Mould Cost

[Tar Heel]

I recall when bullet molds from RCBS, Lyman, and others were certainly affordable. Perhaps I am getting jaded as I age but it sure seems to me that the cost of bullet molds from the major makers has SKYROCKETED well into the realm of "I'll have to think about this and see if the budget will allow it."

I just looked in the Lyman 2021 catalog and discovered bullet molds are now retailing for $102. I thought the purpose of mass production was to keep the cost down and make the product affordable. When a small business owner can make a custom mold for the same price, it doesn't take a genius to figure out where I will go for a mold. Truthfully however, at these prices I am rethinking if I really want the mold.

Then there is powder. Have you even seen the prices of powder?

Holy Smoke! Bird watching is probably in my future.

287837

[Land Owner]

For us "Old School" guys, these inflationary times seem out of control. To the Newbie, it's what the Market will bear. Newbies have a lifetime of use ahead of them to amortize the higher cost. If you are considering the purchase of a mold today - good luck. Perhaps you can find one that doesn't offend your financial future, used, on a back channel, or WTB ad. Might have to wait a bit...or, if time isn't on your side, bite the boolit, so to speak. A 50% runup (+/-) in fixed cost to GO is exorbitant. The alternative is NO GO. What's in your wallet?

[5614estell]

I bought a box of stuff a few months ago. In the box was a Herter's single cav mold. The price tag was still on the box. $2.45.

[Dusty Bannister]

I have no idea why you reference the Lyman catalog prices when there is a vendor with Lyman molds in stock for 76.11. (MidSouth as an example) True, the selection is very small at this time, but why buy from the highest priced source when others at more reasonable prices are out there?

[LenH]

I haven't bought a Lyman mold in nearly 40 years. Some of the molds I have bought lately are from NOE and they are not cheap but they are high quality molds.
I need to look at my boxes for the first Lyman Mold from the early 80's. My memory isn't that good but a DC mold was less than $20.

[Dom]

It's not only Lyman. Other mold makers as well. I just received a two cavity mold from a well known maker . Cost me $106. It's everything. Look at the cost of a new pick up. I remember well when gas was .18 cents a gallon.

[DocSavage]

Company catalogs prices are MSRP vendors such as Mid South and the like pay less from the company (dealer price) co they can offer a discount and still make a profit. Consider that labor cost,material costs have jncreased and supply/demand will effect the price of items . Case in point primers haven't checked prices lately but I suspect the going price for 1000 primers is at least 2 to 3 times normal retail.

[zarrinvz24]

Recently I purchased 2 Lyman 2C molds NIB. They are both NOS, were in the cellophane wrap and had the slotted sprue lock screw. They were marked with a price dated 1994 and they sold for $49.95. I'd say that in nearly 30 years the dollar has devalued significantly more than the 50% that Lyman has increased the price. Not too bad overall. It has gotten to the point though that I only buy used molds. If I'm going to buy a new one, its straight to SAECO or a custom cut iron mold from Accurate.

[Winger Ed.]

Keep an eye on ebay and S&S.

There's some good deals on both, but you need to check often.
The good deals don't stay up on the ads very long.

If ya see a real deal, grab it.
It probably won't be there when you get done comparison shopping, and thinking about it.

[Tar Heel]

I have no idea why you reference the Lyman catalog prices when there is a vendor with Lyman molds in stock for 76.11.

Because my post is a lamentation. For an effective lamentation I needed to locate the highest price. If I had lamented about used molds costing $45, it would have been a very ineffective lamentation. :-)

Thank God it wasn't a Lee mold. That would have made it a Leemantation.

[Hodagtrapper]

For us "Old School" guys, these inflationary times seem out of control. To the Newbie, it's what the Market will bear. Newbies have a lifetime of use ahead of them to amortize the higher cost. If you are considering the purchase of a mold today - good luck. Perhaps you can find one that doesn't offend your financial future, used, on a back channel, or WTB ad. Might have to wait a bit...or, if time isn't on your side, bite the boolit, so to speak. A 50% runup (+/-) in fixed cost to GO is exorbitant. The alternative is NO GO. What's in your wallet?

