Do multiple (3 and more) cavity roundball moulds exist?

[Leadbyte]

It may be a lack of google-skills, but I cant find any.
Are there any?

Leadbyte.

[45nut]

what caliber(s) ?

[Leadbyte]

.535, sofar I'm using a Lee 2-Cavity 535 RoundBall mould (http://www.midwaydanmark.com/apps/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?SaleItemID=177790), and I barely make 250 - 300 RB's i a 4 hour session. so I'm looking for a way to speed things up a bit.

[deltaenterprizes]

Use 2 molds,while the sprue from one is cooling pour the other one,repeat!

[fourarmed]

I have a 4-cavity Lyman mould for the .375 round ball, so they exist.

[trickyasafox]

maybe you could run a group buy? would lee cut round balls on their 6 cav mold?

[mooman76]

It shouldn't take you 4 hours to do 250-300 rbs. RBs are fairly easy especially compared to regular bullets. You should be able to do 200 per hour fairly easy. Either you are just starting out and are slow or you are being very picky about the RBs or are having some sort of problems. The speed will come with time and practice, RBs don't have to be perfect, just round. If they go in the revolver they get squished in anyway and if you are having some sort of problem cranking them out maybe we can help.

[Flinchrock]

It shouldn't take you 4 hours to do 250-300 rbs. RBs are fairly easy especially compared to regular bullets. You should be able to do 200 per hour fairly easy. Either you are just starting out and are slow or you are being very picky about the RBs or are having some sort of problems. The speed will come with time and practice, RBs don't have to be perfect, just round. If they go in the revolver they get squished in anyway and if you are having some sort of problem cranking them out maybe we can help.

If you have a 54 cal revolver,,,can I shoot it??,,,I thought "round" WAS perfect!

[Leadbyte]

Either you are just starting out and are slow or you are being very picky about the RBs or are having some sort of problems. .

:D Well... yes... to all of them
I cant work with lead very often, so not much practice. this year I've had 8 sessions, mostly casting, but also refining lead (making bars) so i would say I'm new to this. (=slow)

Also I admit, I'm picky :oops: I like the Roundballs to be as perfect as i can make them (I discart around 1 in 10, but thats still better than last year where it was 5 in 10)

And last, I've had problems with my keroseneburner (low heat output, but thats fixed now) so I've worked a bit on that while casting, and that doesnt speed it up any.

I've tried casting with 2 moulds, but there was a problem with one (so that you have to use some effort to make the 2 part to line up correctly) and then the first mould got cold while I was messing whith the second.

And that why I'm looking for at large-capacity mould.

anyway, thanks for answering

[ktw]

I would expect NEI to cut you one on request. It wouldn't be cheap.

If it were me I would go with the 'two DC Lee molds' suggestion given earlier.

I also shoot a 54. Given the rate of fire of a muzzleloader, I haven't had any problems keeping myself and a couple of friends well supplied in roundballs just using a single DC lee mold.

-ktw

[Leadbyte]

the transport in itself would add somewhere between 20 and 120$ to the prise (says Ebay) so what pricerange are we talking about with a NEI custom job?

PS
Added locationdetails to my profile (A' aint local [smilie=1: )

[ktw]

They don't explicitly list multi-cavity roundball molds, but they do cut roundball molds to spec. If you ask them to do so in one of their 6 cavity blocks I would expect it to cost somewhere in the range of $140-$200 depending on whether you want aluminium or iron blocks.

You would have to contact them and ask to be sure.

http://www.neihandtools.com/catalog.html

-ktw

[floodgate]

ktw:

I doubt it. They use a different process to make their RB moulds: rough-cut the cavities, then insert a precisely-ground carbide (so they say) sphere in the cavity and squeeze the blocks closed in a heavy press. I doubt the setup they use for the 1- and 2-cavity RB moulds would be adaptable to the larger 6-cavity blocks. For one thing, they'd need to invest in at least six carbide balls of each size.

floodgate

[ktw]

I understood that Lee does it that way. I have never seen an explanation of how NEI did it. It would seem you would need one hell of a big press to do that with iron blocks.

-ktw

[DLCTEX]

Regarding your alignment problem, try setting the mold on a flat surface as you close it. I have two Lee molds I bought cheap and they were abused to the point they do not align properly. I have a piece of ash 1X6 next to my casting pot and it makes alignment much easier. DALE

[quasi]

I have a Lyman 4 cavity .375. I think Lee a long time ago made RB Gangmolds.

[mooman76]

I seen on on evibay that had 2 on one side and then you flipped it over and 2 more. I don't remember what size it was but it was one of the smaller ones. I think it was a Lyman. I had a slingshot mould years ago that did 20 1/4 pellets on one side and 20 on the other. That could crank out some pellets but they were rough as anything. Good enough for slingshots or a shotgun maybe. Wish I still had it!

[Southern Son]

Years ago (long before I even thought about starting casting) I was in a gun shop and found a mould for making 00 Buckshot (It is about 00 size , anyway). 9 balls on each side, then you had to cut them off the sprue (there was no sprue plate). There are no provisions for putting handles on it, the only way I have been able to use it was with 2 pair of locking pliers (hand vices, whatever). The sprue hole is so small that the mold has to be really hot otherwise the lead won't flow in and fill the cavity, but when it is hot enough, the lead takes ages to cool and you can't turn it over to fill the other side untill it has cooled, otherwise you end up draining the ones you just filled. I have sinker moulds that make a more round ball, to boot. The price has burnt off it but I think I paid $5.00, and still got ripped off.

[dakotashooter2]

You probably need some more practice. With a 2 cavity there is no reason you shouldn't be able to drop 150-180 balls an hr.


:castmine:

[lawboy]

I know a guy with a three-cavity and 2-cavity round ball moulds for sale.
the three banger is a Lachmiller and the two is an old RCBS. Both are in absolutely fine condition. I think they throw for 44 caliber. If interested, holler.