NOE brass vs Aluminum

[Eddie1971]

Anybody here have an NOE brass mold? Seems like everybody has an aluminum one but never mentions the brass.

[wddodge]

I have a NOE 452-200 SWC mold in brass. It's easy to cast with and drops fantastic bullets. It just gets heavy after awhile.

Denny

[Wheelgun]

I think it’s a personal preference thing. Some like them some don’t.

I had a 4 hole NOE 452423 brass and an MP 358156 HP brass.

Both very nice, very good quality but I considered them unnecessarily heavy and they both went down the road. I replaced them with NOE 5 cav aluminum molds and never looked back.

[mtgrs737]

Us older folks tend to like the lighter Aluminum molds. Brass is nice but heavy. I have both and use the aluminum more.

[Targa]

I have two 4 cavity brass molds, my thoughts echo the above responses. Nice molds but they are heavy, with exception of hollow point designs I will stick with the aluminum stuff.

[ioon44]

"Us older folks tend to like the lighter Aluminum molds." This would be me also.

[Elmer Fudd]

I have a couple brass NOE and one MP brass mould. The brass seems to hold heat better for the HP pins, otherwise it is just heavier. A mould guide under a bottom pour is a welcome addition.
I also have several aluminum 5 bangers and even full of melt they are lighter than a 2 cavity brass mould. You may find you fatigue faster with brass.

[RogerDat]

I have two 4 cavity brass molds, my thoughts echo the above responses. Nice molds but they are heavy, with exception of hollow point designs I will stick with the aluminum stuff.

The ability to hold heat does make brass nice for hollow point, the dump with pins tends to make for slower casting pace so that heat holding is an advantage. I also tend to make HP in smaller quantities so a 2 cavity is productive enough.

I would get a brass 2 cavity to start with and get a feel for the weight and heft. See how you like brass. If possible buy for a bullet that you won't mind the slower production of a 2 cavity. In hollow point mold there is usually a flat non-hollow point pin which can make initial use a bit easier than HP pins. I like aluminum with more cavities for SWC or WC bullets to make more output faster with less weight fatigue. Aluminum with more cavities is also a preference for a semi-auto caliber, range time with a semi-auto can tend to require a lot of casting to feed.

All molds are easier to get up to temp with a hot plate but brass absorbs heat more slowly than aluminum so I think casting your way to the right mold temperature might be a bit more challenging. Hot plate eliminates that and I think is more valuable with brass mold. Just be sure not to overheat, warping an expensive brass mold will have you singing the blues.

Like having brass, but I get good bullets out of many different molds, aluminum, steel, brass. They are all different but all work, just slightly different pace or technique. The brass molds are pretty I will give them high marks for style.

[Loudy13]

I have a few brass and although they are amazing they are heavy, whatever that is worth.

[Dimner]

I have learned, don't buy a brass mold in small calibers. Personally I wouldn't buy one below 30 cal. Possibly 7mm. But I have not used a NOE brass mold. His might be different.

[oldhenry]

I always hesitated to go with the brass because of the weight factor (I'm 81 with carpel tunnel syndrome). However when the MP 359 "Hammer" group buy came out I took a chance & bought a 2 cav. & set it up for the wide HP. I liked it so much that I ordered another 2 cav. GC & it stays set up for the penta point.

The plot thickens:
Even though I have Lyman 4cav. #358429, I couldn't resist the group buy for the MP version. I took a chance & got the brass 6 cav. PB & that was the best move I've made in a while. I love that mold: it maintains the correct temperature easily. I rest it on the mold guide of my Pro Melt to fill & then remove & rest it on a short piece of 1"X4" to frost over. I can easily get 1000 of those beauties @ a sitting.

If the closed GB for the .44 wadcutter/HP ever gets ripe, I'll have another MP brass mold: it'll be a 4 cav..

[dh2]

I have many aluminum molds, and they make a high quality bullet, brass molds do great boolits to. I have many of them. Now days molds like RCBS. Lyman and lee are my last choice

[RockRat64]

I went with aluminum since there didn't really seem to be any advantage over the aluminum that I could find. And everyone complained about them being heavy. I figured why not cast more bullets for the same weight?

[gwpercle]

I find the 4 cavity NOE aluminum about the heaviest mould I can handle ... I'm over 60 ...
After buying the first one I was amazed at how large the blocks are .
Every mould I have ordered since has been 3 cavity aluminum moulds ... which aren't that much lighter . Brass would be wasted on me ... I just wouldn't be able to cast a 20# pot empty in one session . My next NOE might have to be a 2 cavity . Maybe Al would make an old Dude's mould with extra metal removed to lighten it . Lee two cavity moulds are sure looking good now that age is getting the better of my hands .
Getting old sucks ... and it's going to happen whether you want it to or not .
Gary

[PJEagle]

I fit in the old guy class. Started with lee molds. Then bought one NOE brass mold. Bought more NOE brass molds and sold the Lee's. Now all my molds are NOE 2 and 4 cavity brass and I wouldn't buy anything else.

The mold shelf under my bottom pour pot takes most of the weight off my wrist and arm.

[rintinglen]

For HP molds, I prefer brass, but for the rest, I'll take Aluminum, at least other than Lee 2 cavity Aluminum. I have an 8 cavity Aluminum MP that is actually lighter than my 4 cavity HP brass, despite the fact that the former casts 130 grain boolits and the latter 220. My old elbows and wrists appreciate the reduced wear and tear.

[mroliver77]

I am just a youngun compared to a lot of you.
I love my MP brass molds! I seem to be more precise with some heft in my hand. I love my 4 cav Lymans with the nutcracker handles. 6 cavity are all Lee and they feel good to me also. The tiny Lee one and two cavity molds just feel wrong to me somehow.

[lesterktm]

We use a hotplate to keep the mold up to temp during distractions while casting. I would like to try a brass but haven't bit the boolit yet.

[david s]

Have a few NOE Brass moulds but mostly aluminum versions. As most others have mention the brass moulds weight over a casting session can be a possible issue, I tend to prefer the lighter aluminum versions.

[Petander]

I like brass for holding heat, most of my casting happens in cool winter climate.

But brass can be slow with soft HP alloy,mine like to cast hot and after a while I need to wait quite a bit longer than I'd like... or I'll get lead smearing.

The obvious solution is to use two or three brass molds at once, then all is good.