I like the way you think!

Chris

[Winger Ed.]

Because my post is a lamentation. For an effective lamentation I needed to locate the highest price. .


Stand up comedians and on stage performers would say, "Gosh...... This is a hard room to play".:bigsmyl2:

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Wow! I have 118 boolit molds, at those prices it would cost over $10,000 to replace

[zarrinvz24]

Wow! I have 118 boolit molds, at those prices it would cost over $10,000 to replace

The days of $49 M-N M44’s and M38’s are long past as well. Like all things firearm related: one can’t pay too much, only purchase too soon.

[frkelly74]

I got a 278 460, almost new, off ebay for around $70 the other day. It is Ideal marked and casts a dandy boolit , two at a time.

[Harter66]

I found an RCBS mould about 9 yr ago and was ready to buy it but the shipping ran the $79.99 mould right up to $100 . That was when I bought my first NOE . For $109 to the door I got 5 cavities instead of 2 .

You're right it doesn't take a PhD to see the value .

[dbosman]

My view is that molds are an investment to be managed. It took me a while to come to this.
I purchase any mold I want and cast a bunch. If the bullet is useful it's a long term investment. If something else better comes along, it's a new investment. Like other investments, I hold for the long term and re-evaluate in a couple of years or earlier if a situation changes.
If the bullets aren't useful, it's for sale. Unlike a lot of other investments, molds tend to retain value. I hedge by casting a few hundred or a couple of thousand to store against future needs.

[John Boy]

I keep telling the Mrs …. My bullet molds value is better than money in the bank …

[Tar Heel]

stand up comedians and on stage performers would say, "gosh...... This is a hard room to play".:bigsmyl2:

truth!!!

[rototerrier]

In today's market, you can produce over $100 in boolits in the first casting. Prices are high, but it's hard to complain when the mold pays for itself right out of the gate.

Predicated on a fella already having a healthy stash of cheap lead on hand... Which I'd surely hope all of us seasoned casters have.

If you have to buy the mold and the lead, ouch.

[Land Owner]

We're delving into the atmosphere of value averaging, purchasing "stock" prior to a runup at a reasonable "discount", purchasing during a runup as "exorbitant", and selling(? did I see written) after a runup. Guns, ammo, consumable ammo components, and fixed cost reloading items ARE better at returning value than STOCKS if, AND ONLY IF, you SELL(!), and sell for what you paid for them, OR BETTER.

After a lifetime of use, and the cost "savings" realized in considerable recreational/hobby shooting, selling an item for what you paid, OR BETTER, is icing on the cake. You cannot take this stuff with you, which will outlast us by several lifetimes. You can PROFIT from your investment in equipment and components through the American Public's "thurst" for defense and recreation. It's a GOLD MINE.

[farmbif]

if you like to shoot often the cost of a mould is that that much when compared to the price of pre cast or jacketed bullets these days especially when it come to larger calibers. to feed a 35 rem or 35 whelen these days your looking at at least 50 cents a bullet. those 50 cents adds up pretty darn quick. or now a days the 45-70 is all the rage how much do those bullets cost?
but then again if Lyman molds are now MSRP at $100+ they better be pretty darn sure they don't cast undersize bullets

[zarrinvz24]

if you like to shoot often the cost of a mould is that that much when compared to the price of pre cast or jacketed bullets these days especially when it come to larger calibers. to feed a 35 rem or 35 whelen these days your looking at at least 50 cents a bullet. those 50 cents adds up pretty darn quick. or now a days the 45-70 is all the rage how much do those bullets cost?
but then again if Lyman molds are now MSRP at $100+ they better be pretty darn sure they don't cast undersize bullets

For about the last 5 years they've been doing much better. I've got a recent 356402 that I'll be listing for sale in a few weeks that drops at .358 from all 4 cavities. If companies like Accurate or NOE didn't exist then I would say this is a good move for Lyman, but when a production mold is now nearly the same cost as a semi-custom, its hard to not pay the slight excess and get exactly what one wants.