Minimalist mold choices

[KeithB]

Seen a lot of threads about "if you could only have one (or two or three) guns what would you pick?" How about if you could only have one or two molds in each caliber? Here are my choices:

.38/.357 - a good 158-170 gr SWC like a Lyman 358429
9mm - a truncated cone weighing 120 - 130 grs.
..41 Mag - H&G 258 or similar 220 gr SWC
.44 Spcl or Mag - a 240-250gr SWC similar to a Lyman 429421
.45 ACP - a 200gr SWC and a 225-230gr truncated cone.

Your choice(s)?

 

[waco]

Hard to argue with your choices Keith...

 

[KeithB]

I don't cast for rifle cartridges but I see a lot of people talk about their favorite bullets in certain calibers and I'm curious about their choices. And there seems to be a certain amount of discussion by various folks about downsizing their stuff, what would you keep to the end?

 

[waco]

Pretty sure I could live with my 165gr RD .30cal mold for 308, 30-06, 30-30, ect....

 

[Wasalmonslayer]

Very solid choices!!
That pretty much sums it up for me too!

 

[Brad]

The 98 gr RCBS for the 32 H&R
A 158 swc for 38/357- plain base
A 240 swc for 44 special and mag
A 200 swc for 45 acp
A 120 TC for 9mm
A 165 RD for 30-30
A 400-420 FN for 45-70

That Pretty much sums up what I cast most and work to keep on hand.

I am a man of few moulds.

Oh, they all need to be 4-6 cav, Brad ain’t got time for a 1 or 2 cav mould.

 

[fiver]

the ranch dog would probably work.
if i had to choose only 1 30 cal mold it'd be pretty tough.
i can't get one single mold to chamber in all of my 30 cal rifles.
the rcbs 30-150 fngc comes real close though, the 165 silhouette and the XCB bullet would make things a lot easier.

lever rifles and handguns are a super easy choice.
RNFP works in everything, including the bottom feeders.

 

[462]

Moulds that have survived my recent downsizing project:
The .38/.357 mould is the Lee's 358-158 RF, because it works in my revolvers, and Uberti and Rossi lever action rifles. The rifles do not like semi-wadcutter bullets. One mould, four guns.
For the now lone .44 Special it is Lyman's 429421.
A slight edge for the Lyman 452460 with the Randall, but the 452374 survived the cut.
It was not easy to decide which .30 caliber moulds to keep and which should go, but the 03A3 said the
RCBS 30-180-SP and Lyman's 308284 were definite keepers.
Didn't have to think about the .45-70 choice -- Lyman's 457193.

 

[oscarflytyer]

Keith - Based on your EXCELLANT choices (imho!) - I am SET!

 

[RicinYakima]

.35 caliber: 158 Thompson gas check, custom PB 200 grain Mountain Mold, Ideal 3589.
.45 caliber: Lyman 452460 200 grain, Lyman 452423, Lyman 457193
.44: Lyman 429421
32: Lyman 311316, 313445
.30: Lyman 311284, 311440

 

[KeithB]

For handguns I have round nose designs in 9mm/125 gr, .38/158gr, .44/240gr, and .45/230gr. Various brands but all easy to cast with, work in almost every gun, etc. They would be my second tier choices, I just don't see them as having the overall utility of the SWC and TC types. But I can understand why they would make the final cut for a lot of reasons.

 

[Michael]

Lyman 311291, 429421, 358429, 457193, Saeco 377 and 067.

 

[Ian]

Minimalist mold choices​

I'm sorry, I don't understand this sentence.

Ian---certified compulsive-excessive handloader.


But, theoretically, if I did understand it, I would likely be down to 1-2 rifles and 1-2 handguns plus a 10/22 and a Mossberg 500. In that case, I'd take the .30-30 levergun and a Lyman 311041, the .30-'06 T3 and the 311299, a 1911 and Lee TL452-230TC, and a .45 Colt with Lee 452-255RF, five flats of STS #7.5s, a flat of buckshot, a flat of slugs, and a pallet of .22 rimfire. Powder would be Reloder 7 and Titegroup for all. If I could swing it, a 3116 mould for bunnies, so three bullet weights useable in both rifles.

Then of course I'd be longing for a 45/70 and a 405-grain Lyman mould, and a DA .38 Revolver with any kind of full wadcutter. Then I'd also want the LR-308 and MP 311-180 Silhouette, and.......See how this goes?

 

[Jeff H]

This is an easy one for me, since Ive been working on such a plan for many years and I'd made my choices.

