How much quicker is a 6 cavity

[Jevyod]

Does anyone know about how much faster it is casting with a 6 cavity vs a 2 cavity mold? I doubt it's 3x faster, because I assume getting 6 bullets to drop takes longer than a 2 cavity mold. Speaking of Lee molds. So with a 2 cavity 10mm 175 tc mold it took me about 4.5-5 hrs to cast 1000 bullets. How much could I reasonably expect a 6 cavity to cut down on that time? And is it worth it to you casting with a 6 cavity vs a 2?

[Winger Ed.]

If both molds are in good shape and don't have 'issues'--- Actually, the 6 hole one is noticeably faster than only 3x as fast.

You are only pouring, letting cool, and cutting one sprue, then opening the mold one time to drop 6 boolits instead of 2.
If it takes 15 seconds to pour & drop 2 boolits in a double, it'd take about 20 seconds to drop 6 with the other.
More time is made up since you won't make as many trips back & forth from pouring to dropping.

If it took you 4-ish hours to cast 1,000 with a 2 hole--
You could probably drop 1,000 in about one hour or less with a 6 cavity.

[kevin c]

By way of comparison, using a single 8 cavity MP mold, a bottom pour with a feeder pot, and inspecting and culling as I go (which means I could go much faster with the limiting factor being mold overheating), I can comfortably cast around 800 keepers an hour.

Action pistol consumes a lot of boolits if you practice and compete regularly (25K a year is easy), so anything that reduces quality ammo production time is a plus.

[wilecoyote]

among other things, I feel the 6 cav. better balanced when it is placed over the mouth of the Lee pot to warm up while the alloy melts,
I started with the six, and where possible I always preferred the six.
with a little dexterity, two 6cav. they can be managed alternatively during the same casting,
with extreme advantage
I've never timed myself, but the downside is that the production of any other mold seems painfully slow by comparison, and this counts when you work indoors, with a mask.

[ACC]

Does anyone know about how much faster it is casting with a 6 cavity vs a 2 cavity mold? I doubt it's 3x faster, because I assume getting 6 bullets to drop takes longer than a 2 cavity mold. Speaking of Lee molds. So with a 2 cavity 10mm 175 tc mold it took me about 4.5-5 hrs to cast 1000 bullets. How much could I reasonably expect a 6 cavity to cut down on that time? And is it worth it to you casting with a 6 cavity vs a 2?

A Lot! No more two cavities for me!

ACC

[45DUDE]

I just bought a 6 cavity LEE 125 38 flat base that drops at .360 and a 6 cavity 228 flat base that drops .454 and they fall like pecans. I size lube anyway so they are great for me. A six cavity LEE is lighter than a two cavity iron. My six cavity H&G makes my left arm larger. They took about 100 boolits to drop good.

[D.Bullets]

I cast 250+ of .452/230 gr. in a Lee 6 cavity. Once pot was ready it took about 30 min. and the pot was low on lead. Mold gets to hot if you go to fast. I would touch it to a damp soaking spong (a few seconds) to maintain temp before each cast. You should be able to drop 6 every 35 to 40 seconds.

[sukivel]

A Lot! No more two cavities for me!

ACC

Yep, same here!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MT Gianni]

I would rather cast with a quality 4 cavity than any of the 6 cavity molds I own. Just saying, look at accurate, NOE, Mihec and some others. Even a well broke in Lyman just rains bullets. The Lees bring out the hammer handles for tapping.

[GhostHawk]

I'm with WingerEd, more than 3x as fast. And I feel like they are built better.

Granted they do benefit from some prep work. Finding any burrs on the cavity edges, polishing them out with a bamboo skewer or similar does help a lot.

I have been slowly replacing all the 2 cav molds I use with 6 cavity where I can.

[Dub_from_GA]

I'm with WingerEd, more than 3x as fast. And I feel like they are built better.

Granted they do benefit from some prep work. Finding any burrs on the cavity edges, polishing them out with a bamboo skewer or similar does help a lot.

