Bullet molds? Lyman or Lee?

[returningliberty]

Hey guys, I'm going to start casting 9mm, probably .40 and .45 as well.
I shoot WAY more 9 than anything, so I'm thinking about the lee 6 cavity mold.
I know nothing about casting, but I've got a smithy with a lot of tools I can either retrofit or forge (like a dipper, pot, thinking of melting lead in my forge, fluxes, etc.), and I'd really like to expand my blacksmithing into bullet making.

So, anyone do this? What brands of tools are recommended?

 

[Gus McCrae]

I'm just getting started myself. I'm thinking for starting, I'd opt for Lee as it's much cheaper for the initial investment. Once you get it down and you've tinkered with it enough... that's when you really start deciding what you want in a bullet and go for the more expensive stuff.

 

[kcinnick]

I am going to get the Lee 6 - 120g truncated cone for 9mm but for .45 I went with an MP mold. These things are works of art, I don't have mine yet but it is a H&G68 Clone and if you have seen one they are a work of art. It wasn't cheap but my Grandchildren will be able to use it if they want too/our freedoms still exist. It has is a 4 bullet mold made of brass with steel sprue plate

I also splurged on a Ballicast MKVI lube and sizer.... The owner offered me a loaded model at an unbelievable price and I jumped on it, too bad it won't be here until May.

 

[Pale Horse]

I've used Lee molds for 14 years with great results. If you're going to get an electric melting pot, get one with bottom pour capability. You'll be wishing for it pretty quickly if you don't.

 

[returningliberty]

I've used Lee molds for 14 years with great results. If you're going to get an electric melting pot, get one with bottom pour capability. You'll be wishing for it pretty quickly if you don't.

I have a blacksmith's forge, so I probably will just hammer out a dipper for use in a cast iron pot instead of buying a furnace. I can even Make the mold blocks out of brass or steel or w/e else I wanted, I just don't have a lathe or the knowledge to bore a mold.

I'm On my way over to my shop right now to make a few ingot blocks. I might even get out my chemistry book and figure out how much volume to make them with lol.

 

[dmiculek]

+1 The Lee 6 cavity molds are a great value. Used properly they will last a very long time.

 

[Pale Horse]

I have a blacksmith's forge, so I probably will just hammer out a dipper for use in a cast iron pot instead of buying a furnace. I can even Make the mold blocks out of brass or steel or w/e else I wanted, I just don't have a lathe or the knowledge to bore a mold.

I'm On my way over to my shop right now to make a few ingot blocks. I might even get out my chemistry book and figure out how much volume to make them with lol.

I've got a Lee mold for 1/2 and 1 lb ingots. If you'd like some measurements, pm me.

 

[returningliberty]

Update:
My cast iron pot will not quite fit into my forge very unhappy.

Also, the pressure from the flame jets pretty much instantly liquified and splattered one weight when I stuck it in the forge with a spoon to check melting point. My forge doing double duty as a lead smelter may not be a viable solution after all.

Back to the drawing board. I'll probably build a charcoal forge and set my cast iron pot on there.

 

[kcinnick]

You don't want to get too hot, 700 degrees should be good.

 

[pwl822]

check out castboolits .com forum . lots of imfo for brands an experince with all types moulds equipment .and results of good old homemade bullets

 

[Pale Horse]

Any sort of flame fed with an air flow will be too hot. I got my start on a $15 propane camping stove from Walmart and a ladle.

 

[Joshlala]

My uncle casts 45 and 9 both with lee 6 cavity molds and they seem to come out great as far as I am concerned. We do all of the ingot making at my house and we just use some cast iron corn bread pans and some aluminum muffin tins for molds. We also use a stainless steel keg and crawfish burning to melt the lead.

 

[troy_mclure]

The old Lyman molds are great quality, the new ones are junk.
Lee makes a good solid mould for a great price.
If your gonna be using a pot and ladle you are going to be really rushing and pushing on a 6 cavity mould. It's gonna wear you out fast.
I recommend the lee bottom pour electric pot. The 10lb is like $50 or less.

 

[The_Shadow]

I cast quite a few bullets using both Lyman Mag 20lb Furnace and the LEE Pro4 20lb, these are both bottom pour pots that work well to fil the mold at proper temps. While you can produce bullets using the laddle method it is slower, your laddle should be cast iron to maintain its heat better.

I use several molds, RCBS, LYMAN, SAECO, NEI and LEE...Multi cavity (2 cav, 4cav & 6cav) will produce bullets at a faster rate, single cavity molds and hollow point molds are slower but will make great bullets. Molds are cut using a CHERRY (cutting tool that is the shape of the bullet to be made) or a CNC machine.

I like the iron/steel molds best, but with great care the brass & aluminum molds will hold up as well. Having a good source of metal alloy to is critical to good bullets, many wheel weights today are made from zinc and not conducive to good bullets. Many sources of lead alloy can be very dirty and unknown alloys.

If you want to learn more about the casting process you can read info from this site...http://www.lasc.us/ArticlesFryxell.htm

Best regards and casting!

 

[The_Shadow]

After the bullets are cast...

After you cast your bullets you will need to size and lubricate them, this requires either simple tools like a pouring lube on the bullets and a push thru type sizer like that of LEE to more sophisticated equipment which uses proper sizing dies in a sizing/lube press like those of RCBS/LYMAN that apply pressure the lube to fill the grooves or even the STAR from MAGMA that sizes bullets nose first at a faster rate. The only difference is cost of the equipment & dies vs. output proficency and cleanliness. Your needs for multy caliber and quanity of bullets needed determine just how much labor vs. cost of good equipment.

I have the RCBS Sizer Luberimatic and a STAR Sizer both work well, but the STAR is much faster.

Best regards

 

[Leadslugga]

I use Lyman and Lee molds. Lee molds are a lot lighter, and only cost 1/2 to 1/3 the price generally. A 2 cavity lee mold is $20 with handles, whereas the same lyman mold is usually around $45 and the handles come separately.

The Lyman mold seems heavier duty, but like I said, it is heavier. I've never had problems with my lee molds. Perhaps in the long, long run, the lyman will hold up better. But you can get 3 lee molds for the price of the lyman.

Long story short, I buy lee molds when they have the bullet shape I want. I have lyman for my .44 keith style SWC, because lee doesn't make that bullet (and I love that damned bullet).

 

[kcinnick]

I got my MP mold, it is a work of art.

I am also getting a Lee mold for 9mm, I am not a mold snob, I just really, really wanted an HG68!

 

[toddrod]

All I have are the LEE molds and I am very satisfied with them.

 

[340six]

check out castboolits .com forum . lots of imfo for brands an experince with all types moulds equipment .and results of good old homemade bullets

I am a member there good site and good help
I use only Lyman and RCBS iron. Be aware that new lymans are now undersized plenty of times.
I normally by old stock Lyman if i get a new one. I did just get a custom brass mould from NOE in brass for 30 cal. it is a remake/clone of the Lyman 311365 200 grain and is for my Garand and a HP 230 round nose based on the Lyman 452374 made by Mihec
I like Lars lubes and use Red Carnuba in a Lyman 4500 with heater but does not need much heat at all a light bulb would work.
a little of my work
http://s234.photobucket.com/albums/ee87/fast340six/Red Carnuba/?albumview=slideshow

 

[340six]

I got my MP mold, it is a work of art.

I am also getting a Lee mold for 9mm, I am not a mold snob, I just really, really wanted an HG68!

My RCBS 45-200 is a copy of that same #68 and is a nice iron mould