy to apply, effective, and easy to clean up. I have Lyman, Lee, and NOE molds, but I want several more of his this year. He probably has dropped more boolits than I have cast. He answers questions fairly quickly by email. The two molds I ordered came within a week of sending the money order.

[melloairman]

It will be a bummer when Veral goes, but you can have an identical mold from makers like Accurate. Same thing btw for over paying for a vintage Lyman design when you can have it recreated for 1/2 by Accurate. Just sayin.
I have had Accurate molds in the past and they are far from the quality of a LBT . The cutter on a LBT is far superior to any thing else on the market IMO . Marvin

[MrWolf]

I just received his book and was looking at his moulds. Guess I am gonna have to get off that fence real quick.

[RobS]

I have had Accurate molds in the past and they are far from the quality of a LBT . The cutter on a LBT is far superior to any thing else on the market IMO . Marvin

Your opinion is just that however I wouldn't go "far superior" by any means. I personally do not like the trough sprue plate and that's by choice and I wouldn't say Verals molds are not of good quality due to that. The one thing I don't like about Veral's molds but has no affect to the quality of the mold is with the aluminum molds I had he used a roll pin as the male alignment pin and then simply drilled a hole in the opposite block for the female socket. I much prefer steel on steel male/female pin alignment.

[minmax]

I just talked to him today, he sounded good. I actually thought of the same thing, after I hung up with him.
Just wish I had half the knowledge he does, and could machine molds. I'd offer to buy his business.

[Pee Wee]

I've been meaning to check out one of his hardness testers. Perhaps I will actually stop procrastinating this week.
I have his BHN tester. I love it well worth the money.

[osteodoc08]

His molds are awesome, however, I wouldnt say far superior to Accurate or MP molds. Collectively, these are the best, IMHO.

[Hickok]

His book is a good read and worth having by any cast boolit hunter.

[rintinglen]

Your opinion is just that however I wouldn't go "far superior" by any means. I personally do not like the trough sprue plate and that's by choice and I wouldn't say Verals molds are not of good quality due to that. The one thing I don't like about Veral's molds but has no affect to the quality of the mold is with the aluminum molds I had he used a roll pin as the male alignment pin and then simply drilled a hole in the opposite block for the female socket. I much prefer steel on steel male/female pin alignment.

My sentiments exactly. Different strokes for different folks, but I have never been able to get consistent boolits using a trough type sprue plate. While a grain and half variance may be no big thing, I much prefer to pressure fill each cavity individually to avoid this.

[Tatume]

I think it's not good form to talk about someone this way, especially when he's only 75 years old!

Veral Smith is a good guy who stands up for what he believes.

[NFrameSquareButt]

Is he still around. I have one of his molds and tried to get online today and the web site is expired. Called and left a message but no reply.

[DougGuy]

I don't have the molds, but I ended my search for good tier2 hunting boolits for 45 caliber when I launched a few of these LBT WFNs from my 45 Schofield chambered Vaquero. I can't comment on the molds but I sure am quite pleased with the boolits..

L to R: 250gr LBT WFN-OWC, 250gr LBT WFN-PB, 250gr LBT WFN-GC

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/DougGuy/Reloading/250_LBT_TRIO_zpshh2co3gc.jpg (http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/DougGuy/media/Reloading/250_LBT_TRIO_zpshh2co3gc.jpg.html)

[waco]

If you can't get an LBT mold you want, Tom at Accurate will cut you a mold of your design, to your specs. You can even send him a bullet to copy!

[Yodogsandman]

Heard that his website might have been corrupted. The Greybeard forum had also been hacked.

[Maven]

Try http://www.lbtmolds.com/

[NFrameSquareButt]

Must have got it back up and running. Yesterday it said it expired on 11-10-16. Thanks!

[dannyd]

that second one is the old link. new one still does not work

[M99SavNut]

Is LBT still in operation? Website not updated since 2014, and......? Any updates or other info?

[Nines&Twos]

If you can't get an LBT mold you want, Tom at Accurate will cut you a mold of your design, to your specs. You can even send him a bullet to copy!

Tom won’t cut a spitzer. Veral will.
Other than that, you’re pretty much right.

[Taterhead]

Is LBT still in operation? Website not updated since 2014, and......? Any updates or other info?

I ordered and received a nice mold a little over a year ago. I had a few conversations with Veral and he helped me think about a few things (I was a newbie at that time). I really enjoyed talking to him. I now have molds from Lee, RCBS, NOE, and Accurate, and the LBT is my favorite.

I think I want to order a 38 special LBT style bullet, and would love to have one from Veral himself.

By the way, he let the domain lbtmoulds.com expire, but lbtmolds.com is still fine.

[TheGrimReaper]

are his molds aluminum?

[Jack Stanley]

The last ones I bought from him , yes .

Jack

[Taterhead]

are his molds aluminum?