Bottom photo, left to right:
44 Special
Ideal, 429421 1C, hopefully to be replaced by a 4C arsenal copy some day
Arsenal, 432-210 RF 4C

357 Mag (revolver/carbine) also includes limited 357 Max carbine use
NOE, 360-180 WFN 4C, 1GC/3PB (one each shown)
Arsenal, 358-158 TL RF "RDO Clone" 4C (meant to replace both my LEE 358-158RF and 358-58TLSWC)
*NOE, 360-190 RF, RDO copy, 2GC/2PB (with plans to convert to 1GC/3PB) NOTE: TOP PHOTO, added late

30/30 Rifle
LEE, Ranch Dog Outdoors 311-165 TL RF 6C (final of three or four versions)
LEE, C311-113 RF 2C, (modified to remove GC, which makes it 118 grains now)

222 Remington Rifle
LEE, 224-55 RCBS Copy 6C
LEE, 224-50 RF Ranch Dog Outdoors original

*I had replaced an original RDO 360-190 RF, which was a marvelous carbine bullet, but cast very under-sized, except for in a really tight-bored Rossi 92, with the NOE 360-180 for dual-purpose revolver/carbine use. @CWLONGSHOT showed pics of his RDO 360-190 and it prompted me to go looking for a better copy of that mould for the carbines and found one in stock at NOE. I couldn't help myself. If I had to give up one of the other 35 cal. moulds, it would probably be the 158 grain RF. I get good service from the 180 grain WFN from my 3", 5-hot 357 Charter Revolver pushing the 180s to just under 1kfps, but the 190 is too long for that. I suppose I may just keep three 35 cals, even though I was committed to limiting each caliber to TWO moulds. If I were to give up one of the 44s, it'd be the 210 RF, and if I ditched a 22, it would be the 50 grain RF. "Succession-planning." I do plan to add a 2C or two in 35 cal for a back-up, last ditch kit "just in case."

I have no intention of PC'ing all of these on a regular basis. Tumble-lube works a wonder on all of these. Since I was experimenting with PC, I coated a small batch of each of my "final choices" just for giggles, and I may try to speed up a load for the 22s and see how that goes. The only ones intend to continue to PC are the two heavy 35s for suppressed use.

This collection provides me a very wide range of usefulness - more than I NEED actually, but the versatility is nice.

 

[MW65]

Great choices!!!

I'd go for rcbs 30-180 fn for almost all of the 30 cals... 314299 for oversized 30 cals/303

Also rcbs 35-200 for the 35 rem...

 

[RBHarter]

22 cal rifle 225-62 NOE
25 cal rifle 260-120 NOE but I'd like to have more meplat .
26 cal rifle these are all over I can't even try .....
27 cal 279-124 NOE has been really good to me .
28/7mm cal work in progress
308 cal 311-165 RD is probably about as all purpose as it gets .
32 cal rifle can I get the 311-165 RD bumped up to 323-170 and call it a day.
35 rifle 35-250 makes me happy .
35/38/9mm , 358-90 NOE , 358-125 & 158 Lee . 380/9/38/357 .
40/10 401-175 is as cheap and accurate as any , and it drops 6/pour .
452 ...... 454424 and copies as long as I can have a pin to shorten it to 230 .
458 457193 .
BP gets PRB .378 , .445 , .454 , .490 .
Shot guns I have trouble enough with 00B but 4B would probably be better and the .378 will make the cut for triple or single ball in 410 the chokes are .386 . 20,16,&12 aren't so picky .

 

[Petrol & Powder]

A person's list of molds will match the guns he has. So, a minimalist list really means what mold would you want for a caliber.

For 38 Special/.357 magnum - that's an easy choice - some type of 158 gr SWC, probably a Keith inspired design.
In theory you might be able to add 9mm to the 38/357 mold duties, but I wouldn't want to go lower than 140 grains for 38/357 or higher than 125 for the 9mm, so for me that would still require a second mold for 9mm. I would go with some type of 125 gr TC for 9mm.

45 ACP is also an easy choice for me. I would go with a 200 SWC similar to an H&G #68 - Done.

32 is a little tougher decision. The straight walled revolver cartridges can all use a solid wadcutter of about 100 grains, but that bullet is not acceptable for the 32 ACP cartridges. I think in the 32 revolver/pistol class, you're going to need to pick a bullet for revolvers or pistols but probably not one for both.

44 revolvers are easy, a 240ish grain Keith type SWC will probably serve many guns well.

In a truly minimalist list of molds for handgun cartridges, I think it would break down into SWC designs for straight walled revolver cartridges and some form of truncated cone for most pistols.

For rifles, wow! That's going to be tough to get that list down to something that qualifies as "minimalist". Just in the 30-caliber class alone you have bullet weights and diameters all over the map based on the rifles you need to feed.

 

[Glaciers]

So many choices, so little time.
At least that’s been my story. That’s starting to change.
But I like the firearms and calibers I have now not to say I won’t be adding to the collection.
But the idea of one or two molds for each caliber is great, but as has been pointed out by others is even with in a specific caliber there are variations from gun to gun.
And as Ian points out a true minimalist world limit gun choices as well to be a minimalist. While Ian’s right, I’m not going there.
So with that in mind the choices are expanded.
I know once I have the time to run a particular firearm through the paces, then I will narrow down the choices.
I kinda did the cleaning of house so to speak with molds last fall while getting premium prices for a used mold was peeking. But I culled ones I don’t like and sold some I do like just to be replaced with higher capacity molds of the same design.
So it’s hard for me to answer this question. One reason besides the one listed above is where I live. While light and standard weight bullets within a caliber are great, I feel I need heavier then the normal for what may present itself at my door from time to time.
So that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

 

[popper]

Yup, got a 40sw, 9mm, RD for the 30/30, 308W and BO. They all work fine but I did consider tinkering and getting some slightly different mods. Noe, too old.

 

[Walks]

Glad I don't have to make such a choice.
He who dies with the most molds wins. If Imelda Marcos can have 500+ pairs of shoes, I can have as many molds as I want/afford.