I have been slowly replacing all the 2 cav molds I use with 6 cavity where I can.


I'm just now getting the stuff I need to get started.

I saw the Memorial Day sales this weekend and ordered two Lee 2-cavity molds (one for 9mm/.38Super & the other for .45acp swc) and then thought about it and went back and ordered the Lee 6-cavities for the same bullet styles. I figured I'd get started with the 2-cavity and get my sea legs beneath me....and then hopefully grow my skills to use the 6-cavities.

Looking forward to casting, coating & sizing my own.

Sure has taken me long enough to finally get around to it.

[pworley1]

For me it is 3x as fast. I always cast with 2 molds at a time. This gives enough time for the sprue to cool, so I pour one then empty the other then repeat. Sometimes it will be a six cavity and a two cavity so 3x.

[farmerjim]

As pworley1, I use 2 6 cavity molds at a time for all my high use boolits. For some of the low use bollits, I will still use 2 molds but of different caliber.

[Dusty Bannister]

OP mentions casting the Lee 175 grain bullet in a 6 cav mold.
That will use 1,050 grains per cycle to fill the cavities, and perhaps another 200 grains in sprue puddle. You will get 5.6 pours per pound. Running the pot dry is never a good idea due to dross being drawn into the nozzle area so many will top off the pot at half full. Then there is the waiting time for the pot to return to casting temperature. This is where you lose time of production. A second pot would be needed and then you will also have to stop and clear the bullet drop area of castings so you do not drop soft bullets on hard bullets and dent the freshly cast bullets.

It would be a shame to turn a relaxing and productive casting session into a race to produce bullets that are about "good enough", but could be better with a bit more attention to the quality and not the quantity. But we are all the final word on quality control of our own efforts.

[georgerkahn]

Does anyone know about how much faster it is casting with a 6 cavity vs a 2 cavity mold? I doubt it's 3x faster, because I assume getting 6 bullets to drop takes longer than a 2 cavity mold. Speaking of Lee molds. So with a 2 cavity 10mm 175 tc mold it took me about 4.5-5 hrs to cast 1000 bullets. How much could I reasonably expect a 6 cavity to cut down on that time? And is it worth it to you casting with a 6 cavity vs a 2?

Being three-quarters of a century old (75), I need add/comment that the big multiple cavity moulds do come at a cost -- their weight! Whether your mould is aluminum, iron, or brass -- what's going in the cavities is lead! A few years back -- when into Bullseye big time -- I went gang-busters with a H&G 8 cavity mould. Unbelievably quicker production than the Ideal single-cavity I started with! But -- and it is a big "but" -- as the years passed the 8-cavity kind of stopped being fun to use. As were :( my 6-cavity moulds.
Now I pretty much -- 99% of the time -- use double- and single- cavities.
Just another factor to consider in your decision, Jevyod.
geo

[Hickok]

For me, the 6 cavity molds are much faster than the 2 cavity molds.

It is amazing how many bullets the 6 cavities will throw in a couple of hours of casting!:cbpour:

[Harles Dawson]

Does anyone know about how much faster it is casting with a 6 cavity vs a 2 cavity mold? I doubt it's 3x faster, because I assume getting 6 bullets to drop takes longer than a 2 cavity mold. Speaking of Lee molds. So with a 2 cavity 10mm 175 tc mold it took me about 4.5-5 hrs to cast 1000 bullets. How much could I reasonably expect a 6 cavity to cut down on that time? And is it worth it to you casting with a 6 cavity vs a 2?

I usually empty my 40 pound Master Pot in about 45 minutes with my Lee 6 cavity molds. They’re very good molds. Depends on caliber, the number of bullets I get per pot. About 600 with .44s and .45 s, about 1000 with 9mm and .38s.

[gwpercle]

Don't forget alloy supply ... to cast with one or two 6 cavity moulds you want a lot of metal hot , up to temp and ready to cast ... at least two 20 pound pots ... casting from one while the other heats / melts more lead .
A 40 lb. pot is good if you can get one .

