i picked this up today with thoughts of making some bullets for my cap and ball revolver but started think it might be an original colt mold mabey worth more than my revolver,,it's marked COLTS PATENT on top of the spur cutter and 44H on the right side ,,does it look original or mabey a repro,,if original whats it worth?
thanks in advance
cfi305
I believe it is a well preserved original. If you do use it, about the time the mold heats up enough to cast smooth bullets, it will be too hot to hold even with oven mitts. I have heard a old trick of using corn cobs to fabricate handles for these to make them useable longer. They sell on ebay, so check there for auction prices. In that condition, I would guess $150 to $200 maybe.
Time to larn me. I did not know you had to heat those up? I thought you just poured molten lead in them, let her cool, open her up, drop them out and start over? Are they smoother if you heat the mold up? Thanks in advance.
Your mould is the regular iron mould for the Colt 1860 Army. The original finish for the civilian trade is a high polished blue, molds for the Army were matt and (often?) stamped with 3 initials of the Govt. Inspector.
thanks all,,i think i'll see if a collector may want it and just pick some bullets instead of trying to make some bullets ,,i appreicate all the help..thanks again..
cfi305
Yes, one usually starts with a "cold" mold and the first bullets it will cast will be "wrinkled". As the mold heats up from addition casting, the bullets come out smoother. Colt recommended that one not use the mold supplied with the signature series of guns probably due to its old design and I would agree to just keep the mold looking nice and use a more modern design. For cheap, fast and comfortable casting, one can't really beat the price of Lee molds.
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