4 vs. 5 cavity .30 molds

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  • 2014-10-13 at 22:04 #487667
    galesimon
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      In terms of product quality or ease of casting a quality product, would there be an advantage selecting a 4 cavity, 30 caliber NOE mold over a 5 cavity mold of the same bullet design… or vice versa?

      From my experience with 44 caliber 6-cavity lee molds, the cavity nearest the hinge occasionally hangs onto its bullet and generally bullets bang into each other when they drop from a few inches onto my workbench.

      Then there’s the heat issue… it looks like there may be more mass to a 5-cavity mold than a 4 cavity. Which one weighs more and by how much, given they are both casting the same bullet?

      Any input is appreciated,
      LBD 

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    • 2014-10-14 at 04:16 #493549
      Rockrat
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        Can’t help you here, all my NOE 30’s are 5 cav.

        2014-10-14 at 17:21 #493550
        terrancejohnson
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          I use both. I ladle so the smaller bullets (above 250 gr) go into 5 cavity, anything larger goes in a 4 cavity. Couple reasons for that.

          1. weight – 5 cavity mold weighs a bit more, but the extra cavity also comes with the added weight of an extra bullet inside it. A 5 cavity 400 gr 45-70 bullet tires out my hands faster than a 4 cavity mold does. I can cast more bullets without needing a break with a 4 cav.

          2. I don’t like to double dip when i ladle. I want to fill all the cavities in one go. Having to refill the ladle  to fill the last 1 or 2 cavities messes up the timing and bullet quality can suffer.

           

          2014-10-14 at 17:59 #493551
          galesimon
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            jethunter,
            Regarding your point number 2… that’s a good reason to start using a Rowell#2 ladle… which I use almost exclusively.

            OK, I’ve got three very specific questions:

            1. How long is a 30 caliber 4-cavity mold?
            2. How long is a 30 caliber 5-cavity mold?
            3. Is mold length independent of cavity diameter? (I’m looking at an NOE 44 caliber mold too).

              4. [/list]

              Thank you,
              LBD

            2014-10-17 at 19:28 #493552
            SwedeNelson
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              LBD

              Not caliber specific
              Standard 4 cavity block 3.437″
              Standard 5 cavity Block 4.125″

              Hope this helps
              Bullet maker, maker
              Al Nelson

              2014-10-22 at 00:30 #493553
              galesimon
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                Swede…

                Thanks for the details. I’ll be ordering soon.

                Regards,
                LBD

                2014-10-22 at 20:05 #493554
                darrellsteenwyk
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                  I’ve no difficulty casting with a 5C vs a 4C mould, all the cavities work well. :)

                  for production, get the 5C

                  2014-10-23 at 07:18 #493555
                  galesimon
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                    Too late… I already purchased a 4 cavity 311-165 (RD design with the traditional grooves). This is my first quality mold that casts more than 2-at-a-time so I decided to go with a 4 cavity since I ladle cast with a big ol’ sloppy Rowell#2.

                    I’m hoping this bullet design will complement my Pre’64 M70 in 30-06 which has a spot-on SAAMI chamber. I’ve actually been looking for a bore riding design with a .302″ nose but I also wanted a decent sized meplat for lead-bullet-varminting. When I saw this mold go on sale today, I pulled the trigger (so to speak)… hopefully it was the right decision.

                    LBD

                    2014-10-23 at 21:24 #493556
                    robertkarkut
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                      You think a 5 cavity is bad ? Try one of Al’s 10 cavity and you will have muscles you never knew you had. Its a job  but it rains bullets !

                      2014-10-25 at 20:09 #493557
                      galesimon
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                        Swede…

                        Just wanted to say thank you.

                        I got my 311-165 yesterday, cleaned it with diluted scratch free liquid Comet and performed the room temp to 375F break-in three times. Hopefully I’ll be able to find the time tonight to give it a whirl with some WW metal.

                        I would like to make one suggest though… perhaps you’ve consider it.

                        To protect the threads on the pivot and stop screws, it would be nice to include a “wafer” of 10 gauge copper wire between the set screw and their threads.

                        LBD

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