Newbie with a familiar question

[dbeerman2000]

I am sure this has been asked before: wich molds to use and why?
Just getting started and I have been looking at molds, there are a few out there. Why are Lee molds made out of aluminum? Why aren't others made from aluminium? Are Steel molds better? Why or why not? I would like to start with a boolit for my .30-06 in 150-165 grain size.

Thanks

[Wayne Smith]

There ought to be a sticky around here with the qualities of the various mold metals. There have been several good posts addressing this in the recent past.

[Marlin Junky]

Lee molds are made of the cheapest aluminum available for the sake of economy.

There are several mold makers that also use aluminum blocks which are made from 2024 alloy. Do an internet search on aluminum alloys for more info. Larger 2024 blocks do a fine job casting boolits but are not as durable nor do they retain heat as well as similar size blocks made of cast iron alloys; e.g., SAECO and RCBS. I seriously believe that any aluminum mold block needs to have a thin coat of anti-seize applied to all its threads.

Lyman blocks are another critter since they are made from a soft steel alloy which also performs well (especially on smaller castings); however, they are not as durable as the iron alloy blocks. Perhaps the older Ideal and early Lyman molds were more durable, but I've noticed a couple of my more recently Lyman acquisitions that are showing wear around their alignment sockets.

If you stick around here long enough you'll learn all about molds and mold material.

MJ

[country gent]

Aluminum cast iron and brass are the normal materials for bullet moulds being made currently. Aluminum is the lightest wieght wise heats up uniformly the fastest and cools the quickest. I also find aluminum molds to be a little finicky to temps and casting speed. You also want to lightly lube aluminum molds to avoid galling issues Cast Iron/ steel is next in wieght. heats uniform and even takes a little longer to warm up uniformly. Will cast good bullets fairly easy and isnt as fussy on some things. Brass is the heaviest of the three heats and cools the slowest and is easy to work with casting. Lee moluds are made from aluminum for several reasons economy, and ease of manufacture. Lyman, RCBS, saeco, some customs are cast iron steel and this is whats been the standard. Not as expensive as brass, decent to machine and finish. Brass custom makers easy to machine finishes very well and is easy to maintain.

[dbeerman2000]

Thankyou for the quick responses. I was looking at Lee, inexpensive, but now I will look at others and invest more for a longer life of casting.

David

[Marlin Junky]

Thankyou for the quick responses. I was looking at Lee, inexpensive, but now I will look at others and invest more for a longer life of casting.

David

It more about repeatable casting quality than mold life... unless you're doing it commercially. Even if mass production is your goal, assuming your customers aren't all that particular, (i.e., handgun blasters and lever action cranks) you can cast scores of thousands of boolits from a single Lee 6 cavity mold... assuming you lube it properly!

MJ

[Springfield]

I've only cast about 200,000 44-40 bullets with my LEE 6 cav mould, probably wear it out but someday but not yet! It is more about caring for your tools than the material they are made from.

[David2011]

Another thing that can make aluminum molds tough to use for a new caster is the pace at which you must cast in order to keep the mold hot enough. Aluminum molds can make perfectly good boolits; they just take a different technique to do so.

Brass, steel and cast iron molds hold heat better. They also weigh considerably more. It's not a big problem with 2 cavity pistol and small rifle boolits but 4 cavity molds start to get heavy after a while. Brass is noticeably heavier than steel or iron but it makes a luxury mold. A six cavity H&G will develop new muscle mass if used regularly.

David

[Silverboolit]

I think that the LEE 6 cavity molds are made of better aluminum than thier 2 holers. The gun shop that milled the top of my 6 cavity said he was surprised at how well it cut compared to the softer al that he has machined.

[CraigOK]

so is a lee 6 cavity a decent one to buy for a beginner, or due to it heating/cooling quicker will it just make it harder to learn the craft?

[burrkiss]

I have all lee aluminum molds due to shoulder surgery, but they are the cheapest, and I would recommend getting lees to learn your craft. I would BEG you to go here

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/forumdisplay.php?138-KAL-Tool-amp-Die

to our guy that makes a high quality cam lever, as the weakest point in the mold will snap if a newbie (learned from exp) tries to cut the sprue too cold. It also isnt made of quality stuff like KAL's is.

[dbarnhart]

I would start with a Lee mold. I think my 2-cavity Lee mold was about $20. Get started as inexpensively as you can. Then with a little experience you can make decisions about which pieces of equipment need upgrades.

[Silverboolit]

When I use the 6 cvity, I statr at the hinge end cavity(farthest away) for 10 pours, then the first and second for about 10 pours. You are gradually heating the mold by slowly filling more cavities every 10 pours. After the mold is hot, then go to 6 cavities. Have been doing it this way forever and never lost a sprue handle.

[Wayne Smith]

There was a day when you could buy good quality molds at good prices off eBay. Fortunately I started then. My first mold was an RCBS 40/400CS that I got that way. None the less I have a whole pile of Lee molds, mostly 2 cavity. Used carefully they will last a long time, beat them up and they don't last. I also have a bunch of Lyman, a few Miha, one Mountain Mold, and others as well. I have found that I can make a lot of boolits with a single cavity mold. I can make more with a six cavity. My question is, how many do I need at any one time.

The real issue is: Can you find a boolit mold that fits your chamber/barrel? If you have a problematic gun the standard molds may not work for you. Now you are looking for a custom mold. You are now in the ideal situation, now you can get a boolit mold that specifically fits your gun. You need to know what you need and be able to find it. There is a lot of information here on how to measure your gun internally, how to understand how these numbers relate to the mold you need. Understanding these relationships will help you choose what you need. This is more important than the material of the mold.