How Many Handles Do You Have and What Kind?

[TXTad]

30 years ago I dipped my toe into casting with several buckets of wheel weights I got from a shop my dad had invested in. After his unexpected death, career, and family, I've just now gotten back into casting. I've managed to acquire more molds than handles and the price of handles has me wanting to go slowly on adding them. I was wondering what is everyone's approach to mold handles.

[rcslotcar]

I have about 67+ molds from most manufactures. Some are very old like Ideal, Cramer, and Lachmiller. I'm always looking for handles to match newly acquired molds. I get a lot of handles from my local reloading shop as they buy out local estates. I try to keep handles for each my molds.

[Eddie Southgate]

I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 molds , all are on their own handles except the last two I bought . I expect that to change sometime next month.

[Rich/WIS]

Something else: My only molds are 6 cav Lee and 5 cav NOE so my handles are all Lee. Have a set of handles on each mold. Almost forgot, have a set of RCBS and a set of Lyman 2 cav handles that are on the shelf, don't have any RCBS or Lyman molds anymore.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I have lost track of my molds but do not have handles for all of them. Not a big deal to swap handles once in a while. I have mostly Lee handles but do have a couple RCBS and MIHA ones mixed in.

[kevin c]

I have Lee, Accurate and MP molds. Other than the Lee double cav versions that come with dedicated handles, the all take the Lee multi cavity mold handles, which also includes a separate handle for the cammed sprue plate.
I have several sets, even though I never cast with more than two molds at a time.

I also have a few sets of MP handles. They’re not as comfortable for me to use (very small hands; someone with bigger hands probably wouldn’t have a problem). To avoid cross threading or bolt head rounding off I keep these metric based handles separate from the Lee SAE based versions.

[GregLaROCHE]

Not counting all the handles on my Lee two boolit molds, I have three others. One RCBS and two from MP. I can swap out for different steel molds. I like the ones I got from MP. I think they are a good deal, as long as you add them to an order and don’t pay additional shipping. I got two and if I make another order with MP, I’ll have them send me a couple more along with it.

[rancher1913]

given a little ingenuity, lee handles will fit about anything

[uscra112]

No idea, but the only handle I use is a toggle-clamp type I bought a few years ago. Because I don't have to grip it tightly to hold the mould closed, it's actually less fatiguing to use despite the extra weight.

[georgerkahn]

Several decades back I had a Lyman 2c mould which just "wouldn't"! Talking to a master-caster at club, his first question was the brand of handles I had one it, with his suggestion -- "what the heck?" -- swap a different set of "same" handles just to see if there's a difference. HE WAS RIGHT ON!!! I put on a pair of Lyman handles... and beautiful (for me ) bullets started dropping! To my eyes there was no dif between handles (brand X) which I replaced. However -- lesson learned -- when I spring for a mould, I also buy a set of same brand handles, and once I ascertain they work well... they stay on!
geo

[cwlongshot]

I was repeatedly asked for a video on handles. Applications and uses.

Here is what I came up with. Maybe it can help new folks with divisions on how and what ya need.

https://youtu.be/yIp2QoDFTMw

[TXTad]

given a little ingenuity, lee handles will fit about anything

I have heard this. Right now there is a vendor on eBay with a three pack of Lee handles for $78.

[TXTad]

I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 molds , all are on their own handles except the last two I bought . I expect that to change sometime next month.

I think I'll eventually get here, at least for the molds I use frequently.

[rancher1913]

I have heard this. Right now there is a vendor on eBay with a three pack of Lee handles for $78.

mehic was selling them for 20 bucks a pop not to long ago

[GhostHawk]

I actually have at least one lee 6 cav mold that is without handles. It is a 9mm .356 that cause severe keyholing in 2 of my 9mm guns. So I bought a .38 special mold in similar size and swapped the handles over. In theory I could sell the .356 6 cavity but I hate to create problems for someone else. Call it Karma. I still have it if I ever need it. Just need a set of handles.

Everything else has its own handles from single cav slug molds to lyman .455 double round ball.

[Green Frog]

If the moulds are unusual or take a special set of handles, of course they get their own. If it's a set of moulds I use often, they get their own handles. I keep about a half dozen or so other assorted handle sets for the 25-30 or so other moulds that get used on rare occasions. This gives me a total of...
TOO MANY TO COUNT!

As you cast more, your own practices will tell you how many handles you need.
Froggie

[MT Gianni]

Not counting Lee's built in I have RCBS and a Canadian makers copy of such and an adapted Lee, Several Lyman SC handles, several more of there DC handles and at least 4 of their 4 cavity handles. I have one Saeco handle and one LEE modified to fit Saeco. I have a couple of no names handles, but have never used just fingers, not even gloved. My answer is somewhere between a handle for every mold and a few of each. I think I have cut down to around 50 or 60 molds.

[TXTad]

Not counting Lee's built in I have RCBS and a Canadian makers copy of such and an adapted Lee, Several Lyman SC handles, several more of there DC handles and at least 4 of their 4 cavity handles. I have one Saeco handle and one LEE modified to fit Saeco. I have a couple of no names handles, but have never used just fingers, not even gloved. My answer is somewhere between a handle for every mold and a few of each. I think I have cut down to around 50 or 60 molds.

I think I'll end up something like this. Not sure about 50 or 60 molds, but I'm already closing in on 20.

[Gewehr-Guy]

I'm not sure how many I have , but last week bought nine more handles at two auctions. They were reasonably priced, and one set had a Hoch .459 500gr mould on the end of it

[Red River Rick]

I have approximately 200 pair of handles........................