Best Round Ball Mold

[gradog]

I have a .495 round ball mold that I am not satisfied with. The balls come out mismatched and out of round.Who makes a really good quality round ball mold that will make a consistently shaped round ball.

 

[bpd303]

What mold are you using? How long have you been casting?
I have R/B molds manufactured by Lee, Ideal/Lyman, RCBS, Thompson, and a few others. In my 50 + years of casting my own, I have only experienced what you are describing due to my casting technique ie melt temperature too low or mold not up to temperature or contaminated alloy. Round balls should be close to pure lead with a very small amount of tin to help fill out.

 

[mooman76]

I have a .495 round ball mold that I am not satisfied with. The balls come out mismatched and out of round.Who makes a really good quality round ball mold that will make a consistently shaped round ball.

Even if the mould is bad or out of round your balls should come out consistent, bad but consistently bad. The shape of the mould is what it is, it doesn't change.

 

[AZbpBurner]

While waiting for my lead pot to come up to casting temperature, I place my mold with the bottom of the blocks atop the melting lead. Once the lead is ready to pour, the blocks are just about the right temp, and everything cast has completely filled out the mold; the balls are, smooth round and shiny with uniform diameter and weight.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

For a modern mold I like Lyman and Lee. Lee molds need a bit more TLC as they are aluminum, but for those on a budget, they are great. For a bag mold I only use Callahan these days, as Rapine isn't in production any longer.

LD

 

[Bon Sauvage]

Perhaps your mold is a lemon. It happens. My Lee and NEI molds work very well.

 

[gradog]

I don't want to post the name of the maker. It has been sent back to the maker for evaluation. I have been casting for a few years and haven't had any problems with my molds or balls.I think for a few reasons the quality of this mold is not as good as the ones that I have got from them in the past. I would rather pay more to get a good quality mold.

 

[gradog]

Correct. The balls from the mold are consistently bad.I should have said I want to buy from a company who consistently makes high quality molds.

 

[Many Klatch]

Jeff Tanner in England makes the best moulds for round ball. They are brass, heat up quickly and throw perfectly round ball. They don't come with sprue cutters or handles. The moulds are built to fit on Lyman handles. I use side cutters to take care of the sprue. His service is pretty amazing. The mould will be sitting at your doorstep within a week of ordering. You can get a mould in ANY size.
http://www.jt-bullet-moulds.co.uk/

Many Klatch

 

Jeff Tanner in England makes the best moulds for round ball. They are brass, heat up quickly and throw perfectly round ball. They don't come with sprue cutters or handles. The moulds are built to fit on Lyman handles. I use side cutters to take care of the sprue. His service is pretty amazing. The mould will be sitting at your doorstep within a week of ordering. You can get a mould in ANY size.
http://www.jt-bullet-moulds.co.uk/

Many Klatch

When I ordered mine it was shipped promptly but took almost three weeks to arrive.
Communication from Jeff's end was excellent throughout. When it arrived I complied with his request to let him know and told him that I had started to worry it was lost. In his reply he said that three weeks was about average, so maybe it’s another sign of the times that some things don’t clear customs like they used to.

 

[Eljay]

Mine took 2-3 weeks to arrive, I'm not sure. They hit Los Angeles almost immediately and then sat in customs for ages before continuing.

And yeah, they're good molds. For the record, one of the two doesn't quite close properly with Lyman handles. Something about the exact angle - I shimmed it and got good results. Eventually my backordered Lee handles (which is what he recommended) arrived and solved the problem more permanently.

 

[jamesthomas]

I have 2 lee molds a .490 and a .395 Both throw excellent round balls. Lyman maybe be a good mold but I don't like the fact that they make you buy the handles separate. For the price they're asking the handles should be included.

 

[Billnpatti]

Lee makes a pretty darned good mold and they are not expensive. I have been using them for quite a few years. I have more than 20 of them and have experienced no problems with any of them due to a manufacturing problem. I have had one mold that had been casting good balls and then began to fail to give me good round balls and I traced the problem to some crud on the pins that align the mold halves. I cleaned the shmutz off and was back to casting nice round balls. Check your mold faces and aligning pins to be sure that they are clean before spending money on another mold. Also, after your mold gets hot, dab a tiny bit of bees wax on the aligning pins and the sprue cutter pivot screw. Do not use paraffin. It does not have enough lubricity. Also be sure to smoke your mold cavities with a match or butane candle lighter.

 

[George T.]

I have several Lyman and a couple of lee's. They all throw really good balls and bullets. If I had either of these that was off a little I would contact the maker. I feel sure that they would make it right! Geo. T.

 

[mooman76]

I like the Lees. I have others too and are also good but I think for the money, you can't beat Lee moulds. If you take care of them, they should out last you.

 

[strato50]

Hey guys, lots of excellent info here!

I have a 'traditional' scissor mold for my Bess that, while it works, is far from perfect. Advertised as .71" on track the wolf it actually measures out to .69 / .685 (not that round.. )

I've been looking for a good solid .735 mold and Lyman seems to be the best call, but does anyone know if there is something in that size range from Lee? I haven't been able to come up with much.

Eventually I'll be happy to shell out the $130-140 with shipping if I have too, but Lee's being a bit cheaper will do just fine for me.

 

[MosinRob]

I found that when the balls came out consistently wrong it was my own fault. I always had the heat too low. Also making sure the lead is properly fluxed. When i started i was using the dipper and that made it a little more challenging too. I used to use a lee to cast my .530 rb. It took a while to heat up but once it did the balls were okay. I would still get about 10-15% throw away though. I bought a RCBS mould from a guy in the forum and I have to say its slightly better. It heats up faster I believe. I also notice my throw away is usually around 3-5%. Just my experience. Hope you find what your looking for.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Hey guys, lots of excellent info here!

I have a 'traditional' scissor mold for my Bess that, while it works, is far from perfect. Advertised as .71" on track the wolf it actually measures out to .69 / .685 (not that round.. )

I've been looking for a good solid .735 mold and Lyman seems to be the best call, but does anyone know if there is something in that size range from Lee? I haven't been able to come up with much.

Eventually I'll be happy to shell out the $130-140 with shipping if I have too, but Lee's being a bit cheaper will do just fine for me.

Jeff Tanner has been mentioned. Good quality and good prices.
I have an old Dixie mould in .731" and it does fine. Having to cut off the sprue is not a big deal. If you let the balls cool first. :shocked2: :wink:
Lee only makes up to a .690" rb mould.