Yes, LBT molds are aluminum. Available in 2 or 4 cavity.

[kodiakken]

I placed an order for a mold a week ago and he called me to talk about it. He sounded good. He told me his wife of 57 years died a couple of years ago and that made him lose interest in the business, and life, for a while. He said he recently got remarried and is getting interested in making molds again. I also ordered a copy of his book but he is sold out and said the new edition (4th edition) will be coming out soon. The price for the book on his website is $25 but he told me that was wrong, that the new book will be $27.50 (I think). I had a second edition copy years ago and learned a lot from it.

Veral makes great molds, I don't think you will be disappointed. He's now 78 years old so don't put it off.

Ken Gordon
Kenai, Alaska

[cwlongshot]

[QUOTE=Pee Wee;3546747]I have his BHN tester. I love it well worth the money.[/QUOTE}

Me to love it!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/CWLONGSHOT/15EC6A53-D57D-49AA-98EF-705EEF62014F_zpskv8pwsrr.jpeg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/CWLONGSHOT/15EC6A53-D57D-49AA-98EF-705EEF62014F_zpskv8pwsrr.jpeg

[abunaitoo]

I have one of his molds.
Works well.
I'd like to get his book.
Is his web site back up???
What is it????

[barnabus]

I have had LBT moulds.Accurate is a better mould hands down.

[ioon44]

I have LBT and Accurate molds and like both of them, the Accurate is better for high production casting.

[kodiakken]

I've never used a mold from Accurate but recently ordered one and look forward to trying it out.

(Edit 4/12/2019 - I have received my Accurate mold and it looks to be of very high quality. I haven't had a chance to use it yet. Even though his web page said it would take 3 weeks I received my mold in less than two.)

[ioon44]

Prepare to be impressed, great molds.

[stubshaft]

I have been buying LBT molds for over 30 years. Veral has even sold me molds that were never catalogued. BOTH, LBT and Accurate make very good molds. What you are paying Veral for is his extensive knowledge of what works! When you buy a mold from Tom YOU are the one designing it, hoping your theories work.

[Taterhead]

I am going to order a 4 cav from LBT. I noticed that there was a web page redesign. Alas, no updated method for placing an order.

[white eagle]

I have had Accurate molds in the past and they are far from the quality of a LBT . The cutter on a LBT is far superior to any thing else on the market IMO . Marvin

I doubt any one can be far superior to Tom @ Accurate
his work has always been top shelf in the far superior category
from my personal experience

[waco]

I doubt any one can be far superior to Tom @ Accurate
his work has always been top shelf in the far superior category
from my personal experience

Agree 100%

[Taterhead]

Veral replied to me this morning about a question I had before placing my order. He's had trouble with his old email, so he's changed email addresses.

LBTisAccuracy@gmail.com

[bigboredad]

I have had Accurate molds in the past and they are far from the quality of a LBT . The cutter on a LBT is far superior to any thing else on the market IMO . MarvinYou continue to bad mouth Tom after he bent over backwards trying to make you happy. I personally know Tom and got his side of the story. Apparently some people aren't smart enough to own a mold from Tom

Sent from my SM-T377V using Tapatalk

[Lloyd Smale]

have to agree. Noe molds are better quality and seem to hold up better and like you I detest those cheap stamped spruce plates. Ive had quite a few lbts but the first ballistic cast mold I bought opened my eyes to what a quality mold is and there not made out of aluminum. Mihecs brass molds are like comparing diamonds to crushed glass. Sorry but to me the lbts aren't a lot better then 6 cav lees other then veral has some good bullet designs. Back in the day if you wanted an lfn it lbt or nothing. Just isn't that way anymore. I can buy two or three 6 cav lee molds for the price of a 2 cav lbt and MAYBE that lbt will outlast one of the 6 cav lees but ill still have one or two new in the box to use when the first one wears out. I guess what seperates some from most is how many bullets you cast. If your idea of casting is a couple hundred bullets that will last you for months then have at it. I get a mold and in the first couple days theres usually about 60lbs of bullets in cans from it. Sorry but when I can get a steel or brass mold for the same price its a no brainer. Bottom line is id take a Seaco or rcbs mold before an lbt. Ive got one of verals books. Ive had it for probably 20 years. Its got some good info in it but if you want to read from the real experts do a search for glen fryxel or rob applegate(who used to make some beautiful molds himself) Biggest difference is what they write isn't 50 percent advertisement for what they make and sell. Way to much bias in verals writings. bottom line is he makes good molds not great molds and hes not the only player in the game anymore. I was upset when ballistic cast went down for the third time but wont loose any sleep over lbt going away.
Your opinion is just that however I wouldn't go "far superior" by any means. I personally do not like the trough sprue plate and that's by choice and I wouldn't say Verals molds are not of good quality due to that. The one thing I don't like about Veral's molds but has no affect to the quality of the mold is with the aluminum molds I had he used a roll pin as the male alignment pin and then simply drilled a hole in the opposite block for the female socket. I much prefer steel on steel male/female pin alignment.

