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Suo Gan
03-01-2011, 03:08 PM
I am looking over the instructions on designing your custom bullet mold by Lee, and it is confusing me, and of course Lee's phone has been busy all day. I would sure appreciate any advice from folks who have sent in a design to Lee.

singleshot
03-01-2011, 05:32 PM
Might I suggest mountainmolds.com?

stubshaft
03-01-2011, 05:38 PM
+1 - On Dan @ Mountain molds. His program will allow you to see the design immediately and make adjustments accordingly.

It's also a blast to play with.

turbo1889
03-01-2011, 06:29 PM
Lee custom would by my fourth maybe fifth option for getting a custom mold done at this point. The following are the places I would go first due to better quality, better customer service, and in some cases better price and shorter lead time:

1. ~ Accurate Molds(.com)
----- Pros. = Both regular and TL type lube groove set up available.
----- ------ = Custom Designs are no-extra cost.
----- ------ = Available mold block materials include aluminum, brass, and iron.
----- ------ = Machine casting blocks available including ones set up for either hand casting or machine casting for an extra $20
----- ------ = Diameters up to 0.740" available.
----- ------ = All designs available in either PB or GC shank.
----- ------ = Excellent customer service.
----- ------ = Reasonable prices.
----- ------ = Three weeks or less lead time.
----- Cons. = Minimum boolit diameter of 30-caliber.
----- ------ = Minimum flat on nose tip of 0.18” diameter
----- ------ = Maximum lube groove depth of 0.3” (0.35” for some larger caliber boolits)
----- ------ = Minimum angle of 35-degrees on all lube groove edges also the minimum angle for a SWC step at the base of a boolit nose.
----- ------ = CNC lathe boring system he uses necessitates a tool change at the base of the nose and you must plan for this with your boolit design and give him a curved surface to hide the tool change on or leave a visible step where this tool change takes place.
----- ------ = Base pore solid molds only. No nose pore, HP, or HB molds.
----- ------ = Maximum boolit length of 1.375” which is actually quite generous for most applications.

2. ~ Mountain Molds(.com)
----- Pros. = Boolit diameters down to 26-caliber.
----- ------ = All designs are custom so no-extra cost.
----- ------ = Available mold block materials include aluminum, brass, and iron.
----- ------ = Diameters up to 0.650" available.
----- ------ = Most designs available in either PB or GC shank.
----- ------ = Good customer service so long as you don’t get him grumpy by asking for stuff he don’t do or asking dumb questions.
----- ------ = Reasonable prices.
----- Cons. = Usually 3 to 9 months lead time.
----- ------ = Minimum flat on nose tip of 0.18” diameter.
----- ------ = Minimal customer control over lube grooves set-up. Conventional lube grooves only of pre-programmed depth.
----- ------ = No machine casting molds
----- ------ = Base pore solid molds only. No nose pore, HP, or HB molds.
----- ------ = Maximum boolit length depends on blocks chosen and is usually less then what Accurate Molds can do.
----- Notes: If I am looking for a rifle boolit smaller then 30-caliber I go here otherwise no reason to go here rather then Accurate Molds. Used to buy from him all the time but that was before Accurate Molds was around.

3. ~ NOE & MP molds
----- Pros. = Can do almost any boolit design imaginable.
----- ------ = Reasonable prices.
----- Cons. = Group buy molds only so to get a special kind of mold you want done your way you either have to buy a whole slew of molds out of your own pocket and then try to sell of the extras to recoup your money or convince enough others to go in with you on the design from the beginning. This usually means compromises on the boolit design so that everyone is happy with it.
----- ------ = Aluminum blocks only from NOE.
----- ------ = No machine casting molds (except maybe MP could be convinced to do that).
----- ------ = Usually quite a long wait time for your spot in line.

In a few cases I can see where Lee’s custom service would be a good choice especially if the design your contemplating would fit in their 6-banger mold blocks. I would suggest you check out the web sites for the ranch dog boolit molds and the big lube boolit molds. All of their designs are or where originally cut in Lee mold blocks. Just to give you an idea what Lee can do for custom molds.

