Brass vs Aluminum mould

[_CTAIRGUNNER_]

Looking at a mould on NOE and I see that the 4 cavity mould is out of stock but available in brass, is there any pros or cons of a brass mould vs aluminum? Would like to get into casting for this setup as I could use it as a relaxing thing to do outside with Peri my dog over the winter as we both love the winter and its cost effective as well vs buying produced ammo.


Plus ive already got a melting pot, a noe pedestal, press, and the sizing dies I need from an old setup.

 

[ThomasT]

Looking at a mold on NOE and I see that the 4 cavity mould is out of stock but available in brass, is there any pros or cons of a brass mould vs aluminum? Would like to get into casting for this setup as I could use it as a relaxing thing to do outside with Peri my dog over the winter as we both love the winter and its cost effective as well vs buying produced ammo.


Plus ive already got a melting pot, a noe pedestal, press, and the sizing dies I need from an old setup.

Hello @_CTAIRGUNNER_

I do not cast but a couple of points stand out with aluminum v brass.
1) Brass will not change shape ( shrink, expand ) as much as aluminum
2) Brass will take a lot more heat
3) It will take longer for Brass to cool down which is better for "setting" a casting.

ThomasT

 

[wdr2]

I cast several thousand bullets a year and have perhaps a dozen each of aluminum and brass molds. NOE molds are well built and generally cast well. Another fine mold maker also in Utah is Accurate Molds. The Accurate website has some thoughts about mold materials. see:

Frequently Asked Questions | Accurate Molds

We answer a lot of questions about our bullet molds and other products as well as designing your custom bullet. Please check out these answers.

www.accuratemolds.com

Aluminum is less tiring but you may need to cast fast to keep the mold at the desired temperature especially for small calibers, say 30 or smaller. I have a 4-cavity 22 cal AL mold and I can just keep it at temperature casting as fast as I can. Aluminum can be more fragile but I have never damaged or warped one.

Brass is beautiful and durable but heavy. A large mold can be tiring. They take longer to get to temperature but hold that temperature very well. Some say they are prone to warp but I never had that happen. They also cast well.

Both machine well so you get nice smooth cavities.

I suggest using a bottom pour casting pot with a shelf especially with brass molds.

Enjoy, Bill

 

[_CTAIRGUNNER_]

I cast several thousand bullets a year and have perhaps a dozen each of aluminum and brass molds. NOE molds are well built and generally cast well. Another fine mold maker also in Utah is Accurate Molds. The Accurate website has some thoughts about mold materials. see:

Frequently Asked Questions | Accurate Molds

We answer a lot of questions about our bullet molds and other products as well as designing your custom bullet. Please check out these answers.

www.accuratemolds.com

Aluminum is less tiring but you may need to cast fast to keep the mold at the desired temperature especially for small calibers, say 30 or smaller. I have a 4-cavity 22 cal AL mold and I can just keep it at temperature casting as fast as I can. Aluminum can be more fragile but I have never damaged or warped one.

Brass is beautiful and durable but heavy. A large mold can be tiring. They take longer to get to temperature but hold that temperature very well. Some say they are prone to warp but I never had that happen. They also cast well.

Both machine well so you get nice smooth cavities.

I suggest using a bottom pour casting pot with a shelf especially with brass molds.

Enjoy, Bill

Hello @_CTAIRGUNNER_

I do not cast but a couple of points stand out with aluminum v brass.
1) Brass will not change shape ( shrink, expand ) as much as aluminum
2) Brass will take a lot more heat
3) It will take longer for Brass to cool down which is better for "setting" a casting.

ThomasT

Thank you both for your replies

@wdr2 , I have a bottom pour casting pot, not sure what you mean by shelf though, my casting experience is very limited I cast about 500 113 gr .308 bullets and thats the extent of it, they all came out fantastic and shot great but I am as green as can be. I will definitely read accuratemolds FAQ!

 

[DesertSilver]

I cast several thousand bullets a year and have perhaps a dozen each of aluminum and brass molds. NOE molds are well built and generally cast well. Another fine mold maker also in Utah is Accurate Molds. The Accurate website has some thoughts about mold materials. see:

Frequently Asked Questions | Accurate Molds

We answer a lot of questions about our bullet molds and other products as well as designing your custom bullet. Please check out these answers.

www.accuratemolds.com

Aluminum is less tiring but you may need to cast fast to keep the mold at the desired temperature especially for small calibers, say 30 or smaller. I have a 4-cavity 22 cal AL mold and I can just keep it at temperature casting as fast as I can. Aluminum can be more fragile but I have never damaged or warped one.

Brass is beautiful and durable but heavy. A large mold can be tiring. They take longer to get to temperature but hold that temperature very well. Some say they are prone to warp but I never had that happen. They also cast well.

Both machine well so you get nice smooth cavities.

I suggest using a bottom pour casting pot with a shelf especially with brass molds.

Enjoy, Bill

I warped one. It's a noe .22 hunter so it can happen. The brass mold will give you a more consistent pellet/slug weight and size as it doesn't expand and contract near as much. Brass as has been noted does stay in the mold Temp a lot easier.

 

[IMADMAN]

Thank you both for your replies

@wdr2 , I have a bottom pour casting pot, not sure what you mean by shelf though, my casting experience is very limited I cast about 500 113 gr .308 bullets and thats the extent of it, they all came out fantastic and shot great but I am as green as can be. I will definitely read accuratemolds FAQ!

Shelf is just an attachment to rest/slide the mold on so you don’t fatigue as much as holding it freehand.

 

[_CTAIRGUNNER_]

Shelf is just an attachment to rest/slide the mold on so you don’t fatigue as much as holding it freehand.

Ah thank you for that clarification!