anyone prefer them over steel? pros cons
anyone prefer them over steel? pros cons
Absolutely I do. Brass rocks. I have numerous from CBE in AU. Corrosion resistant for a start. I also really like that they are easy to inspect for any problems that might arise. The colour makes it more conducive as opposed to the dark background of steel.
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G'day, I have steel, alluminum and brass molds and I've got to agree with Geoff, the CBE brass 9mm of mine is by far the easiest to use.
Ron.
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one more with cbe molds
My only experiance with a brass mould was back in the sixties when a friend got one with an Italian repo of a colt revolver. It was a two piece thing that was solid brass including the handles. It worked, but the handles heated up so fast you couldn't cast many. We tried putting wood extensions on the handles but this didn't work well either. Eventually he sold it and we got a Lyman iron mould instead.
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Mihec brass molds are wonderful! They are easy to break in, and easy to cast with. I have iron molds from at least four manufacturers and aluminum molds from 3 manufactures and none cast as easy as my brass mold.
G
I have almost 70 moulds (or is it almost 75?). They are of iron, aluminum, and brass. I can do excellent work with all. However, my preference is definitely BRASS. One thing that has NOT been mentioned, is that brass wins the "Pretty Factor" HANDS DOWN!!
FWIW
Dale53
My only complaint with brass molds is I have to run my pot at full throttle. Otherwise I agree with everyone else.
I just got a brass mold and it works really well. It makes HP boolits or solid. Holds the tempt. good. Never have to worry about rust.
I like my brass mould its like the bling of bullet moulds son saw it when it came in and said that just looks expensive, on that comment I rest my case.
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I have some brass bar stock I plan to use to make some molds using an Egan cherry I bought from his estate on Ebay. It has been too cold for me to spend much time in the shop but the blocks are there waiting to be cut now that it is getting warmer.
With all the "yes" votes for brass molds that will be my next project!
I have an Eagan brass mold. By far the nicest mold to cast with of all of my molds.
Ditto on the brass. Only have two, both Miha Molds, but they are my favorites, out of the 20 or so I own that are alum or iron.
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Brass molds just look great, so much better than iron or aluminum. I have not used my MiHec mold enough to tell if casts better than my iron molds, but it certainly beats my aluminum molds do death.
I have an ancient brass Yankee 25 cal HP. Fantastic mould. I'd have 100% brass moulds if I could.
I have some Eagan clones that Bernie Rowles of Old West Bullet Moulds made for me. Some turned out good, some not so good. I don't think Bernie has a self centering vise, trying to keep things in alignment when cutting with a cherry isn't easy without one. But I much prefer brass over aluminum. I like iron the best though. Even if I contaminate my alloy with zinc, I can still get some good bullets out of them.
For those who have brass molds, do the cast similar to iron molds, in that once they're hot they pretty much stay hot and make good boolits, or are they like aluminum, where casting fast and furious is the name of the game?
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I can come pretty darn close to getting a good bullet out of a cold mold with brass. They seem to prefer the pour temp a little higher than iron, but they hold the heat better than Al.
I have iron, aluminum and brass moulds. I don't see all that much difference in operation between the three of them.
My only brass moulds are MiHec hollow point moulds. I run ALL hollow point moulds a bit hotter than a solid point mould to get good fill out around the pins (750 degrees instead of 675-700 with a thermometer). My casting cadence is the same for all. I run them steadily without any delays. I believe a good cadence is the key to good bullets (consistent diameter requires consistent mould temperatures).
I use a small manicurist's fan to cool the sprue and maintain consistent mould temperatures (along with a consistent cadence).
Most of my moulds are multi-cavity. However, I use about the same technique for my custom single cavity moulds, also.
FWIW
Dale53
Thanks for the info Dale and Madsenshooter. I was (and still am) intrigued by brass molds. Maybe I'll get in on a Mihec group buy...
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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 |