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DeepSouth
08-18-2009, 05:01 PM
I just recently purchased a SS1894 44mag.I would like to cast for it and I'm looking at a 265gr round flat nose Saeco mold.Doing a search on here doesn't bring up alot of info on Saeco molds compared to the other brands.Are these quality molds or are they just not that popular.What I've read they seem OK,just not alot of info on them.Sorry about not having a mold # I'm in my truck now.

dale2242
08-18-2009, 05:18 PM
Saeco molds are first class in my book. The mold numbers are: 530 plain base and 532 GC. I haven`t shot the plain base bullet but have the no.532 mold and won many IHMSA matches with that bullet in a DWA 44 mag.---dale

felix
08-18-2009, 05:18 PM
Across the board they are excellent molds. They hold tolerances a little too tight sometimes, meaning the boolits just might drop out at 429 instead of 432 when using "normal" lead. ... felix

243winxb
08-19-2009, 07:06 AM
Had a Marlin 44 mag that would not shoot cast. The button rifling to shallow. Have 3 Saeco moulds, good moulds. Diameter as the bullets drop from the mould are on the larger side. Lyman good also but larger blocks, more weight. My Lymans seem to just make diameter as dropped from the mould, less sizing, good for tumble lubing in the 45acp.

walltube
08-19-2009, 08:02 AM
SAECO moulds, in my experience & humble opinion, are the best 'mass produced' moulds for your money. I have (and did have) several. Never a problem with out-of-round, grossly undersize, or ugly boolits because of poor production practices or crappy Q.C. My two .44 truncated cone examples and Dan Wesson 744 have, in the past, given me much to smile about.

RCBS is squeeky close to SAECO in quality, but again, that's my humble opinion...:)

Good luck with your choices.

Bret4207
08-19-2009, 08:06 AM
Cramer/SAECO are among the very best moulds made. But they were always a little more expensive, a little harder to find, a little more limited in selection.

cajun shooter
08-19-2009, 08:34 AM
You will not find in any search you do where forum members had gross problems with Saeco molds. They are a cut above the rest. The problem with them is as Bret stated. If Saeco could fill all my mold needs then I would buy no others. Lee, Lyman, and RCBS only wish they had the mold that Saeco is.

anachronism
08-19-2009, 09:48 AM
SAECO moulds are cut for high-antimonial alloy, so they are generally a bit small with pure lead. I consider them to be the best production mould made.

theperfessor
08-19-2009, 10:04 AM
It's a close race between SAECO and RCBS - both are very high quality IMHO. I have more SAECOs than RCBSs just because I like four cavity molds, a market RCBS does NOT fill.

Unlike my Lees and Lymans I have never had to "rebuild" a SAECO or RCBS before first use, just the normal cleaning/degreasing.

Like Brett said, they are just a bit pricier which limits their popularity among many casters.

Shuz
08-19-2009, 10:16 AM
+1 to what the perfessor said! I've never had a "bad" Saeco mould and I've owned dozens down thru the years.

mtgrs737
08-19-2009, 10:43 AM
I have several Saeco moulds and I like them all, IMHO they are fine moulds and worth the extra money. My Saeco moulds always seem to drop slightly oversized which is just what I like. I was told they are steel moulds instead of iron moulds like others are made of but I cannot confirm this. I have only one negative with Saeco and that is with a 22cal. 4 cavity #221 mould that dropped it's boolits just a little too fat in the gas check shank and I couldn't get the gas checks to snap on without great difficulty. It is back at Saeco to be replaced with a new mould as soon as they get a new cherry made. I also like the spru plate designs that Saeco uses, they have center pivots and work great.

madman
08-19-2009, 11:11 AM
I have the SAECO # 441 this is the best mold I have ever purchased. I have LEE, RCBS, Lymans. NEI, Mountian Molds. I just shelved my all of my LEE .44 molds and use my SAECO. It even makes me look like I know how to cast. Great fit and finish. A real quality product.

O.S.O.K.
08-19-2009, 11:20 AM
I've got one Saeco and it compares favorably with my RCBS and Lyman molds.

I will also add that my elcheapo Lee 310 44 cal mold that I just got drops excellent boolits and pushed with a max load (21 gr) of H110, shoots great in my Marlin 94 with microgroove rifling. I lapped a Lee .430" sizer die to .431" and sized them - no leading and 2 3/4" group at 100 yards. That's going 1500-1600 fps BTW - a real thumper of a hunting load - at least to 100 yards....

I was thinking along the same lines as you - 265 grain to be sure they'd stabalize but I really prefered a 300 grain pill. Then I saw all the heck-yah comments here about the Lee boolit.

Jestergrin helped me along - again thanks man :)

:coffee:

DeepSouth
08-19-2009, 02:40 PM
Thanks for all the posts.I will probably get the saeco in 265gr.It should cast a little oversize if I use W/W right?I also looked up Hoch molds on the net and I see where Colorado Shooting Supplies carries pistol molds may try one of those too along with the lee mold.Any comments on theHoch molds?Now I just need to save up some money.Just broke the crank in my truck,should get the motor back Friday.I did have the money before that.I'm about done with hotrodding,gunstuff is much cheaper.

madman
08-30-2009, 09:50 PM
I stopped the racing stuff years ago for the same reasons.

MakeMineA10mm
08-30-2009, 11:35 PM
A good testament to Saeco and RCBS moulds is that they are the only commercial moulds RECOMMENDED by Magma and Ballisti-Cast to be used with their machines. (Magma and B-C both sell their own mould designs for casting machines, and both say they will convert anyone else's IRON mould to work with their machines, but as far as recommended, it's just RCBS and Saeco...) I believe this has more to do with the resiliency of the moulds and their size being almost exactly right for the machines, as I see no huge quality problems with the Lymans I've owned or used over the years, but this is my speculation. Still says alot about RCBS and Saeco that their recommeded, though.