Aluiminum or Iron Moulds

[340six]

So far I have 9 molds all Lymans and want others I have a lube/sizer also Lyman so no bands with that tumble lubes for me.
As I look for new/used molds I wonder if I am passing up good molds due to construction?
Also next on the list is for a good 357 and 30/30 any hints on what to get?

[montana_charlie]

I have never owned a Lee mould, but I have several aluminum moulds.
They throw good bullets, and hold up well to being used.

CM

[Trey45]

Don't rule out brass molds too. I have 6 brass molds so far, and want more.

[405]

A good mold is a good mold regardless of metal type. I've found for the most part that aluminum is a little easier to use in that it starts dropping good bullets quicker. My iron molds (the vast majority) seem to be a little more fussy when first starting up but once all the temps are right and I settle into a cadence- they are excellent. I only own one brass mold and it does fine but one mold experience is not enough for me to judge. So, for ease of casting I like aluminum. BUT! Aluminum is not very durable. There are a lot of 100 year old iron molds and a few old brass ones out there still going strong... I wouldn't bet on used aluminum molds that have been subjected to rough handling and/or multiple owners.

[Marvin S]

Check out the Ranch Dog molds for your 30-30, particularly if it,s a lever gun. You don't have to tumble lube em as I don't.

[cajun shooter]

You should look at the brass molds by accurate. I am 63 and have been casting since 1970. I have never cast with a brass mold until this year. Accurate molds will custom build you a 3 cavity mold for $119 to your door. I have three of them and will buy more. The custom iron molds I bought cost me $245 each which is a big difference. I can buy 2 for the price of one and they don't rust.

[rintinglen]

My experience with lee molds has pretty much soured me on aluminum. I have a slew of Iron molds, mostly Lyman and RCBS, but I started out with a two cavity Lachmiller and a 3 cavity cramer that are still in there swinging. However, I recently bought my first brass mold, a custom dual-cavity Cramer style hollow point mold from M-P molds in Slovenia. Wow,it is wonderful. Once Christmas is past and I get the laundry room floor replaced, I will be looking at getting others from him. They are not that expensive, and boy howdy, do they make casting good boolits a snap.

[Dennis Eugene]

Never was a big fan of aluminum molds until I got an LBT From Veral, in fact I was just casting with a four cav. LBT yesterday and as it had been a while since I had used one of his molds( I own 4 LBT's now) I was once again surprised and impressed all over again. I was have trouble getting the mold over the water drop bucket because if my rhythm got going to fast and I started opening the mold to soon the bullets would fall out before the mold was over the bucket. With this particular mold I can open it and sometimes I must give it a shake and all four bullets fall free. I highly recommend Verals molds and another thing to consider is Verals age and the fact that no one knows how much longer he is going to keep producing his very fine molds . Dennis

[Dale53]

I have about 80 moulds collected over a period of many years. I have some from most of the major manufacturers in all three metals (brass, iron, and aluminum).

Brass, iron, and aluminum all have their strong points.

Aluminum casts well and you can easily handle six cavity aluminum moulds. It is, however, a bit fragile. All moulds, when first received, should be carefully checked for burrs, etc (I mean CAREFUL examination). Any burrs should be carefully removed before use as if the sprue plate is burred it can ruin a mould the first time you use it. I recommend, without reservation, Bull Shop Sprue Plate lube for ALL of my moulds but ESPECIALLY for aluminum. Carefully vetted, then lubed with Bull Shop Sprue plate lube the moulds will last indefinitely if used with care. I have NEI Handtools (when Walt Melander was in charge), LBT, NOE and MiHec aluminum moulds and they are ALL a treat to use. The custom moulds have the HUGE advantage of ALWAYS being the correct size (unfortunately, not always true with the "big boys").

Iron moulds are quite durable but VERY susceptible to rust. You MUST take precautions against rust. They are relatively expensive although you can buy a Lyman four cavity mould from Midway for reasonable prices. The problem is the recent Lyman moulds have drawn heavy criticism for being undersize and their customer service is not the best. Iron is heavy and my limit for size in iron is a four cavity mould. I have a six cavity H&G mould that casts really well but six cavity iron moulds are too tiring to enjoy using - it's a real chore. H&G iron moulds are some of the best casting moulds I have used. Unfortunately, H&G has been out of business for many years. The H&G moulds have attained collector status and the cost of good used ones is often VERY high. I treasure the few four cavity H&G's that I have.

Brass moulds are my favorites. I admit that part of that reason is that the brass moulds that I have are Mihec moulds. Mihec makes the best moulds in the universe, bar none. Whether it is a Cramer style hollow point mould or his four cavity brass solid point moulds (and even his aluminum six cavity moulds) they are in a class by themselves. At this stage of my life (I am a Certified Old Fart) I have little patience with "somewhat less than perfect". Brass is low maintenance, much more durable than aluminum, casts extremely well. It is nearly as heavy as iron and it also is limited to a maximum of a four cavity mould as to weight. However, I can cast 20 lbs of .44 caliber 250 gr Keiths of match quality in 45 minutes actual casting time. That is quite decent production and I can live with that "limitation" to get the benefits of brass. I am not particularly impressed with "BLING" (generally) but I must admit that opening a box with a new Mihec brass mould inside affects me about like what a woman must experience when opening a gift box of jewelry.

