Help choosing first molds

[jham]

Hi everyone as the title suggests I'm just getting started casting. I have a source for wheel wieghts and just about have everything ready for my smelting, just need to weld up a few ingot molds. I'm looking to start casting for 3 calibers right now, 38/357, 45 acp and 44 mag.

In the 38 I am looking for something around 158 grns, either a semi wadcutter or else round nose fp, will be used for plinking and possibly some smaller hogs at close range out of a 4 in 38 spl and as practice loads for my 357 snubbie. I am open to anything in a 2, 4 or 6 cavity mold

In the 45 acp it will be for a full size 1911, practice loads and again possibly some small (less than 150lbs) hogs and deer at bow distances. I know many will say a 45 is not enough to hunt with but all shots will be taken under 40 yards, and animals dont get that big down here in south ga. I am thinking either a 200 swc or possibly a 230 tc boolit, not really sure what would be best. I do most of my pistol shooting with my 45 so more cavities are better.

Finally the 44, not looking for anything fancy just a boolit around 240 grns, again with either swc or possibly flat nose, shooting out of a 7 1/2 in super blackhawk with medium powered loads, so no gas checks, just something that will put a nice hole in a deer out to 50-75 yards.

oh and any suggestions on alloy are welcome, have a good bit of clip on and stick on wieghts, as well as a little range pickup lead

[GP100man]

For 38/357 the lee 158rnfp is an excellent start , shoots good in all my 38/357. If ya don`t mind a heavier boolit check out NOEs 360-180.

In 44 a 429421 or clones of such is a good start .

It`s best to seek molds that drop phat & size em .

no exp with the 45, yet.

Custom molds are worth the extra coins !

[MikeS]

For the 45ACP one of the many clones of the H&G#68 is what you want in a 200gr SWC. For hunting use I would think something a bit heavier than 200gr would be better, and my choice would be Accurate Molds 45-250A It has a nice big meplat which should be good for hunting, it's the boolit I carry for self defense.

For the 44Mag a Keith style SWC would be the boolit to shoot. Lyman makes one, the 429421, or the H&G#503 is another. If you go for a Lyman mould you might be better off finding a good used one, rather than buying a new one as there are many reports of the new Lyman moulds making undersized boolits.

[Greg B.]

For new guns I try to find something suitable in a Lee twin cavity. This is because if it is not accurate I havn't spent a lot of money on it and can then look at something else.

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

for 38 spl SWC I would get the Lee TL358-158-SWC, especially if you'll be plinking with it, you can't beat tumble lubing for speed. For 45 ACP I agree with MikeS, try Lee's HG68 clone, that way you can try it for $20, and if you really like it you can get the Lee 6 cav, or a higher end mold of the same boolit.

Since you are just starting, I suggest the Lee 2 cavity molds, they are dirt cheap and work very well IF you know how to treat them. The low price will let you really explore casting different boolits and different calibers without a significant investment.

When I was in your position I realized I could by 4 Lee 2 cavity molds for the price of 1 Lyman or RCBS 2 cavity. So I bought 4 Lee, 2 with all my casting equipment, and 2 more within the next month.

When you have figured out what you really really like, invest in some really nice molds. Until then embrace the possibilities to explore that come from inexpensive molds.

[PS Paul]

Welcome to the board there, jham! And congratulations on your decision to start casting. Much greater sense of pride in rollin' yer own, you know?

The above are all good suggestions. I ahve molds from Lyman, Lee and RCBS. they all do well for me. Several of my molds were purchased on the swap n sell area of this forum and the fellas post new listings almost daily. BUT, be very, very carefful: super-easy to start spending a fari amount of money in short order (ha-ha) on molds. take my word for it.:mrgreen:

I would suggest you take a look today. There are right now two or three posts with very good molds at good prices and i ahve found dealing with the other members of this forum has been a really good experience for me with tons of good info and a real stimulus at furthering my education on the subject.

So again, welcome! FWIW, I started out casting with a Lee 6-CV .45 250 gr. RFN with conventional lube grooves. After a little bit of fine-tuning, the mold is exceptional for me in my BH .45 colt. Love it. Several folks don't like them, but the 6-CV are quite good in my experience and have better features than the 2-CV. Lots of info archived on that subject alone and a search will show you the info.
Paul