For the Iron Mold casters

[Seeker]

I just bought an RCBS mold from Leadlubber Thank you sir!
I have and use about 12 different aluminum molds, all Lee and they make excellent bullets. I've been casting my own long enough that once I get everything warmed upped, I'm casting good bullets most of the time with the first ladle pour. My question is.....what can I expect out of this rcbs iron mold as far as getting used to it and are they that much different. Thanks for reading and I genuinely appreciate any responses. G.

[Winger Ed.]

I think you'll find it's 'smoother' somehow, and not being finicky- it wants to cast good boolits.

Not that they're bad, however;
once you get used to it, you might find it hard to look at the Lee molds the same way again.

Molds are a tool. Like any other tool, once you've used the good stuff, it's hard to go back.
So far, I haven't known anyone to to say, "I sure like that bargain priced tool better than the real expensive one".

[john.k]

Youll quickly find out how heavy it is compared to a Lee..........lot better made for sure .....you can take the handles off ,for one thing.........but then handles are extra cost item.........will it cast better bullets? ..IMHO....No!..........I might add,Lyman molds are now steel ,not cast iron,and the worst mold I have ever used was a new Lyman ......the bullets simply stuck to either half like glue.

[Mk42gunner]

It will probably take a bit longer to heat up, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Every RCBS mold I have used (I own five or six) has been easy to cast with. Not quite H&G easy, but better than most other common brands.

Robert

[lightman]

If anything it will be easier to use. You will notice that its heavier. Like the others, I've never had a bad RCBS mold and I have several. But being steel it can rust so you will ned to protect it some way. I spray mine with whatever I use on my guns and then degrease it with brake cleaner before using it. Not that the steel sprue cutter on your Lees won't rust either.

[OS OK]

Over in N.C. & PA you have some heavy humidity to deal with so...if you are going to collect some iron, I suggest you slather them well, inside & out with some Mineral Oil USP, keep them mated with a strong rubber band and place these high quality moulds in a protective box.

[Winger Ed.]

place these high quality moulds in a protective box.

I had one rust and ruin.
I got kind of mad and now long term store mine in a pint jar full of motor oil.

[OS OK]

I had one rust and ruin.
I got kind of mad and now long term store mine in a pint jar full of motor oil.

That's a shame, sorry to hear it.
Out here behind enemy lines I am blessed with an almost high desert climate so Mineral Oil USP just may be the wrong choice for the Coastal Salt Air like the Gulf Coast enjoys.

[justindad]

You can run them hotter and faster without problems (I have had lead stick to brass, aluminum, and iron after casting too fast - iron was by far the easiest to clean up; I had to melt beeswax on a heated aluminum mold). They come from the factory free from burrs (except Lyman), because lead will practically never break in a burr of iron. Lead between the block and sprue plate will not gall the iron. If a spot of lead sticks, you can scratch it off with a solidified sprue cut and not have to worry about marring the surface. You don’t have to be so careful tapping the mold handle hinge. Holds heat longer so you can pause to look at things without your mold cooling off so bad. Thermal expansion of aluminum is greater than iron, so greater dimensional stability as the boolits solidify (may not have a measure able effect). Iron can take more abuse before it deforms. Iron molds require less maintenance and cleaning - apply Remoil when you shut off the pot, and clean (optional) cavities only with alcohol on a a-tip when you turn the pot on. That’s been my experience, but I’m not the best nor the most careful person at this art. Can you tell I like iron (except new Lyman)?

[45DUDE]

Youll quickly find out how heavy it is compared to a Lee..........lot better made for sure .....you can take the handles off ,for one thing.........but then handles are extra cost item.........will it cast better bullets? ..IMHO....No!..........I might add,Lyman molds are now steel ,not cast iron,and the worst mold I have ever used was a new Lyman ......the bullets simply stuck to either half like glue.

I have some new Lyman molds and I think the sticking is because the lube grooves are square. The booiits will stick to one side and it bounced to the other when I whacked it and it stuck there also. I found it better to lay the mold flat on a piece of wood and whack flat. <I use a hammer handle>4 cavity's are the ones that give a little trouble dropping for me but I can live with it. Smoking a sticky mold with a candle helps a lot for me also. The LEE molds --most you can use out of the mold and can pan lube or powder coat without sizing is a +. Most Lyman molds drop oversize and need to be resized and lubed with a 450 or whatever which I like. I bench a lot and feel that sizing helps with accuracy. I have a couple of RCBS molds for .357 that drop good.

[john.k]

I must say ,my RCBS 45/300 simply drops bullets as the handles are opened .....cant say better than that ......however ,since I got arthritis and tendonitis in my hands ,it seems like casting with a 4lb hammer..........so i suppose I could say it was only good for 50 years .

