Best round ball mold?

[bowjock]

Who makes the best round ball molds?

 

[16gauge]

I don't know who makes the "best", but I use LEE molds for all my casting. They are aluminum so they heat up faster and throw better bullets faster than steel molds, and they are reasonably priced as well. IMHO.

 

[REX]

I agree with 16gauge,:agree:for the price Lee is the best bargin. I have a 490 and a 445 mold that work just great. :imo: :results:
rex (westcoastBPgramps)
bp can be fun

 

[jtmattison]

I concur.
I use Lee mold and they work great for me.
At about $14 a pop from Track Of The Wolf they can't be beat.

Huntin

 

[cayugad]

I have one Lyman mold and the rest are LEE. For the price and actually they produce a very quality product the LEE is the way to go.

One other thing I like about the LEE roundball mold is the almost lack of a spur left on the ball after it is cast. I have bought cast ball from stores which I later had to trim the spur.

 

[bowjock]

Has anyone tried or used the Jeff Tanner molds? They look of good quality but not sure about the brass?

 

[sebago]

:imo: I think Lyman is the best. I do have a few Lee molds though and they do make a good product.

 

[Slowpoke]

Lyman makes a very good molds, but so does Rapine. The good thing about Rapine is they have molds that others don't. I shoot a .405 ball out of my 40 caliber a Rapine was the only supplier than had the mold.

S'poke

 

[tg]

I have several of Tanners mold, they are true and very well priced, the brass is thick and they hold well after casting many balls, he is also a very good person to deal with and has a fast turn around on orders.

 

I have used LEE, Lyman, Tanner, RCBS, Rapine and NEI round ball AND conical moulds. RB in Tanner molds.
: The very best RB mould, is defined by me to be cost, quality, longevity(value) and casting ease giving quality of balls/bullets.
; The BEST is a tie between RCBS and LYMAN- no second place winner here. The other's, ie: Lee,- too delicate for longevity, although I have some that are now 10 years old, that have cast thousands of bullets, they are getting too old now. I have Lyman moulds that are 50 years old (Ideal) and they are as good as new. The aluminum moulds just won't last like that - too bad, their price is right. The brass moulds NEI/Rapine, agains too delicate perhaps, but too pricey for a Round ball mould. The Tanner moulds cast too slowly and are prone to picking up lead when using WW or alloyed lead. B this I mean lead, in adusting covering, sticks to the cavities and thus cass unersize balls. As well, they don't have sprue cutters howevr are the second lowest priced. As they are brass, with a flange indicator, they are stronger than Lee but not nearly as well lived as the steel or iron moulds. Casting speed is a big thing for me as I've cast many thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, in the last 35 years and I don't like to be in the fumes any longer than necessary, now-a-days. Due to this, the Lyman RB moulds, at $84.95CDN are the best buy in RB moulds. RCBS are around the same price and equal in quality to the Lyman product. I have an Ideal (Lyman) muld that is 120 years old and it still casts perfct bullets. It is a 340gr. .457 bullet for the 45/70 Springfield. Brass and Aluminum probably won't last like that. Brass has a change, but not with the delicate flange-type in index on the Tanner moulds. While very nice to use and more acurate at alingning the blocks, it is a more delicate system than Lyman or RCBS's pins.

 

[Crow#21957]

Jmattison. I want to know where I can get those $14 lee molds. The sure have increase over the years

 

[tenngun]

Lee, and Lyman has worked well for me, I can’t tell the results or tge use of one or the other.
80% of my casting is now done with a Callahan. It’s slower, but very enjoyable to use

 

[alcessapiens]

I have .490 ideal (Lyman) and .490 lee. Both are good but the lee won’t last as long. Since I’m not going to live forever, and I cast for my own use, the lee would be my choice as it works well and is far cheaper.

 

[hanshi]

I have so many molds I not sure I can recall all the brands. Most rb molds are Lee amd there's RCBS, Lyman, Saeco, Tanner, T/C and more. When I get a mold it's a Lee.

 

[Uncle Miltie]

I have used Lee molds for 40 years and I like them when they don't break. But they will break a lot easier than a mold with iron blocks. If you cast a lot of larger balls at one time with Lee aluminum molds you are likely to have variances in weight and size when the mold gets hot: iron blocks are more forgiving of this.

 

[Kansas Jake]

But the Lee mold won’t rust.

 

[bronko220002]

I don't know who makes the "best", but I use LEE molds for all my casting. They are aluminum so they heat up faster and throw better bullets faster than steel molds, and they are reasonably priced as well. IMHO.

I agree with 16gauge,:agree:for the price Lee is the best bargin. I have a 490 and a 445 mold that work just great. :imo: :results:
rex (westcoastBPgramps)
bp can be fun

I also use Lee moulds for .45, 54 and .58 cals. They throw a nice ball with very little sprue and are very consistent weight wise. Once I get everything set temperature wise and start rolling I get very few culled balls. You can buy more expensive moulds but for balls the Lees are top notch. The only problem I ever had with a Lee mould was a 500 gr .45 caliber double cavity that somehow warped and would not close fully on the bottom. I still have it but don't know how to fix it.

 

[Kansas Jake]

Bronco, send it to Lee. They’ll likely replace it although it may cost close to new to send it.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Has anyone tried or used the Jeff Tanner molds? They look of good quality but not sure about the brass?

I had one Jeff Tanner made up for a non-standard sized ball. The mould, as received had issues and needed repair before being usable. I was able to do that. Others have been happy with them and I would probably buy another. But, unless special sizes are needed the Lee is probably the most popular, at least in America.

 

[HSmithTX]

I would guess I have around 20 molds, enough to fill a 5 gallon bucket anyway with the handle sets, mostly bullets for unmentionables. The Lee 6 cavity blocks are outstanding for production of something that is going to get sized and shot at shorter ranges, handguns at 35-40 and in for example are where I use mine most. I get slightly better quality bullets out of Saeco, RCBS and Lyman and have shot them very well out to silly distances. Saeco is my choice if I can find it and honestly that is mostly because they have made the iconic bullet in just about every caliber for as long as I have been interested in guns and longer, every one I have was bought used. Shooting a ______ at long range without using Elmer Keiths bullet doesn't make sense does it? Lyman and RCBS I have bought probably half new and half used. I have never worn an iron block mold out, but I have worn Lee 1, 2 and 6 cavity molds slap the blank OUT. Some of the 6 holer molds went easily 100K bullets, and surely a significant amount more than that. I buy based on what I want to do, for production of bullets it is hands down Lee 6 cavity without even consideration of anything else. Match type bullets I buy or use Lyman, RCBS or Saeco. For round balls it is the same consideration, if I want the very best ball I can make it is Lyman or RCBS, and Lee if I want to make a lot of them quickly and don't need the absolute best accuracy possible ( IF Lee makes the size I want). 50 yards, probably 75 yards, and in I can't tell any accuracy difference between Lee and Lyman or RCBS round balls using blocks that are in good shape.