Semi-custom Bullet Moulds

Mike's Shoot in' Shack

- Mike Venturino

Mike found this clone of the discontinued RCBS mould 32-98SWC in Arsenal Molds' offerings.

There is a genre of bullet mould between large, standardized manufacturers with their carved-in-stone menus, and true custom makers, who cut mould blocks one on one as specified by a customer. In between are businesses that I call “semi-custom bullet mould makers.” They seldom keep inventory but make a mould when a customer picks from a large number of choices. Their designs are kept in CNC machinery memory banks. Any design stored therein can be called up simply by punching numbers into a keyboard. Usually, semi-custom mould makers have options as to mould block material and number of cavities.

In the last couple of years, I've ordered several semi-custom moulds that have made shooting possible with obsolete guns or cartridges for which off-the-shelf bullet moulds are no longer available. There are many of these "semi-custom” mould makers, several of which I am aware of, but have never used their products yet. That being said, three semi-custom mould makers have come to my rescue and I found their creations to be without flaws.

A few issues back, an article of mine concerned handloading for a Colt SAA .32-20 of recent manufacture. I thought an RCBS mould 32-98SWC was still on my storage shelves. It had proven to be an excellent performer in a formerly owned S&W K32 Masterpiece. Yet, when I searched my storage shelves, it was gone. Whether loaned or sold, I cannot remember. I thought, “No problem, I'll just buy another.” Yes, it was a problem. It seemed RCBS's current owners had deemed some bullet designs unproductive and discontinued them. Lengthy searches on websites revealed no used RCBS 32-98SWC moulds for sale.