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View Poll Results: What were the first mold(s) you used and how did you acquire it/them?

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  • Lee molds, purchased.

    259 47.52%
  • Lee molds, given, borrowed.

    20 3.67%
  • Other brand mold, purchased.

    214 39.27%
  • Other brand mold, given, borrowed.

    52 9.54%
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Thread: Quick poll on first molds.

  1. #41
    Boolit Master
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    Lyman 454190 two cavity 35 years ago. Bought it new, cast wheelweights and shot them out of a 3rd gen Colt's SAA which I had also bought new.

  2. #42
    Boolit Master corbinace's Avatar
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    Used NOE off of the forum.

  3. #43
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    Buckshot's Avatar
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    ..............My grandfather gave me great grandpa's NRA 30-06 sporter, and after doing some reading I bought a 2C Lyman 311284. ALL my bullet casting in those days was with pure linotype. My dad worked for ACME Colorprint. They printed most of the Sunday Funnies for newspapers in the 5 Western states. The company had 4 printing presses that were 2 stories tall. They all used engraved half cylinder lead plates that weighed about 15 lbs each. One plate would last a LOOOOOOOng time If I only knew then what I know now, eh!?

    ...............Buckshot
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  4. #44
    Boolit Master
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    I started reloading in 1970, just after getting married. This was to be my less expensive way to shoot more. By 1973 I was ready to start casting to save even more money. (Is it commercial time - the more you spend, the more you save???) I met an employee of a gun shop who was getting out of casting and into swaging. He offered to sell me his Lyman furnace, Lachmiller sizer, several sizing dies with top punches and 11 or 12 molds all for one money. The deal was made and I made my first "group buy" without ever having heard those words before. Now the furnace has died and been replaced, added on one additional sizer, more molds, sizing dies and top punches. I kept all of the group buy molds, some of those are now rather rare and pricey (35793-4X and a 358101-4X). This is how I got started in casting for a purchase price of $115. Then again, that price was in "1973" dollars, would be a bit different now.

    Thin Man

  5. #45
    Boolit Grand Master GhostHawk's Avatar
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    To be totally honest, I have a Lyman .445 double round ball mold that predates all others by 30 years.

    But if I could have found it in a Lee back then I would have chosen Lee.

  6. #46
    Boolit Master
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    I started out with Lee molds but it didn't take long to see the need to up grade to NEI in the 1980's.

  7. #47
    Boolit Master
    375RUGER's Avatar
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    Lee 00Buck mould, 1 at a time.
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  8. #48
    Boolit Buddy Sean357's Avatar
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    Lyman 311410, 454424, and a Lee 358-148 WC molds. These were very generously given.

  9. #49
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    Walter Laich's Avatar
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    My first ones came from my Dad. I grew up learning to cast--we learned together

    Lees are my main ones now due to volume production
    NRA Life
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  10. #50
    Boolit Master

    Eddie Southgate's Avatar
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    Ideal 454424
    Grumpy Old Man With A Gun....... Do Not Touch !!

  11. #51
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    1st - a Lyman 45 cal Maxi Bullet mold. Then all hell broke loose - over 200 others now
    Regards
    John

  12. #52
    Boolit Grand Master OS OK's Avatar
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    As a kid the only casting I ever knew of or did were big saltwater fishing weights for surf fishing. My mold was two pieces of oak clamped together and drilled with 5/8" bit...held a swivel in the hole and poured her full of lead...whatta mess I would make but I got my free sinkers!
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  13. #53
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    toallmy's Avatar
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    I would have expected more hand me down or passed on to others molds for starters .

  14. #54
    Boolit Grand Master bedbugbilly's Avatar
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    My first mold was a Lyman 575-213 hollow base .58 caliber Minie Ball mold - I purchased it new in 1963 at the whopping cost of around $30 with the handles included. At that time, it was expensive considering that I mowed yards at $2.00a yard to earn the money. I then added a 10# pot - I think that it was around $3.00 and a Lyman bottom pour ladle at around $2.50. I got it to cast minie balls for my first muzzleloader - a 1863 Remington "Zouave" that cost me $65.00 in those days - a bargain since it was used and a new one ran $125.00. I still have all of them and have cast thousands of minie balls ad put them through that rifle over the years. By the way, in those days a pound of 2F DuPont cost me 75 cents and a tin of Alcan musket caps around 75 cents a tine of 100.

    Things kind of to out of hand somewhere along the line as I now have around 80 different molds and that doesn't count the ones I've had and sold along the way though the years.

  15. #55
    Boolit Master gpidaho's Avatar
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    I got my first moulds in 1958 or so. They weren't bullet moulds they cast little toy soldiers. How's that for a toy for an eight year old. Wouldn't folks have cow now days. lol My first bullet moulds were Saeco and I bought four and two sets of handles along with my first bottom pour pot in 1997. Gp

  16. #56
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    It's been over 35 years ago . It was a Lee 45 cal black powder mold. About 2 years later I put it down and did not cast again till about 4 years ago
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  17. #57
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    georgerkahn's Avatar
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    Having joined a Bullseye league in the early '70s, I bought a 4-cavity Hensley/Gibbs 50bb mould. Still have it, too!
    geo

  18. #58
    In Remembrance Skunk1's Avatar
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    Ideal/Lyman molds. I have actually never used a lee.

  19. #59
    Boolit Buddy
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    Lyman 429421 4 cav .

  20. #60
    Boolit Master

    alamogunr's Avatar
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    My very first mold was a Lee 2 cavity TL 230 gr round nose. It was as least a year before I used it because it was the only piece of casting equipment I owned. I guess I bought it to force me into acquiring more equipment.
    John
    W.TN

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check