Friends All......Dixie Slugs Tri-Ball (3-.600" hard cast heat treated round balls in a heavy duty wad) is off and running. What I need to know is a maker of multi-cavity molds that would cast .600" round balls?........It's a little slow on the boys to crank them out one at a time!
I held up on a multi-cavity mold under I got a reading on orders for Multi-Ball........now I'm in a bind!........James

I am not into comercial production.
I wonder if you could find a "shot tower" could work into your scheme?
Cheezywan

Thank you for your consideration, but the answer is no. Having been on a tour of Olin's shot tower and a meeting after......I found that there is a size, above which, the shot towers does not work well. If fact, there is a lot of scrap at the tower when they make #2's. All of the so called buckshot size are either swaged or rolled (like steel shot...in squares first.) and must be soft.
There are also other molding devices that look like two tractor tires revolving......the metal poired in the top and falls out the bottom as the "tires" revolve......It this device that most soft belt buckles are made. The problem in this method is uniformity needed in bullets and balls.......It just not there!
So......The answer to what I need is a gang mold that can hold to the dimensions needed. I may be wrong, I do not think round ball molds can de lathe bored????????? It seems that few mold makers today are still using cherry type setups???????
I could buy, as an licensed ammo maker, vendor swaged .600"/.610 soft lead balls.......However, they would not perform as I need......Thanks, James

Might be the long way around to do this, but...
It seems to me a steel foundry could make the mold for you. Their pattern shop would have to reverse their normal line of thinking, but it could be done for a price. I know they make ball molds as small as 1/2" for ball mills used for processing mined minerals and crushing rock.

Being you are wanting to use lead instead of white-iron or steel, the vent and sprue system might take a more thought.

It would be expensive if you find a foundry will to do the work. A small job shop might be interested.

How about LEE? They will make custom molds, and they already make roundball molds. Last I knew, they had a one-time set-up fee of $100, then the price of the mold for as many molds as you bought.

DC

James, try rapine bullet molds. They specialize in RB molds. Located in Pennsylvania.

I want to thank all of you that took time to give your suggestions. The basic problem in mold making today, when it comes to round balls, is most molds today are lathe bored. I have talked to many you suggested, some that I did not think their quality was up to a production mold.
Patty, at NEI, has agreed to cut me an iron 3-cavity production mold using one of late Walt's cherries. It will be precisely .600". This will reduce casting time by 1/3.......Thanks Again, James

James, Perhaps you should contact some industrial mold makers instead of bullet mold makers? Bullet molds are basically the most simplistic molds to make and companies used to making intricate plastic injection molds would look at a roundball mold as elementary childs play.

Given the .600" size, considerable weight of a multicavity mold plus the weight of the lead could get to be a real chore to use unless you got the hulk casting for you. I'd suggest getting two molds with two sets of three cavities and set them up on a fixturing jig instead of hand held.

I'll try emailing you with my phone number but if you don't get it, email me: markkw@earthlink.net I'm only down the street from you and can probably hook you up with the right people.

I'd check with Lee unless you're on a "forearm workout program", a 3 or 4 cavity steel mould for a .600" ball won't be light!

FWIW,

Dennis

It is your buisiness James Gates. How about a lead/polymer mix? Kinda' like Brownell's "steelbed"?
Don't forget me!
Cheezywan

Friends All.......I greatly appreciate all the suggests on different molds and mix for Tri-Ball. But..........I want this load to be super simple to build! So......That's the new slow burn powder, a heavy wall wad, three alloy .600" balls (heat treated), buffer and Go! It has taken me over 36 months to reach the right combo that make this thing throw those three balls into a palm size patten at 45 yards (with a .665" choke)! I think I will leave well enough alone!
By the way....The combined energy of the three balls (925 grs) is 2539 ft lbs at the muzzle, with 1889 ft lbs still at 60 yards......that's pretty strong!....Based on a BC of the .600" ball at .085, sighted in at 30 yards and -2.3" low at 60 yards (center of the pattern) based on the now velocity of 1100'/".........James