Wayne Smith
03-01-2011, 06:45 PM
Moderators, I nominate Turbo's post for a stickie. Very good, easily understood summary of the available options. As these change it could be changed.

excess650
03-01-2011, 07:55 PM
I've had a couple cut by Mountain Molds, and they were delivered in about 4 weeks both times. Both dropped round, consistent boolits from both cavities, so no complaints from me. With his online software so tempting, I'm sure I'll be back.

While I haven't tried Accurate Molds, I'm anxious to do so when I have an itch that needs scratchin'.

BRP? BaBore on this list makes molds, but are cherry cut. I'm under the impression they're pretty good.

David Mos cut a couple of iron molds for me (my designs) some years back and they were an absolute joy to cast with.

Dave Farmer did one for me about 15 years back and was another fine piece of work.

Veral Smith did a couple for me over the years before his "vacation". I'll admit the dimensions were pretty close, but his demeanor leaves a lot to be desired. I didn't care for his thin sprue cutter, DEEP vent lines, or the hold down finger that seemed to just be in the way....

Lee would be low on my list, and ONLY if I wanted 6 cavity molds.

singleshot
03-01-2011, 08:22 PM
So are you saying accuratemolds.com will do nose pour designs? I didn't see any indication of that on their website...

Edit: Oops, reread the post and can see they don't do nosepour designs either...

MT Gianni
03-01-2011, 11:07 PM
Suo Gan, this might be better answered in a group buy area by some of the honchos who took this on. AIRC, there was a frustrating learning curve in getting an exact product from a specific drawing. Lee though that they could change spec and use whatever alloy they had on hand. This may have changed but was all part of the Honcho learning process.

HARRYMPOPE
03-01-2011, 11:14 PM
I have had Veral Smith of LBT make a couple of custom tapered bullets and Loverin styles.Drop him an email and he is sometimes willing to do things he can make work on his tracer lathe set up,he does like to use his standard nose shaped though.I find his molds hard to beat.I have never had to adjust one of his sprue plates.EVER!
Once you learn to pour with an LBT you dont break the hold down finger but you have to alter your casting style.I have never had a mold cast better than an LBT!As good,but never better Even my Eagan's.
I have my first Mountain Mold(aluminum) and i am impressed with it.It reminds me an old NEI's cut by Walt Melander.


Lee isn't the right place for a custom mold IMHO.

HMP

John Boy
03-01-2011, 11:24 PM
Add David Mos to the list ... a group of us are having David cut a custom mould is the original design of the UMC 22 LR, 40gr -
http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=107243

Suo Gan
03-02-2011, 03:13 AM
Suo Gan, this might be better answered in a group buy area by some of the honchos who took this on. AIRC, there was a frustrating learning curve in getting an exact product from a specific drawing. Lee though that they could change spec and use whatever alloy they had on hand. This may have changed but was all part of the Honcho learning process.

I finally got through today and talked with Pat at Lee. I am thinking about designing a couple of these with my nephew as he is good with computers and wants to be a bullet guru some day and maybe even cut his own boolit molds. It would be nice to have someone like that on hand, so I am trying to foster this idea. I wish I had enough money so that he could buy a couple dozen or so from mountain molds, I sadly do not.

Got no problem with the drift, it will probably turn out more interesting off topic anyway. I was going to put that I have used some of the other custom makers but I wanted ideas about Lee, but I figure these threads are like a wild pony, sometimes its fun to let them take you for a ride...might even learn a thing or two on the way.

selmerfan
03-02-2011, 08:57 AM
Just a small correction to the pros/cons list. NOE now offers brass molds in single or double cavity.

happy7
03-02-2011, 09:58 AM
Suo Gan,

I see you got a lot of answers, but none that really addressed your question. As you can see, there is a lot of anti lee feeling on this board. Most of it is well earned. However, if you liike lots of cavities, and don't want to run a group buy, they still really have no competition. No one else will make you a custom six cavity mold for $156 delivered, including all setup fees, etc. Also, the last two molds I ordered from them took less than six weeks to be delivered. That was last fall. And they were right on spec. Now the ones I did before that were a different story. But, to be fair, even back then in the days when Lee was backlogged over a year and quality was suffering, when I sent a mold back to Lee, they always redid it and in the end I got what I was looking for.


