What do I need to unlearn using iron

[corvette8n]

Having only Lee alum molds, what do I need to know about casting with iron ones. I am looking at Lyman or RCBs for my .32 Winchester special.
(any suggestions).
I seem to be able to cast ok with the Lee and get great bullets on the first or second fill of the molds. I usually cast about 10lbs worth of whatever mould I am using then call it a night.

[Bret4207]

If you can go from an from a freakin' 8n to a Corvette you can do this easily! Degrease the new mould, get it hot and go. You'll find the iron a bit easier to use over all IMO. You can go a bit slower with them too. Other than that it should be a pleasurable event.

[mooman76]

I don't think there is really that much difference. It may take a few more bullets before you get to the good ones. I don't use them often but if I remember right I had to hold my RCBS mould level to get the gascheck base to fill out good but after that it moulded some fine looking bullets!

[fourarmed]

Rust!

[Sundogg1911]

I think it's easier to go to Iron from aluminum than the other way around. Iron moulds are much more forgiving with temperature, and stand up better to abuse. They also last a lifetime if you keep them dry.

[454PB]

I've been using both for many years. As Bret said, clean it thoroughly and preheat it. Again, preheat it!

You are used to this if you've been using the Lee aluminum moulds. Use a propane torch or lay the mould on the edge of the melting pot to preheat iron moulds, not the dipping in the pot method that Lee moulds recommends.

After casting for 10 or 15 minutes, check the handle attachment screws and the sprue cutter pivot screw, they tend to loosen on a new mould.

[Bob Jones]

I'm in the same situation. I've been casting with Lee molds for a few years and just cast with my first iron mold last weekend.

I my extremely limited experience, my main observation was that with the Lee molds heat is your friend, whereas with the iron molds it's your enemy. What I mean by that is that the Lees I have run best when very hot. If the bullets don't drop cleanly I just dunk the end in the melt and heat them up and the bullets slide right out when I open them up. With the iron mold, the hotter it got the worse the bullets stuck, I ended up using the wet towel method to cool the mold between casts to keep the temp down.

All molds need preheat, but at least the one iron mold I have used sure seemed to like to run at a cooler temp than the Lee aluminum molds, plus it kept its heat and tended to get too hot, whereas the Lees tend to lose heat fast and the trick is to keep the heat up high enough.

Hope that makes some sense. Like I said, I've only ever cast with one iron mold, so it may not apply to yours, but I sure saw a lot of difference in how I had to manage the mold temp between the two types.

[NVcurmudgeon]

RCBS 32-170 for accuracy, and any RCBS mould for caster-friendliness.