Accurate Molds

[tchepone]

I just received my second mould from Tom. Quick service and very nice product. Both are aluminum in handgun calibers.
I have cast several hundred bullets with the first, a 4 cavity, 40 caliber, two different weights and styles. No problems. It comes up to casting temperature rapidly. I'm casting a WW/LT mixture with a BHN of 11-12 and I try to hold my melt between 650°-675°.
The second mold is a dual cavity 44 caliber and hope to put it in service by weeks end.
I'm planning on my next mold, in .32 Winchester rifle caliber. That one will be brass. I have never owned or used a brass mold and I hear good things about them here on the forum. If anyone has any negatives about brass as mold material, I'd be curious to hear them.
Tom runs a first class operation. :cool:

[chboats]

The ONLY thing I know of that might be negative about brass molds is the weight. They are significantly heaver than iron. Other than that everything is a plus

Carl

[geargnasher]

Like Chboats said, they're heavy, that's the only drawback.

Gear

[Lefty SRH]

Im starting to prefer iron over brass, I have a few of each. Just have to keep iron in a more controlled enviroment to prevent rust.

[shooter93]

I love brass molds and am slowy getting most of my molds duplicated in brass. Using a mold guide the extra weight is really no problem.

[dnotarianni]

I just got my 4th brass mold from Tom, all in 50 cal. I don't have a problem with the weight as they sit on a block while filling from the bottom pour pot. All I notice is it take a little bit more pre heat time before casting good bullets. Personally I won't buy anything but brass in the future on a custom mold.

dave

[tchepone]

Thanks Guys.
Based on what I have read, the positives seem to outweigh the negatives.
I am going to try a two cavity in brass and see how how I like it. It will either be a .32 Win Special or a .327 Federal Magnum.
I don't have any reason to change or duplicate any of my existing molds to brass. There are just too many. I have aluminum and iron at present and can't really complain about any of them. Even the lowest cost aluminum molds have served me well. Thanks again!!

[Colorado4wheel]

Brass is only a little heavier. I think my Brass 4 cavity was 2 oz heavier then my Steel 4 cavity from Lyman. 22oz vs 24oz or something like that. It was not a lot.

[BoxC]

I was used to iron molds and found that brass molds require slightly different procedures. First and foremost, Toms molds are beautiful peices and I am thoroughly pleased with mine. However, in my experience they require more in the way of preheating than iron molds. I preheat my iron molds by placing them on the rim of my furnace. This did not work for the brass mold as I was getting wrinkles and voids so I preheated it using the range top of my electric stove set at about 3/4th max setting. This cured all my problems as the first boolit came out perfect and all the others that followed.

[Mal Paso]

Brass is only a little heavier. I think my Brass 4 cavity was 2 oz heavier then my Steel 4 cavity from Lyman. 22oz vs 24oz or something like that. It was not a lot.

+1 My Iron Lyman 429421 4c with handles is actually a couple ounces heavier than my Brass MP 503.

Brass transfers heat better than Iron or Aluminum and that can really work for you.

[captaint]

I agree regarding brass and "heavy". What I did was to polish the mold guide on the ProMelt and I apply a little Miha sprue plate lube on the shaft and put just a little on the bottom of the mold. Makes moving the mold really slick. Helps. enjoy Mike