New Mold maker, anyone give a shot yet? [Archive]

Changeling

07-01-2010, 03:05 PM

I hear you. The job market is about as bad as I have ever seen it and getting worse in my area! However that didn't stop the county government from raising the hell out of my (everyone's) property tax. Thats there way of approaching an economic recovery, In short, They just say the Hell with Frederick County Maryland residents, the Governor and his staff need another 30% cost of living raise, and the list go's on,and on, and on!

Bret4207

07-02-2010, 07:26 AM

I think someone sent him an invite to stop by here and introduce himself. Haven;t seen anything yet.

The economy? Didn't you hear? We're in a recovery.........

warf73

07-02-2010, 07:28 AM

The economy? Didn't you hear? We're in a recovery.........

Yup we sure are if "WE" are banks.

Changeling

07-02-2010, 02:34 PM

I think someone sent him an invite to stop by here and introduce himself. Haven;t seen anything yet.

The economy? Didn't you hear? We're in a recovery.........

Yea right, if we recover any more people will be starving to death!!!:mad:

wallenba

07-02-2010, 10:12 PM

Not heard of them til now, the option of a brass mold is interesting though.

Changeling

07-04-2010, 02:55 PM

Is it my imagination or did the prices all just change upward. These prices are a little high for an unknown mold maker with no credentials under his belt. My opinion before I get blasted.

Dannix

07-05-2010, 02:22 AM

Bah. Another flash-based website.

I'm really surprised he hasn't stopped by. Maybe another invite is in order. Or maybe he's swamped work, or this is just a moonlighting effort and is preoccupied elsewhere right now?

nail

07-07-2010, 09:26 PM

I just ordered one from him, Have sent the money we will see what I end up with. Steve!!

happyret65

07-08-2010, 12:39 AM

I ordered a brass 3 holer today.

Dakoma

07-08-2010, 01:22 AM

I got a brass mould but not a bullet mould a roundball mould and love it,if it(brass mould) will cast bullets as nice as my roundball mould I would love to have one !

Lloyd Smale

07-08-2010, 01:48 PM

theyd best be a dammed fine mold. For the same price i can get a ballistic cast mold

GabbyM

07-08-2010, 02:25 PM

I don't see any resemblance to Victory moulds in any way.
They do look nice. Some interesting designs and he will make Magma machne moulds which Moutain Molds quit offering.

happyret65

07-20-2010, 11:36 PM

I got my mold and looks super! A 3 hole brass in 30 cal. Amazingly only took less than 10 days. Cast bullets are as good as the mold looks. My first brass mold, but not my last.

Changeling

07-21-2010, 01:18 PM

I got my mold and looks super! A 3 hole brass in 30 cal. Amazingly only took less than 10 days. Cast bullets are as good as the mold looks. My first brass mold, but not my last.

I think everyone would really appreciate some pictures, I know I sure would.

Greg5278

07-22-2010, 08:46 AM

The pricing doesn't seem bad at all, considering the work involved. The Lathe Boring process gives more flexibilty on cavity size, but is slower than a Cherry. You can't really compare the Custom moldmakers like Brooks and other with production molds. I priced out a few custom single cavity 12ga .730" molds and almost everyone wanted $250-350.

I have made my own blocks and sprue plates, but farm out the cavity cutting.
I'm not ready to do all "blind work" on the Lathe. You can't really check you work until you are done, and I don't have access to a CNC Lathe.

Let's see what the new guy can do!
Greg

Volowner

07-26-2010, 09:40 PM

Hello everyone...brand new to the forum.

I've bought two molds from this guy. To say the least, I'm super impressed. For one, he's quick to respond to e-mail. Second, the molds function very smoothly. The boolits usually just fall from the mold. Occasionally I have to tap it, buy I've never had to beat on them yet. Third, accuracy has been excellent. Just for reference, I've cast from RCBS, Lyman, Lee and LBT molds. I've been casting for about 5 years, using 15 or so molds in 8 different calibers. I took a doe last year with my Ruger Redhawk in 45 Colt using a Keith style boolit.

