Some of your fav Handgun moulds

[218bee]

I'm new at this casting business and am in the process of getting the equipment I need and would like some help on picking out some moulds for the following cartridges : 44 Special , 41 Mag, 45 Colt, 32 H&R, and 38 Special.
Rather than open a catalog and start sending money I thought I'd see what some of you like and why and use that to make a decision. Where do you buy your moulds from ?? The "group buy" section looks interesting. Brand preference?
I'd appreciate your opinions

[NSP64]

I use Lee molds. they heat faster and can be 'Adjusted' easily. They are relatively inexpensive. you can spend alot of money on molds quick only to find they don't shoot well(then sell them on the swap/sellin board here:-D) The group buy molds have been made by Lee most the time(6 cav). you might ask if anyone will send you a few boolits to try of a given weight/caliber (some here will) before you buy the mold. and if you like it then you can buy the mold.

[Newtire]

Hi 218,
Welcome to the group first of all. This is a pretty right-on group here. Eventually, you will probably find out everything that you wanted to know (and even some things you didn't) on about any cast boolit topic. A great group.

This thread is just one of many but it will lead you around to most of the .32 H & R topics. there are similar threads you could search for the other calibers you mention.

Have fun!

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=24695

[Glen]

That's a good list you have. Easy for me to pick my favorites for them:

44 Special -- Lyman 429421
41 Mag -- H&G #258
45 Colt -- RCBS 45-270 SAA
32 H&R -- RCBS 32-98 SWC (the RCBS Cowboy bullet is a dandy too)
38 Special -- the old style Lyman 358477 (or the RCBS 38 150 SWC)

[9.3X62AL]

That's a good list you have. Easy for me to pick my favorites for them:

44 Special -- Lyman 429421
41 Mag -- H&G #258
45 Colt -- RCBS 45-270 SAA
32 H&R -- RCBS 32-98 SWC (the RCBS Cowboy bullet is a dandy too)
38 Special -- the old style Lyman 358477 (or the RCBS 38 150 SWC)

Tough to better this selection.

I use the Lyman #410032 in 41 Magnum, usually loaded to 850-1000 FPS. 45 Colt gets the Lyman #454424 (now known as the #452424) and #454190. If velocities are kept under 1200 FPS--and the boolits fit well--no need for gas check designs.

[ktw]

45 Colt (handgun): Lyman 454190
45 Colt (carbine): Lyman 457122-HP, Lee 457-340-RF, Lyman 457191
32 H&R: RCBS 32-98-SWC

Haven't shot enough of any of the other cartridges to have an opinion.

-ktw

[wiljen]

everybody needs a wadcutter for the 38 special. Mine is the lyman 35891 but I hear good things about the H&G too.

[MT Gianni]

Glen and Al have hit it as far As I am concerned. I do like a rn for target shooting 358311 in the 38 spl or the 358242 121 gr version both are good paper punchers. Gianni

[Lloyd Smale]

32-105 baillistic cast swc-- rcbs 98swc-- lbt 120lfngc
38- i know its an odd choise but my most used bullet is the 105 lee swc
41- 230 ballistic cast swc-- lbt 250lfngc
44 240 rcbs swcgc-- 250kt--lbt 280lfngc--lbt 300lfngc--330 baliisticcast lfngc
45 255rcbs swc--300 rcbs swcgc--balistic cast 320 lfngc

[Bass Ackward]

I'm new at this casting business and am in the process of getting the equipment I need and would like some help on picking out some moulds for the following cartridges : 44 Special , 41 Mag, 45 Colt, 32 H&R, and 38 Special.
Rather than open a catalog and start sending money I thought I'd see what some of you like and why and use that to make a decision. Where do you buy your moulds from ?? The "group buy" section looks interesting. Brand preference?
I'd appreciate your opinions


Every mold sold has someone buying or it would be off the market.

So what do you want to do with these slugs in each caliber? That purpose will drive the train as far as I am concerned. Your budget is another train driver. So is the condition of your guns. Some molds will throw a bore diameter and that's it. If you need more diameter to fill the throat, you are forced to expensive mixes like linotype or you may just be plain screwed. That's why the group buy section is so popular. Most designs are factory designs just plussed up to throw larger diameters.

So I am afraid that you need to look at these questions. And as much as you DON'T want to look at a catalog, that is darn near the best way to answer some of them. Then you have work to do to slug your guns and see what sizing you require for each caliber. Then maybe I / we can offer some solid advice as to whether you can use factory molds or use other options.

[Tom W.]

My favorites are Mostly all RCBS molds..
45-255 SWC
45-270 SWC
44-245 SWC
476-400 SWC
Lee C358-158 SWC g/c
I do have a Lee for my other .45 bullets, as well as a lee SWC G/C for the .44, just in case..

I had a Lyman, but traded it. The RCBS molds are built like a tank...