[Taterhead]

I won't try to talk any of you out of your personal preferences. Many of you are informed by many more years of experience. My casting career began 3 years ago, and I have approximately low 5 figures of bullets cast and coated to date. So I'd call myself an advanced beginner or intermediate level of experience. Here are a few reasons why I prefer to cast with LBT molds. Again, my preference is based on my relatively limited experience. I have, or have owned RCBS, NOE 2 and 5 cav Al, Lee, Lyman 4 cav, Accurate Al, and an H&G 2 cav. All handgun calibers.

Casting back-to-back-back, the LBT mold stands out to me as simply the most enjoyable casting experience.

They are so uniquely well-ventilated. It is childs play to get really nice keepers.

I find it less fussy about pace or mold temp.

I find that the unique sprue plate design allows good ventilation even though pouring through a tiny hole. That gives a small, gentle-to-open sprue cut with the sharp edge of the sprue plate. The bases on the LBT are the most consistently flat and well filled out. Others can have the same results, but I find I need to focus more on the details.

Bullets are very round and similarly dimensioned for all 4 cavs.

Bullets literally fall from the mold. No tapping or shaking. Open the mold, and they dribble onto the towel.

I got the exact weight and diameter specified. Tom will do that too. NOE won't. NOEs have been too fat for PC. Too much sizing.

I've never had to mess with adjusting sprue plate tension on the LBT.

So I placed an order for another 10mm mold from Veral. Somewhat custom. He promptly contacted me to clarify some points and I expect a mold shortly.

His molds are expensive, but I do not regret spending the cash on something I enjoy so much. It is hardly more than a box of 1k commercial jword bullets anyway.

[lotech]

I haven't bought an LBT mould in more than ten years but the ones I've purchased have generally been quite satisfactory. Same for Accurate. I'm unfamiliar with NOE and some of the other mould manufacturers that are discussed here frequently, but perhaps they also make bullet moulds of good quality.

[MT Chambers]

I won't get into a squabble about who's molds are best but, Veral has the best bullet designs, he wrote the book on WFN, LFN, etc. Most of the custom ammo makers like Buf. Bore and Garrett use his designs/molds.

[45-70 Chevroner]

Everyone should own at least one LBT mold and his book. I've been using his stuff since he lived in Cornville, Arizona.

I stopped to meet him back in the 80's in Cornville and had nice visit with him, nice guy.

[Walks]

I had a couple/three, years back, Really Good 2Cav mold & a pair of 4cav. But I hate the trough. Really HATE them.

Only mold I've got with a trough is an ancient IDEAL 4cav #454190 drops at .4555 with COWW, has a HEAVY sprue plate with a trough. For some reason I have no problem with this 4cav mold. And it came with a VERY heavy duty set of nut cracker handles.

[9.3X62AL]

I don't have an LBT mould (yet), but I am VERY HAPPY to be living in what is likely the Golden Days Of Bullet Casting, with several fine makers of great moulds with a bewildering variety of available designs. We have things far better than when I started this addiction in 1981, FOR CERTAIN.

[Taterhead]

I had a couple/three, years back, Really Good 2Cav mold & a pair of 4cav. But I hate the trough. Really HATE them.

Only mold I've got with a trough is an ancient IDEAL 4cav #454190 drops at .4555 with COWW, has a HEAVY sprue plate with a trough. For some reason I have no problem with this 4cav mold. And it came with a VERY heavy duty set of nut cracker handles.

The part about the trough thing is interesting. At first, it kind of messed with me. Then I learned to give a slight tilt so that the runoff runs into the prior pour.

[Lloyd Smale]

cant argue that he didn't created the best pistol bullet design ever. the LFN. Just for that he deserves a place in the bullet casters hall of fame. Now if hed just use steel or brass and a real spruce plate id have nothing to complain about. He uses aluminum because its cheap and easy to machine and that spruce plate can be stamped out of cheap stock as fast as a machine will go. Hes also one heck of a salesman because he has people actually convinced he uses those because there somehow superior.
I won't get into a squabble about who's molds are best but, Veral has the best bullet designs, he wrote the book on WFN, LFN, etc. Most of the custom ammo makers like Buf. Bore and Garrett use his designs/molds.

[tja6435]

I have the NOE 360-180-WFN and I have a LBT 360-180-FN. They are very similar to each other, however at 100 yards or more, the LBT is much more accurate.

[Four-Sixty]

I bought a used LBT mold from a member here. The cavities fill perfectly and the boolits fall out with ease. I wish I could get more.

[curioushooter]

Those molds better be the best thing since sliced bread at twice the price of an aluminum mold from Arsenal, NOE, Mihec, etc...
We are talking SAECO coin here.