Single cavity molds?

J

Jeff H

NW Ohio
Your voodoo works for you, so don't mess with it. I do things which don't make sense to some others,.... or even to myself sometimes, but it's my voodoo for good bullets, good ammo, good shooting.

There are not a lot of moulds for the .243 compared to many others, so your selection could be pretty limited. Maybe at least consider what someone else has suggested and settle for a multi-cavity mould and just use one cavity. Even then, you'd have multiple cavities to try as your "one," instead of going through multiple moulds trying to find the perfect one.
 
CWLONGSHOT

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
My pop was always a single cav fan too. Its how I started. He would never buy a multicavity. But he didn't have many molds or shoot that many rounds either. He absolutely distain at the idea of a 6 cav mold. His thought was inconsistency I don't feel it was grounded, meaning it was just his opinion b
BUT, and as previously stated, before CNC machinery, there was more probability then possibility for greater variances.

Personally I like 3/4 cav molds best for average use. 5/6+ when I need allot of bullets in a shorter time. I have no aversion or any cav count but as we know more cav the bigger the blocks and the more weight they have.

If thats what you like more power to ya, just know comparing the cavity's of the vast majority of the molds made today, there isnt enough difference to make a discernible difference.

CW
 
RBHarter

RBHarter

West Central AR
I have an 80s vintage H&G that casts the #130 awfully close 1-8 , maybe .5-1 gr throughout 20# in 2 pots of metal.

I have a couple of Cramer 2 cavs that as long as I do my part are very close also .

I know those were and still are Cadillacs . I have a couple really close RCBS of unknown production that drop very close pairs but I also have one that's supposed to be 7mm 168 and drops a 175 and a 180 .

Lee ....... Let's not ..... I have a couple 6s that cast 5-6 gr difference with a trackable 3 standard and 1 or 2 up to 3 gr light and the same heavy . I also have 3 that are 3gr across a session . I don't know what the difference is from a 358-200 and a 452-255 and a 401-175 among others but the 401 displays the 3-2-1 trend and the 452 did until I changed the sprue plate to a steel replacement . Maybe temperature retention per cavity , but that doesn't explain the 358-200 being stable and the 358-125 wandering.....
 
Josh

Josh

Well-Known Member
I've got a few singles, these two are made for the 38/357. The 358430 and 358311 are both great, problem is, they're not heavy in the meplat department. Either one in the vital zone will make short work of deer. Try finding one of these. 20230729_153626.jpg
 
Rick

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
Half check-1.jpg

How consistent are the cavities? The above bullet was an ah sh*t moment. I received two MP brass 4 cavity molds of the same bullet, one gas checked one plain based. While the pot heated, I cleaned both molds. In a bit too much of a hurry I assembled one of them and started casting. After about a half dozen pours, I looked at the bullets laying there and said to myself, self, that just ain't right. I had assembled one block from the gas check mold and the other block from the plain base block. Just like that I had invented the half check bullet. :rolleyes: The point being that even with blocks from two different molds, with the exception of the gas check you couldn't tell the difference.
 
Bret4207

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
CZ93X62 said:
You haven't LIVED until you fill a 1# coffee can with Lyman #225438s from a single-cavity mould. Nicely enough, these shoot quite well from 22 Hornet and 22-250.
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To make it even better, run 2 moulds at the same time, one 30 cal and one 31 cal that have the same basic profile. Run off 4 or 500 of them! Then spend hours and hours with a mic in hand.....
 
CWLONGSHOT

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
CZ93X62 said:
I normally cast with two moulds going at once. I learned long ago to have two VERY DISSIMILAR patterns running at the same time.
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I di the same with a 429421. I needed a bunch and my buddy had a single cav as did I. I cast with the two and then about 250 in realized the molds was slightly different...
 
358156 hp

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
johnnyjr said:
Really I've been casting of an on for years. Made all my bullets for 457 sharps rifle. Hundreds for 44 until my hand got messed up and could no longer handle the recoil.
New to the 243 though. But I'm getting a good handle on that now. I have found that the single cavity do make better bullets for me. Makes not difference how many I can make in a hour or so..
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I see where you got the idea that single cavity moulds make better bullets from this post, but new SC moulds are only available from one source, Accurate Molds https://www.accuratemolds.com/ Only Tom shows single cavity moulds still available in aluminum, brass, or iron. Prices seem to range from $91.00 to a bit over $150.00 plus shipping. A respectable price for a made to order mould these days.

