Rapine Bullet Moulds - Quarter Master

Guns Magazine, March, 2002

Today, with the many commercial suppliers of cast bullets, it is a little bit uncommon to meet shooters who cast their own bullets. This was not the case when I started shooting, and if you wanted to shoot in any sort of quantity, it was necessary to learn how to pour your own. Even today, there are a good many reasons to take up the art of bullet casting. Yes, it can be hot hard work, but the ability to produce bullets that are just exactly what you want for a specific use -- with the right weight, hardness, diameter, profile and lube capacity -- can make a dramatic improvement in the quality of your handloads. It is also a very fulfilling experience to use your carefully cast and selected bullets to bring home game for the table or to win a tough shooting match.

I've used bullet moulds by a wide variety of manufacturers, but I only recently tried a Rapine mould. Rapine moulds have established an enviable reputation for quality, durability, and for the staggering variety of bullet designs that it offers. The blocks are machined out of 2024 T3 aluminum alloy, an extremely hard and durable material. The cavities are cut in the traditional way by the use of a "cherry." You won't need to remember to order a set of handles for a Rapine mould. Each mould comes complete and ready to use right out of the box.

The mould that I recently ordered is Rapine's No. 457500, a copy of the 500-grain 1884 government bullet for the .45-70 cartridge. I usually find that large, heavy bullets are particularly fussy to cast, but the Rapine mold performed perfectly just as soon as it came up to proper temperature. The mould did not overheat, as most moulds will do in continuous casting, and to my delight, the bullets dropped free with no effort at all. This is a major time and frustration saver, and was especially surprising as this bullet features three deep, square-cornered lube grooves. The bullets dropped from the mould at .459-inch diameter when cast with a soft 20 to 1 alloy, exactly as they were supposed to. Added to this excellent performance is the fact that the aluminum mold cavities do not need to be greased after use as iron moulds do, and I must say that this may be the finest bullet mould I've ever used. If you cast your own bullets, or would like to, call or write for Rapine's catalog.