Lost Out!

[Green Frog]

[smilie=b: Well, I finally found one of the elusive Lee 90296 moulds… a 2 cavity tumble lubed 32 cal full wadcutter. Apparently they weren’t produced that long or in very great numbers, even counting both the production runs of 2 and 6 cavity moulds and the group buy of the latter. I thought I had a good shot at it on flea Bay yesterday, but somebody came in an sniped me in the closing seconds.:evil:

Anyway, I plan on going to visit friend Dale53 later this month, so maybe I can hijack his long enough while I’m there to cast up a supply. I figure as many 32 revolvers as I shoot, I need a good basic wadcutter to go along with the half dozen or more other designs I’m casting. Then maybe I can run up on one of those group buy moulds someone isn’t using. After all, I found the one Dale53 gas now on flea Bay a few years back and bought it for him. 8-)

The adventure continues!
Froggie

[sukivel]

That sniping crap is why I quit bidding on stuff on eBay! Good luck finding your mold.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Green Frog]

That sniping crap is why I quit bidding on stuff on eBay! Good luck finding your mold.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just like any other auction, whoever enters the highest bid wins. He wanted it more than I did and paid. Ore than I bid. Oh well!

Froggie

[Winger Ed.]

I haven't bought enough off ebay that I couldn't carry it all in one hand.

As far as the sniping thing, I put in a bid for the most I'm willing to pay,
and let the automatic thing that raises the top bid in its pre determined increments do its job.
Sometimes I get the item, sometimes not.
Or, if it's something I consider good deal, I just 'buy it now' instead of stressing out, trying to beat the system, and save $3.

One example:
Last year, when I bought back my old S&W model 52,
I researched and found out the real hot-dog, double cavity, DEWC mold for it had gone out of production in the 80's.
I found one on ebay with almost no heat marks on it, still in the cardboard box, with handles for 'buy it now' at $60.
Rather than play around with the auction deal, and maybe see somebody beat me too it,
or take a chance it wouldn't sell and come back later and be cheaper.... I grabbed it.

[Good Cheer]

Yeah, place your max bid and walk away, wait for the email.

[Mk42gunner]

If I ever get real serious about getting a .32 WC mold, I think I will just have Tom at Accurate Molds make me one.

It seems like there weren't a whole lot of them made by anybody, so unless you stumble across one (blind hog event) I think ordering a new custom may be the best choice.

Until then, I have several projects in the works that take precedence, but I still hope for finding the acorn once in a while.

Robert

[Green Frog]

The funny thing is, Dale53 mentioned to me that he had owned one many years ago, but had it loaned it to someone and it disappeared. I found him one of the group buy 6 cav moulds on flea Bay and bought it quite reasonably. This was nearly a decade ago, and I haven't seen one since. [smilie=b: When this one showed up for sale, I thought I had bid generously, but apparently someone else was more generous. :(

My trip to see Dale53 has been delayed a week but I still hope maybe I can cast up a bunch when I'm there. Our planned activities are building up fast! So much mischief, so little time. [smilie=l:

Froggie

[Jack Stanley]

The lesson to be learned here is , never let a loaned mold out of your sight ;-)

Jack

[Green Frog]

E
The lesson to be learned here is , never let a loaned mold out of your sight ;-)

Jack

Not really. The lesson is be sure you know the person to whom you loan a mould... in fact, I have loaned several moulds over the years and have had several loaned to me (in fact I have one from “Wayne the Shrink” right now). It just happens that like other little mishaps in life, sometimes we have things happen. I don’t think Dale53 bears any real ill will toward whoever borrowed that first mould, but he got to the point of wanting/needing one like it again, so together we found one. I haven’t reached the point where I “have to” own one, but if I do I’ll hunt for one harder or have a custom version made be the likes of NOE of Accurate.

Froggie

PS As I’ve mentioned, I have about a drawer full of 32 moulds (OK, it’s a small drawer) but it seems like there’s always that one more design I want to try. I’m sure that if/when I find this Lee TL WC. mould, I’ll use it for a while then be off chasing after the NBT (next big thing).

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

E

Not really. The lesson is be sure you know the person to whom you loan a mould... in fact, I have loaned several moulds over the years and have had several loaned to me (in fact I have one from “Wayne the Shrink” right now). It just happens that like other little mishaps in life, sometimes we have things happen. I don’t think Dale53 bears any real ill will toward whoever borrowed that first mould, but he got to the point of wanting/needing one like it again, so together we found one. I haven’t reached the point where I “have to” own one, but if I do I’ll hunt for one harder or have a custom version made be the likes of NOE of Accurate.

