Need Help selecting a new 9mm Good Quality mold

[lesharris]

Accurate # 35-120B Mold has just arrived. Ordered in April. Excellent quality . Made like a mold should be made. Now I wait for some decent casting weather. Thanks to everyone for their advice.

[softwarejanitor]

Looking to purchase a two new quality 9mm molds. 115 and 124 ish grain weight. I have several Lee molds and want to upgrade to Noe ETC. Cone nose or round nose or round flat Truncated. I am open to suggestions. Thanks in advance. I do not need a gas checked boolit. I am set up for lube or PC coating. They will be used in several Glocks. S&W M&P's, Beretta 92, Browing HP, Star, and a Springfield Range Officer.

I'm new to bullet casting. I have several Lee molds, including two for 9mm, a 356-125-2R 2 cavity and a 356-120-TC 2 cavity. I have several other Lee molds for other handgun calibers. I recently got my first NOE mold, a 269-160-RN GC 5 cavity, for 6.5x52 Carcano.

What I'm wondering is why you seem to consider the Lee molds lesser somehow and the NOE an upgrade? The NOE I just got looks great, but it is made almost exactly the same as the Lee molds I have. Machined aluminum with a steel sprue plate. I just don't see a huge difference? I got the NOE for this caliber because it was the only mold I could find that made the bullets I need for the Carcano. It was around 2x the price of the Lee molds and didn't include the handles. So maybe I'm missing something? Maybe I won't understand until I've used the molds a lot? Did I make a mistake with the 6 Lee molds I bought?

I've used a lot of Lee stuff for years, and sure, some of it could be better or sturdier, but for the most part most of their stuff has worked for me. I've had a lot of people who were fans of more expensive brands kind of turn their noses up at my gear. I know part of it is that Richard Lee, the founder of that company was kind of an arrogant guy that turned off a lot of people, and they are considered a budget brand, but I've never really understood why there was so much animosity towards their stuff.

[Walks]

softwarejanitor,

There is a World of difference between Lee and the Quality of Accurate, MP , N.O.E. and Arsenal molds.
You can't see it at first glance, but the quality of the materials and workmanship is there. Experience with casting out of a variety of different mold manufacturers will tell you this.
Every Lee mold I've ever used, had to have the sprue plate polished. The burrs in the cavities must be removed, and the handles epoxied in place. None of that was ever necessary with the molds I've purchased from the Quality Mold Manufacturers mentioned above.

In the late 1970's Ford had a commercial for their Grenada sedan. Comparing it to a Mercedes Benz. It looked similar, but We all know the difference between a Ford and a Mercedes Benz.

[358429]

Now you done done it. You done and compared Lee and Ford Motor Company!



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[Burnt Fingers]

I'm new to bullet casting. I have several Lee molds, including two for 9mm, a 356-125-2R 2 cavity and a 356-120-TC 2 cavity. I have several other Lee molds for other handgun calibers. I recently got my first NOE mold, a 269-160-RN GC 5 cavity, for 6.5x52 Carcano.

What I'm wondering is why you seem to consider the Lee molds lesser somehow and the NOE an upgrade? The NOE I just got looks great, but it is made almost exactly the same as the Lee molds I have. Machined aluminum with a steel sprue plate. I just don't see a huge difference? I got the NOE for this caliber because it was the only mold I could find that made the bullets I need for the Carcano. It was around 2x the price of the Lee molds and didn't include the handles. So maybe I'm missing something? Maybe I won't understand until I've used the molds a lot? Did I make a mistake with the 6 Lee molds I bought?

I've used a lot of Lee stuff for years, and sure, some of it could be better or sturdier, but for the most part most of their stuff has worked for me. I've had a lot of people who were fans of more expensive brands kind of turn their noses up at my gear. I know part of it is that Richard Lee, the founder of that company was kind of an arrogant guy that turned off a lot of people, and they are considered a budget brand, but I've never really understood why there was so much animosity towards their stuff.

The NOE, Accurate, Arsenal, and MP molds have more mass. They are also cut to tighter tolerances.

[gwpercle]

The NOE, Accurate, Arsenal, and MP molds have more mass. They are also cut to tighter tolerances.

