LEE Six Cavity Molds

[trapper44shooter]

I have a 2 cavity LEe 44 cal .454 I am think of buying the LEE 6 cavity BUT it maybe better for me to cast with my dual cavity until I get better I am so excited about this I can't stand it I have almost gotten into casting a couple times before but it never happened well my friends it is going to happen this time I AM IN 100% :grin:

[Bazoo]

You will keep up just fine with a 2 cavity mould. Throwing money at it won't make you learn quicker. Round balls are hard to mess up because lead likes to be round. A smooth round shape has little issues with getting good fillout like a bullet with lube grooves do sometimes.

[BNE]

I think you will be just fine moving into a 6 cavity mold. Takes a few more minutes to get it hot, but after that you end making a LOT more bullets in the same amount of time.

[toallmy]

My first few casting seasons were with a old cast iron skillet on a propane burner , a spoon , and a borrowed single cavity mold . It doesn't have to be complicated ......

[Silvercreek Farmer]

If you already have the two cavity, I wouldn't move up to the six unless you are just really squeezed for casting time. I'd rather have a different mold before duplicating something I already have. Sure a six is faster, but a two will get it done just fine unless your are shooting 100+ rounds a week.

[ukrifleman]

I recently purchased a Lee 6 cavity 160gn .312 mould and have yet to try it out.

I already have a 2 cavity version, which I intend to beagle and cast .314 bullets for my Lithgow .303.

ukrifleman

[Dapaki]

I find that the 6 cavity molds retain a truer sprue cut than do the 2 cavity and IMHO, cutting sprues is much easier with the 6 cavity mold and again, in my experiences, the boolits release better from the 6 cavity molds (maybe I just got lucky).

On the other side, they take a LONG time to heat up, they go through a LOT of lead, they cost you hundreds of dollars (OK, that's because I cant stop casting at 6 pills a cast, I get mounds and mounds of boolits!) in supplies and make your wife very mad (see last parenthesis).

[Mk42gunner]

Bazoo and Silvercreek Farmer gave good advice I think. If you only have one C&B to use your .454RB in, a two cavity mold will more than keep up with expenditures.

Robert

[trapper44shooter]

I am gonna use a 6 cavity but it will be later on they are costly I want to produce good balls for my revolver i can start just as soon as i can buy my LEE 4 20 Furnace well i have to prep my mold & clean out all ofte oils they use to keep the pot from rusting too & then i can start

[GhostHawk]

I have slowly been converting my most used double cavities for new Lee 6 cavities in the same configuration.

They are a bit slower to come up to temp. But once you get it rolling bullets "rain" out of it.

[Rich/WIS]

While I enjoy casting prefer the Lee 6 cavity or NOE 5 cavity molds for speed of production. While the alloy mesls the mold warms on a cheap ($20) solid surface Walmart hotplate. Usually have good casts by the second pour, sometimes on the first if the casting gods smile on me.

[Mk42gunner]

Guys, please keep in mind that trapper44shooter is just beginning at casting.

While I can understand the desire to upgrade to a six cavity mold, I think we will all agree that it is best to learn the basics before going for all out production. Also it can take quite a bit of money to buy every single recommendation; while most are helpful, not all are absolutely necessary to produce good shootable roundballs.

Let him learn to walk (cast with the double cavity he has) before running (getting six cavity and handles to speed production).

Robert

[poppy42]

Trapper44shooter were in va are you? I also live in va. If your close to me maybe we can get together and I could teach ya the tricks of the trade. Send me a pm
Ray

[Taterhead]

The Lee 6 cavity molds are better quality, and a better casting experience, in my opinion. Pre heat them and they cast keepers in no time, not unlike any other mold.

I am not a fan of Lee 2 cav molds.

[Wayne Smith]

There are several of us scattered around VA. Post a more precise (general but regional) location and we can probably find someone within reach.

[John Boy]

If you buy a 6x cavity mold ... pour only one then 2 until you get the proper fill pattern and rhythms and mold temperature needed. Experience is the Best Teacher.

[MT Gianni]

I would not buy a multi-cavity mold until I was well up to speed casting with a 2 cavity.

