Rcbs 2 or lee 6 cavity?

[ronz]

I can get an unused RCBS .356 90g (no handles) for the same price as a new Lee 6 cavity which would be the better deal
I’m new to casting and have only used Lee 6 cavity moulds so far
Probably a horse apiece but would like to know what the more experienced casters would chose
Thanks

[r1kk1]

Grab the RCBS if you can get it for the same price. Grab the Lee later. A fellow gotta have as many moulds as he wants. I always keep my eyes open for good deals!

Take care

r1kk1

[Roundnoser]

In my humble opinion, the choice would depend on how many boolits I planned to cast/shoot. If only a few hundred at a time, I'd go with the RCBS. If you want larger quantities, I'd choose the 6 cavity.

[ronz]

Thanks I thought the rcbs was the better deal
Don’t shoot a ton of 380 and wanted to see what the difference was between steel and aluminum moulds
Now I need to get a second set of handles

[dromia]

RCBS, no contest, easier casting and far superior quality all round and at that price a real bargain.

The Lees are cheap enough that you can get one of them as well if you ever do need that level of volume.

[Artful]

All depends upon boolit design with me - I have 6-8 RCBS and have no complaints - I have a dozen Lee 6 bangers and have no complaints either.

[hermans]

For someone who is new to casting, the RCBS makes more sense. The quality of the RCBS mold makes it ideal for any amount of casting, and will keep going for many a year, which is not always the case with the Lee.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

RCBS makes a fine mold that is for sure.
If you ever stumble on one you can use and the price is right, BUY IT !
If a 2 cavity mold doesn't make enough boolits for you,
you can always get a current production Lee 6 cav.
The RCBS will probably never lose it's value...especially of you have internet access.
Jon

[ronz]

All they had was 2 of the same mould so got both of them for $50 thought I would give casting with 2 moulds at a time a try
From what I read I assumed that the 2 banngers were about the same price as the lee 6 just looked up the price for the rcbs moulds holy cow there expensive

[captaint]

I never met an RCBS mold I didn't like. They have all worked as advertised. Fine molds - 2 cavity, but very nice. enjoy Mike

[garym1a2]

It all depends how many rounds per hour you need. I can get a lot of 9mm tcs cout of my lee.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

The RCBS is the more solid piece of equipment even though the/any 6 cav will turn out 3x the production. Also the RCBS outfit will back their warranty to the hilt. If any thing goes wrong or turns up defective you send it back and they will send you a new one. There are many folks that swear by Lee 6 cav molds and many that do prefer RCBS. I have many 2 cavity molds...some by Lyman, Saeco and RCBS and I have found that casting with them, especially if using 2 molds in tandem can produce a large number of bullets. I also tried using a friend's Lee 6 cav on a couple of occasions and found the use of the sprue cutting system a bit difficult...for southpaw me. I guess that I just was too used to the knocking the sprue plate around on my other molds, but unlearning and relearning methods is always possible in this game. I would vote for the RCBS if given the choice. LLS

[Bigslug]

There's a time and a place for massive production. There's even a time for trading off a little quality to get quantity.

The .380 ACP, at least for folks who live in countries that allow ownership of military chamberings, doesn't really fit either category. I suppose if you wanted to cast two years worth of .380 boolits in half an hour with alloy left over from whatever "serious" cast you were working on, a six cavity would have you done in time for dinner, but otherwise, a better quality two-holer would seem the wiser choice.

[ronz]

Can’t wait to try them have a few other projects going that need to finish first
Hopefully will have some cast next week
Rcbs sure does have a great warranty I broke a beam on a scale 20 years ago finally called them and had a new beam within a week

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Just personal opinions of an Ol'Coot here, but The RCBS will have a much higher level of quality then the Lee 6 cavity. Even a good bit higher then the quality of the Lyman molds.

However, I do at times buy 6 cavity Lee molds and even though they are a huge level higher in quality then the Lee 2 cavity molds, I still consider them an expendable mold which will make a huge pile of bullets, during their life span.

As per my comment on the Lyman, I have a number of them, but they are forever loose and in need of a wrench or screw driver.

Although the aluminum blocks of Lee and the custom mold makers cast good bullets with what seems to be less effort less effort, the RCBS molds will cast great bullets once you have it figured out.

I have 2 new Lee six cavity .38/357 molds waiting for their first run, and might buy more Lee 6 cavity molds if they offered better designs.

I just wanted a lot of bullets for low velocity .38 loads and these 6 cavity Lee molds will fill the need.

