Bag mold question?

[prairie dog]

I am looking at getting a bag mold in 495 size.  Track of the Wolf has them and Callahan will custom make one.

Do any of you have any experience or advice on either of these molds?  What I really want to know is whether the Callahan mold is a better mold than the TOW and worth the difference in price?

Thanks.

[Stormrider51]

You get what you pay for.  I hate to knock any product but the bag mold I ordered from TOW was not exactly what I would call high quality.  The hinge joint was loose when received brand new.  I had to be careful about aligning the two halves of the mold itself before each cast.  I sold the rifle I bought the mold for and threw the mold in as a freebie.  I won't buy another one.

Another note just in case you aren't familiar with using bag molds.  The handles get HOT!  By the time the mold itself is hot enough to cast good balls the handles are too hot to hold.  You will need a heavy glove.  The scenes in "The Patriot" where Mel Gibson is casting balls from his son's toy soldiers is misleading.  Mel was casting a low temp substance called Cerrosafe not real lead.

Storm

[david32cal]

buy the Callahan mold,they are top-notch. the TOW molds are crap,the two i had would gald when hot and became dificult to open and close.

[pathfinder]

Larry's are they way to go,no doubt!!!! I have several and they are right up there with the Rapine mould's,if not a touch better!

[prairie dog]

Thank you gents, that's what I wanted to know.

[Hota]

I've got the callahan and love it. Even more so than the rapine "patriot" bag mold. Never tried tow

[pathfinder]

I think it's funny that it's refered to as "The Rapine"Patriot" bag mould"! Been using them for 20 years before the movie. I have both the curved and straight handled ones. I like 'em,but Larry's seem to release the ball better. And his fit the bag a titch better too.

[VEDearduff]

I have one of the Rapine moulds (a .490) for my .50 caliber and feel it was worth the price.  I also have one of Larry's moulds for the .50 (.485) that allows me to load without a short starter.

I also have one of Larry's for my .36 (.340).  I would have to say that the Callahan moulds are the ones I would go with.  They most certainly are worth the price.

If I had to choose betwee the Rapine and Callahan moulds, I would go with Callahan.  But, it would be a tough choice.

Vernon

[Three Hawks]

I've got two of the old Dixie Gun Works bag molds they had made for them in Italy.  One is a .495, the other a .440.  both throw slightly out of round balls that shoot, as far as I can tell, as well as any commercially swaged ball.  

I also have a Callahan mold, and the only, and I mean the ONLY downside I can see is no sprue cutter.  So I just use the sprue cutter on one of my Dixie molds.   I don't bother trimming the rest of the sprue off, I just load 'em.  I suppose if a man had nothing to do he could spend a few minutes trimming sprue remnants, but it gives me hand cramps.

When I get into a high output frame of mind, I fire up my Lee lead melter with the pouring spout and cast with my Lee two cavity molds.   An hour of that and I'm good for many, many months.

Three Hawks