Even casting with 1 & 2 cavity moulds you waste way too much time with those small 5 & 10 pound pots ... go large pot .

I increased my production by going to a 3 cavity mould and 20 lb. Lee Magnum Melter ... I pressure cast with a spouted ladle ... my old 10 lb. pot was slowing things to a crawl .
Gary

[MEHecker]

Save your money up for a while longer. Started out on the Lee 2 hole for 45 Auto Rim and .357. They do get the job done. The six hole get the job done faster with the same quality of bullets. I don't shoot very much but my grandkids love the amount of shells I can make.

[mdntranger50]

I still only use 2 cavity because I already have a dozen of them and I'm kind of slow anyways, not just physically but mentally too.

[dverna]

Being three-quarters of a century old (75), I need add/comment that the big multiple cavity moulds do come at a cost -- their weight! Whether your mould is aluminum, iron, or brass -- what's going in the cavities is lead! A few years back -- when into Bullseye big time -- I went gang-busters with a H&G 8 cavity mould. Unbelievably quicker production than the Ideal single-cavity I started with! But -- and it is a big "but" -- as the years passed the 8-cavity kind of stopped being fun to use. As were :( my 6-cavity moulds.
Now I pretty much -- 99% of the time -- use double- and single- cavities.
Just another factor to consider in your decision, Jevyod.
geo

I am in the same boat wrt to not being physically able to use the larger molds for extended periods. I miss the productivity of my old H&G wo cavity but it not the effort needed.

After selling some "useless" toys I invested in a Master Caster. 350-400/hr with a two cavity in that machine is good enough for the amount of shooting I do now.

I am too lazy to use a normal two cavity mold as the productivity is low. But I only shoot cast in pistol calibers so that factors into it.

Like in most areas of this hobby, there is no one perfect answer for everyone.

[Harter66]

I make about 50-60 pours per fatigue set . That's 40-50 singles , 110 out of a double , 200 + from a 4 , 325 from a 6 , and nearly 500 from the 8c H&G monster because at 1/4 lb at a time I have to reload the pot to pour 50 times .

I spend the same 90 min or so for 100 or 3-500 .

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Assuming the molds to be compared, function equally well, then it all depends on the mold as to how fast one will cast. One thing few people take into consideration when making/designing a mold, is the ratio of mold block mass, to the mass of alloy in and on the cavity/cavities. That ratio plays into how long it takes for the alloy to properly freeze, as well as, the temp range where the mold needs to be. If the ratio isn't perfect, adjusting casting cadence is the go to factor to fix it, but adjusting alloy temp can help bring that into sync also.

Actually there is a lot more to it, with different mold materials and how they dissipate heat, ambient air conditions and such...But this is a internet forum, not a Ted Talk.

[Randy Bohannon]

Nothing but two holers for me ,all big and long bullets . No Lee moulds or aluminum both inferior to iron or brass than what is available from good mould makers.

[rintinglen]

The 6 holer is faster, but not three times as fast. I find that the increased volume of hot lead takes longer to cool in the 6 cavity, so I get fewer casts per minute, but more boolits per cast. I guess that I average a bit more than twice as many per minute. But something else that factors in is the number of keepers. If I muff a pour on a 2 cavity, and only get one keeper, I've lost half that time. But in the six-banger, I still get 5 good boolits, so the production rate is still higher.

Another thing that affects production rate issue is mold material and mold quality. My 5 cavity NOE molds generally produce more keepers per cast for me than my 6 cavity LEE molds, due to the differences in the amount and alloy of aluminum used in the blocks, despite being having fewer cavities.

But no matter what, for me, it's "four or more" when it comes to cavities. Life's to short to spend casting.

[BJung]

There is a trade-off. The 6 cavity is faster. I never timed the speed but if I were to guess how many bullets I'd have from casting with a 6 cavity vs 2 cavity mold, I'd have almost 3x more. Yet, if I were to weigh the same amount of bullets cast from each set of molds, the 2 cavity mold cast bullets are more consistent. I cast bullets from a 2 cavity mold and using one cavity, the bullet weight was about the same The 6 cavity molds consistently cast two weight groups.