Back to topic... (forgive the personal resume)

First, to see what his work was like, I ordered a "plain-Jane" mold. I told him what I was shooting and asked him for something basic that would work in my Springfield 1911 (45 Auto). About a week later, the mold arrived--labelled 45225A. I ordered it in aluminum, and like most, it heats up quickly and provides very nice boolits--very few cast aways.

I shot a few hundred and had zero malfunctions. The boolit gave me "one-ragged-hole" accuracy. No complaints at all. Certainly met and exceeded expectations.

The second mold I bought was for my Winchester 94 XTR in 375 Win. He has one mold labelled especially for this rifle (and the Marlin 375). My rifle has a groove diameter of .3785, so it won't shoot 375'ers. This mold drops boolits at about .380. I sized to .379 and get a perfect fit. The other issue with this rifle is lots of room between case neck and the lands. This mold addresses that problem, leaving lots of lead hanging out. It just touches the lands when chambered.

This guy has apparently thought that mold through. We had quite a discussion via e-mail. He was always professional and seemed well versed in what he does.

So far, this guy's got my vote. Considering his prices, I'll be using him for my next mold (hmmmm....the thought of another project). He seems open to discussing any custom designs.

I'll try to get some pic's posted soon.

Volowner

07-26-2010, 09:53 PM

Here's the pics...sorry if they look just like a boolit mold :)

mrbill2

07-27-2010, 06:27 AM

Volowner: Are the bullets cast from those molds, Round ?

Wayne Smith

07-27-2010, 12:52 PM

Nice, thick sprue plate.

Volowner

07-27-2010, 12:55 PM

Volowner: Are the bullets cast from those molds, Round ?

Yes, nice and round. As best as I can mic them by hand, they're perfect.

In reference on the 45 Auto, the boolits dropped from the mold at .4515. I used a .452 sizer die to lube the grooves. The boolit was never touched--suggesting no high spots. Given the accuracy I got out of this Auto, I can only presume the boolit is doing its job.

The 375 Win boolit does get sized, but runs through the die very evenly.

Volowner

07-27-2010, 12:59 PM

Nice, thick sprue plate.

Exactly...the whole setup seemed well built. It doesn't look like this guy cut any corners.

Like I said originally, I bought the first mold to see how this guys work was. I planned on intentionally abusing it a bit to see how it held up. Turns out it functioned so smoothly, it was impossible to beat up. Barring proving the rounds on paper, I was sold after making about 10 boolits.

Changeling

07-27-2010, 03:44 PM

Volowner

07-27-2010, 05:37 PM

Fair enough. I'll get some pics of the boolits I've cast in the next day or so. Naturally, they'll be worth a thousand words a piece :)

I know I'm a newbie here, so take my two bits with as many grains of salt as you please. I do look forward to getting to know this site a little better.

Dannix

07-27-2010, 10:47 PM

It would be nice to see some really good pictures of the bullets with enough zoom to show things clearly and some accuracy findings.

Please take this as NOT an affront to the things you say, but this is a new mold maker and you only have 5 posts relative to this forum so I would really like to see some posts from people with a little more longevity here.

I personally am planing on having a mold made but I haven't completed my study yet on exactly what I want to do. In this time frame I saw/heard about you as a new mold maker and became interested. That was my reason for this post.
I don't think Volowner is the mold maker. If it turns out he is, well then he's just lost all integrity acting like he's not. (Not here, but I have seen it happen before, with disastrous consequences to the vendor btw). We'll assume your innocent until proven guilty Volowner. We do want to see those pics though!
:brokenima

The owner is around here, somewhere. I saw a link to Accurate Molds from a poster here who said something to another poster in the market for a mold, iirc like 'have you taken a look at my molds' or some such. I guess he just hasn't noticed this thread yet? I'd have a hard time finding it. I've read scores of threads in the past couple days.

