Mold production

[mb4859]

How many bullets can be made per hour with a 2 up mold.  I'm wanting to get into molding bullets for my 44 mag and was wondering do you need several molds or is one mold enough. Thanks, Mike

[jhalcott]

I prefer 2 (or more) molds to keep the mold from getting to hot. I can empty a 10 pound pot in about one hour. Do the math and you will see about how many bullets  of a certain weight that is. You can easily make several hundred casts in that time. 2 cavities will mean well over 500 bullets! I do NOT go for speed as much as consistent bullets. IF they have to be recast ,what good are they??

[Graybeard]

It's really a question no one can answer for you. We're all individuals and we move at different speeds. I've seen folks claim to produce bullets at two to three times the rate I do. Yeah I'm slow and know it. You might be also or you might be fast or then again you might be half-fast.   

[Veral]

  Greybeard gave you a very solid answer.  Perhaps the most sound advise is, don't beat your mold up trying to be fast, nor sacrifice quality for speed.  I can make 800 per hour with a 4 cavity, till the pot runs out of lead, half that with a two cavity.  LBT molds in both instances of coarse.  If I were using an iron  or steel mold production would go down to about half that or quite a bit less.  They just don't dissapate heat fast enough for highest production.
  I know quite a few casters who couldn't care less about production, as a couple hundred bullets at a time is sufficient for them.  Besides, for most reloaders, casting is something to do in our spare time, and a lot better than watching the boob tube.

[mb4859]

Thanks guys, I'm trying to decide if I want to cast bullets. I think I just need to work on my reloading first then maybe casting bullets. 

[Sweetwater]

Several of us, myself included, got into casting out of necessity due to the economics of it all. Time was simply something else to spend that we had; money we didn't. Some days, they run pretty well and production is relativly good. Other days, nothing goes right and they all end up back in the pot.

In a nutshell, it's just another add-on to the hobby of reloading/handloading.
Like any add-on, it is an option and not for everyone.

Regards,
Sweetwater