time for some light chit chat - what is your oldest Mould actual and design.

[JBMauser]

It occured to me that the 311 291 which I have is still very popular is very old as mould designs go. I understand that designs change over time with the same number but this one seems very close to original. The oldest actual mould I have is a Ideal with fixed handles 308 290 (similar to the 311 284 210gr.). I don't know how old it is but it is not listed in my lyman 36. but line listed in my cast bullet manual 3rd ed. What is your oldest mould and oldest design?

[9.3X62AL]

My oldest active mold is the Lyman SC #257312 I got recently from a board member's referral. It has no vent lines, but a former user etched some in place that function rather well--the mold is a pleasure to cast with.

Somewhere around here I have an Ideal RB x .715" mold that I cannot locate right now. I've never heated it up. It is the very old unitized handles and block arrangement, non-detachable blocks in other words.

[beagle]

I guess the oldest mould I have age wise (not design wise) is a integral handle Ideal. Now, this old boy has been through the wars.

It's a SC 311397 and someone has HP'd it using the Cramer method.

Then it has been modified so that when you open the handles, it bumps the screw for the captive HP pin and you just turn it over and dump the bullet.

Kind of crude work or maybe it's been rode hard over the years but it still shoots all right from a .30/30. With that big HP, it now had a flat nose./beagle

[crazy mark]

I have 2 that look to be the same age. One is only marked on the sprue plate with the Idealname and 44-40. It has the integral handles. The other one is marked 358246. The 308291 nose mould I have looks to be just a little newer.

[NVcurmudgeon]

JB Mauser,

Oldest actual mould is an Ideal 311413. This mould has no vent lines and doesn't seem to need them as it is one of the best casting moulds I have. My guess is 1950, give or take five years.

Somewhat newer, as they have vent lines are an Ideal 452374 and an Ideal 311291. As I inherited these two from my father-in-law I can definitely date them to the early 1960's. My guess is that one of these two is the oldest design. BTW don't hang your hat on a 311291 that "seems very close to original." Between BruceB, Nevada Duke, and I, we have four moulds of this number. They are of three distinct shapes!

[BD]

I don't really know. I have a couple of Lyman-Ideal molds and an a H&G #130 with the original handles, both stamped San Diego. Cal. Some of the older Lymans are better to cast than others, but the H&G is a dream. BD

[KCSO]

My current oldest mould is a Round Ball mould for a 50 cal. that dates from about 1860-70. I also use my old Ideal moulds and a Winchester Mould for 38-55 that date to the 1880's. I still have my first mould a Lyman RB in .437 and I have #2 which was a 31141 bought used in 1969. The oldest mould I have used was a soapstone mould with wooden pins that cast a .69 round ball and dated to the revolution. I borrowed this from a local collector and made a copy of it for myself. I had a couple of old Kentucky RB moulds that dated from the 1830's or so, but sold them to collectors as they didn't cast well. As you can see if it still casts a good bullet I will use it.

[Wayne Smith]

My oldest is probably the hand made (machinist made?) brass mold I have for the .46 CF round, which was a round made in the transition between C&B and cartridge rounds. I'd guess that places it in the 1865-1875 range.

If anyone knows a collector who would like it, pm or e-mail me. If anyone knows someone who has a .46 CF and wants to use it, have them contact me first!

[nvbirdman]

Ideal SC 311359 Middlefield Conn USA

[drinks]

I have a rusty old mold, I cast bullets in for my cousin to use in his Stevens ss .32-20, back about '55, it is marked Colt .31, drops a .34 ball and a .34 conical, the sprue plate is homemade.
I also have a .34 Kirkland I bought from Turner Kirkland 1n '66 when I got my repro H&A .36 underhammer, I faced off the top and installed a sprue plate several years ago.
Don

[Maven]

My oldest mold is a one-piece single cavity mold block/handle Ideal #321232, which was too good to pass up. The design is such that it may have been used for Schuetzen matches: The body is tapered with many lube grooves ala a Guy Loverin design minus the gas check. However, the nose is essentially that of #33041/#31141. Btw, even though there are no vent lines on either block, it casts perfectly (~175gr.). Sized to .314", it's fairly accurate in my SKS and Mod. 1909 Arg. Mau. with light charges of WC 820.

[Bent Ramrod]

I have one of the integral-handled Ideal "tip" molds, that cast a soft nose portion for placing in another mold, which was then filled with harder lead for the bullet body. Also have one of those Ideal one-piece paper patch bullet molds with an 1893 patent date. I would guess they're 100 years old, anyway.

The tip mold is marked "308291" but doesn't seem to have the same profile as any 308291 or 311291 mold I've found. It's kind of midway between being rounded and pointed. As NVCurmudgeon noted, subtle changes occurred in the shapes of these cavities over the years, even though the numbers stayed the same.

[carpetman]

I have a mold marked 175B.C. The instructions say while guns have not been invented,when they are,for best results use FWFBL.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
My oldest mold was a Lyman .38 mold 158 gr. kieth style swc pb. bought 1970.
Then a Lyman 250 gr. kieth style swc W/ gc. bought about 1972.

[Ross]

When did Winchester stop making moulds? I have several of the later types, as well as a three cavity Lyon & Boyd .45-70 from about the turn of the century. (cf. Gun Report, October 2002, p.36, 38.)
Cheers from Darkest California,
Ross