Brass Mould Blocks

[CZ93X62]

I have been pursuing this pouring addiction since Nineteen-Ought-Eighty-One, but have never owned or used a brass bullet mould. I was wondering what advantages or down-sides this material presents as mould-making material. Weight and relative softness suggest themselves as negatives......what am I missing here?

 

[Rick]

Weight. I dearly love my brass molds and for a while was eagerly buying 4 cavs from Miha. They sure do seem to be putting on weight every year lately. As for casting it's a learning curve much like people that are used to iron and then switch to aluminum, a learning curve is involved but the brass surely does cast a mighty fine bullet. probably because it machines so well. They hold heat far better than aluminum which is where the learning curve is.

 

[fiver]

I think Rick touched on about everything, except maybe them needing a bit of a break in to get a brownish patina built up in the cavity's.

oh and you have to watch out for tin sticking to them.
once you have them running though they are sweet.

 

[RicinYakima]

All the custom moulds I buy are brass. Rick is right, the cavity is smooth and perfect (no burrs!), you can cast at a lower temperature and use higher tin alloys. I admit that I have put some under the mill and reduced the weight by about 25%, but it is a stable material and doesn't move much under temperature changes. It does take a few heat / cool cycles to oxidize the surface, but once set seems to last for years.

 

[Ian]

Actually, free-machining brass has something like three times the thermal conductivity of aluminum, but most of the makers producing them think the blocks need to be the size of a red D'Hannis brick so they DO act like they hold a lot of heat.

I like brass blocks because they tend to stay a more uniform temperature throughout (compared to iron or aluminum) and don't get hot/cold spots which distort the shape of the bullet. Iron blocks with large cavities tend to get hot in the middle and cold noses, causing "wasp waist syndrome".

 

[freebullet]

I love a brass or iron 2 cavity mold. Otherwise aluminum is it.

 

[Ben]

My Accurate clone of the SAECO # 315 looks like it is made of gold.
This is a fine mould !

Today , I got outside and cast more.
An enjoyable casting session.

 

[Pistolero]

Fine looking mold AND bullets, Ben.

I have a few brass molds. They work well but don't seem to be a whole huge improvement
over the aluminum ones. Certainly very good molds, but I don't have a strong preference for brass.

Bill

 

[Bret4207]

I only own one brass mould, an ancient Yankee. Biggest thing- no chance of rust. 2nd biggest, mine heats up fast and is about as easy to cast with as it can get. Downsides, I suppose they are somewhat more fragile than iron, but any mould you drop is going to get hurt. As far as weight, I compare everything else to a 10 cav H+G. Put a hunka 2x4 someplace handy to rest it on if it's too heavy for you. I don't see any real downside. I'd have all brass if I could.

 

[Kevin Stenberg]

Yes i like my Mihec brass molds. The one drawback is that they have a good patina. Or there is the probability of getting tinning on the edges of the mold.

 

[Winelover]

My last MP Group Buy (brass 2 Cavity 44-250 RNFP, with HP option) came with undersized gas check shanks. Was replaced and issue not corrected. Must use aluminum small shank gas checks. I wasn't the only complaint............honcho and four others had the same issue. I'm done with MP gas check designs...........so I'm probably finished with his HP moulds, too.

 

[Rick]

My biggest complaint with MP is the wait time. last one I got I honchoed and it was well over two years from the time he said he would make it to having it in hand. Geez at my age if I ordered another one I might not live long enough to get it. Ya never know about those things.

 

[Rally]

I have moulds in all three metals. If push came to shove i’d Have a brass mould as my last mould. I don’t mind the weight nor break in cycle. When they are right they make pretty bullets and tend to be a more relaxed casting session for me. I’ve heard the warnings about brass being more susceptible to warping but haven’t seen it yet myself. I can put a brass mould down and make a quick run outside or to a phone without having lost too much heat, and they just look cool.

 

[CZ93X62]

Awright, guys. I may need to make my next tool a brass one.

 

[Brad]

I love brass except for the weight. Tom makes some nice brass moulds and so does MP. My 4 cav MP moulds are a workout.

 

[5shot]

My first mold was Brass from Robert Applegate, so all my molds since then have primarily been brass. I did have a 4 cavity from Miha, but I sold it because it was too damn heavy (and I am in my 40s). Anything over 2 cavities is AL for me, but my brass molds from Accurate are gorgeous.

 

[Winelover]

When I order a brass mould from Tom.................I split the difference and order a three cavity. Compromise between weight and production.

 

[Wv109323]

I don't notice the weight in molds that are 4 cavities or less. The softness of the brass is not a problem. The brass has a tendency to solder lead in the sharp corners until it gets up to casting temperature. After that I can cast a better bullet with brass molds than with aluminum. The brass seems to hold the temperature up to make the sharpest corners and flatter bases.

 

[waco]

I don't notice the weight in molds that are 4 cavities or less.

Brass vs Aluminum? Really? I sure do......

 

[Rick]

When I first started buying and using 4 cav brass molds I didn't give much notice to the weight, even 10 years ago it wasn't much of an issue. With that said they sure do put on additional weight every year since then. Quite amazing actually just how much weight they have gained. They haven't slowed down either and next year no doubt they will be even heavier. They sure are great molds though.