Casting HB minies

[BillinOregon]

Will the Lee moulds cast as good a hollow-based minie as a Lyman, or is the extra mass and heat retention of an iron mold superior to aluminum for csting HB designs?

 

[big bore 75]

I have two Lee one a hollow base mini ball mould that I warped by accident and a hollow point mould that I'm real carefull with, but the best mould for a miniball if your casting for a civil war musket is made by RCBS and its not cheap around 60.00 but worth the money spent is the Hogdon and avilable in different weigths and diamiters, the bottom of the mould does not have a plug that has to be removed, the plug is built into the mould, they also sell a .54 cal mini ball mould as well, hope this helps ..75

 

[musketshooter]

I agree with big bore. THe RCBS is the best. I bought all the various Lyman and Lee molds trying to find the right one for my muskets and could have saved a bundle if I had bought the RCBS first.

 

[BillinOregon]

Thanks guys. What are the bore diameters of your muskets, and what diameter slug does your RCBS Hodgdon mold drop?

 

[George Wyman]

Let me agree with Big Bore also. I tried and used many HB minie molds untill the RCBS/Hodgedon came out. They are very good and come in .002 increments so you can match the diameter to your barrel. Pure lead works good in them at around 900 degrees. A little Rapine Mold Prep on the tapered portion of the plug lets the bullets drop out by gravity alone.

 

[keethb]

Sir,

I skirmish and shoot a lot of minies. The Lee minie molds work well if you "pace" yourself as to not overheat the molds. The RCBS is a little more difficult to get to the right temperature, but casts effortlessly forever once the mold and center plug are warm enough. I have a 25 year old RCBS minie mold that is still going strong. I just had to replace my 25 year old Lee minie mold with a replacement. Guess either way I got my moneys worth........

Best Regards,

Sky-Dogg