Round Ball mold advice for a complete newbie

[Uncle Howie]

Greetings-

I'm considering taking the plunge into casting round balls for my Ruger Old Army.

I'm a long ways away yet, and haven't done much reading on the subject. I'm just fishing for some advice to get me started.

1) Who makes a quality mold, and at what general price point? I'm thinking I might like a two-cavity, but would also consider.

2) Does anyone have any advice specific to molds for the Old Army? The reason I ask is that I've found Speer brand .457 round balls to work well for me, but the Hornaday .457 round balls seem to "walk" out of the cylinder on me fairly often. I usually shoot 30 or 35 grains of Pyrodex "P." It seems to me that the Hornady balls might be just a bit undersize, though they shave a nice lead ring when seated.

Thanks in advance, -Uncle Howie

[Singing Bear]

Check out Midway or Midsouth for Lee or Lyman roundball moulds.  Prices can range from around $25 for a Lee to $50 for a Lyman.  RCBS also makes roundball moulds, but are more limited in the available sizes. 

Personally, I use Lee moulds.  If you decide to go that route, ya gotta watch for galling of lead between the sprue cutter and the top of the mould.  It'll start to lift the cutter and the sprues on the roundball will get higher and higher.  Some have reported good results from applying a thin film of high temp oil to prevent galling.  Seems to be more of a problem with moulds made of aluminum.

As for the "walking", I have no idea why one brand would work and another won't.  As far as I know, both brands you mentioned make swagged roundballs.  Maybe one is softer than the other? 

[HL]

Check our Rapine Moulds. They are specialists in round ball and mini-ball moulds.

[threepdr]

You can't go wrong with Lee molds.  The cast great and you can get a double cavity with handles for about $20 at Midway.