Hello,

I have been shooting and reloading for nearly 30 years. I just got into traditional muzzleloading. I realy enjoy shooting them.

I want to start casting some round balls .490 and maybe some maxi balls.

I am going to buy some bullet moulds. I like Lyman products but they are considerably more than the Lee. What bullet moulds are best??

Also, I want to get a furnace, bottom pour. What is a good choice??

Thanks for any and all advice and input.

right now rcbs seems to be on top of the production molds game.
lee is much less expensive but you get what you pay for.
a slightly abused lee [aluminum]will give up on you right now.
the rcbs,and lyman molds are steel [mehanite or leaded steel]
with any amount of reasonable care they will last your lifetime and most likely someone elses.
you will want soft-.pure lead for the muzzle loaders [but i know many that shoot ww alloy]
anyways the lyman or rcbs molds a set of lee 6 cavity mold handles.
they cost less [about half] but need some filing/grinding to
fit the other brands of molds.
a lee 20 lb pot is the one i would start with.
any ways look around here for some good ideas.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/

THANKS!

Drive over to Cast Boolits and put it in park there for a couple of months.

Cast bullet activity can range from casting a round balls to casting long range BPCR bullets intended for accuracy at 500 yards.

The best moulds question is subject to being qualified. Many rifles do not shoot their best without a mould tailored to the bore and chamber dimensions.

Good factory molds are made by several companies but cranks and competitors often turn to custom mold makers.

Some of the better know customs are

Paul Jones

Brooks Molds

Mountain Molds

THANKS!!

Honkey--I think Lamar has it right. RCBS molds are very good--and--RCBS customer service great. Had problems with a Lyman mold and they charged me to fix it--never happen with RCBS. Everyone calls Lee pots dripomatics had mine since the late 80's early 90's--no complaint. RCBS pot may well be better but at the price difference it better be.

I would like to offer a story about RCBS pots... I bought one a long time ago in a secondary market, used it for oh, I guess about 15 years. The pot finally got to where it dripped and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I boxed it up and sent it back to RCBS, telling them that the pot and I had spent a lot of time together while I was going through a divorce years earlier (which we had), and that I just couldn't see myself throwing it away. I knew they refurbish pots for roughly $100, and offer a one year warranty; not a lot for the original outlay. I sent the credit card number along with the requet.

Well, three weeks later I received a brand new Pro-Melt II in the mail, and not the first nickel charged on my credit card.

Ask me why all my handloading stuff is RCBS...

I am new to traditional black powder. But I have been handloading for a LONG time. Everything I buy is RCBS. I have a few other die sets from lee and hornady I picked up in trade buy RCBS has done me well. I guess I have my answer.

Thanks guys

First let me say RBBS is a great company and their customer service it great.

You said you wanted to cast some .490 round balls and Maxi-Balls. First the only two companies that sell Maxi-Ball molds are Lyman and Thompson Center. I believe the TC Maxi-Ball molds are made by Lyman for them. The early 1970's Maxi-Ball mold I has came in a box marked TC and Lyman and the mold was marked Lyman. I don't believe you'll get a Maxi-Ball mold from RCBS.

Next Lee's round ball molds are a little different then everyone else. They have a tangent cut off of the sprue which doesn't leave the nub as do other round ball molds. I feel the extra money spent on an iron round ball mold is wasted. The Lee round ball molds are as good as any in the final product. Now if we were talking pistol and rifle bullets I won't make the same claim although Lee molds have served me very well and had good performance.

Thanks!!

The Lee bottom pour furnaces work well and will last many years. I have both a 10 lb and a 20 lb model. I like the 20lb best, but either is far better than paying so much for the others.

Being the contrarian............
Lee products. with the exception of their hand tools, case length trimmer, case neck chamferer are best left at the store.
RCBS makes good stuff except their bullet molds only come in two cavity. When I cast bullets for handguns, I want buckets and barrels full of them.
RCBS's rifle molds are grand products, never had to try out their customer service, the molds came home and went to work.
I've got a Lee pot, a Lyman pot and two RCBS pots. The Lee pot is a good door stop and not much else. The Lyman pot is my rifle bullet pot and the RCBS pots are for handguns.
Redding and Saeco products are about as close to perfection that mass production can make.
Never tried Reddings customer service other then asking where I could buy new sprue plate screw/bolt and washer. The fellow on the other end said he couldn't sell me one but he'd give me two. That works for me.

Jim

Arky, I wish my experience with Redding had been the same... about 10 years back I bought a set of Redding 308 Norma dies from an individual. The decapping stem was bent and the pin broken. I contacted Redding and asked what they wanted for a replacement. I was told $18 plus shipping. Despite the price, I ordered the stem. What I got was somthing for 35 Remington, best I can figure. I ended up paying for return shipping to get the right one. After about a three-week wait, it showed up.

No more Redding for me... period. If they are the only ones out there that carry dies for a particular caliber, I will sell the rifle before I buy from them. Once was enough.

Sorry about that bad experience.
Many years ago I had 375 Whelen built and asked the gunsmith who I should get the dies from.
He recommended Redding.
After recieving the dies and working with them I wrote the president and told him my great experience and suggested his custom die sets should be delivered in a red velvet lined case.
Every once in a while I'll break out the dies and admire just how well they are made.

Jim

As for casting dies, I have a mixture of Lee multiple cavity molds and Lyman. Both have served me well with the Lee .429 dies throwing around 10,000 bullets. The lee lead pot, I have 2, one is a bottom drop and it has leaked a small amount of lead from the day I bought it new and plugged it in. I just put the lead back in the pot and go on. As for dies, I use only RCBS. Most everything I own, with the exception of 2 of the Dillon RL550B's, is RCBS. I had a warranty issue early on with Lee products and won't spend my money wastefully on substandard stuff.

Have been casting for more than 40 years.

Old Lyman and RCBS molds are fine. They last well. Old H&G and new Ballisti-Cast molds are as good as they get. NEI and some other makers do a nice job if you need a custom design you can't get elsewhere.

Any of the above will last a life time if taken care of.

Same is true of the Mihec brass molds sometimes found in the Cast Boolits forum group buys. The NOE aluminum molds found there are also very good, but are aluminum.

Lee molds ... aluminum ... and not the best. But will last a few years. If you're just starting out they are not a bad investment but you'll likely have to eventually replace them.

I wore out a Lyman bottom pour pot and replaced it with an RCBS. Was then given another. Still using them.

Lee makes decent sizing equipment and very good factory crimp dies. I personally think their presses are lousy. I like my Rockchucker, Dillons, and my Corbin.