Best mold to learn on?

[toallmy]

I started casting with 2 cavity Saeco & RCBS molds but a few years ago I could find the model of molds I was interested in used but well taken care of for 50 bucks so I figured the first thousand boolits covered the mold .
I later after getting a little experience with harder metal molds acquired a few aluminum and brass molds that cast just fine , but need to be handled with care .
I'm seeing used aluminum molds for sale with the top of the blocks just gouged out horribly , properly using lube and temperature stops the damage - but to a new caster by the time it's figured out the damage is already done .

[JoeJames]

I went ahead and bought a mold I know I will use. I will likely trash it quickly, and that’s fine, but it should be a relatively cheap education. Lee 2 cavity tumble lube 38 wadcutter. Ye Olde Soupcan. It seems as common as it is simple, and should be a good and fun learning point. It also was in stock when the 32 caliber mold I want was out of stock. That’s fine though, my goal for the year is to buy a mold about every other month and lead on months I don’t buy a mold. That gives me a toolset and a supply that will work well enough to improve my situation to a more acceptable level.

Good deal! With my 38 wc mold I finally figured out that home cast boolits could actually and truly be more accurate than store bought.

[Petrol & Powder]

WestKentucky, I don't believe you will trash that mold. There isn't much to break on a mold, even an inexpensive one such as a Lee 2 cavity.

If you don't abuse it, it will last for many years.

I have a few Lee molds and they are entirely serviceable molds. The aluminum blocks will not rust but the steel parts will, so oil or grease the steel parts after use before you put them away. If you have to tap the mold handles to get the bullet to release, tap on the hinge.

A roughly 148gr WC for a 38 Special is an outstanding bullet and a great place to start your casting career. Be aware, it's an addictive hobby.

When this madness is over and the shortages subside, you will have no problem finding molds.

[Tonto]

I wouldn’t hesitate starting with an inexpensive Lee mold. Unless you are extremely ham-handed it should last forever. I started with a Lyman 38 158 SWC over 40 years ago and I still have that mold. Now, many years later I have an assortment of every brand and they all have their quirks but slow and steady gets me great bullets. Get a Lee mold, follow the directions, read a lot here and get started. I’d suggest the 35-148 WC in a 2 cavity. If you’ve never cast before, the 2 bangers are perfect to start with.

[farmbif]

have not read all the threads cuz I know there was lots of great advice given
if you have mold, cast bullets.
it can be as easy as casting some bullets
drizzle some lee alox on them, shake em about a bit, let dry and load ammo
just be sure you expand case mouth before seating bullets

[Petander]

Get a good quality mold to begin with.

Now that I (sometimes) know what I'm doing I can live with Lee molds but you have to repair the handles and live with general sloppiness. Compared to most, Lee molds need much more extra attention.

I started with Lees because I was told they are the best. I actually wasted some years and almost quit casting... until I got a Robert Applegate brass mold for 45-70...

I can't afford any other cheap tools either.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

[BJK]

I'm going to come at your question from the other end. I can tell you the most difficult mould to avoid. Understand I'm pretty much still in diapers when it comes to casting.

I wanted to make my own #4 buckshot 12ga shells and #4 buckshot was unavailable. So knowing nothing else I found a LEE mould in the UK. I remember it being more that I wanted to spend but this intrepid never before cast anything new lead caster had it in hand and I was going to cast some #4 buckshot. I had some issues not really mould related, but I fixed those. In the process of finding those issues I learned that the string of buckshot wouldn't fill out. So I came here and got good advice that I put into practice. The second attempt was a good one and as a guesstimate I think I had over a 90% success rate. The second run was as high or maybe higher % rate. That might not be the best mould to learn on. I found out later that even experienced casters have failed at it, but my success gave me confidence for more casting, so maybe it wasn't the worst mould to learn on at all, for me. After that I cast a mess of LEE 7/8oz slugs with no rejects. Now I'm waiting on warm weather so that I can cast some 9mm and then .30 after that mould arrives.

I think there are much easier moulds to learn on than the LEE #4 buckshot mould. But if you like a real challenge maybe you can find one. I'm hoping that having mastered that with my beginners gear I'll find casting other bullets to be easy.

If I was starting all over again, and when I read your 1st post in the thread I said to myself, "Start with a mould for the bullet you can use.", as most folks immediately responding mentioned. Actually that's what I did in my naivete but you can do better.

[white eagle]

Best mold to learn on?

the one you want to cast with
really learn as you go its an adventure

[robg]

a lee 2 cavity mold is a good starting point .cheap ,warm up quickly and cast good boolits that you dont need to size .

[Dragonheart]

I would never tell a new caster or old one for that matter, that bullets do not need to be sized. That is unless you want to force an oversized and out of round bullet down your barrel. That is a poor reloader and possibly dangerous practice.

[BJK]

I was told by a friend that he had a LEE mold that didn't require the bullets that came from it to be sized. I thought he was full of organic fertilizer but I gave him some lead to convert into bullets for me anyway. I got the required liquid Alox (I think that was it) and lubed and loaded some. OK, if one is a horrible shooter they'd pass muster, but I'm much better than that and I disassembled what I had loaded and melted the rest. No one will ever get me to waste my time on any bullet that needs to be engraved by rifling. Buckshot? OK. Slugs in a wad or sabot? OK. But a bullet? No way. BTDT and never again.