Just in case you think I am a MOULD SNOB, tho', I recently purchased a Lee Six Cavity mould from F&M Reloading for the 230 gr .45 TC (regular lube groove) that works as well as a custom mould. It is certainly not the perfection machined mould as our better custom makers found on this forum, but the bullets cast well, size well, and shoot well. For the money, it is hard to argue with the wisdom of buying one if the design meets your needs.

Just a thought or two...

Dale53

[casterofboolits]

I started out with Lee moulds and they worked well at the time. The moulds that turned me off aluminum were NEI.

I went to iron moulds and never looked back.

[will52100]

Never tried brass, but between iron and aluminum, I'll take aluminum every time. It's more fragile, but I don't use my moulds for hammers or beat them up. I personaly love the lee 6 cavity moulds. The two cavities are **** moulds, but at the price they are a good way to try a design out and most do cast good bullits. The worst casting mould I've got is a lyman that is a couple years old, the best casting iron mould I've got is a Bahco custom. Non of my iron moulds are as fast or easy to use as my aluminum moulds.

[Volowner]

I've got aluminum molds from Lee, LBT and recently bought two from Accurate Molds. I live in the Northwest where humidity is alway high. I love aluminum because I don't have to employ rust prevention. Another big plus is they heat up quickly making for good boolits faster. I have nothing against iron molds, but aluminum offers a few extra perks.

For long casting sessions, aluminum is lighter. I have a couple of really big iron molds. The difference in the fatigue factor is more than noticable.

Only one Lee mold has soured on me. The LBT and Accurate molds show no signs of slowing down.

[Artful]

So far I have 9 molds all Lymans and want others I have a lube/sizer also Lyman so no bands with that tumble lubes for me.
As I look for new/used molds I wonder if I am passing up good molds due to construction?
Also next on the list is for a good 357 and 30/30 any hints on what to get?

I have several good molds for 357 - but my favorite is thompson designed Keith style SWC - 357156 for 30-30 a good bore rider flatpoint between 150-170 grains is the normal choice - that said I always seem to favor the multi-groove Loverin style for rifle shooting. I'll put up with having to protect the bullets in my pocket.

As far as your phobia of non-lyman molds - I have several NOE and older NEI Aluminum blocks and few Brass and I do like them - I don't like my Lee single and double as well as I like the Lee 6 bangers. But would I avoid them - nope just be more careful with them.

[shotman]

dont play with pure Zinc you will trash them OH Kroil works on them too

[JDFuchs]

Ive used Iron (mostly lyman) and Lee molds. I love them both, the Iron is great but can be a pain to keep at temp. The lee 6 cavity's are great and fill my keeper pile fast! But Lee's selling point is keeping costs low so Ive broken the sprue handle on 4 molds. Thats easy enough to fix but relay makes you mad when it happens. I plan on buying more of both in the future. But I expect quality control form a more custom maker to be miles ahead of what comes out of Lee. Brand new Lyman and RCBS molds still come with burrs and some times other issues so its no guarantee anywhere you go.

[excess650]

I currently have NOE, Mountain Molds, NEI, LBT, and Lee molds in aluminum. In i-iron I have one from David Mos, Lyman, RCBS, Saeco, and another custom or two...

The best aluminum molds have steel sockets and alignment pins. My MM and NOE are my newest, and wonderful to cast with. I've had some really old NEIs that I didn't think were all that great, and some others made just prior to Walt's passing, and they are very good.

Lee 6 cavity including the group buys and Ranch Dogs have steel pins and sockets, and that wretched, cam operated sprue cutter. I've purchased a replacement from Jim in Phoenix, and it makes getting sharp bases without torn sprues easy. The downside is that its heavy! I'll deal with the weight as long as I can make good bullets.

My David Mos molds were the best iron molds I've ever used. I didn't care for the Hoch double cutoff nose-pours. Saeco seems to be the best of the lot as far as production molds goes. RCBS can be very good, but sometimes their vent lines are cut deep enough to cause whiskers. Lymans are hit or miss, but most I've ever had were good. I've bought (3) in the past year, all 30cal, and pleased with them.

As already mentioned, using a good lube like Bullplate will make casting easier and increase longevity regardless of material.

[1z-bar]

I had 1 aluminum mold, it didn't last... I mainly use Hensley & Gibbs molds 6,8 and 10 cavites. I warm them on a hot plate {2} and go back and forth between the 2 casting boolits.

[Lively Boy]

I like the lees and saeco but most of my castings are with iron modern bond molds from what i've seen they all have + and - 's would like to try brass but have to save my pennies. I'm no expert but as long as i can pour i'm happy