Just a quick poll to satisfy my curious mind. If you chose other brand a quick note on which brands please.
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Just a quick poll to satisfy my curious mind. If you chose other brand a quick note on which brands please.
A friend let me borrow a 38 W.C.F. to see what I thought of casting , he thought it was a 38 mold . You gotta start somewhere .
When I started casting I don't know that Lee was making molds yet. In the shooting magazines the only names I read about were RCBS and Lyman.
Lee of course...the economical way into casting. Actually the 6 bangers, after a little clean-up to fit and finish...are fast 'pile-O-boolit' makers.
lee 6 cavity for pistol. good thing i didnt buy a good quality one, being as i managed to drop it in my full 5 gallon bucket of water for quenching.
it survived though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was kindly given a Lee 44-240 mold and a lee 10# bottom pour furnace, and I've never been the same...
My first one was a 2 cavity Lyman 311041. It will also be my only mold from Lyman.
Had to beagle it to get 2 usable bullets from it.
Mine was a Lyman 200gr(maybe 195) SWC for 45 ACP in the late 60s. Still have it & have used it in the last 6 months or so.
Lee............
I am not certain Lee was producing molds when I started casting in the very early 70s. I know they became available shortly after that.
My first mold was a second hand Lyman single cavity mold for 38/357. Not certain which particular model. I traded molds a lot back then.
Lyman 429421 and 452460 molds about 40 years ago, still have them and use them, in my .44s and .45 auto. Now I have them all RCBS, NOE, ACCURATE, LBT, Eagan, Saeco, etc.
Lyman 357446. Lee and RCBS weren't making moulds back then.
I was given a SAECO 4 cavity 38 wc in 1979. Still use it
Purchased a Lyman 200gr-swc and a 450 sizing press
Lyman 31141.....when that was the only brand ('60's) available in Canada where I then was.
First purchased a couple of Lee's, then given some more Lee's and Lyman's, have since bought several Miha's molds.
I started out with 3 rcbs 2 cavities I ordered at the same time as all my other supplies.
I'm assuming the question is which brand did you buy first. Not everyone can see polls. My first was a Lee. It was a joyous day when I finally got rid of the last one I had. They did their duty of getting me started. Had I bought custom from the start I would have been a lot less aggravated.
Was given a Lyman 358091 as a gift from my uncle so I could keep my Ruger GP100 fed. That was 17 years ago when I first started down the path of lead addiction.
Started in 81 with a lee and a lyman back then lee handles were removeable.
I'd be curious to know what ever happened to my first mold. It was a lee 2 cavity 429-240 swc. I chucked it up in a lathe, plain based one cavity, and re-cut the other into a ~330 gr wfn shape. I sold or traded the molds years ago when I got rid of my 44 mag.
My first mould was a sand cast in the 8th grade about 79-80'.
I himha'd for the best part of 2 yr before I sprung for a 357-158 and a 452-255 . I was troubled by the cost moulds were 70-100 bucks a pop, then you had to have a lube sizer and dies and and and ....... I figured it would cost about $300 to cast the first bullet . Eventually I got it through my head . I bought Lee exclusively until I stumbled on a 45-200 ........Then I was looking at a 27-150 at Natchez and I spent $10 less after shipping for a NOE 5C.
If I hadn't started with Lee I probably wouldn't have started and I wouldn't have 30 moulds from 7 makers and most importantly I wouldn't know that it's well worth the extra money for some moulds more than others .
First mold was a single cavity Lyman 311403, a nice old Pope design.Tim
Early '70s, I was kind of involved with Civil War re-enactment...I wasn't one of the regular, hard-core buffs who were out every weekend but 'filled in the ranks' when my schedule allowed. First mold was a Lee .58 Minie to feed my 1861 Springfield. Second was Lee .44 conical for my Colt Army.
Bill
Getting ready to buy my first mold, and I've been considering going the other direction. Buying a higher end mold, under the assumption that I'll have less difficulties as an inexperienced caster.
Is that sound logic?
Have you been loading long enough for the hobby to stick...you ain't never gonna quit?
Then yes...sound logic!
If you did...or have to quit for some reason, at least you'd get a better return on the investment.
My first 2 moulds were Thompsen Center mould a 50 cal maxi ball and a 490 round ball I bought with the renegade 50 cal kit. At the time I felt buying from the rifles maker would aleveate a lot of problems as to fit and accuracy LOL.
Been reloading for about 10 years now. I'm plenty hooked. Sometimes I think I might enjoy reloading more than shootin'? :-P It's a great form of relaxation for me.
I'm into the casting portion enough now that I'm hooked for sure. Adds a whole new dimension to the reloading/shooting hobby.
First mold was a single cavity 31141 Ideal, found it in a gun shop "junk box". It was way older than my 14 summers, way back in 73 :)
Still have it too !
Started with a Hensley & Gibbs 10 cavity #50BB. It makes the Lee look like a Yugo.
I have usually regretted getting "economical" equipment. That H&G would cast over 1000 bullets an hour. But I was in my 20's then. As I near 70, I could never use something that heavy for very long. Heck, I am looking at getting a Master Caster now.
Don Verna
I bought a Lee mold and a lee loader for 38 special many years ago. For all the trash talk Lee gets, they are really the best option for the new guy. If you ruin it, you're not out much money. If you master a Lee mold, stepping into an Accurate or NOE is a cake walk.
A higher end mold isn't necessarily easier to cast with. The basics are getting the mold hot enough to get fillout and that applies to any mold.
For a first mold I would recommend avoiding a brass mold as IMHO they are the most finicky in terms of not too hot and not too cold.
It would help to narrow down what caliber you plan to start casting for to give advice on good first molds. Often times a lee will cast just as well as a mold costing 5 times as much and shoot just as accurately. Other times it's worth investing in a more expensive mold.
First mold was a Lyman 429421 IIRC and the last mold I bought from Lyman. Right now I have LBT,NEI,NOE,Rapine,RCBS molds. Tried a couple of Lee mold couldn't get a decent bullet from them,gave them to a buddy but don't know if he uses them.
2 cavity Ideal 38WC 50 years ago. Still use it!
Lyman, Lee didn't make molds then. I got a 2 cavity 158 gr RN 38 cal, used it once and traded it in for a 4 cavity. I have about 30 Lee molds now, they all work great. I must be lucky.
Lee 40sw, now worn out. Then RD for the 30/30. Lee's are someplace, RD is gone, all Accurate now (Al) but made to my specs. All 8 get used frequently. Only 1 Lee handle though.
I got mine 37 years ago, 5 of them all RCBS to cover my bases. They were $25 each. I bought ever thing to get started all at once.
My wife got me an rcbs 2 cavity in 357 mag 158grgc mold ,then I bought an rcbs 2cavity 357 mag 180 grgc mold then I bought Lee molds can cast longer with the light ally molds .