Mould materials

[35wailin]

Question for the experts. I stopped casting my own a long time ago, but want to get back into it for my .43 Mauser and other rifles i have.

My question is, what are the pros and cons of the various mould materials out there, brass, steel and aluminum?

[dragon813gt]

There are many many threads about this exact subject. I suggest you scroll through the forum to find them.

[country gent]

A lot is personal preference and some technique you use. I have mehanite moulds brass mouulds and have used some lee moulds but none of the custom aluminum moulds. Mehanite Blocks are good they heat up and cast good bullets probably the more forgiving material as to hard use. They cast good and hold size good. Brass blocks heat up and hold heat very good a slower pace can be used. No rust issues with them. They are heavier than the others. Brass holds size good and is some what forgiving to hard use but may ding and dent easier. Aluminum is the softest of the materials a little more "care in handling and use is needed. Aluminum heats quickly but also disapates heat quicker. On the ones Ive used cadence was important. Again rust isn't as big an issue.

[ascast]

Also, 43 Mauser is a misnomer that just wont go away. Your going to end up liking a bullet around 446 to 449, RCBS 44-370 is my fav or Lyman 446187 if you can find it. That said, off the rack 11mm Mauser dies wont work the best. The Lee dies have no flaring option for cast. You might want to look into 44-77 dies as the neck sizer-expander plug are 7 -8 thousands closer to what you want.

[Ithaca Gunner]

I probably have more steel molds than any, Lyman, RCBS mostly, but I don't look down on aluminum. LEE is the only brand I'll buy for round balls, they just cast such a nice ball with very little sprue. I have a few Accurate aluminum molds that I just couldn't get the design I wanted elsewhere. They're all good if used right and you like the design.

[Boolseye]

Aluminum is very good and my primary mould metal, I have many (Lee, NOE, Accurate). quick heat conductivity, also means they cool a bit faster, light weight. Steel is rugged and clean-casting, make sure you oil them when you put them away. Brass is beautiful but heavy, I won't go over 2-cav w/ brass.

[abqcaster]

Aluminum is very good and my primary mould metal, I have many (Lee, NOE, Accurate). quick heat conductivity, also means they cool a bit faster, light weight. Steel is rugged and clean-casting, make sure you oil them when you put them away. Brass is beautiful but heavy, I won't go over 2-cav w/ brass.

+1 I have three MP, 4-cav, brass molds. they are a workout to cast with, but they sure cast purdy boolits! The rest are aluminum. I don't have any complaints about the material some brands are consistently better than others, though.

[gwpercle]

Age , physical condition and casting method also comes into play.
I cast with a dipper, I don't rest the mould on anything while filling and opening. Untill last year single and double cavity steel Lyman and 1 and 2 cavity Lee moulds were all I had used. At age 65 I bought a 4 cavity NOE aluminum....It's a lot heavier than the Lee's or Lyman's I had been using.
It wears my hand and arm out and I don't have arthritis ! Since that time I've purchased three more NOE's all 3 cavity moulds...that's all I can handle. I'm glad I got aluminum moulds as I don't know if I could have handled any more weight. I also had to change my casting technique to allow my left hand to rest in between pours with the 4 cavity NOE aluminum. I hate to say it but when you get older you have to lighten up on a lot of things.
Gary

[MT Chambers]

1. Steel
2. Brass
3. Aluminum
4. Lee

[Skunk1]

Prefer the steel myself. But it's what I have always used. Never have a problem with them. I think it's a bit of cost and mold design for most.

[rintinglen]

Brass casts well, looks pretty but it is heavy. It is more durable than Aluminum, less so than iron.
Aluminum can cast well, but is less durable than Brass or iron. It is preferred by older casters with arthritic hands and wrists for its light weight.
Iron (meehanite, steel) cast well, are medium weight, are most durable, but can and do rust.

lee molds are cheap, light, easily damaged and tend to have QC issues. I like RCBS and Ideal for iron, or steel, Noe, MP and Accurate for Brass or aluminum. YMMV

[kmrra]

I just got back into casting after 30 plus years , I had the Lyman and Saeco molds before , and to save money I went with the lee molds... and for the money they work great, I have 8 different molds from the 55g 22 to the 200g 44s, and everyone of them turns out good bullets, most of mine are 2 cavity molds and the 22 is a six cavity, the 2 cavity molds at 19 bux a pop , you just cat beat that., I have no problem sitting down and casting up 3 or 4 hundred bullets an hour with the 2 cavity one , way more than I will shoot, I do it just for the enjoyment of it and the savings, time wise , I would be better off just ordering the plated bullets from Extreme Bullets , But I wouldn't enjoy that as much, I would have been cheaper to do so , cause , now im coating bullets , so I had to get the powder, an oven , and all the good stuff that goes with that , its a never ending process.

[35wailin]

Also, 43 Mauser is a misnomer that just wont go away. Your going to end up liking a bullet around 446 to 449, RCBS 44-370 is my fav or Lyman 446187 if you can find it. That said, off the rack 11mm Mauser dies wont work the best. The Lee dies have no flaring option for cast. You might want to look into 44-77 dies as the neck sizer-expander plug are 7 -8 thousands closer to what you want.

I'll be casting for a Kar.71 that slugs out at .4515". I need to decide if I'm casting plain base or paper-patch so i can get the correct sized mould.

[Gewehr-Guy]

Your 71 has a large groove dia. and you might have a hard time finding a mould that size .My RCBS 44-370 casts just .446 with 30-1 alloy, no larger. You could try the LEE 405 gr hollow base bullet pushed through a .452 size die, I size them to .446 with a home made lee style sizer ,and they shoot very well.I also measured a paper patch bullet from an 1888 vintage cart., it only measured .442, so they must bump up some with BP. Did the 71 use a slightly different loading than the 71/84 ?