Volowner

07-28-2010, 12:06 AM

I think I saw the same link somewhere too. I'm certainly not the owner though.

I've been browsing the site looking at converting a Marlin 336 to 375 Winchester, but ended up just buying a Model 94 XTR instead. Got a heck of a deal on Gunbroker. Never had a need to post anything until I ran across this thread, so I figured I'd give the Accurate Mold guy some kudos since he's new.

I'll have pics posted tomorrow morning.

RobS

07-28-2010, 01:05 AM

I think I saw the same link somewhere too. I'm certainly not the owner though.

Forum member TomAM is who runs accuratemolds

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/member.php?u=13416

He posted up on this thread about being associated with accuratemolds.

Post#6

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?p=949547#post949547

Dannix

07-28-2010, 01:14 AM

He posted up on this thread about being associated with accuratemolds. Post#6 http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?p=949547#post949547
That's it! That's the thread I was thinking of.

You're welcome. You might want to check me out at Accuratemolds.com.

Volowner

07-28-2010, 12:17 PM

Hopefully these show a good representation of the boolits. This forum shrinks the files, so I hope they're not too grainy.

RobS

07-28-2010, 12:26 PM

Hopefully these show a good representation of the boolits. This forum shrinks the files, so I hope they're not too grainy.

Nice to see the boolits and thanks, people may also be after some pics of the molds he produces. The craftsmanship and materials used for the molds is of importance here too.

Volowner

07-28-2010, 12:38 PM

Here's a couple more pics. If this keeps up, I'll have to send him a bill for marketing services.

The lead around the bottom of the mold obviously didn't come pre-installed.

Changeling

07-28-2010, 03:11 PM

Here's a couple more pics. If this keeps up, I'll have to send him a bill for marketing services.

The lead around the bottom of the mold obviously didn't come pre-installed.

Volowner, thanks very much for the pictures. Please accept my apologies, I thought you were the owner of the mold company, after rereading everything I have no idea how I came to that conclusion!
Again, my apologies .

Dannix

07-28-2010, 03:34 PM

I like the use of light and shadow Volowner. ;)

The fast turn around time would seem to imply that TomAM's not slammed. Maybe he's doing this part time? Otherwise I would have expected him to take advantage of marketing here.

Volowner

07-28-2010, 11:46 PM

Volowner, thanks very much for the pictures. Please accept my apologies, I thought you were the owner of the mold company, after rereading everything I have no idea how I came to that conclusion!
Again, my apologies .

No worries. If I had the cash to drop into CNC machinery, I think I would just buy more guns for now (or pay pay off my house.........nah, I'd buy more guns)!

TomAM

07-29-2010, 12:05 PM

Hi all, I’m Accurate Molds. The reason I haven’t been actively marketing in this forum is because my website and word-of-mouth have been providing orders at a comfortable pace for a new business. I appreciate the kind words from my customers, and I’ll address your questions.

I’ve cast bullets since 1975, and been a gun nut since birth. In the early 1980s, I started wanting mold designs that were better suited to the specific needs of handgun competition, big game hunting, etc.. I contacted H&G and others, offering to pay for custom cherries, and they turned me down. Soon after, I discovered the greatest resource of all time, the custom mold maker. I provided several of these gentlemen with a lot of business.

After 31 years as owner/operator of a business machining lumber into moldings, doors, and such, I retired at 55 to make bullet molds. I learned metal machining at trade school and in 2009 bought a new CNC turning center, vertical mill, and other goodies. I did not buy Victory Molds, by the way, their website says they are still for sale. I did not want to cherry cut molds. That method is great for mass production, but is not efficient for the guy who wants the over-standard diameter, or something unique that will be turned only once.

I asked a few of my early customers to be intentionally rough on my molds. I have spent months making and thoroughly testing many dozens of them for myself, but I wanted to know of any hidden design flaws as early as possible.