[243winxb]

Easier to make better bullets then Lee. Storage- Molds get Breakfree CLP & placed in plastic bag. Kept in damp basement.

Next use, clean with hot tap water, dawn & stencil brush.

[OS OK]

Easier to make better bullets then Lee. Storage- Molds get Breakfree CLP & placed in plastic bag. Kept in damp basement.

Next use, clean with hot tap water, dawn & stencil brush.

I think pre & post-maintenance is a must with iron.
I think many treat them like a wrench...use it and throw it back on the bench and forget it till next time it's needed.

[gunther]

If you or a buddy has access to the brown, waxy, paper new bearings are wrapped in, wrap your iron molds in that, and store in a fairly air-tight container. That avoids 98% of the rust issues. As counter-intuitive as it sounds, Kroil will initially clean an iron mold, and act as a mold release, too.

[ascast]

I find them to get up and running very fast. Never had a new bad one, 2nd hand maybe. If not first place, then very close. I wish they made a wider variety, like Lee. Rust-I stick them in GI Ammo cans, no oil or nothing, same desiccant pouches and close them up. NEVER had any rust issues this way

[almar]

Youll quickly find out how heavy it is compared to a Lee..........lot better made for sure .....you can take the handles off ,for one thing.........but then handles are extra cost item.........will it cast better bullets? ..IMHO....No!..........I might add,Lyman molds are now steel ,not cast iron,and the worst mold I have ever used was a new Lyman ......the bullets simply stuck to either half like glue.

i once praised the lyman moulds in this forum some time ago but what i had (until recently) was very old ones. I recently bought a new one and i hate it, its basically not used, it throws out of round bullets at + AND minus the nominal so sizing wont fix it.

[45DUDE]

i once praised the lyman moulds in this forum some time ago but what i had (until recently) was very old ones. I recently bought a new one and i hate it, its basically not used, it throws out of round bullets at + AND minus the nominal so sizing wont fix it.

What caliber? If defective they will replace. Could you post a photo of the boolits and what size they drop? It could be the mix.

[justindad]

I had a defective Lyman mold, I sent it in for repair, it came back in worse shape. Lyman told me they would fix their mistake, but then never again responded to communication. You can send it in to Lyman if you will otherwise throw it in the trash can, but you may loose out entirely on your shipping costs and time to get to the USPS.
*
I will buy old, used Lyman molds. I will never again buy a new Lyman mold.

[jdgabbard]

I think you'll find that it is a night and day difference between Aluminum and Iron molds. At least molds of good quality and condition. With an iron mold you can just sit it on the rim of your pot while your bringing your melt up to temp. Usually after 3-4 castings you're at temp, and it'll start dropping beautiful bullets. With Iron I like to run hotter, and get a little bit of a frosty bullet. But the beauty of iron is that it just maintains a good temperature. Once you get it into the zone it just stays there. And if it does start to get too hot you can let it sit for just a minute and it'll be back in the zone. It is VERY consistent once you get into the right temperature zone.

Iron molds are less likely to warp, unlike many of the aluminum molds. One of the biggest issues people used to have with Lee molds, other than the holes being egg shaped, undersized, or poorly machined, or caused galling on the top of the mold, were it was fairly common to find warped molds. This is a result of a variety of problems, and as I hears is not quite as big of a problem as before - since they went to a new design with CNC cut molds. But with iron, as mentioned above, even the little issues are a breeze to resolve.

Iron molds if properly cared for will outlast your kids. I have plenty of old Ideal molds that are older than my grandfather - is long since passed. I haven't seen this type of durability in Lee molds. Though some of the other manufactures while last that long if really pampered. But there is no denying, iron is just more durable.

Honestly, I absolutely love iron molds. Even if they're problematic. They're just nicer in so many ways than aluminum molds. That said, brass molds hold a very close second in my opinion. While they exhibit a few more issues akin to aluminum molds, they are just super nice. Any more the iron molds I buy are usually older molds: Lyman/Ideal and H&G molds from many decades ago - preferably in 4-cav if I can find them. Anything new, I 10:1 prefer brass over aluminum. But that comes with buying from custom mold services such as MP, NOE, and Accurate.

But all in all, I think once you get some casting time under your belt with iron you won't look back to aluminum the same. It's just a better material for molds in my opinion. However, once you try a brass mold, you'll have a hard time picking one over the other.

Just my .02

[imashooter2]

I never understood oiling a mold once it is clean. Mine get stored in a dry box with desiccant and VCI paper.