Anyone run two different bullet design at the same time when casting?

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Howdy all,

I will have 2 6 cavity Big Lube Molds. Different Boolits. Anyone run two different molds at the same time?

Sam :D

[OutHuntn84]

I usually run multiple molds at a time. Any where from 2 to 7 just rotate them around this works very efficently for me especialy with a partner. My process is as follows:
Caster on right with pot. Bumper on left with stick towel pan and molds.
Bumper has a pan and a towel and puts empty molds in order in front of towel. As he empties a mold he scoot the coolest mold to the right.
Caster picks up coolest mold fills it, holds until spur is solid and passes to Bumper and picks up the next coolest mold and repeats until pot is empty.
Bumper takes filled mold knocks spurs into pan drops boolits onto towel and puts the now empty mold to the left of the rest and scoots down the bunch. Repeat until pot is empty

You get in such a rythum there is not problem keeping your molds to temp and the short cooling time keeps them from over heating. After the pot is empty refill it and while waiting for it to get to temp cull the last batch of boolits, while you seperate them out.

Hope this helps

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Sure do, I always cast with two molds for rhythm and letting one have time for the sprue to cure. I don't have two molds of each boolit I cast.... so for me it works fine. good Luck

[beanflip]

I run 3 lee 6 bangers and a single HP when casting for a 44 mag.
[smilie=b:---->Now I just got to remember what boolit goes in what bucket of water!:groner:

[prs]

I always run two at a time with Lee 6 cavities. Once I get up to temp, it takes some time for the spru to set. Typically I run two PRS molds, same boolit. But my son shoots heathern smokieless, so at times I mix in the Lee 452-255-RF and have two collection towels and coffee cans. I have to run two 20# pots to keep-up with the demand for lead to feed those molds. One recovers as I use the other. Use oil dry clay granues to cover the melt and keep the spru waste from splashing me as I drop it right back into the use pot. Lots of good boolits quick.

prs

[NHlever]

Same here, and usually run two different boolit styles though I do have two of some designs. The only problem that I have had if it could be called a problem is that I get smaller quantities of each from the same pot of alloy, and since I don't, or haven't alloyed large amounts at the same time, I have to keep the "pours" separately to ensure even weights, etc. Still, especially with handgun boolits that is probably more of a problem in my mind than it is for real.

[warf73]

Yup run 2 all the time now, never did before until reading about the guys doing on here.

Something that might help ya if your running 2 molds. Make sure there both alum or steel not one of each. The steel molds run much cooler than the big 6 cavity alum molds do.
Example both my Lee 6 cavity 45 mold and 357 both drop great boolits at 800~850*. But my Lyman 4 cavity 44 keith mold and 30 carbine mold drop great boolits at 725~775* anything hotter and the mold starts to over heat really fast.

[Buckshot]

...............Just ran a full 20# pot through an old SC Lee C309-160-R, and a 2C Lee C338-220-R at the same time. MUCH easier to pickem out if the slugs are a bit different sized.

..............Buckshot

[Daddyfixit]

I run 3 lee 6 bangers and a single HP when casting for a 44 mag.
[smilie=b:---->Now I just got to remember what boolit goes in what bucket of water!:groner:
3!? You using a 50# bottom pour pot?:kidding:

[Crash_Corrigan]

I run two molds quite often. I dump the product into a 5 gallon bucket of cold water and then dump them into a steel strainer to drain. Then I dump them onto a couple of towels and let they dry.


Then I separate the boolits into separate containers and put them away for sizing and lubing.

Since I load so many calibers I have boolits in all stages of preparation all over the place and I always find something to do regarding this hobby while watching TV. Lubing, sizing, and priming are my usual TV activities.

Assembly of rounds and weighing powder charges require more concentration and all I have on is Pandora Radio with my custom mix of country and folk tunes to keep me happy.

Right now I am casting for my .44 special and 6.5 x 55 MM. Then I will be making some 50-90 Sharps, .44 Spcl SD HP rounds and I have 400 empty cases to prime for my 6.5 mm and then rounds to assemble. The weather here is promising to be lousy for the next few days so I have plenty to do in my man cave.

The man cave is my living room and kitchen as I have no SWMBO around to direct, control, supervise or otherwise mess up my life. Sgt. Rambo does demand some attention but if I let him go out on RECON at night he is happy.