That about covers it. If there are further questions, fire away.

Tom

TomAM

08-03-2010, 10:57 PM

RobS

08-03-2010, 11:40 PM

Now that is an offer for ya and one that I would take up in a second. Geesh never in the right spot at right time however being unemployed currently would set me back as I'm sure it would be a good mold and I wouldn't have the means to hold up my end.

white eagle

08-04-2010, 12:17 AM

TomAM
glad to have you here
I am new myself but from what I have seen of your work I will be having a few of your molds
That is as soon as I get out of the dog house from my last mold

Changeling

08-05-2010, 03:55 PM

Changeling, if you have a design in mind that is within the capability of my tooling and you want to see my work, I’ll make it for you. After all, the only thing that can really speak for my business is the product.

After you receive it, if it exceeds your expectations, pay for it then. Otherwise, keep it for free with my compliments.

Tom I have been thinking and working on a design for a .45 revolver bullet. However I haven't finished my research yet, it will be a while yet. If the offer still holds under those conditions I will accept your offer. Just let me know.

TomAM

08-06-2010, 10:59 AM

We can do it any time you like.

Changeling

08-06-2010, 02:23 PM

We can do it any time you like.

Thank you for the offer and I do accept on all accounts except for my keeping the mold if not throughly satisfied, it is a great offer and I really do appreciate the offer, however if for any reason I do not like the mold I will return it to you, that is how I was raised so that is how it shall be. This would be fair to both of us!

Changeling

skimmerhead

08-06-2010, 11:49 PM

hi tom! have been on your webb site a few time's checking out your products. i have a s/w 460XVR and have a boolit design in mind for this gun that i think you would do. i'll get it together and get back to you soon. the only thing is for any reason i'm not satisfied and you refund my money, i'll return the mold, don't want nuttin for free.

skimmerhead:arrow::castmine:

jpsw44

08-07-2010, 08:40 AM

Ive been conversing back and forth with Tom via E-Mail over the past couple of days..Seems to be a real stand up guy and knowledgeable too, and from the looks of those mold pics, quite the craftsman..Im sold. I'll be placing my order Monday.

Changeling

08-11-2010, 04:23 PM

TomAM

08-11-2010, 07:42 PM

Hi Tom, one other question. Those molds that are pictured on your web site, are the mechanical drawings/specifications available to buyers who would like to scrutinize a particular bullet before purchase? I couldn't find any way of seeing the complete specs.

Excellent question. I don't post those drawings dimensioned because I don't want to give the impression that potential customers are limited to those dimensions. It's the same reason that I don't use mold numbers like .452-265. The mold is .452 only if it's ordered that size. I use 45-265 so you know it was originally designed to be about .45, but diameter is variable. So the short answer is, What dimensions do you want?

My standard procedure has been to post a dimensioned drawing for the approval of each customer who inquires about a specific design. #36155K is a new drawing currently shown that way as a pending order. Once ordered, I shade the bullet and remove dimensions, and the design can help inspire others in the future.

If you'd like to see any cataloged design(s) shown with dimensions as currently drawn, just ask, and I will change that posting for you to examine. You probably have seen that you can zoom in on the drawings. You can look the dimensioned drawing over, request changes, and I'll enter a new design with your new specs.

turbo1889

08-14-2010, 04:47 AM

TomAM, are you willing to consider cuttig boolit molds with "tumble lube" type grooves?

Most custom mold makers I've done business with, especially those who cherry cut, won't do it.

Here is the tumble lube profile that Lee uses:
http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi-data/instruct/Mold%20Design.pdf

The notable difference with a tumble lube type groove (besides its smaller size) seems to be that it uses a very shallow angle on the groove this seems to be a necessity for proper fill out with the much smaller groove size.

