[Ken]

I know that Fish sells a mould to make 2 x 0.44 lead balls. But does anyone make a mould for making more than 2 at a time? If Bellsofhythe made one that would be perfect but the one they have is 0.63" cal.

 

[Henry the Hermit]

I know that Fish sells a mould to make 2 x 0.44 lead balls. But does anyone make a mould for making more than 2 at a time? If Bellsofhythe made one that would be perfect but the one they have is 0.63" cal.

I bought the Do-It .44/.50 multi-cavity mold from these folks. (http://www.zeiners.c...hotpellet.html) I have used Lee bullet molds and would have bought a double cavity Lee mold, but was afraid that Customs would go ape over the "bullet mold" designation. I own a 158 grain . 38 Lee mold and can make bullets faster with the Lee than I can cast round balls with the Do-It, even though the Do-It can cast 8 .44s and 7 .50s at one go. If you can find one, get a double cavity round bullet mold with a sprue cutter. The Do-It mold has no sprue cutter and each ball must be sprue-cut individually with a side cutter. Mine all end up with a sharp edge on the sprue, because I haven't yet found a flush cutter.

Henry

 

[Ken]

That's an interesting site. ESP the diy mould! But am trying to source it in the UK. So far, the best mould I've seen is the one Fish is selling.

 

[Henry the Hermit]

I just checked out Fish's site. The mold he is selling looks exactly like a Lee mold, and I am certain it will outperform any multi-cavity mold that does not have a sprue cutter. The aluminum blocks heat up very quickly, the wooden handles prevent burns, and I get perfect bullets from the first pour with my Lee aluminum mold. Buy it! You won't be disappointed.

Henry

 

[mr.joel]

I know that Fish sells a mould to make 2 x 0.44 lead balls. But does anyone make a mould for making more than 2 at a time? If Bellsofhythe made one that would be perfect but the one they have is 0.63" cal.

NEI handtools makes the finest bullet molds available on the planet. I shot pistol bullets from one of their molds for years and I've tried a few. The cost would be similar to the BOHythe mold but a much better mold design in terms of quality vs. quantity with a sprue cutter built in. You can get up to six cavity molds in different calibers on the same mold. .44, .50, .54 all in the same blocks, 2 apiece, that would the way I'd go. Aircraft aluminium or meahanite(fancy iron) are available. Go with the aluminium IMO, easy maintenance and more user friendly. It gets hard to knock the sprue cutter with a rawhide mallet after you cast more than 4 at a time, so maybe you won't cast all six at the same time. Fish sells a LEE mold, a great value at 1/8th the cost(in the US), but for my money I'd go with an NEI, every time.

http://www.neihandtools.com/mold_info.html

 

[jmplsnt]

If you are trying to source in the UK I would go with Fish as he's already there and in addition to buying from a true catapulteer you can avoid the hassle of Customs.

I have been using the aforementioned Do-It gang moulds in .31-.38 and .44-.50 for the past six years and have nothing but good to say aobu them. The trick to using the Do-It mould is to pour the entire trough full of lead, completely all the way to the top of the mould. Also, you should use alloy wheel weights, a distinct no-no for any mould with a sprue cutter. Once you have poured the cavities and trough full, pull the entire casting free with a pair of pliers. Drop it in water to cool it off, then grasp the trough in your hand and using a twisting motion use the pliers to twist the balls off one by one. The hard alloy snaps right off with no effort at all (much easier and quicker than pure lead, but that will also work). It also lets go of the mould easier.

If you are planning on shooting thousands of rounds of lead balls I reccomend the Do-It. If you are a hobbyist looking to run a batch every now and then for hunting, I'd send my money to Fish and get the two-cavity he offers.

Hope this helps

 

[smitty]

Thanks Jmplsnt, that's good to know.

 

[mr.joel]

If you are trying to source in the UK I would go with Fish as he's already there and in addition to buying from a true catapulteer you can avoid the hassle of Customs.

I have been using the aforementioned Do-It gang moulds in .31-.38 and .44-.50 for the past six years and have nothing but good to say aobu them. The trick to using the Do-It mould is to pour the entire trough full of lead, completely all the way to the top of the mould. Also, you should use alloy wheel weights, a distinct no-no for any mould with a sprue cutter. Once you have poured the cavities and trough full, pull the entire casting free with a pair of pliers. Drop it in water to cool it off, then grasp the trough in your hand and using a twisting motion use the pliers to twist the balls off one by one. The hard alloy snaps right off with no effort at all (much easier and quicker than pure lead, but that will also work). It also lets go of the mould easier.

If you are planning on shooting thousands of rounds of lead balls I reccomend the Do-It. If you are a hobbyist looking to run a batch every now and then for hunting, I'd send my money to Fish and get the two-cavity he offers.

Hope this helps

That is simply not true, I have cast linotype and wheelweight alloy in molds with sprue cutters. It is true it is more difficult to cut the sprue with hard lead, this might mean one less ball per cast leaving one empty. I also have a Do-It in .31-.38, it works fine. But for the best, I stand by what I said, the NEI mold is king. The Lee is a much less expensive option, made in China of far lesser but certainly acceptable quality.

If you drop red-hot soft lead bullets into water you will get a bullet that is harder than linotype...but in time(say 3 months) it will turn softer than the soft lead was originally. I don't know why it is, only that it is. This is an actual technique used by handgun hunters that cannot obtain hard lead alloys and shoot heavy bullets for large game.

 

[Sam]

I wouldn't fancy your chances getting a mould through British Customs, especially if it's labelled 'bullet mould'. I think you may be better off going for a fishing lead mould, or waiting until Bells of Hythe releases their 0.44 calibre mould - I think Joerg mentioned that they intend to sometime soon...

 

[mr.joel]

I wouldn't fancy your chances getting a mould through British Customs, especially if it's labelled 'bullet mould'. I think you may be better off going for a fishing lead mould, or waiting until Bells of Hythe releases their 0.44 calibre mould - I think Joerg mentioned that they intend to sometime soon...

NEI is a custom Ma and Pa type machine shop that only makes bullet molds. I am sure if you explained your circumstances they would stamp it as a candy mold or whatever if you asked them to. A better purchase IMO than the .62 gang mold that Belles of Hythe sells for the same $ as a custom job. You could theoretically have one mold made with six different ball sizes, but I would go for 3 calibers with 2 cavities apiece. The increased mass of your longer sprue cutter(than a 2 cavity mold) will make short work of cutting hard lead alloys when you cast 2 or 4 at a time.