And since they sell for a little more they can spend some more time on final polishing , fitting and assembling . Over the last 50 years I have bought a lot of Lee moulds , just to try different boolit weights and designs ... before Lee came along moulds were a bit costly for the high school or college kid and Lee provided a mould I could afford . my only experiences were Lee and used Lyman off E-Bay . I kept reading about the others ... how nice etc . but I wasn't falling for it ...then one day I wanted a 120 gr. Truncated Cone 9mm mould with a gas check ... Nooobody sells one , So i bite the boolit and order a NOE 358-124-TC GC . Now I'm a tight SOB with a dollar and I don't spend a dime if I don't have too but that NOE 4 cavity cast such nice boolits ...was such a joy to use ...I hate to admit that every mould I've purchased since then has been NOE moulds (5 of them ...don't tell my wife) ... they are that nice and that much of a joy to use ... and I don't spend money lightly because I'm poor .
Life's short ...try one of the premium moulds before you get too old to enjoy one ... I swear you will smile when you cast with one.
Gary

[Mal Paso]

That 356-125-2R is a decent mold for the price, I have the 6 cavity but there is .0005 difference in diameter between cavities 1 and 6. The last MP mold was perfect beyond my ability to measure.

[358429]

Gwpercle is right, in post 26.
Most certainly right about that.

I started out with Lee molds and that was good, the casting learning process is steep and unforgiving, if you're stubborn and have no one to ask questions.

Lee molds were 18$ when I started last year.

I damaged two of my lee molds, I did not understand how to properly lubricate and maintain a mold during use.

The aluminum metal lee uses is so extremely soft.

I was following their instructions about using beeswax.... I don't know why they say that, instead of the synthetic two cycle oil on a rag...

Now I exclusively use MP molds. I am so glad that I decided to stop buying the cigaretes and save the money, use the money saved, and buy the brass molds. That was in January and again in March.

A reward for myself.

After work today I decided that I needed more hollow-point Keith bullets for my 38, so I made some, and I had no problems. I sweated in the heat, came inside powder-coated them, and now I'm sizing them 358.

A reward for myself.

And I know that this batch will be just as good as the batch I made 6 weeks ago.

Without reservation I recommend 357 125 hollow point MP mold for 9x19.

I've had a most delightful load work up with power pistol and 9x19 with that bullet, shooting from my cz pistol, p09 duty.

In post number 7 burnt fingers lists a No Lube Groove mold.

To my eyes it looks like the non hollow point version, of what I've been using. I would expect that that would shoot excellent as well.

The higher-end molds feel like Snap-on tools. It's good not to bust your knuckles open and bleed because the socket broke.

Be safe.


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[358429]

"the casting learning process is steep and unforgiving, if you're stubborn and have no one to ask questions."

I'm talking about myself when I say that

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[charlie b]

Lee molds are great for what they are. I have had or used many of them over the years. If you are not casting many thousands of bullets they are a great choice.

The 2 cavity and single cavity molds take a bit more care to make them last a long time. The sprue plate screw will work loose. I've had the block pins work loose. The sprue plate is just too thin a metal and needs to be flattened, either out of the box or over time or both.

The 6 cavity molds are another whole level up in casting ability. The sprue plate alone is worth the cost. The soft aluminum is still an issue and they must be treated with care. But, they work well.

Premium molds from places like NOE, MP, Accurate, etc are another level up. The aluminum used is a tougher alloy so will stand up to a little abuse. All of the sprue plates are the thicker variety and they use quality hardware for attaching stuff.

One difference that affects casting tempo is the 'beef' in the mold. Lee cuts away a largish portion of the aluminum. This makes the mold lighter, but, it also means it cools faster. If you cast at an even tempo you get good bullets. If your tempo changes a lot then you have more 'cold' or 'hot' casts.

I like Lee molds and when they have a design I want in the 6cavity molds they are my first choice. If they don't have what I want then I go to the premium makers.


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[mainiac]

Just bought the mp 275hg clone,,8 cavity,,most impressive!!!133 gr with my alloy,nice big fat lube groove,shoot small groups,,

[Horseman]

I responded early in this thread that I had an Accurate 35-135a on order. It showed up a bit sooner than the advertised 10 weeks and was just as beautiful as the others I have ordered. After casting several hundred with WW + 1% tin, lubed with White Label's BAC and loaded over 3.5 grains Titegroup, I'm happy to say they have functioned flawlessly in my Springfield XDS 3.3, a Hellcat, and a full-size CZ. Good groups and as with my other Accurate molds, a real pleasure to cast. My only regret is ordering a 3-hole Aluminum instead of 4 or 5.

Like others have stated, I too have a real appreciation for Lee products - they allowed me to get into casting on a student's budget 35+ years ago. I still pick one up now and then just because it's fun to try new styles without breaking the bank but after buying and using a few Accurate molds, it's clear that "you get what you pay for".

[Hanzy4200]

I use the RCBS 115 gr RN primarily. I also have used the Lyman 147 gr RNFP with mixed results. Th RCBS runs great in everything. The Lyman struggles with tight chambers.