2 cavity or 6 cavity ???

[Joe C]

Hi

Looking for some advice .

I need to pick up a Lee 44 cal mold.
I was looking at either the 240 gr RN , or the 240 swc tumble lube .
These bullets will be for some INFORMAL cowboy type shooting , and i don't need a lot of bullets.
I was wondering if there are any more "problems" associated with a 6 cavity mold than with the 2 cavity ?

Is it worth having the 6 cavity for the 100 -or so rounds i might?? shoot in a month??

Most of these bullets will be shot out of a 44 carbine at 100 yd targets.
For the type of shooting i will do , i would put a little more priority in accuracy than in production

That being said , will i maybe get more consistant bullets from the 2 cavity mold. ?

Also , would the "regular " 240 gr RN , or the 240 gr tumble lube be a better choice of bullet .
Wondering if the tumble lube might be better , or if i should just dig out the lube-sizer and go with a conventional type bullet .

thanks

Joe

[MT Gianni]

In general, 2 cavity Lees have more problems than 6 cavity. They have however served me OK through the years. I would stay away from a rn in a carbine but don't care for tumble lube molds as a personal preference. 6 cavity's will get you boolits fast in either design. A 2 cavity will certainly do 100+ a month for many years. I am old fashioned enough to tell you to look for the LY429421 but the reality is the Lee TL should do OK.

[DLCTEX]

I lube TL designs in my lubesizer as I really don't like getting lube on the noses of boolits. I do not own a 6 cav. as yet, but do have a lot of Lee moulds in 1 and 2 cav.(22-476) and have cast loads of good boolits with them. If you decide you don't like a particular mould, you haven't spent much. However the Lee moulds seem to keep their value very well.

[beanflip]

Go six cavity cause you are going to have an addiction that cant be cured by a 2 cavity mold.
Also the 2 cavity mold have problems with the alignment pins.

Just my 2¢ worth of a very addicting hobby

[mooman76]

I'd get the 2 cavity if you aren't going to use it allot anyway. I have alot of 2 cavity and have yet to wear one out and some I got used. I have never had an issue with allignment pins. Sometimes they forget to set the pins holding it to the handles but that is an easy fix. The 6x sometimes take awhile to get going good and it is a max production so it isn't as worth wile to use unless you are going to make up quite a few hundred. Besides if you deside you don't like the bullet, it's a lot cheaper to switch.

[fredj338]

I like the design of the 6cavs better. The cost isn't much more & you don't have to use all 6cavs if you don't want. If I only wanted a 3cav I would likely go iron form RCBS or Saeco, then Lyman.

[BSkerj]

I would go with the 6 cav. If nothing else you will have a set of handles that will work on other moulds plus be able to throw more boolits giving you more time to shoot or reload. JMO

[sagacious]

Hi

Looking for some advice .

Is it worth having the 6 cavity for the 100 -or so rounds i might?? shoot in a month??
Joe,
Yes, it is worth getting the 6-cavity mold. The alignment pins are far better and more durable, the sprue cutting is much smoother and easier, the handles are nicer to use and much better constructed. It's simply a nicer tool to use than the 2-cav molds.

100+- rounds a month is 1200+- rounds a year. A six cavity mold will allow you you spend less time casting and fewer casting sessions, and more time doing other things.


Most of these bullets will be shot out of a 44 carbine at 100 yd targets.
For the type of shooting i will do , i would put a little more priority in accuracy than in production

That being said , will i maybe get more consistant bullets from the 2 cavity mold. ?
That's a reasonable theory, but the alignment system on the 6-cav molds is far superior to the 2-cav's. The LEE 6-cav molds are such a good deal that it's hard to think of a reason to not buy them. The primary advantage to the 2-cav's is that they allow folks on a really tight budget to get into casting.


Also , would the "regular " 240 gr RN , or the 240 gr tumble lube be a better choice of bullet .
Wondering if the tumble lube might be better , or if i should just dig out the lube-sizer and go with a conventional type bullet .

thanks

Joe
I shoot a lot of 44Mag through my Ruger 77/44 carbine. It's very accurate and a heckuva lot of fun to shoot. Since you'll be shooting a carbine, and you already have a lubrisizer, you might perhaps consider the standard wax-lube version of the 240gr bullet, as your carbine barrel could benefit from a bullet that carries a lot of lube. With the standard design, you may also have a little more control over type of lube, and sizing.

Good luck.

[Shiloh]

6 Cav. LEE molds are much better made than the two cav. They have steel locator pins going into steel sleeves pressed into the mold. Two cav. mold have a steel bar seating into the aluminum block.

6 banger mold are the way to go. One can create a mountain of boolits in short order. I love 'em!! I also enjoy the sheer convenience tumble lube boolits.