My attack dog, Sgt. Rambo and I are batching it here in Vegas. He has the heart of a Lion and the mindset of Don Rickles but the 20 lb. body of a Chihuahua. When I take him out for a walk, he is on PATROL. He warns me of any person, cat, dog or actually anything that has changed positions since his last patrol. Nothing gets by his eagle eye and nobody can sneak up on me.

Late at night, if he becomes a real PITA is the situation where a RECON is permitted. He skulks out a side door and returns with prisoners, usually within 30 mins. He will scratch on the door and whine the password. Last night he brought in a prisoner. A fine prize, worthy of his attention.....a rotton old bone. I interrogated the prisoner and discarded him into the trash and rewarded my hero dog with a treat and a little loving. He loves Butter Pecan Ice Cream. Recently I had to attend a shooting course at Front Sight in Pahrump and not liking to leave him all day in the house I made arrangements to have a neighbor take him out for a few walks and to feed him dinner. Dinner he would accept but as for allowing anybody to reach down to him and attach a leash. NO WAY. This is his house and he is in charge when his human is gone and nobody is getting past him. He would not leave his post and defended it with much snarling and barking. The poor neighbor only could feed him and retreat. What a Dog!


Yes the house is only a trailer but the rent is cheap and it is big enuf for me and my dog. Good neighbors and plenty of storage space for all my reloading stuff.

[Shuz]

I nearly always run two moulds at a time. For me, it's the only way I can insure that the sprues will not be "popped" before they are solidified.

[ScottJ]

How long are your sprues taking to harden if you have time to work two molds? Mine typically harden up and hit the right color in 10 seconds at the most. Usually closer to 5.

If I keep them liquid any longer I'm getting frosted boolits.

[BD]

It depends on what I need. For pistol boolits: If I'm doing the "Bruce B" with a four cavity mold, that's all I can handle. If I'm needing more than one design I'll often run two 4-6 cavity, or 3 two cavity molds at a time.

If I'm casting rifle boolits for accuracy I slow it right down and may only run one two cavity mold at a time.
BD

[targetshootr]

Never have tried more than one. If you dip your sprue on a wet towel or sponge it cools almost instantly. No time for swapping and juggling.

[1Shirt]

Have done it off and on for years. Like Buckshot I cast different size blts, and often different cals, because I water drop every thing and it makes them easier to seperate the piles by size.
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[LAH]

Been a long time since I cast with less than 3 unless it's my 6 cavity H&G 50..........Creeker


Dry Creek Bullet Works
Dry Creek Firewood

[lwknight]

I could get a lot more done with 2 molds at the same time. I would have to have a premelt pot to keep up with larger boolit molds. Definately can see it going down and I would get mixed up and mix my boolits too. Probably waste more time sorting LOL ..

[Adam10mm]

Run two molds of the same kind.

Tried to run different molds all at once. Big mess. Boolits everywhere. Confusing when you sort them.

[Lloyd Smale]

with aluminum molds i usually run 3 with steal i usualy run up to 5 at a time

[winelover]

I like to run 2 moulds per session in 2 different calibers. Easy to separate when you cast 44's and 9mm. or 45's with 38's.

Winelover

[44wcf]

I run two molds quite often. I dump the product into a 5 gallon bucket of cold water and then dump them into a steel strainer to drain. Then I dump them onto a couple of towels and let they dry.


Then I separate the boolits into separate containers and put them away for sizing and lubing.

Since I load so many calibers I have boolits in all stages of preparation all over the place and I always find something to do regarding this hobby while watching TV. Lubing, sizing, and priming are my usual TV activities.

Assembly of rounds and weighing powder charges require more concentration and all I have on is Pandora Radio with my custom mix of country and folk tunes to keep me happy.

Right now I am casting for my .44 special and 6.5 x 55 MM. Then I will be making some 50-90 Sharps, .44 Spcl SD HP rounds and I have 400 empty cases to prime for my 6.5 mm and then rounds to assemble. The weather here is promising to be lousy for the next few days so I have plenty to do in my man cave.

The man cave is my living room and kitchen as I have no SWMBO around to direct, control, supervise or otherwise mess up my life. Sgt. Rambo does demand some attention but if I let him go out on RECON at night he is happy.