I like to team cast for the handguns, and a friend and I using 4 or 5 ---- 4 an 6 cavity molds, produce a great many bullets in a 2 or 3 hour session.

I cast by myself with a custom 4 cavity mold when casting hunting bullets for my 45/70, but desire a much higher level of consistancy for this application.

It is a pay your money and take your choice, based on your needs, as both the RCBS - 2 cavity and the Lee - 6 cavity will produce bullets.

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[MikeS]

I would say to go with the RCBS if it's in good condition, simply because good deals on RCBS moulds are less common than Lee 6 cavity moulds, which you can always buy new later anyway, but the used RCBS deal can go away at anytime! But I wouldn't really advise casting with more than one mould at a time, start off with just one RCBS mould, and get used to it, being an iron mould it's going to handle much differently than the aluminum Lee moulds. Master casting with one mould, then move on to casting with 2 moulds if you want.

[cajun shooter]

The truth of the matter is that I would and do use 2 or three RCBS dies of the same design rather than use one Lee 6 cavity.
I was in on several buys of Lee special order moulds. I had ,more than one arrive that would drop different sizes of bullets from each cavity.
I started using nothing but RCBS dies or Saeco when I could find them.
I then stumbled across a man by the name of Tom who had a one man mould making service in Utah. When I found him he would take my order and I had it at the end of the same week it was ordered.
I then wrote a article about this man on this forum and he is now taking up to three weeks to finish orders. I think he is finally catching up and his times are now closer to what they were about 3 years back.
His moulds are very reasonable in price and nothing but top quality.
You may want to visit his site at Accurate bullets.
It is better to order a aluminum block mould with just three cavities rather than the 4 it is capable of holding. The reason is it will use the extra metal as a heat sink and not warp. His moulds may be had for only a few dollars more than what you pay for a RCBS two cavity new from one of the suppliers.

[HORNET]

RCBS makes really good molds, they just don't make a whole lot of different designs. Most of the people on this site that are complaining about them complain about the dimensions when they use an alloy other than the one that RCBS specifies the mold was designed for, like wheelweight instead of linotype for rifle boolits or that they aren't 4 cavity. The cavities usually match very closely and they are quite durable. I generally grab ones I like the design of if the price is reasonable, even if I don't have anything in the caliber. You got a very good deal. Congrats.

[MikeS]

I have to agree with Cajun Shooter, the moulds that Tom @ Accurate Molds makes are really fine tools. As far as how many cavities, that's really more of a personal choice thing. I personally like his 4 cavity brass moulds the best. While a brass mould is considerably heavier than an aluminum one, to me it's a worthwhile tradeoff because nothing casts as nicely as a brass mould! It takes more to get them up to casting temp, I would suggest preheating the mould on an electric hotplate rather than on top of the lead pot, but once there, the brass mould holds the heat better, so the mould tends to stay at the proper casting temp with a lot less work, so it's not necessary to cast at a very fast pace like is some aluminum moulds need. But then again, I guess the mould material is also somewhat of a personal choice, otherwise Tom wouldn't wouldn't offer moulds made from your choice of aluminum, brass, or iron. Any way you go, if you get a mould from Tom you won't be sorry! On his order form it asks what diameter you want the boolits to drop out of the mould, and what alloy you're casting with, so he can make the mould perfect for what you want. Just one last thought, brass moulds have all the benefits of iron moulds with the exception that you don't have to worry about the cavities rusting like an iron mould can. Can you tell that I REALLY like brass moulds? :)

[ronz]

Think I should only need I more size mould and should be set for pistols for a while it’s for a 45acp I used to shoot this gun on league and may again so am willing to spend more for that mould I have a bunch of commercial cast for it and really don’t shoot it much since I got addicted to tokarevs
But thinking about maybe trying one for tumble lubing does tom make moulds for tl?
Or would I be better off getting a regular mould in case tl don’t work can always pan lube them

[ronz]

Weathers beautiful so fired up the pot to try the rcbs
So far it seems to take a lot longer to heat up than the lee 6
problem with that is I cant stand for a long time so need to take breaks (what I’m doing now)
A hot plate would trip the breaker so I leave the mould full and set it on the pot when I take a break
Hopefully it don’t take as long to get back to temp when I start again

[dromia]

I pre-heat my iron moulds with a gas torch, being doing it for over 20 years with no ill effects to the moulds.

If it was good enough for Dean Grennell then it is good enough for me.