Shiloh

[cajun shooter]

The Quality Control at Lee is a give and take thing. I have sent 4 of them back in the last two years. Most if not all were dropping undersized bullets. I purchased them to cowboy shoot. You said that you were cowboy shooting at 100 yds. I have yet to see one of these matches as the max distance is 50 yds. If you want to become a better shooter you need to shoot more than your 100 rounds also. The RCBS, Lyman and Saeco are much bettrer two cavity molds. They are slow but make good bullets. You can buy another and speed up production. Springfield Slim on this forum has had some of the same problems with the Lee 6 cavity molds. If you don't care if one cavity drops a .450 bullet and the next a .453 then you will not notice a problem. There will be a lot of I have had this Lee for 10 years and it is perfect. That may be so but they are not the norm.

[roggom]

Cajun and others, with regard to alignment. I only have 2 cavity molds, and two of them I must gently tap the bottom of the mold to correctly align it after each bullet drop. Is this the alignment issue you all refer to? Should I send it back? I only ask because I would hate to send it back and have the new one do the same thing.

Thanks

[Wayne S]

+ 1+ for 6 cavity, one casting session with it and you can be done casting for a while.
TL, size in a Lee sizer then TL again useing either the 45/45/10 TL mix or just cut the LLA with mineral spirits and you are good to go. If you are worried about the exposed lubed bullets in a rifle, just wipe them down with a rag & MS , wheel guns /no problems

[Springfield]

I have lots of six cavity LEE's and a few 2 cavity. If you are an experienced caster then I would say go with the 6 cav, otherwise go with the 2. You can do 100 bullets with the 2 in about 25 minutes or so. Go for an hour and you are good for a few months. The 6 cavs are great for volume, but they are slightly more difficult to get going right every session unless you use them often. In your case you would get it up to heat, cast about an hour or so and be good for the year. Seems like the expense versus time used is not good. Of course if you are not really into casting, just like to shoot, then maybe going with the 6 would be better, one session a year and forget it. I fall into the second group, cast a huge pile of bullets, lube and load them all and be good for many months.

[sqlbullet]

There isn't a mold in my shop that I don't wish was a six cavity. I like to run two six cavities at a time, fill one, then cut, drop and fill the other while the sprue on the first cools. I can make a BIG pile of bullets in an hour.

I keep hoping for the Lee .30 200 gr in a six cavity. My M1 Garands are hungry, especially when my wife gets rolling. Be nice to have a way to speed production on that bullet.

[Joe C]

Thanks for the replies.

I wasn't concerned about the cost difference in the two molds, more about which might "work" better .
I have a couple Lee double cavity molds and i am not too impressed with them .

I was concerned that maybe the 6 cavity might be "3 times as bad" :???::???:.

Sounds like from what i have read in the replies that the 6 cavity might have a better alignment system than the 2 cavity .

Maybe i will try one just to see for myself .

thanks

Joe

[RayinNH]

Joe just be aware that handles do not come with the six cavity molds like they do with the single and doubles...Ray

[another gsxr 1k]

Natchez shooting sports has the 6 cavity molds for $32 and handles for $11. I just picked up most of the items to start casting my own.
I got the 6 hole 228g .45acp, handles, a lee .452 sizer, basic press (anniversary pack with modern reloading book) for about $90 before shipping.

[JIMinPHX]

If you go for a 6-cav in a boolit that size, you had better get at least a 20 pound pot.

[Bret4207]

If you have some casting experience then go for the 6 banger. Better quality. If you're just starting then a 1 or 2 cav is the way to go. Less trouble learning the ropes.

FWIW- Once you master the Lee 1 and 2 cavities the rest of the casting process is a breeze. They CAN be a trial.

[fecmech]

If you go for a 6-cav in a boolit that size, you had better get at least a 20 pound pot.

Amen to that. If you have a 10 lb Lee pot it will be empty by the time you really get going. If you try adding metal it won't be able to keep up and the pot will freeze. A 6 banger, especially a big bullet like the .44 needs a 20 lb. pot!

[DLCTEX]

Roggom: Yes that is the alignment problem with the 1 and 2 cav. Lees. Sending it back will be wasted effort. Use Bullplate lube on the alignment pins and I keep a short piece of hardwood next to the casting pot to set the mould on as the mould closes. This helps some of my older Lyman and RCBS moulds also.

[DevilDog83]

I like the 6 cavity for all my heavy production stuff (45 230 rn and 38 158 rn) but if you are only doing a few 2 cavs should work

[evan price]

6-cav is the only way to go. The price difference is minor. The molds are much better. My TL-240-SWC 6-cav, the very first 6 bullets I dropped were keepers and they fell right out. I was surprised, pleasantly. Of course I prepped the mould well, and preheated it on the burner beside the pot before I cast with it. You learn things quick with the Lee 6-cavs.

[Cowboy T]

A big fat +1 on the 6-cavity. Most of my moulds are 6-cavity models, and I far prefer them to the 2-cavity ones.

Actually, I have the TL430-240-SWC mould that you're contemplating. It works just fine, mine drops boolits right at 0.4295 to 0.4305. I do not have to size them. Tumble lubing with LLA works great for .44 Special and full-house .44 Magnum loads.

[RKJ]

I've got both LEE 2 cavity and 6 cavity molds and while I like the 6 for the speed I find the sprue handle to be a PIA.