My attack dog, Sgt. Rambo and I are batching it here in Vegas. He has the heart of a Lion and the mindset of Don Rickles but the 20 lb. body of a Chihuahua. When I take him out for a walk, he is on PATROL. He warns me of any person, cat, dog or actually anything that has changed positions since his last patrol. Nothing gets by his eagle eye and nobody can sneak up on me.

Late at night, if he becomes a real PITA is the situation where a RECON is permitted. He skulks out a side door and returns with prisoners, usually within 30 mins. He will scratch on the door and whine the password. Last night he brought in a prisoner. A fine prize, worthy of his attention.....a rotton old bone. I interrogated the prisoner and discarded him into the trash and rewarded my hero dog with a treat and a little loving. He loves Butter Pecan Ice Cream. Recently I had to attend a shooting course at Front Sight in Pahrump and not liking to leave him all day in the house I made arrangements to have a neighbor take him out for a few walks and to feed him dinner. Dinner he would accept but as for allowing anybody to reach down to him and attach a leash. NO WAY. This is his house and he is in charge when his human is gone and nobody is getting past him. He would not leave his post and defended it with much snarling and barking. The poor neighbor only could feed him and retreat. What a Dog!


Yes the house is only a trailer but the rent is cheap and it is big enuf for me and my dog. Good neighbors and plenty of storage space for all my reloading stuff.

How about a picture of "Cujo" sounds like my kind of dog?

[fredj338]

All the time. Just depnds on what I need. I often cast w/ two molds going at a time to allow for some cooling of the molds. This lets me keep a casting pace & good output w/o excessive time for the bullets to setup in an excessively hot mold.
I'm not sure where all the sorting issues come from. USe a large enough surface for dropping bullets, when full, scrape the bullets off into a box & keep going. No sorting, no cunfusion, no time lost.

[Cherokee]

I run two moulds all the time, always different bullets. I have two separate collection trays to drop the bullets into. For me, mixing steel and aluminum moulds does not matter.

[anachronism]

Howdy all,

I will have 2 6 cavity Big Lube Molds. Different Boolits. Anyone run two different molds at the same time?

Sam :D

Always. I do try to make sure the bullet weights are similar, but that's about all there is to it.

[LAH]

How about a picture of "Cujo" sounds like my kind of dog?

+1............let's see the dog....................Creeker




Dry Creek Bullet Works
Dry Creek Firewood

[GLynn41]

sometimes 2 but no more

[hammerhead357]

I usually use 2 moulds but then I usually use two different pouring pots that are fed by premelt pots too. Makes for very fast production..Wes

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Broke in a new casting partner time before last and even with that, we were running 5 molds.

Two casting sessions, both about 2 1/2 hours long, produced over a 106lb total of bullets in .45, .44. 40 and 357 using 2 to 6 cavity molds.

The first session started out slow, but right from the start during the second session I was having to hump to keep the molds filled.

Need a good sized pot, plenty of heat and a Rowell bottom pour mold.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[Bret4207]

Just make sure the 2 moulds are of visibly different designs. Why? Spend a couple hours sorting 180 Cramers from 180 SAECOs and you;ll know why. Only the nose is different, and not much at that!

[AviatorTroy]

I find the ideal is 3 or 4 different molds at a time, and even at that, once I get going I have to pace myself in order to not start getting frosting from overheating...

[Shiloh]

I do but I mix the mold types..

In other words, A .40 cal TLSWC and 45 cal TLSWC boolits look VERY similar. If there are 800 or so boolits in a bucket of water, It is an eye strain to separate them.

Shiloh

[geargnasher]

Just make sure the 2 moulds are of visibly different designs. Why? Spend a couple hours sorting 180 Cramers from 180 SAECOs and you;ll know why. Only the nose is different, and not much at that!

Bret, that's your durn fault! :bigsmyl2:

In almost 20 years of casting (with a few gaps) I've never run more than one mould. Now that I've got SWMBO's two guns to feed as well as the usuall family/friends, looks like it's time to try it. Makes sense to do something useful while waiting for the sprues to harden.

Gear

[BruceB]

Using more than one mould is TOO SLOW for me.

If y'all will go the "Stickies" forum right at the top of the Home Page, look at the first article on page 2. It details my particular method of casting, which has come to be called "speedcasting".

If increased production is the goal of using more than one mould, you may want to consider trying the routine laid out in that article. As stated there, using more than one mould actually slows the production rate.