Although I am no machinist myself, I imagine what makes a tumble lube boolit mold such a PITA is all those little grooves make for more machining steps which makes for more time and exponentially compounding the odds of making an error and scrapping out the mold with each additional one of those little grooves that needs to be cut.

As I said, I am no machinist myself, but I would think that the best way to combat that problem would be to grind a single cutting tool that would for example cut a row of five tumble lube grooves of all the same diameter. With a small modification to the profile shape of the tumble lube grooves such a tool could be made by grinding a row of partial cord circles into the side of a wide flat cutting edge with a round grinding instrument. Such as illustrated below:

http://forums.handloads.com/uploads/turbo1889/2010-08-14_013620_Tumble_Lube_Groove_Cutting_Tool.GIF

With a series of such cutting tools each designed to cut a different number (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc.) of stacked evenly spaced such tumble lube grooves and sized to slip inside the smallest potential caliber (25 ?) I would think that making tumble lube type boolit molds would then become a matter of how many grooves and at what finished diameter to be completed together with a single cutting step.

As I said I’m no machinist and I could be just full of useless ramblings but custom tumble lube type boolit molds is something I would be interested in and so would some others out there as well I imagine since currently having Lee do it and waiting six months or more and hoping with fingers crossed that they get it right is about all that can be done.

TomAM

08-15-2010, 10:41 AM

Yes, I can do tumble lube style molds, using the same angular profile as Lee, .010 deep (26 deg) on .050 centers with .010 bearing surface flat. Not a problem at all.

geargnasher

08-15-2010, 11:46 AM

Now MY ears perked up! You would be in a class by yourself making TL boolit designs, and some members here are collaborating with White Label Lubes to concoct a new and improved tumble lube formula. There may be a really good niche market for TL moulds here at Castboolits in the future, do stay tuned.

Gear

turbo1889

08-15-2010, 11:50 AM

NICE !!! You will be getting an order for a couple TL groove type molds from me in about a month or two.

Other projects are ahead of them in line and get allocated funds first; I wasn't expecting this road block for a couple custom designs I want to be cleared up any-time soon and I was expecting that I'd have to do a custom order through Lee in order to get them made (Yuck!) otherwise the funds would already have been allocated and I'd be ordering right now.

TomAM

08-22-2010, 07:05 PM

jpsw44

08-23-2010, 09:34 PM

I just recieved an aluminum mold from Tom..Folks this guy is A+ all the way in my books..His customer service is top notch and mold quality is outstanding. No sharp edges, machined beautifully, nice thick sprue plate finely finished..It casts some great boolits too. Not to mention it was less than a week shipping time .Thanks Tom.

GLL

08-23-2010, 10:11 PM

Tom:

I get a server error when I click on the bullet image to see the dimensions !

Anybody else having trouble ?

Jerry

Heckler

08-24-2010, 02:24 AM

Jerry, the dimensioned drawings show up just fine for me. I've looked at a variety of bullets from the catalog.

cajun shooter

08-26-2010, 10:22 AM

I just ordered a 44-40 bullet mold in brass from Tom. I will give a report when it is received. He is making me the Lyman 427098 with deeper lube grooves for shooting BP. Later David

melloairman

09-07-2010, 11:15 PM

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=92729

white eagle

09-07-2010, 11:44 PM

I have a 2c brass mold in the works now for my 358 win
Tom was helpful in the selection of that particular mold
after getting another brass mold I had to have one more
Thanks again Tom:lovebooli

AkMike

09-08-2010, 12:28 AM

Tom, Would you consider doing 2 different weight boolits of the same diameter in a mould? Note I'm talking .622 diameter. 675 grn and a 550 grn.

cajun shooter

09-08-2010, 10:15 AM

Well, I received my mold from Tom and the workmanship is excellent. He takes his time and the best part is that he will answer your mails about the mold and will not cut it till he is sure you are ready to go. The bullet that I had made is now part of his catalog. It is bullet number 427210B. The bullet is along the same lines as the Lyman 427098 for 44-40. It is however cut with larger and deeper lube grooves that are square and not rounded. This design allows it to carry more lube for the Black powder shooters of the 44-40. I will order more as his complete turn around with me was about one week. My mold was done in Brass and even though I have been casting since 1970 I will have some learning to do. This is my first Brass mold and I will have to learn how it heats and cools and at what temp it works best. My first small run yesterday afternoon after warming on my hot plate was stopped.I was casting at 750 but not receiving the fill out I wanted. I smoked the cavities and then it worked perfect. That's all for now.