Froggie

PS As I’ve mentioned, I have about a drawer full of 32 moulds (OK, it’s a small drawer) but it seems like there’s always that one more design I want to try. I’m sure that if/when I find this Lee TL WC. mould, I’ll use it for a while then be off chasing after the NBT (next big thing).
I'm that way with 41 cal molds.
while it's fun to search out a "out of production" mold for a fair price, nuthin lights my fire than receiving a new "custom" made mold.

[Green Frog]

I'm that way with 41 cal molds.
while it's fun to search out a "out of production" mold for a fair price, nuthin lights my fire than receiving a new "custom" made mold.

JonB, I can relate. When I was in my Schützen phase and developing loads for the 32-40, no mould in 319xxx
was safe from my grasping paws! [smilie=w: I chased them everywhere.

Now I’m spending more time with 32 revolvers and I’m specifically looking for the tumble lube version of the Lee to get as close as possible to the swaged commercial 32 wadcutters that seem to have been mostly discontinued. That mould casts oversized with harder alloys, so i think if I can use almost pure lead with just a smidgeon of tin, it should replicate the swaged bullets fairly well, and tumble lubing will be a good substitute for the wax and graphite on the commercially swaged bullets. It’s all a game of course, always chasing after that “perfect” bullet and load. But that’s why we do this stuff isn’t it? :mrgreen:

Froggie

[Mk42gunner]

If there was only one way to do something perfect, there would be no innovation.

One thing about casting, if it doesn't turn out well, at least you can remelt it and try again. Maybe with the same mold, maybe something totally different.

Robert

[Old Caster]

Green Frog, Saeco has an excellent 100 grain mold for 32. I think it's number is #323. I had several friends that shot them in Benelli and Walther 32 longs and when loaded right, they were incredibly accurate. Saeco isn't cheap but they are top notch.

[mtnman31]

I too have been looking for the Lee 32 WC mold for some time. No, it wasn't me you were bidding against. I have two .32 WC molds that work fine, but I'd love to try the Lee.

[Green Frog]

mtnmn31, this Sunday afternoon I should arrive at the home of my old friend Dale53 for whom I found one of the six cavity group buy examples of the Lee TL WC several years ago before I even thought I might need one myself. One of the activities we have planned during my visit is to cast a goodly supply of them, perhaps even get them sized and lubed while I’m there. Hopefully I’ll be posting a range report soon thereafter. :Fire:

Old Caster, that Saeco 323 looks pretty good. Not quite what I had in mind, but maybe a possible substitute. I found them offered as “Special Order Only” at Midway... they sure are proud of those moulds!! :shock:

I’ve also scanned a few other, smaller makers that list a 32 WC mould, and found a couple of them that look sort of promising. Stay tuned for further developments. :coffeecom

Froggie

[Murphy]

I don't have any fellow casters who live near by me. I take that back, I do have one. He's more of a rifle shooter than hand gunner, I'm more of a hand gunner. About the only thing either of us may have the other could use, would be some alloy, gun powder or primers. That being the case, I ain't got anything borrowed, and I ain't got anything loaned out either.

Murphy

[Old Caster]

Green Frog, I just loaned that #323 mold out last week and told my friend to go ahead and keep it for a few months because he just bought a Walther target 32 long with a bunch of gear to go with it and get loading. The guy he bought it from had some of the bullets I made for him with the 323 and after trying them wanted to know where they came from and we all three knew each other. If you are still chasing this when I get the mold back I will cast you some so you can try them out. We all found them to be just as accurate as the H&N hollow base bullets that no one can get anymore. Saeco molds are REAL quality and is probably why they are so expensive. My understanding is that you will shoot them in a revolver and all of us who shot them were in Semi Auto target pistols but I imagine they will work just as well in a revolver too.

[Green Frog]

Thanks, Old Caster. I would appreciate a good test sample to try out. Yes, I’m shooting various 32 cal revolvers (I say “various” because they seem to be multiplying in spite of my efforts to control them.) The main one I want to provide with top grade wad cutters is the recreated Model 16-3 S&W. Like it’s forebears it is chambered in 32 S&W Long and is intended as a purely target revolver. I’m leaning more toward RNFP and truncated cone styles for the others.

Thanks to all of you who have contributed to this thread. I think it’s been a good one. Tomorrow will probably be “Casting Day” with Dale53, so we’ll probably make a good run of the Lee TLWCs from his mould then. I’ll be able to decide whether I should continue to pursue one of these moulds for my own.

Froggie