2 Cavity or 6 Cavity

[Terrier]

I am looking at casting 1500 to 2000 .38 and 9MM each per year. Would I be better off with 2 cavity or 6 cavity molds. I will probobly be looking a Lee molds but not engraved in stone. Your comments will be most helpful.
Thanks,
Terrier

[lwknight]

Since Lee molds are cheap, the 6 is the way to go. Production rules!!
A six banger can do 600 boolits per hour without trying to hurry. I mean like a slow stroll.

[Edubya]

For as few as you need, you will probably have at least three times the problem with the six cavity mould. It takes a steeper learning curve and more heat to keep 6c flowing hot enough. I can turn out 350 to 400 per hour with fewer rejects with the 2c mould. I have 13 moulds, up to a 10c H&G, I'd just as soon cast with the 2c mould.
YMMV.
EW

[cheese1566]

6 bangers are twice the price, but I think they are made a little better in the long run with the features of the bushings and pins, and handled sprue plate. True, they take a little longer to heat up and learn, but are not too bad.

With two cavities, you can buy two molds (or three if you count the handle) and have different styles of bullets for a variety. Two cavities will be a minimal investment if you- or your gun-decide you don't like the profile or weight.

My two cents.

[Doc_Stihl]

6 bangers are a better mold. I make alot of boolits with a 2 cavity lee, but the 6 is a big upgrade. Better alignment, better sprue plate.

[44wcf]

I cast for my 38's 44-40's and 45acp. All with a 6 banger. No problems and VERY few rejects.
44wcf

[TAWILDCATT]

have used several makes in past and find the 6 cavity Lee to work as good as any
better than the 2 cavity.yes it takes more heat to opperate it,but in the end makes good bullets.I have several 6 cavity.some people cant work them and curse them but none of mine have had any problems.I spend maybe 15 minutes preping them which is stoneing faces and breaking the sharp corners. I really dont clean them that well and they work.
for what you pay for the others you get more from Lee.

[Jumping Frog]

Count me on the 6-banger bandwagon. First 4 molds I bought were all Lee 6-cavity molds.

[thx997303]

I guess I'm wierd. I absolutely love my Lee 1 cav.

One perfect boolit, everytime.

[AZ-Stew]

The Lee 6-bangers are made better than their 2-cavity moulds. You have to buy the handles separately, but they're only $12-13 from Midsouth Shooter's Supply. Since the Lees are made of aluminum, even their 6-bangers are lighter than anyone else's 2-banger iron moulds. They have a lever-operated sprue plate which is much easier to deal with than using a stick to beat the sprue plate open on a standard mould (I have dozens of standard moulds, but I like the Lee 6-banger lever sprue plate). Between the light weight and lever sprue plate, you will experience less fatigue when casting a large lot of boolits compared to a standard iron mould. One caveat, though. Be sure to get the sprue plate on the 6-bangers closed all the way before casting. Otherwise the lever camming action won't work and you'll end up breaking the sprue plate lever handle. Experience speaking.

If you buy a 2-banger, then later try a 6-banger, you may regret buying the 2-banger. If you start with the 6-banger, even at twice or more the price of the 2-banger, you won't regret your purchase. It's just a better tool.

Learn to cast fast enough to keep heat in the mould. Aluminum moulds cool quickly, so you have to keep casting to keep heat in them. Low mould temp = bad boolits.

Regards,

Stew

[fredj338]

With Lee molds, 6cav is the way togo IMO. If you want 2cav, go w/ an iron mold from RCBS, Saeco or Lyman. You can do 300/hr w/ a 2cav so for 2000 a year, pretty easily done.

[jack19512]

All I have is the two cavity. All I need and more. :D

[putteral]

Another vote for the 6 cavity molds!
:drinks:

[mooman76]

Really it's up to you. If you don't like to spend allot of time casting get the 6x and if you don't mind spending a few hours a couple times a year get the 2x. I started getting the 6x and still use them but find myself liking the 2x more.

[opentop]

Go with the Lee 6 bangers

[Rockchucker]

I started casting just this year and my first molds were the 2 cavity, and didn't take long before I bought a a six cavity. Since The first lee mould I bought several used Lyman/RCBS 2 cavity molds from members here and like each a every one the same. I now have several new 2 cavity Lyman/ Rcbs molds with a new gas check RCBS 358158 coming for a Christmas present. To me each mold is a little different and has it's own personality, and I still enjoy the 6 bangers quite well, just get ready to stay busy for awhile.