[fivegunner]

H&G 501 260gr. swc .45 =, H&G 503 250gr swc . .44,= LBT 325gr WFNGC .45.,=H&G 256BB gr swc .41,= H&G 65 100gr swc .32.,= and a few Baillistic-cast .475 molds.These are the one`s I use most . :Fire::castmine:

[calsite]

very good advice. I bought the same diameter mould as the commercial cast boolits I was shooting. Worked great for one of my .44's but not the other.

[Adam10mm]

The only thing I can offer is the 32 H&R needs to have the RCBS 32-98-SWC if nothing else. Great boolit.

[runfiverun]

like the lyman 250 p base rnfp in 45

and the rcbs swc 158 p base

these are my two favorites also the two that are the biggest pain to cast from

[Bret4207]

Depending on what 32 you have the Lee 30 cal Soup Can may work fine. It does in several of my 32's. My favorite 32 is the discontinued 311316, but the 311008 or RCBS 98 gr SWC works too.

[RobS]

I would vote the 454424 and the rcbs 45-300-swc gc for the 45 and the 429421 for the 44 special.

[geargnasher]

My preferences:

.38-.357 haven't tried the dauntless 358477 but have several similar designs and I have better luck with the 358665.
I don't shoot .32 anything yet or .41.
.44 special loads in .44 magnum, Ideal Keith 429421 hp, for some reason it blows my SWC/revolver dislike, this is the ONLY boolit I will shoot in .44. There are many variations with the same mould number, I think someone did an article on it and there were at least 12 distinct versions. I have a Lee swc .44 and that particular one is junk.
.45 Colt gets either the 454190 or 452664 for paper and a modified Lee 452-300-rfn for food.

Gear

[GLynn41]

Mountain Mold brass-- 255 lwngc
Lyman 410459 hollow pointed by Buckshot about 210 grains
NEI 275 gr .41 TCpb
most of my shooting is done with the first two

[Dale53]

I certainly have my favorites:

.32 H&R and .32 S&W long - the group buy 100 gr Keith six cavity (if you can stand two cavities,
then the RCBS 98 gr SWC is an excellent choice).

.38 Special - I mostly shoot a double ended wad cutter - H&G #251 148 gr
I have also have good things to say about the Lee 158 gr RF when
you need a full load.

.357 Magnum I mostly shoot the Lee six cavity 158 gr RF.

.44 Special My favorite is the H&G #503 Keith 260 gr SWC from a MiHec six cavity
mould. For indoor target work, the 200 gr Group Buy full wad cutter
works wonderfully well. However, the .44 Special has a special
characteristic ( at least in my guns) it shoots a Keith bullet to the
same point of aim regardless of the velocity. That allows me to
load a target load or a field load and both of them shoot to the
same point of aim. That is a VERY useful thing.

.44 Magnum I use the same H&G #503 as in the Special. My practice load is
23.0 grs of H110 and hunting load is 24.0 grs of H110.

My heavy bullet for the .44 Magnum is the Lee 310 gr RF GC. A
proper dose of H110 and this is a real STOMPER.

.45 ACP I use the outstanding H&G #68 SWC 200 gr (six cavity mould
by MiHec) for both target loads and loads exceeding 1000fps.

.45 Colt I use the NOE version of the Lyman 454424 for both target and
heavy loads in my .45 Colt Vaquero and my .45 Colt Blackhawk
Convertible. If you want/need a heavy bullet, the Lee 300 gr RF GC
is an outstanding design (just to keep things open, here, Frank Siefer
and I designed both the Lee 310 RF .44 and the Lee 300 RF .45).

FWIW
Dale53

[Bucks Owin]

One .44 mold that I absolutely dote on is the RCBS #82041, a 225 gr SWC GC. My 10" Ruger just loved that boolit! (And an 8 3/8" M29-2 shot it well too) FWIW, Dennis

[MtGun44]

RCBS 357-150-K (SWC now) is one of the most accurate, also Lee 158 RF and Lym 358477, plus
Elmer's 358429 are also excellent in .38/.357 altho the short cylinders on S&W N frame
guns often are too short for the last boolit. I can push these to 1000 in .38 Spl 6" or
(book claimed, not chronoed) 1500+ in 6" .357 mag with zero leading.

.44 mag/spl - no contest, H&G 503 or Lyman 429421, both Keith 250 SWCs.

Bill

[R.C. Hatter]

.38/357 - Lyman #358156, #358477
.44 Special - RCBS #44-250K, Lyman #429421, Lyman #429215
.45 Colt/.45 Auto-Rim - Lyman #454190, Lyman #454424
.45 ACP - Lyman #452374

[bobke]

nei 220.411 220 gr. very wide meplat w/good driving band. excellent in 41 mag w/12 old blue dot.
nei 260.429 260gr swc. excellent w/h110 or 4227.
nei 310.451 310gr swc. too long for casull, but great in cylinders where length and driving band isn't an issue.
lbt 260gr lfn in 41
lbt 280gr wfn in 44
lbt 300gr wfn in 45 colt.