casting RB's ect.

[45north]

I hope this is the right area to ask this question.
Why are casting bullet molds for RB's or conicals only 1,2 cavity. Why not use a longer mold that holds 8,10 or even 20 cavity in one pour from your pot.
I am not a caster as yet but I am going to start this summer.Also where is the best place to buy used casting equipment,or is it better to buy all new for a begining caster.

Thank you for any advice

 

[biliff]

They're called gang molds. Usually cast around 6 balls at a time if you can find 'em.

 

[bingo1952]

A six cavity mould if you can find one will probably run at least $150.00 and that is just for the blocks. The longer a mould gets the more prone it is to distortion and if you screw up a single or double cavity (God Forbid) you are not out nearly as much money.

 

[nchawkeye]

Once you get the hang of it, you'd be suprised how many balls you can put out in an afternoon...

I alternate molds so I always have one cooling...

 

[KHickam]

On the subject of bullet molds - Who makes a good brass or steel bag mold?

 

[paulvallandigham]

Rapine on the Steel Bag Mold, Tanner over in England for the Brass Bag mold.

 

[paulvallandigham]

The problem with using any gang mold is keeping the entire mold to the right level of heat to get good balls from the mold every time you pour a casting. A friend of mine has many gang molds and used two at a time, keeping one cooling( with newly cast balls or bullets) while he pours the lead into the next gang mold. Then the second mold is set aside to cool, while he removes the bullets from the first mold, closes the sprue cutter, and pours the lead for new balls or bullets into the mold.

Gang molds are very heavy, and tire your hands and wrists quickly. They also work best with bottom pour pots. They are as expensive to buy, as has already been pointed out to you, IF YOU CAN FIND THE MOLDS TO BUY!

For the average shooter, a single or double cavity mold will produce enough balls for shooting for a couple of trips to the range, in the time you are willing to sit over a very hot stove and pot of molten lead at a sitting.

With Lee Double cavity molds selling at less than $20.00, its hard to think about spending more money to cast balls for a ML gun. This is NO machine gun or even a rapid fire, Self-loading rifle or pistol. Loading and shooting 20 rds of MLer balls in an hour or two is going to leave you wanting to take a break.

 

[jtmattison]

Another potential problem with gang moulds is inconsistent cavity size. If it is not made to exact tolerances you could be throwing several different sized balls/bullets.

I use single cavity moulds. I can cast ball plenty fast enough. Besides, I'm in no rush. Casting ball is another relaxing part of our hobby and I enjoy it almost as much as shooting.

HD

 

[cowpoke1955]

I've been casting for over 25 years. I bought all my gear from F&M Reloading: http://www.fmreloading.com/ . I buy everything Lee. F&M has the best prices on the net. Good luck and have fun :thumbsup:

 

[longfowler]

I have a hard enough time casting good balls one at a time, I can imagine a gang mold would take all the fun out of it! besides, I can cast faster than I can load & shoot - 100 balls an hour is an easy pace once the mold warms up, and that's with a single cavity lee. 2 weeks ago I decided the weather was nice enough, and I needed to restock, so I cast ball for a while every night after work and made 800 ball that week. stuff like that keeps me from watching to much TV.

 

[musketman]

Have you ever been splashed with molten lead? Let me tell you slower is better when you are working with extremely hot liquids.

I worked in the rubber industry for over 20 years and we cured rubber in a 400 degree salt bath and I can tell you this, it burns like hell when it gets on you. (salts turn into an amber liquid over 300 degrees)
The salt would burn until it cooled, so you end up with half moon craters in your flesh. I have pock marks all up and down my arms because of this.

Having said that, molten lead is 300 degrees hotter than the rubber curing salts, that rounds out to over 700 degrees of unimaginable pain if an accident occurs.

In my opinion, single or double cavity molds work just fine and are a lot safer.

 

[boondocker]

I am a caster and a 1 or 2 cav mold will cast you all the balls you need. You drop the ball out as fast as you cast them and like said before you will be amazed how many you will cast in an hour. I have a few 4 cav steel pistol molds that will give you popeye arms quick I know I have them. I prefer 2 cavs. I would like try a 6 cav Lee aluminum sometime tho. I believe it is better 2 have to molds and let one cool to keep more uniform boolits and balls. :thumbsup:

 

[45north]

I was looking at starting with all new equipment. Sounds like a 2 cavity mold is the one for me.
Thanks for all the help, just what I needed.

 

[sidelock]

I bought all of my casting stuff from Herters what does that say about my loading years? Any one remember them? :thumbsup:

 

[jtmattison]

I bought all of my casting stuff from Herters what does that say about my loading years? Any one remember them? :thumbsup:

Don't know about casting equipment but I have a dozen Herters mallard decoys that have stood the test of time. They're over 20 years old and still going strong.

:thumbsup:

HD

 

[FPDoc]

Molds are often purchased to try a new size, style or weight and it's very affordable to purchase a 1 or 2 cavity mold to try out. If you are production casting or casting for IPSC competition etc. the gang molds are great but very expensive as mentioned in other posts. I will use several molds that require the same alloy in a session and cast in a rhythm that lets me cycle through 3-5 molds, varying the number of molds I am casting to keep them all the correct temperature to drop good bullets. With 2 cavity molds I can also see what the bullets look like and discard any flawed ones right then. I sometimes separate them by which cavity each bullet comes from since that can make a difference in some instances. At any rate this make things interesting, fun and affordable, can supply lots of shootable bullets for several calibers at once and if something happens to a mold you aren't out $150-$200. You can also carry a 1-2 cavity mold with you if you like to sit around the campfire and pass the time "running ball" for the next days shooting. Used casting equipment from "online auction services", firearms news publications, gun shows, other shooters or new if you can't find it any other way. Buyer beware of course with used stuff but there isn't alot that goes wrong that isn't pretty obvious. Be careful, have fun and remember that molten lead and moisture (including sweat from your brow as you look into the lead pot to flux the mixture) just does not go together well (read that as explosive combination).

 

[Billnpatti]

What you are asking about are "gang" molds. They are usually found only in production casting operations. There are a couple of reasons why you don't find them used by indivisual casters. First, they arfe expensive to make and buy. Each cavety increases the price. Secondly, they are heavy and would be pretty difficult to handle. The last reason that colmes to mind is the fact that they would be a problem to bring up to casting temp and keep them there so that all of your balls would be the same.

For a beginner at casting your own balls, I'd buy a Lee mold. They are inexpensive and come with handles. The mold is made of aluminum and requires a bit more care to prevent damage to the mold but will cast quite good balls and will, with care, last a long time. If you get good enough with your muzzleloading shootime that you are making trips to Friendship to shoot in some of the more competative matches, you may then want to spend the money on some of the more expensive molds. Until then, buy a Lee.