[dolang1]

I read all the threads about bottom pour and 6 cavity molds, and I never understood what the big deal was. I was happy to ladle along with my two-holers. Recently I bought 3 Lee 6 cavity molds and a Pro 4 20. I understand now. Three times the production in half the time. In my first session with the TL358-148WC, I filled a 1 gallon coffee can. I don't know how many boolits that is, but it's a bunch. Later Don

[lwknight]

if you tend to be OCD, get the six cavity so you will run out of lead and return to a normal life sooner. Also aquire various storage boxes and what not, to keep your 1000s of boolits in.

[chris in va]

I am looking at casting 1500 to 2000 .38 and 9MM each per year.

Sir, you don't understand how addictive and rewarding casting really is. :veryconfu

Let's adjust that figure a bit, shall we?


I am looking at casting 1500 to 2000 .38 and 9MM each per month.

There, that's more realistic.:mrgreen:

lwknight speaks the truth...heed his sage words.

[ghh3rd]

First two were .38 and .40 two bangers, which worked well. Thought I was dropping lots of boolits, until I got a .44 six banger. I was surprised at how easy it was to cut all six sprues, and the boolits pile up really quickly.

Randy

[Recluse]

It will all depend on one simple, solitary thing:

Do you enjoy casting?

I enjoy casting and reloading probably even more than I do shooting. Therefore, two-cavity moulds and low-production presses suit me to a T.

But I also know people who live to shoot, and are into reloading ONLY because it makes it more affordable for them to shoot a bit more. Taking it one step further, casting makes it affordable for them to shoot a lot more.

Of course, some folks enjoy both equally.

And then there are the heathens who do not enjoy reloading nor casting. Bully for them as it makes for more brass for me at the range and less competition for scraps of grand ol' Galena.

If you decide on a Lee six-banger (or any Lee mould), it is virtually imperative that you read the sticky on "Lee-menting" your mould--especially as it pertains to the sprue plate and cam on the six-banger.

But I'm the weird, off-the-wall casting guy here. . . I like the Lee two-bangers and out of all I've owned and own at present, only one has given me any trouble at all. Mainly, I love the boolit(s)/design.

I guess if RCBS or Saeco made the same TL158SWC or .452 200SWC or .358 105SWC boolit moulds, exactly the same boolit, it would be hard for me to not buy and use THOSE moulds. I've got some good boolits from other manufacturers, but I like my Lee moulds.

:coffee:

[evan price]

Go for the 6-hole Lees.

If you like to shoot a lot and not so much to cast, the 6-cav will get you done casting sooner.

If you like to cast a lot and shoot too, you'll love how quickly you make a mountain of boolits.

If you decide you don't like casting, the 6-cavs hold their value well.

[Terrier]

Thank you one and all. I now have a plan (sort of) on place for the molds I need to by over the next few months.
Terrier

[223tenx]

Terrier,
If you get a Lee 6C---READ THE INSTRUCTIONS-- or you'll snap the sprue plate handle. Then read them again so you understand how NOT to break it.

[GLL]

I am in the minority here !

If you really only cast a couple hundred per month in .38 & 9mm I would suggest buying two nice 2-cavity RCBS moulds ! You do not need the high capacity of the 6-cavity LEE's and the RCBS moulds are very user friendly ! :)

Another alternative is to buy a couple 4-cavity aluminum moulds from the catalogs at BRP or NOE ! Both make OUTSTANDING moulds !

Jerry

[45-70 Chevroner]

Another vote for the six banger. I have two 6 cav. moulds in .452 230gr. RN Micro grove and use them in tandom to make piles of 45 bullets for my two Ruger Vaquero's and Rossi 45 Lever action for the cowboy shoots. I also have one in 38 357 round nose. I have two double cav. in the same caliber and design as the .452 above, they are hardly ever used any more. I find very little difference using either type other than production rate. I will never buy another double cav. again as long as I can get the same caliber and style in a 6 cav.

PS I see where some of you are getting 6 cav. Lee molds in Rifle Calibers. Is that a special order or do they have them in stock? Do they list them in thier Catalog?

[vincewarde]

I have 250-300 per hour with a Lee 10lb bottom pour pot. If all you need is 1500 per year, this may be all you need.

