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Bullet Moulds: Cast Iron vs Aluminum.
chiefr
Member Posts: 13,776 ✭✭✭✭
I wonder of the many people out there who cast their own bullets prefer Lee aluminum moulds over cast iron moulds. It seems Lee is the only company that I know of that sells aluminum moulds. I have been casting bullets for 25 years and I am a big fan of aluminum, however there is a limited choice of aluminum moulds out there.
Comments
But when I can buy four Lee moulds for the cost of one Lyman or RCBS, that settles it for me.
They all can make perfectly good bullets. Iron moulds wear longer but can rust. Aluminum won't rust but can be damaged.
But when I can buy four Lee moulds for the cost of one Lyman or RCBS, that settles it for me.
Agree Rocky, the first time I used iron moulds, I left everything in my garage to cool. When I came back to cast more, several days later, I noticed surface rust all over my moulds. Learned a lesson there. I sprayed them with WD 40 afterwards even though it took forever for them to cool down.
On the same subject of heat transfer, it seems to take forever for my cast iron moulds to get to the right temp. That Problem went away with aluminum moulds. Yes my alum moulds do get too hot, but if they sit for a minute, they quickly cool and I can resume casting again. Iron takes too long. I agree 100% on the cost issue. Just wish their were more choices.
I believe RAPINE also makes alum. molds, I have both and they all work well
Mike, I never heard of RAPINE before. Who sells them?
http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Rapine.Bullet.Mould.Manufacturing.LLC.215-679-5413
Google has more - including one that lists their moulds at just under $100 a pop.
When getting a mold for a caliber that is not going to be used a lot, I get the Lee two cavity due to cost.
If I want a mold to last forever I get a Lyman and treat it very carefully.
Very few make brass molds though. CBE of Australia is about it. And while fine molds, they are a bit pricey.
One has to look at the basics. I buy a mold because I have a gun with a bore of roughly that diameter. I can always size the bullet down to fit, or lap the mold a bit to get it slightly fatter. But I have a gun with roughly that diameter bore.
That determined, I look at available choices. If Lee has something that might work I will probably go with them first due to costs. If I can't get their offerings to perform, I move to something else, usually Lyman. But yes, Lee is my first choice. And generally has what I need.
Some exceptions: My Mosins and Enfields like a .315" bullet. Lee's mold offerings only go up to a nominal .312". Yes, as I say, I could lap the mold out. But CBE had on hand an extra-fat 215 gr mold designed specifically for the 303 so I went with that.
Another case- Lee just doesn't make anything quite suitable for a .32 acp. So I got the Lyman. Turns out it also makes a good plinker bullet in my M1 carbine.
Don't forget brass. Brass is my favorite. It has the heat capacity of iron but handles well and doesn't rust like aluminum.
Very few make brass molds though. CBE of Australia is about it. And while fine molds, they are a bit pricey.
One has to look at the basics. I buy a mold because I have a gun with a bore of roughly that diameter. I can always size the bullet down to fit, or lap the mold a bit to get it slightly fatter. But I have a gun with roughly that diameter bore.
That determined, I look at available choices. If Lee has something that might work I will probably go with them first due to costs. If I can't get their offerings to perform, I move to something else, usually Lyman. But yes, Lee is my first choice. And generally has what I need.
Some exceptions: My Mosins and Enfields like a .315" bullet. Lee's mold offerings only go up to a nominal .312". Yes, as I say, I could lap the mold out. But CBE had on hand an extra-fat 215 gr mold designed specifically for the 303 so I went with that.
Another case- Lee just doesn't make anything quite suitable for a .32 acp. So I got the Lyman. Turns out it also makes a good plinker bullet in my M1 carbine.
Your right, brass moulds are scarce, I saw a round ball brass mould at a gunshow once and that was it. I do reload 32acp and 30 carb, but never used cast bullets. Might have to give that a try.
On the subject of Rapine moulds, I found plenty of info on their products, but no retailers.
From the responses gathered here, I can see I am not the only one using aluminum moulds. Seems RCBS and Lyman would follow suit. Machining costs would be much lower.