[Harter66]

Nothing but two holers for me ,all big and long bullets . No Lee moulds or aluminum both inferior to iron or brass than what is available from good mould makers.

I don't know. I have an NOE aluminum 461-543 3 cav that casts every bit as nice a bullet as the MP 462-420 PB/HB 2 cav and either of the singles in 458193 or 45-500 . I'll tell you I'll pour 4 260-120s 2 ea in the aluminum NOE faster easier lighter and generally more enjoyably than with 258312 4 c Lyman.

The 461-543 is supposed to be a 535 gr and they drop 3 at a time +-2 gr over the course of 12# of metal . I get almost that with both of the singles , the 458193 is only a 405 but runs 414.8-416 while the 45-500 runs 531-534 . If I want a bunch of 45 cal 200 or 255 SWC I'm not getting out the 45-200 RCBS or the 454424 singles I'm getting out the the 8 cavity H G #130 or the aluminum NOE version of the 454424 5 cavity that again casts within 1.5 gr vs my 7mm-168 that drops a 176 and a 178 gr bullet with +-1 gr .

Now the Lees are their own special thing and the 452-255 6c gives me 4 265s , 1 263 , and a 267 but it's consistent.

[Rich/WIS]

All my pistol bullets are cast with the Lee 6 cavity molds and ingots set on the same hotplate I pre-heat my molds on. Usually take a break every 200 bullets and add alloy at that time. By the time my break is over pot is at temp and have at it again. Counting pre-heat on the mold, pot coming to temp, and break time will usually end up with about 1K bullets in less than 2 hours. Even rifle bullets in NOE 5 cavity molds run near that many in the same time frame. Don't know about 3X but definitely 2X+.

[Bigslug]

I mostly run 4 holers, but the math for me is that the pour takes only very slightly longer, and the waiting on the sprue takes the same amount of time. If they're running equally well, it's a significant increase in speed.

Some folks have physical issues with the weight of the larger molds; my biggest challenge is my butt and lower back sitting for long periods - making a large number of bullets in a low count mold has a number of death march qualities to it. I was gifted a 10-cavity H&G .38 wadcutter mold which drains a pot in an astonishingly short period of time - even accounting for re-melting and re-pouring the large sprues. It's a hefty, probably 8 pound chunk of iron, but I wish I had that format for my other molds.

[Huskerguy]

I generally cast at two different times of the year, early spring and late fall. When it warms up like it is now, not much casting gets done unless I am completely out of something. This is more like powder coating season.

All the talk about 2 versus 6 and the weight is a consideration. I am 69 and in pretty good shape, I work out and lift weights but nothing prepares you for the rigors of casting. It is just doing something different your body is not accustomed to. Getting your pot at the right height, do you drop bullets in a bucket or on a table and at what height and what do you do with the sprues are all factors other than just 2 or 6 cavities. I am very right handed, usually consider my left hand a counterbalance weight but I have learned to run the pot lever and the mold with each hand to switch off. It avoids that repetitive motion syndrome. I have my system pretty well down. I usually do something around the garage as my pot heats the lead up and my mold(s) are on the hot plate. Get my fan set up and my wet towel ready to dump on and then get with it. By the time my 20lb Lee is about 3/4 empty I am ready for a break. This is a good time to dump more lead in the pot, sort the cast bullets and store them, rest the arms and get back to it. Rarely do I ever pour just one style/weight of bullet so if one is a bit more finicky than the other, it gets done first while I am a bit more fresh. Also for me, I have tried two molds but can't seem to find the advantage. About the time the mold gets that hot, I am slowing down anyway and setting mold on a wet towel for a second or two.

Try some different things but for heavens sake, go with the 6 cavity Lees over the 2's. I have a couple two cavities and I find their quality to be extremely lacking. Best of luck

[Txcowboy52]

As others have said, a lot faster! Only why to go as far as I’m concerned!

[Iowa Fox]

I have may 12-15 Lee 6 cav and about 6 Lee 2 cav.