BTW, I LOVE my Lee molds. Very easy for a beginner like me to use!

[Bret4207]

The first question should be- Do you know how to cast yet? If not then start with a single or 2 cav. Once you get the hang of producing PERFECT BOOLITS then get a 6 cav if you desire. A Lee 6 cav is relatively inexpensive, but if you ruin 3 learning to cast you'll be out a lot of money.

Quantity is nice, quality is GREAT.

[yman]

I only mold about 2000 to 4000 a year, I mold 38 & 45 & heres what i came up with. I have 2 different 38 molds & 3 diff 45 molds, all dble cavity LEE molds, I get 2 out at a time & run them in order. That is i fill one set it down fill the other set it down dump the 1st one fill it dump the 2nd one fill it & so on. I can make about 1000 good bullets in about 3hrs total time, I can live with that. and I dont have the cost of the 6 cavity molds.

Now having said that I dont have any 6 cavity molds so maybe I am missing out. I guess it all depends on how much you want to spend & how much you want to produce in a given time. I would suggest you plan on not trying to knock out 1000your 1st time, maybe a few hundred & get the feel for it. Once you work out the bugs in your work station/area then you can set up & rock & roll. Welcome to the the molding gang its alot of fun! :cbpour:

[John Guedry]

All I've got is 2 cavity Lee molds and am happy with them,however if I get a little extra cash a 6 holer might be nice.

[XWrench3]

6 cavity all the way! dont even think about a twin. the six cavity molds take a little getting used to, and a little to get up to temp (if you leave the first 4 or 5 fills in longer than necessary, it will cut down on the warm up time as the heat can sink into the mold), but once you get up and running, they are much, much faster and easier to use. i wish they would make their rifle molds in 6 cavity molds.

[shdwlkr]

If you are going to be casting and are new you should start with a two cavity mold and learn how to do it then save up you coins and go to Night Owl Enterprises or Mihec and get some real molds in the number of cavities that you want.
I have several LEE molds in 2 and 6 cavity and also lyman, RCBS, NOE and so far from my chair the NOE molds work the best right out of the box . Also with NOE molds you can get the hollow point option for any mold they make almost, I think there might be 2 that don't have the hollow point option. I don't have a Mihec yet but that is only a matter of time.
Go read the group by mold results and you will get a really good idea of who is making good molds and who is not.

[45-70 Chevroner]

6 cavity all the way! dont even think about a twin. the six cavity molds take a little getting used to, and a little to get up to temp (if you leave the first 4 or 5 fills in longer than necessary, it will cut down on the warm up time as the heat can sink into the mold), but once you get up and running, they are much, much faster and easier to use. i wish they would make their rifle molds in 6 cavity molds.

Wrench3 you mentioned "I wish they (Lee) would make thier rifle molds in 6 cav.

I have read some where in another forum that someone had a Lee 6 cav. mold in rifle caliber. I don't know if the guy was trying to pull someones chain or maybe he did a special order through Lee. I wish I could remember though where I read it. I do know that thier 6 cav. mold blocks are to shallow for any thing in 30 caliber over 170 grain as thier would not be enough metal at the nose ie. 1/16" to 3/32" thick.

[snuffy]

Here's a lee 6 cav in 45-70, 462420, a 405 grainer. It was a group buy here on cast boolits forum. An example of what can be had from lee if you want to wait nearly a year!

http://photos.imageevent.com/jptowns/arrow/websize/P4260022.JPG

BTW, it's an excellent boolit, shoots real nice in my H&R buff classic.

[45-70 Chevroner]

Snuffy> what was the price and how many for a group buy? I love it, I would buy one in a New york minute. (I live in Arizona so that could be a while.)
The guy that I mentioned in the post above must have got his in a group buy.
P.S. That is a great looking bullet. It also looks just like thier 250 Gr. 38-55 except your bullet has a flat base. Also do all the group buy molds have to be the same ? That is kind of a retorical question as I am pretty sure they have to be?

[snuffy]

45-70 chev, here's the thread that generated that mold;

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=30322

Keep your eyes open on that forum here, they might run that mold again. IIRC it was $85.00 delivered, but the wait was 11 months!

[awaveritt]

if you tend to be OCD, get the six cavity so you will run out of lead and return to a normal life sooner

Now that's funny:)

In fact, that's why I don't have 6 bangers. I have to practice behavior modification techniques.