RCBS 2 Cav Mold Handles?

[Manns50]

I bought this mold a few years ago I'm guessing. Cant remember where I ordered it from , just now getting around to using it. I remember when ordering the mold something came up about the handles and they told me Lyman Handles would work and I ordered those as well. That ended up being total BS, took them both out of the package, cleaned the packaging oil off......and no go. Thickness of the arms match the mold slots but the hole is drilled the wrong place. Quality of the RCBS handles doesn't look that great for $54....anyone have any input or suggestions? I've seen some used for the commercial handles but I've read so I'm having to modify those. Is my only option the RCBS handles??

[Mk42gunner]

Down in the mold section there is a sticky about mold handles, and what can be made to fit what.

I will say that RCBS handles are about three or four steps higher in quality than the least expensive but easily modified Lee six cavity handles. I bought all my RCBS handless used, so have never paid retail for any of them. I would do a lot of shopping around before I paid $54 for a set of handles (unless they had a mold attached).

Robert

[Minerat]

Here's the link.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?154184-Lee-6-Cavity-Handle-interchange-Use-list

[Winger Ed.]

I mix & match them, but you do have to drill a second set of holes.

The new ones have a different thickness for one company's handles, but you can thin them out to make 'em work.

[Manns50]

Thank you for the link.

[Minerat]

You're welcome.

[lightman]

I just bite the bullet and use RCBS handles on their molds. I watch Midway and catch them on sale. I keep an extra pair in my mold storage box. I use Lee commercial handles on my Accurate molds but I've never tried to modify them for anything else.

[Land Owner]

There are numerous "fix it" posts here about handles. The "problems" I have made for myself, other than complete failure to fit (buying them too small), have been rough handling in knocking wood handles off of their cast insert (there is a fix for that), even splitting wood handles (there is a fix for that too). You will know when you've been too rough, the handles split, or come off the inserts...flesh gets HOT real fast. There is a Learning Curve in mold handling...

Some casters have coordinated the return of "failures" to the retail seller and gotten differing levels of satisfaction from "sure - replacement" to "sorry - your mistake", ymmv. Some casters purchase a single set of handles that are "common" to their various molds and then use one set interchangeably, avoiding redundancy and cost. Some casters purchase a set of handles for every mold, no sharing. To each his own.

[Manns50]

I ended up modifying this Lyman handles to fit....on the day Amazon delivered the Lee handles. I looked at the Lee and they needed to be ground down. Not sure why I just didnt attempt to modify the Lyman in the first place, they are better built than the Lee so rather than let them set as spares, do some modding.
Had to grind down the surface further back, got the mold to fit and function like it should but they were about a 16th from closing down all the way to keep the mold clamped shut. So I ground the inside tip of each handle a bit. Worked great after that, I'll just keep the Lee's as spares.