New guy here. 

I recently acquired a bullet mold made by Massechusetts Arms Co.  Looking on the internet, I discovered it is a Maynard 1882 .40 Caliber #1 & #2 two cavity mold.  It is all metal, including the handles, which are a part of the mold.  The cavities look smooth with no rust or corrosion.  

Can anyone give me an idea of its rarity, collectibility and value?

Thanks in advance.

Got several molds in a purchase.  This was the only one that didn't have wooden handles.  At first, I didn't notice the manufacturer's name due to the many scratches and digs in that area.  I did some searching on the internet and saw one similar to mine with the above information on it.   

The other molds are Lyman and Winchester manufacture.  I also got two ladles and a hand operated bullet & primer press mfd by Winchester with an 1894 patent date.   

Nice mold, been my experience guys here are interested in molds to shoot what they own. At times pay a whole lot to get one but unless it's useful don't buy.  Loading tool collectors have there own web-site that I often thought I would visit. Have some things I am thinking about selling.  But it's a paid subscription site so have never looked. For true collector information it would be the way to go. Don't have the link on this laptop. If you can't find it let me know and will look on my other machine.

Might put a search into Ebay and keep running it. If any others sell would give you a good idea.

Boats

Hi boats.......the ARTCA site is no longer a paid prescription subscription site, they opened it up.  Still costs to join the ARTCA, but the forum is free without joining, you just have to register like any other forum so they can boot you off when you start spamming from Ireland or Russia or even California or New York.  

It's not a real busy site, but it does have its moments.

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max

The .40 cal was very popular in the Maynard line, from first to last.  There were three cases, rated at 40, 60 and 70 grains, respectively, IIRC, and all could use the same bullet.  Over time, the diameter of the bullets (and rifle groove diameter) varied from about .412" or so on up to over .420" as manufacturing mods occurred. If someone (like myself) with an original Maynard were looking for an original mould, they would want to know what diameter bullet it drops before making an offer.  While not exceedingly rare, these moulds are not all that common, so if you really want to sell it, you should have no difficulty whatsoever.

Froggie

Good tip will register.  Have an oddball press would like to research

Boats

Quote:


Of course the  most sure way is to cast up some bullets and get an average using a precise micrometer.  You can get an approximate size using internal calipers or a set of gauge pins (for the base band only) but this is only a rough approximation of the actual product of the mould. Please send me a PM if you want further detail on measurement and if you might perhaps be interested in a trade for a mould you would like to have(??)

Froggie

Nice bullet mold! Measure it with your calipers at the diameter of the two driving bands. The 1873 guns used bullets about .423"-.424" diameter. The 1882 guns generally used bullets about .416" diameter.
The mold should measure .001"-.002 over the size of the bullet it will drop. This should tell you whether you have a mold for an 1873 or 1882 rifle.

It is more of a collector mold. The most important thing to collectors is condition. They will never make a bullet with it. These molds are difficult to use. They get hot and the bullets don't drop out easily. You can see it is all dinged up from trying to convince the bullets to drop out. The best way is to open the mold all the way and snap it against the stops. This will pop the bullets out generally. I use heater hose on the handles of mine to help with the heat. If you pour the cavity nearest the handles first it helps heat the mold evenly.

The value depends on finding someone interested in it. A shooter will get a custom mold made for $150 and let you keep yours. A collector will try to get it cheap by pointing out all the dings and blemishes on the mold. I'm not going to guess at a value, I'll leave that to anyone interested in it.