Every mold always pours a little different but on a sweet casting 6 cav using a good mold guide under a bottom pour the rate is much faster. Plus you don't fatigue yourself as quickly. Even my old Lyman/Ideal steel 4 cav are much faster than a 2 cav.

[popper]

Wore out the old Lee 2x mold, just use 4x Accurate molds now for pistol. 2x for rifle. Had a Lee 6x 30/30 mold, sold it, too heavy for me, old. Retired so speed is no big thing.

[Larry Gibson]

How can a 4 or 6 cavity mould not be faster than a 1 or 3 cavity mould?

Fatigue? I use a bottom pour Lyman Mag 20 with a mould guide for the blocks to sit on while pouring and a piece of plywood or an asbestos M60 mitt for the blocks to sit on while the sprue cools. I get 600 +/- bullets per pot of alloy and the only thing that gets "fatigued" is mu hind end. from sitting 4 hours or so BTW; I'm 76 years old and casting has never been a chore for me.

When using 1 and 2 cavity moulds I cast using 2 or 3 moulds......pour the alloy, set the mould down, fill the next mould, set that one down, pour the 3rd one set it down and by then the 1st moulds sprue is hard so I open the sprue plate (I wear thick gloves and open the sprue plate by hand), dump the bullets out, close the plate, fill the mould, set it down and move on to the next mould. That method can cast bullets pretty fast but still not as fast as with a 4 or 6 cavity mould. Sometimes with Lyman 4 cavity or Lee 6 cavity moulds I'll even run 2 moulds at the same time.

Amazing how much faster the piles of bullets add up with the 4 and 6 cavity moulds as compared to 1 or 2 cavity moulds.

[M-Tecs]

I started casting in 1968 with 4 cavity Lymans. In the 80's I fell in love with H&G 10 cavity molds. I still love 10 cavity molds. 1 or 2 cavity molds not so much but they are a necessary evil for BPCR or some of the other high end accuracy applications.

[Gobeyond]

I’m with the guy who said quality not quantity. I do ladle casting one cavity or two. I appreciate the speed of the two. Twice as many. Competition shooters and authors agree, slow and easy produce the best boolits, one at a time. I spend two and half hours to make a hundred. I’m slow I get that, but I don’t get a wrinkle with a Lyman or my accurate. I just bought a four cavity mp but I think it’s going to be too heavy. Unless I can grueling through just 25 or thirty pours. If I can I’ll be sold.

It weighs one kilogram empty on the end of two pond handles. Sure formula for tendonitis. Any tips to manage weight?

[rcslotcar]

I have some very heavy H$G multi cavity (8-10) molds. I bought a 4x4" "Lab Jack" to hold up these molds while using my bottom pouring pot This lab jack is a arm saver using these awesome heavy molds. You can adjust mold height in seconds with a screw adjustment and makes the mold steady to pour. I secured the jack to the pot base with screws. The jack can be bought for around 40$ so shop around. For an older person like me this has made casting a lot easier. I hope this helps some one else out, so bring out that old heavy multi cavity mold again!!!

[jdgabbard]

I'm not sure how much faster it is, but I have a heck of a time keeping the pot full of melt when using a 6-cav. Generally after 30-40mins I'm pausing to load it up with fresh ingots. Generally I cast around 500 at a time before fatigue sets in and I need a break. Which is usually around 10lbs of alloy. After that I either rest while it's melting and then resume when I'm back up to temp, or just allow it to melt, flux, and set aside for next time. Sometimes if I'm feeling particularly good (usually winter time when it isn't as hot in the shop) I'll keep going...

But it is significantly faster than casting with a 2-cavity. While I can usually get a few hundred an hour out of a two cavity or a nice one cavity, the 6 cavity generally gets me close to 4-500 after 30-40 minutes. Some molds take longer though, especially HP molds. But a Lee 6-cav 452-228-2R will run the 20lb pot dry before an hour is up. I'd probably just start to be getting close to empty on a 125-130gr boolit when an hour approaches.