Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting Recommend molds

For punching paper

45
40
9 mm

For hunting and target

44
357

For 45 Auto I like the RCBS 45-201-SWC which is an H&G#68"clone".
200gr SWC that shoots well in all the 1911s I have tried.

For 44 Mag I am currently using an RCBS 44-245-SWC which has worked well on whitetails. I think the 44-245-KT or 44-250-KT would be good ones as well.

For 38 Special and 357 Mag I am currently using a 38-150-KT for both target and magnum loads-I have not hunted with it but I get great accuracy for paper punching.

I have not had much success in 9mm to date so although I have tried several, I can't make a firm recommendation. I am currently using a Lyman 356242 120gr RN which is showing some promise. My current 9mm has an slightly oversized barrel which has proven to be a challenge.

I tend to buy more RCBS molds than Lyman anymore due to my experiences with size and quality control.
If you want to spend a little more money, MP Molds and Accurate Molds among others, make great custom molds.

I tried 210 SWC from Berry's bullets but they didn't feed all that well so I'm thinking to try 230's - how do those 200 grainers work

45ACP.......H&G 68

44Mag.......Lyman 429421, Ballisti-Cast #1103
357Mag......Lyman 358429

seriosly now, you're gonna make me break out the pictures

45cal


40 cal


9mm


44cal for hunting


357 for hunting

So dumb question

Do I buy a mold that's larger than the sizer I need?

Ideally the mold will drop a bullet the exact size you want to shoot, so the sizer doesn't size it at all. In reality the dia a mold drops depends on the alloy you use and the mold maker takes this into account so molds typically drop slightly large.

As to molds, lee's 105gr swc is a great bullet in both the 9mm and 357 as a plinker/paper puncher. I like a 180-200 gr wfn for hunting, ballisticast makes the best.

A Mihec hollowpoint mold is pretty slick in both .357 and .44.

basically, yes.
a good mould should drop about .001 or .002 larger than you need then you can size it down easy enough.

Poking through the molds in the Lyman cast bullet handbook - almost forgot that info was back there.

I like the looks of the 215 gr Saeco, 230 grai Lyman, and the 180 gr HP Lyman
Looks like the 200 gr Lyman is a gas check design.

** I'm guessing them larger cavity (6). Are better for volumes

Could be interested in that one for hunting myself. Which mould is that from ? and the 44 looks like you did some HP some not, right? How many grains is the HP?

thanks

My method of finding the right mold is a little unorothodox but it works. Find several different cast bullet making companies and try various sizes/weights. I've had good luck with Montana bullet works but there are a bunch of them out there. Figure out what works in every gun you want to cast for and then contact www.accuratemolds.com He can set you up with a cast bullet mold that fits your requirements precisely. If he doesn't offer a mold like the style of bullet you want he can cut one for you and he can cut you a mold that drops up to 3 or 4 different bullets from one mould. Figure out which bullets you are going to use the most and get them cut into 1 mold and go with wheel weights as your cating material when you order so you don't have to add any alloy (which keeps things cheap). Set up the other mold to drop the other bullets that you aren't going to shoot as much. It is a little more expensive up front but in the long run it saves you from collecting 3 different molds for each caliber that each require a different alloy mix for each gun until you are satisfied. I'm not involved with accurate molds or montana bullet works in any way but this method has worked for me.

CodyM
Mold 1 from accurate mold (360 grain .453 and 460 grain .460)
Mold 2 from accurate mold (200 grain .453, 200 grain .310 and 170 grain .324)

crockettnj, both of those mould you speak of the 357 and the 44 cal are NOE moulds they are the RG style moulds.
the 44cal are approximately 300gr for the HP and about 320 for the solid.
RG is NOE's designation for the ability to cast HP or solid point bullets from the same mould by just changing the pins.

Look here for them.

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/

I started casting with Lyman molds. They made good bullets, but I had some trouble with the top of the mold "galling" and switched to RCBS and have been happy. More cavities would be nice, though! My next will probably be from Accurate Molds, but I'm still undecided on Aluminum or Brass. Lightman

I would think that the aluminum molds would need a lot for care am I right and if so which would be a better mold Brass or steel

They all need to be handled with reasonable care- aluminum, brass, iron, etc. Pick the mold material that contains the bullet cavity you want and don't fret over it.