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View Full Version : Mould material / Brass or Iron



Blacktail 8541
12-31-2005, 09:58 PM
Hi , I'm new to this forum and casting, I've shot cast bullets for years that I have reloaded. I have been working for days on a mould design on the Mountain moulds webb site. I think I have finally got what I want. A 245 grain .411 design for my new FA model 97 41mag. But what is the better mould material, Brass or Cast Iron? Also I am going to purchase a new sizer, I live in Oroville Ca, home of RCBS, But I am leaning to a new Saeco. What are your opinions, Service versus a better design. :violin: [smilie=b:

Buckshot
01-01-2006, 03:58 AM
.................I'd go with a CI mould. I have one brass (actually a bronze alloy) for casting a smooth .465" cup based slug. Works great too. However CI is forever. Just look at all the old machinery and stuff that's still around and running, made from that magic metal :-)

Re the lube sizer. Saeco is the better design presswise I believe. However I think a lot of folks look at what they want for dies and nose punches (plus the holes in the die diameters available) and go with the Lyman/RCBS presses.

There is currently a custom Lee 6 cavity mould deal cooking for a 41 cal slug on the "Group Buys" forum you should look into.

...............Buckshot

BABore
01-01-2006, 04:53 AM
The 41 group buy is already closed and sent in.

In regards to the mold materials go with CI. Weights are the same for CI and brass but the life and warpage factor are not. Review the Mnt. Mold materials info.

I got into the Saeco for a sizer. Costs are higher for sizers and punches but you can lube 20-50 bullets without touching the thing. Saeco has the same if not more sizes of sizers than Lyman or RCBS. It is definitly a more well made machine.

Bass Ackward
01-01-2006, 05:12 AM
Blacktail,

If you are new to casting, I would go with the steel. But if you were experienced, I would recommend the brass for that diameter and weight.

All mold materials have different advantages and disadvantages.

Dan (Mountain Molds) used to have those listed on his site somewhere.

bobthenailer
01-01-2006, 11:50 AM
i have many ci moulds and use them with much satisfaction, the lee al moulds need some tinkering to work well, the lbt al mould works perfectly, ive never had a bronze mould , i just ordered a al mould from dan and they work well and will last a life time if handled & cared for correctly , the same goes for all moulds, i have many mould that ive made 30,000 + bullets on each & they are in excellent condtion. as for sizer lubers ive owned them all 2 lymans 1 rcbs & saecos on 2 seperate occasions sold them all & bought 2 stars/magnma it is quite frankly the only way to go, ive been useing the star for 25 years and the magnma for 10 its like comparing a dillon 550 to a rcbs rockcrusher they are a little pricey about 185.00 but well worth it , you can usually size 800 to 1000 per hr and it does seat gas checks and the bullets sized are extremely accurate . if you know some one who has one try & use it you will be hooked ! ive let several people try mine and every one who tried it bought one! they said why didnt you tell me sooner !, ive never broken or replaced anything on these units and i cast a min of 10,000 + bullets a year . bob

Blacktail 8541
01-01-2006, 03:37 PM
Thanks for all the suggestions and informed opinions. I will Probably go with the Saeco sizer and a CI mold I will not be casting more than 4 different bullets in the near future so the added cost of the saeco sizer dies and top punches are not a problem in my start up cost. A friend is going to loan me a lyman mag 20 pot. [smilie=w:

Harry O
01-02-2006, 06:28 PM
I have a bunch of CI moulds, a number of Aluminum moulds, and just three brass moulds (bought existing--not special order). If I had a choice on the matter, I would go with brass. At least on the three I have, it combines the best of CI and the best of Aluminum.

Brass heats up just about as quick as aluminum (much faster than CI). It is stronger than aluminum (but not quite as stong as CI). It casts quick and drops clean. I like it.

Bret4207
01-02-2006, 07:49 PM
I've got Alum and CI. I like the idea of brass or bronze, but haven't had the chance to use one other than some Colt type replicas from Italy. They worked OK. Someone recently had some comments about the brass moulds and IIRC it wasn't favorable, much to my surprise.

Old Jim
01-05-2006, 06:26 PM
I have a brass mold from Mountain Molds and it is a Cadillac. Heavy but make a beautiful bullet. My choice would be: brass-iron-aluminum

JeffinNZ
01-05-2006, 11:48 PM
Brass is nice. I have 2 of Jim Allisons moulds out of Australia and they are great to use. Still, the Lymans are all good too.
Best thing about the brass it is does not require a preservative so no cleaning before casting other than the sprue plate.

Blacktail 8541
01-06-2006, 02:01 AM
Thanks for the replies, I placed an order with Dan at Mountain Molds, went with CI this time because his program said I needed an X large block. My next one is already being designed and it will fit in a 2 cavity brass mold.