[Tenaya]

Hi, I'm new here.

My brother-in-law passed away a few years ago and I ended up with a bunch of his stuff. He was an avid shooter and reloaded and cast for a wide variety of calibers, and did a fair amount of bullet casting. After all this time, I'm finally getting around to sorting through everything and I came across a brass 2- cavity 32 caliber brass mold with a unique (to me) pair of handles. I'm familiar with the Lyman and Lee style of handles and molds, but I've never seen one like this.

There are no markings on any of the molds or the handle, so I spent a bunch of time searching web, but I came up empty. and was unable to learn anything.

Does anyone recognize these? If so, do you know the maker and vintage?

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Thank you in advance,

My apologies if the images are wonky - I'm never posted on this forum software before.

Tenaya

 

[JBelk]

Welcome to the forum. The use of file handles and keystock leads me to believe they're both home shop made, probably in the '40s or '50s. Such projects were often shown in Gun Digest and magazine articles. Could the bullet diameter to be 8mm? That looks like the old 'skinny round nose' 30-06 bullets and the single grease groove sure looks familiar. The mold picture is a little unclear-- is that a heeled bullet?

 

[recoil junky]

Some fine black smithing went into making those handles it looks like. Those are pretty cool as is the mould itself which looks like an old Bond Corperation or possibly an NOE, but I'm not sure how long they (NOE) have been making bullet moulds.

Anyways, that is an awesome set. I'd fire up my lead lot and cast a few just to see what they are as far as diameter and weight. The mould does look to be of a gas checked design..

RJ

 

[Tenaya]

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Welcome to the forum. The use of file handles and keystock leads me to believe they're both home shop made, probably in the '40s or '50s. Such projects were often shown in Gun Digest and magazine articles. Could the bullet diameter to be 8mm? That looks like the old 'skinny round nose' 30-06 bullets and the single grease groove sure looks familiar. The mold picture is a little unclear-- is that a heeled bullet?

I actually have three molds that fit those handles (3½ if you count the orphan whose mate I've given up looking for). The mold I pictured in the OP (it's not the mold attached to the handles) does not look heeled to me. The driving rings measure about 0.320" and the base is about 0.300". Here's another photo of that same:

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I can't identify the bullet in the mold pictured in the OP; nearly all of my 60+ years of shooting has been modern revolvers and pistols. I'm fairly sure the mold IN the handles is 32 caliber - likely 32-20.

If the molds themselves are, in fact, home shop made, whoever made them was a VERY good machinist. They're as nice as I've seen from commercial manufacturers and the two handle halves are essentially identical. If I were making a set of one-off handles, I'd use a nut and bolt for the pivot. This one, instead, has a shaft, peened neatly on both sides. None of that is proof, but it all smacks of commercial manufacture.

The more I look, the more I see. I just noticed that one of the arms, up near the mold block, has been repaired by welding. It looks like an old repair, the weld is as weathered as the arms. Still not seeing markings, other than "Made In USA" on the handles.

I'd fire up my lead lot and cast a few just to see what they are as far as diameter and weight.

That would be interesting to do, but it's been many, many years since I cast anything and I no longer have the equipment required.

Tenaya

 

[JBelk]

The 'Made in USA' stamp means it was a commercial item. I've got a box of 1950s Shooters Bibles and Am. Riflemans from the 40s and 50s and will check the ads.
Stoeger's 1950 has Cramer and Potter molds and handles, but they're more like the Ideal handles which are now Lyman. All cast iron molds, too.
It's fascinating to go back 70 years in catalogs... Six rifle powders and five for pistols, two for shotguns. All the Ideal bullet mold bullets fit on one page. Only 42 choices from 22 CF to 45-70.

 

[Tenaya]

The 'Made in USA' stamp means it was a commercial item.

While the handle arms couldstill be home shop or blacksmith made, just with off-the-shelf file handles as you first suggested. I'm leaning toward the whole kit being commercial - handles and all three (and a half) molds. I just have no idea who made them or when.

Tenaya

 

[recoil junky]

The mould half in your last picture is not "healed" like 22 rimfire ammo or a few others. I'm sure it's of a gas checked design.

NOE makes brass moulds that look a lot like those, but they've only been around for ten years or so.

RJ

 

[Tenaya]

NOE makes brass moulds that look a lot like those, but they've only been around for ten years or so.

I did some more web searching and found nothing from NOE that uses the pecular style of bolting the handles to the mold. All of theirs seem to use the standard Lyman/Lee style. Also, I'm quite certain these are older than 10 years.

Have you ever seen any handles like like these?

Tenaya

 

[recoil junky]

I have not, but the set up is a great conversation piece.

RJ

 

[Tenaya]

I appreciate everyone's input.

As I mentioned above, I don't cast (I don't even get out to shoot much anymore). Along with some other molds/handles and other stuff that came along with these, I'm looking to sell them to generate some extra cash (times are hard, but I'm not to the point of having to sell my guns. Yet.).

Can anyone suggest what these might be worth?

Tenaya

 

[Darkker]

What someone is willing to pay for them, is the honest answer.

If you know they are a XX caliber, and should produce XXgr bullets. Look at similar items and determine what you'd like for them. Try starting there.

Cheers

 

[Tenaya]

Thank you to everyone who contributed.

Tenaya

 

[MikeG]

Yeah, if you put them on an auction site, first thing someone is going to want to know is what size bullets do they drop, and what weight. If you don't have that info, not likely you'll get full value.

 

[Mary]

Welcome to the forum. The use of file handles and keystock leads me to believe they're both home shop made, probably in the '40s or '50s. Such projects were often shown in Gun Digest and magazine articles. Could the bullet diameter to be 8mm? That looks like the old 'skinny round nose' 30-06 bullets and the single grease groove sure looks familiar. The mold picture is a little unclear-- is that a heeled bullet?

I have 2 pair of those handles. I believe they hold a 4 bullet mold.

 

[Mary]

I have 2 pair of those handles. I believe they hold a 4 bullet mold.

 

[MikeG]

Yeah but who's mold? Not every mold and pair of mold handles are interchangeable. Might want to list dimension (center-to-center of the screw holes, and so on).

 

[Mary]

I'm not sure who mold it is.

 

[gwpercle]

I appreciate everyone's input.

As I mentioned above, I don't cast (I don't even get out to shoot much anymore). Along with some other molds/handles and other stuff that came along with these, I'm looking to sell them to generate some extra cash (times are hard, but I'm not to the point of having to sell my guns. Yet.).

Can anyone suggest what these might be worth?

Tenaya

There is a site that deals only with Cast Boolits , you would probably find some information there . There is a section devoted to Boolit Moulds ... If they don't know ...nobody knows .
I didn't post a link because I know some sites frown on posting links and I didn't want to get in trouble .
Gary