Best round ball mold?

[smoothshooter]

I have used LEE, Lyman, Tanner, RCBS, Rapine and NEI round ball AND conical moulds. RB in Tanner molds.
: The very best RB mould, is defined by me to be cost, quality, longevity(value) and casting ease giving quality of balls/bullets.
; The BEST is a tie between RCBS and LYMAN- no second place winner here. The other's, ie: Lee,- too delicate for longevity, although I have some that are now 10 years old, that have cast thousands of bullets, they are getting too old now. I have Lyman moulds that are 50 years old (Ideal) and they are as good as new. The aluminum moulds just won't last like that - too bad, their price is right. The brass moulds NEI/Rapine, agains too delicate perhaps, but too pricey for a Round ball mould. The Tanner moulds cast too slowly and are prone to picking up lead when using WW or alloyed lead. B this I mean lead, in adusting covering, sticks to the cavities and thus cass unersize balls. As well, they don't have sprue cutters howevr are the second lowest priced. As they are brass, with a flange indicator, they are stronger than Lee but not nearly as well lived as the steel or iron moulds. Casting speed is a big thing for me as I've cast many thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, in the last 35 years and I don't like to be in the fumes any longer than necessary, now-a-days. Due to this, the Lyman RB moulds, at $84.95CDN are the best buy in RB moulds. RCBS are around the same price and equal in quality to the Lyman product. I have an Ideal (Lyman) muld that is 120 years old and it still casts perfct bullets. It is a 340gr. .457 bullet for the 45/70 Springfield. Brass and Aluminum probably won't last like that. Brass has a change, but not with the delicate flange-type in index on the Tanner moulds. While very nice to use and more acurate at alingning the blocks, it is a more delicate system than Lyman or RCBS's pins.

Lee molds are cheap enough that if one starts giving problems you can throw it away and buy another one.
Cheap.

 

[Rob M.]

Lyman are the best and steel molds are great . The first ball or two you throw back in the pot then ....they are all good . I hate the aluminum molds but to each their own. The aluminum molds you have to check each ball and look at them for flaws as your running them. You'll see bad flaws , runs , and voids in them and throw them back in the pot for remoulding ....the aluminum molds will cool too quickly , even just sitting there for a very short time and start throwing bad balls . Not iron molds ....

 

[stubshaft]

I have had more than my share of RB molds and the very best I have ever had is the JT ball molds made by Jeff Tanner in England. You tell him what size you want and you will get that exact size.

 

[Timber Wolf]

Lyman are the best and steel molds are great . The first ball or two you throw back in the pot then ....they are all good . I hate the aluminum molds but to each their own. The aluminum molds you have to check each ball and look at them for flaws as your running them. You'll see bad flaws , runs , and voids in them and throw them back in the pot for remoulding ....the aluminum molds will cool too quickly , even just sitting there for a very short time and start throwing bad balls . Not iron molds ....

I have never had an issue with aluminum molds cooling too quickly. In fact, they get too hot for me. I usually run two molds for just that reason. I am running one and the other is “warming” on the edge of the burner (Turkey Frier stand/burner). When one starts taking to long for the sprue to solidify I knock the bullet(s) out and set it off to the side open to cool and run the other one a while. The trick is to have two bullet sizes or styles enough different that I don’t get them mixed up (like I did the other day with .570 and .600).

 

[Rob M.]

Good deal ......

I have never had an issue with aluminum molds cooling too quickly. In fact, they get too hot for me. I usually run two molds for just that reason. I am running one and the other is “warming” on the edge of the burner (Turkey Frier stand/burner). When one starts taking to long for the sprue to solidify I knock the bullet(s) out and set it off to the side open to cool and run the other one a while. The trick is to have two bullet sizes or styles enough different that I don’t get them mixed up (like I did the other day with .570 and .600).

 

[smoothshooter]

Lyman are the best and steel molds are great . The first ball or two you throw back in the pot then ....they are all good . I hate the aluminum molds but to each their own. The aluminum molds you have to check each ball and look at them for flaws as your running them. You'll see bad flaws , runs , and voids in them and throw them back in the pot for remoulding ....the aluminum molds will cool too quickly , even just sitting there for a very short time and start throwing bad balls . Not iron molds ....

I quit worrying about minor flaws on the exterior of the balls years ago.
When you ram a ball down the barrel, the forward surface is damaged quite a bit anyway by the brass end of the ramrod, and then there is the distortion caused by the weave pattern forced into the sides of the ball by pressure from the lands.
If anyone doubts me, load a ball, then pull it back out and look at it closely.

 

[Ceannt]

I really like the ones made by Larry Callahan.
I have two of them, and been extremely pleased with them.

 

[cositrike]

Has anyone tried or used the Jeff Tanner molds? They look of good quality but not sure about the brass?

I only use Tanner moulds these days. I have about 10 at the moment. What is your concern about brass?

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I don't know who makes the "best", but I use LEE molds for all my casting. They are aluminum so they heat up faster and throw better bullets faster than steel molds, and they are reasonably priced as well. IMHO.

I also vote for LEE. Just treat them with care and they will last.

LD

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Round ball molds I always go with Lee.
The 45 cal I got in 2004 is still works as good as it did then.
The trick is not to over heat them.

 

[Jason holgate]

Lyman

 

[oldwood]

Lee