Double cavity moulds don't necessarily mean poor quality like they used to. Look at Rick pic above of the 4 cavity MP Mould that he got the blocks switched around on. Look closely at the lines and grooves, even though this was a mismatched set of block, everything lines up perfectly except for the half gas check step. That's a fine example of CNC machining, two different moulds, cut on two different days from the same program and everything lines up. I looked over mould auctions on GunBroker and Ebay and don't see any NOS single cavity moulds listed at this time. By the time you read this, that situation could change of course.

Most new production moulds nowdays are unimpressive to say the least. Lyman and RCBS both have some ongoing quality issues, and neither offers single cavity moulds anyway. NOE makes good semi-production moulds, as does MP in Slovenia, and I have purchased moulds from them in the past and will continue to do so in the future. For what you want, Accurate appears to be the only choice, I believe Lyman discontinued SC moulds 25-30 years ago due to lack of demand. Besides, buying a factory new Lyman or RCBS mould is no guarantee that it was made correctly these days.

When selecting a mould, be certain that the design you select has the features you need to fill your needs. You mentioned a Rossi .357, is this a single shot or a lever action? Nose length from the crimp groove to the meplat can be critical in many lever actions and if your lever gun is built on an 1892 sized frame, bullet nose length can be even more critical. It is entirely possible to get a bullet with too long of a nose to feed properly.

What you're describing to me leads me to suspect that 358156 Lyman would be an excellent choice for you, but I seem to recall that you've already tried one and didn't like it. I think you sold it on the CBA site last winter. There are several versions of Keith bullets, but you'll want to watch the nose length on some of them. It's a pity that LBT is gone now. Veral would ask you a few questions, then tell you exactly what to order and it would be correct (sigh). Tom at Accurate is pretty much the same way.
 
CZ93X62

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
CW--

Yessir, Lyman cavity design poetry is a real thing. I have two copies of #454424--the Keith 45 Colt-intended 255-260 grain offering. The single-cavity is an Ideal mould, and is vintage Elmer from start to finish--3 drive bands of equal length and a huge square-cut lube groove that I am sure is black powder/SPG lube capable. The other is a Lyman from c. 1960 and a two-holer. It has radius-cut lube grooves and the front drive band is slightly shorter than the 2 bracketing the lube groove. I can recall Mr. Keith's written complaints in the 1970s bemoaning Lyman's modifications to his designs.

I have shot both designs side-by-side several times since the 1990s. I can't shoot well enough to discern a bit of difference between the two using 3 revolvers of very different ages and makes. Both moulds cast my alloys at .455" +/- a couple tenths. In my 45 Colts the bullets sized @ .454" chamber with a slight drag; the S&W M-625 requires .452" sizing and those front drive bands have a drag-fit going in as well. (The 625's throats won't pass a .452" pin gauge, .451" is a 'Go').
 
J

Jeff H

NW Ohio
Rick said:
That would be really impressive if it were a 3 pound can. :rolleyes: :)
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Since someone brought this up...

Do NOT fill 3# coffee cans (or 50 cal ammo cans) with bullets!

Einstein's relativity thing applies to MASS as much as anything and I have PROOF!! Ammo cans and coffee cans filled with lead ingots or bullets when you're in your 30s will get heavier over time. I've concluded that MASS increases exponentially over time. By the time you hit 60, those blasted things weigh TWICE what they did when you were 30!
 
462

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
RicinYakima said:
I have ammo cans of 1990's lead ingots that will never be used, as I can no longer pull them out from under the benches. :sigh:
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Ric, are there any neighborhood kids you can hire to move the cans to a place that you can access the ingots?

Costco 3 pound coffee cans hold approximately 32 pounds of cast bullets. I have many of those cans that are full, some that are partly full, and the partly full cans need to be filled as part of this Winter's projects. The cans are stored on a Gorilla rack clone with one shelf at shoulder height and the other about a foot lower.
 
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