[KCcactus]

I started with a lee 6 cavity mold. Preheat the mold and you'll do fine. I also started with the lee 10 lb bottom pour. I mostly use their 20lb one now and recommend it over the 10. I have a couple of lee 2 cavity molds, but don't care for them.

[Mal Paso]

Preheating a 6 cavity on a hot plate beats cutting those first sprues on a cold mold. I tried it once without preheating and almost broke the handles cutting 6 cold sprues.

[JM7.7x58]

My first mold was a Lee .358 wadcutter mold. I scrubbed it with comet cleanser. And made a bunch of boolits. Many were rejects, but I made so many that it didn’t matter. Have a nice round piece of hard wood on hand, and only hit the bolt on the handles if your boolits are sticky.

On a side note, I preheat my molds with an electric panini sandwich press. It’s great. It heats the top and bottom equally. I kept looking for a hot plate at the thrift store in my neighborhood. I couldn’t find one that worked. They had three of these panini sandwich presses for cheap, so I bought one. It works great.

JM

[gpidaho]

Trapper44: For the round balls you need, I agree with the others. The two cavity should be just fine. I will say the Lee six cavity moulds are a pleasure to run. Once they are up to temp you get a lot of bullets in a hurry. As to cost, most of the two cavity moulds I own (Noe,Accurate, LBT and others) cost over twice as much as the Lee six cavity moulds. I cast up a batch of 311-93s just last night with a Lee six and enjoyed how well it worked. Gp

[frkelly74]

Once you get a single or double cavity mold running right they can be pretty fast. Also your boolits may tend to be more uniform since you don't have the cast to cast variable times six working against you. But if you want lots of boolits fast, the more cavities you have the merrier you will be. But there is a learning curve to getting a 6 banger working without breaking something.

[fiberoptik]

Once you get a single or double cavity mold running right they can be pretty fast.... But if you want lots of boolits fast, the more cavities you have the merrier you will be. But there is a learning curve to getting a 6 banger working without breaking something.

My first time casting 6 banger I broke the sprue handle on the 3rd cut.


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[frkelly74]

They are definitely the weak link there. If you warm the mold up some how, I use my torch judiciously, others use a hot plate, then fill one or two cavities until the cut is easy then go to filling 3 or 4 cavities till they are easy. Then go to filling the last two and then you are running. Most of the first casts will be rejects, so keep them separated. Have a stack of ingots ready to drop in to the pot and don't dally looking for metal to add or at the cast bullets you have piling up. Just cast till you are tired and stop.

[gpidaho]

Mold temp is always the deciding factor in how a mould preforms. Once I get my six cavity Lee moulds up to temp (preheat) I can just pour a steady stream of lead down the sprue plate and have very few rejects. Gp

[jaysouth]

I recently purchased a Lee 6 cavity 160gn .312 mould and have yet to try it out.

I already have a 2 cavity version, which I intend to beagle and cast .314 bullets for my Lithgow .303.

ukrifleman

Try powder coating the bullet after casting. You may not need to permanently modify the mold.

[Jniedbalski]

All I use is lee two cavity molds. There cheeper than the rest and work good for me. A 6 cavity would be nice but I have over 30 molds and my storage space is limited. I only have two noe molds and there 2 cavity also. The two cavity work fine unless your shooting 100’s or 1000’s a day or week

[SirNomad]

The Lee 6 cavity molds are better quality, and a better casting experience, in my opinion. Pre heat them and they cast keepers in no time, not unlike any other mold.

I am not a fan of Lee 2 cav molds.

That's exactly my experience with the Lee molds. I intend to get rid of all my 2-cavity molds and just use 6-cavity molds unless they don't offer the size in 6-cavity.

[Walks]

I've a pair Lee 2cav #401-175-TC molds. I can produce about 300+ bullets an hour. While I have at least 5 Lee 6cav molds and Lee does offer that 40cal mold in 6cav, I probably won't buy one.

Casting quantity is more dependent on a smooth repetition of filling, cutting sprues and dumping bullets.

Of the Lee molds I have, only one bullet is represented by both a 2cav & 6cav.

I really believe that a smooth casting rhythm is more important then the number of cavities in your mold.