Lee basically wants a drawing of the mold cavity, not the bullet. The cavity dimensions need to be bigger than the bullet, to account for shrinkage as the bullet cools. The amount the bullet will shrink depends on its diameter and the alloy, among other things.
If you want a design from Lee, I would recommend that you contact Tom Myers on this forum. He has designed software for drawing bullets. You give him your particulars and for a modest fee, he will produce a drawing for you. He is familiar with Lee's requirements and will be able to calculate the shrinkage, etc, and produce a cavity drawing, such as Lee requires.

Lee guarantees the molds to be +.003 and -.000 of your requested dimensions. This means that they guarantee that it will not be undersize, but could be oversize by .003. Take this into consideration as you consider the diameter that you request.

cajun shooter
03-02-2011, 11:00 AM
I have first hand experience with Pat at Lee. He is nice and easy to talk with until you have a problem. I ordered a big lube 6 cavity mold and requested that it drop bullets at .455 with my alloy. The mold was sent to me dropping .451 bullets. My revolvers (both of them) slugged at .453.5 I sent the mould back three times on my dime. Insured and Priority mail had me with another $30 in the mould. Pat told me that I was a unreasonable person and that I was requesting something which was within the size range that was ok by them. I told him that he must have never fired a cast bullet in his life. On the other hand my first order with Accurate molds was just a small thing that I requested be redone and that I would send it back. He told me that he would just make another one and I ordered two at that time. The quality of Accurate moulds is great and only $119 for a 3 cavity brass mould. Brass has become my new favorite and I have been casting since 1970. The other man who has done great work for me is Dave Farmer at Hoch Molds. He is more expensive than Tom at Accurate but does offer other things. If you ever make a pour with a mould from one of these makers you will see why Lee moulds are the very last mould I would buy.

bowfin
03-02-2011, 12:09 PM
requested that it drop bullets at .455 with my alloy

Did you send a sample of your alloy to Lee?

Having worked with plastic injection molds before, the heat of the material and heat of the molds and composition of the material being molded can change from session to session, so much so that asking for a mold to drop within a half thousandth would be impossible to guarantee.

I think I would go oversize a bit and size down, since dimensions of the finished bullet can be controlled better at the sizing operation than casting operation.

Suo Gan
03-02-2011, 01:48 PM
If you want a design from Lee, I would recommend that you contact Tom Myers on this forum. He has designed software for drawing bullets. You give him your particulars and for a modest fee, he will produce a drawing for you. He is familiar with Lee's requirements and will be able to calculate the shrinkage, etc, and produce a cavity drawing, such as Lee requires.


I'll try that. Is there a program, I should buy the nephew so he can play with his ideas on the computer. He has spent several hours on Mountain Molds. There is a Berkely Mill at an estate sale coming up, that is a pipe dream right now, but if it goes cheap enough, I might have my own little Dick Lee on my hands!

You know what means a lot to me? The fact that Lee has its name on this web site! You would think that some of the other makers would contribute to THE home of casting on the net. I will be using Lee with my eyes open, the molds I have bought recently, both 2 and 6 cavity exceed my earlier purchases by a long shot. Looks like all the belly aching might have paid off in that regard, but it has cost them a following. At least they learn right?

happy7
03-02-2011, 01:54 PM
Tom's bullet design software, unfortunately, is not for sale. Most people who create drawings use AutoCad or something similar. Others may have better information on this.

HARRYMPOPE
03-02-2011, 10:40 PM
" Brass has become my new favorite and I have been casting since 1970."

My first Eagan brass mold was 15 years ago and i think its hard to beat also.I agree with your lee Comments Cajun Shooter.About 10 years back i was trying to get some molds made by lee and someone there was totally uninformed about the casting process and somewhat argumentative.It ended up with call back from Richard Lee ,but i had a bad taste i my mouth and never went though with the order.I have quite a few Hoch molds and they are tops quality wise ,but prefer my LBT's to them for ease of use and consistent castability with different alloys.

I'll have to try an Accurate brass mold I see!

HMP