TomAM

09-08-2010, 11:20 PM

Tom, Would you consider doing 2 different weight boolits of the same diameter in a mould? Note I'm talking .622 diameter. 675 grn and a 550 grn.

Yes, I can do a mold block with mixed cavity designs, although I doubt your 675 grain design fits within my current depth limit of one inch. I'm working on tooling that will extend that limit, though.

white eagle

09-10-2010, 04:32 PM

Have to let all know just got my mold from Tom
in the first three minutes I was castin perfect 358 boolits
rite on the money for dia and weight
thanks for the beautiful brass mold
I'll be back

turbo1889

10-01-2010, 02:05 PM

Well look what just showed up in the mail today, haven’t cast with it yet or done any test firing but it's a coming:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4127/5041806329_a668695e50.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5041806329/)
36-cal Hybrid Mold 1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5041806329/) by turbo1889 (http://www.flickr.com/people/54455625@N04/), on Flickr

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4127/5041745875_7c08cbfdcd.jpg
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5041745875/)
36-cal Hybrid Mold 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5041745875/) by turbo1889 (http://www.flickr.com/people/54455625@N04/), on Flickr

garbear

10-02-2010, 12:28 AM

Tom do you have a store front here in Utah. I live in Millard County Utah. If I made an order is it possible to pick up after the mold is complete?
Garbear

TomAM

10-02-2010, 08:27 AM

I ship my molds for free, so pick-up would cost you gas money. But you can pick up if you'd like. I don't have a store front, just a shop in an industrial park.

turbo1889

10-03-2010, 01:25 PM

Mold casts right on with all diameter dimensions on all the driving bands for all three cavities all within a 0.359” - 0.360” range (I specified 0.359" diameter and his stated tolerances are -0.0000"/+0.0015") with no detectible out of round at all that I could find using a manual micro-meter that reads in 0.0005” increments.

:holysheep that is a nice tight cut mold. You ain’t going to get that out of a current production Lyman mold !!!

The only negative thing I can say about the mold is that I’m going to need to add a fender washer under the tension washer on the sprue plate hold down bolt since it wanted to ride up on me on a couple sprue cuts and leave a little protruding bump on the base of the boolit where the sprue was cut but that is no big deal.

And here are some pictures:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4146/5066225385_fdb81203da_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5066225385/)
First Boolits from My 36-cal Hybrid Mold Fresh from the Water Drop Bucket (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5066225385/) by turbo1889 (http://www.flickr.com/people/54455625@N04/), on Flickr

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4151/5066836222_5cc846df9d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5066836222/)
38-spl Dummy Shell Using Boolit from My 36-cal Hybrid Mold 1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5066836222/) by turbo1889 (http://www.flickr.com/people/54455625@N04/), on Flickr

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/5066225503_fe8f2754bf_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5066225503/)
38-spl Dummy Shell Using Boolit from My 36-cal Hybrid Mold Flanked by Conventional 38-spl. Loads (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5066225503/) by turbo1889 (http://www.flickr.com/people/54455625@N04/), on Flickr

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4146/5066836760_021caa562e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5066836760/)
Not Much Cylinder Capacity Wasted (38-spl Dummy Shell Using Boolits from My 36-cal Hybrid Mold) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5066836760/) by turbo1889 (http://www.flickr.com/people/54455625@N04/), on Flickr