Please rate the mould manufacturers!

[fatelvis]

For those of you that have used several "brands" of moulds, could you list them in order of Best to worst. Those being equal group together. I'm curious to see how this works out! Thanks! Here's mine;

Best= (Mihec, NOE, RCBS, NEI)
Ok= Lyman (2 good, 1 undersized GC shank, 1 undersized, 1 not round)
Worst= Lee

[cbrick]

Best= Mihec, NOE, Accurate, Mountain Molds
Very good= RCBS, LBT
So-So= Lyman, SAECO
Poor= LEE

Rick

[trixter]

I have 6 Lee molds and I like them, so they are the only ones that I can talk about.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I can't really do this, Lee's are gonna be notoriously rated as poor, BUT I have had Lee 2 cav. molds that cast as good as any. Besides Lee, I have cast with Herters, Hensley, NOE, Lyman, MP, TC, LBT, Accurate Molds, RCBS, Seaco, ....and soon Balisticast.

I could rate individual molds, but I won't rate all the manufacturers in order of best to worst. BUT, I will state my personal favorite.

That is NOE. For a very reasonable price, Al makes top quality molds and he provides good quality accessories as well as instruction (personal, if needed) And quite possibly the best customer service (I've had the odd luck to need that from him, not due to quality, just an honest mistake).
Jon

[Humbo]

Best: MP molds, LBT, NOE, SAECO
Very good: RCBS, Ballisti-cast/H&G, Mimek, NEI
Good: Lee, older Lyman
Poor: New Lyman

I don't have any experience with Accurate molds and Mountain molds yet, but I'm sure they are up there with the best.

[Jack Stanley]

Best ; H&G , Cramer , Hoch and old time NEI
Very good ; LBT , RCBS , Lachmiller and a Saeco from about thirty years ago
Good ; Ideal and some older Lyman along with a LEE sometimes
Poor ; NOE , LEE ( normally ) Lyman most of the time now

Lots of molds I haven't tried Mihec and Accurate come to mind but I may get an Accurate for my Russian zip gun just to try it out .

Jack

[Baja_Traveler]

Well, you are the first person I have ever heard of calling an NOE mould "poor"...


Best ; H&G , Cramer , Hoch and old time NEI
Very good ; LBT , RCBS , Lachmiller and a Saeco from about thirty years ago
Good ; Ideal and some older Lyman along with a LEE sometimes
Poor ; NOE , LEE ( normally ) Lyman most of the time now

Lots of molds I haven't tried Mihec and Accurate come to mind but I may get an Accurate for my Russian zip gun just to try it out .

Jack

[doctorggg]

I am also curious as to why you rated Noe as poor? I have 29 molds from NOE. They all perform very well. Customer service is excellent.

[snapthecat]

Best---RCBS
Second best---Lyman
Worst by far---Lee

[captaint]

Best - H&G, Mihec, NOE
Good - Old Lymans, RCBS, LBT actually very good
Not so good - Some Lee's

Mike

[Harter66]

I've had only a few moulds that aren't Lee moulds.

Best 3 RCBS
Good 5 old Lyman
Acceptable 11 Lees

I will quantify this all of the RCBS and Lyman moulds are 2nd hand , 3 of the Lyman moulds are aluminum Maxi ball moulds and work well but 1 of them has closing alignment problems about 1 in 10 . 2 RB moulds are a little quirky to work w/and require your full attn to walk the line between hot/cold/too hot.

The RCBS moulds also 2nd hand an RB, 45-200 swc and a 27-130. All worked well right "outta the box" and are all iron moulds. The RB is a little quirky but runs well once you get it in the running window. The RCBS moulds are easier to keep in the run window temperature wise I don't foresee me ever running more than a 2C iron mould

Lee, well "acceptable" means its a simple tool to do a simple job.... ....a job which requires that tool. They work work, they heat up fast,come w/handles on every single and double, and for the same money at retail pricing I can get 11 6 C Lee moulds for what it would cost to replace the 8 Lyman and RCBS singles and doubles dollar for dollar or! ( 2C moulds. I'm one that will buy a wear tool based on it doing the job if its 1 I'm likely to wear out and I can buy 2 that will last 2/3 as long each as the good 1 that costs twice as much I'll buy them. At this point except a couple of commercial casters here I bet nobodies ever said "I gotta get a new RCBS iron mould mines just worn out " and if they did it must have been abused and/or cast about about 10 million Boolits. Added bonus of Lee moulds no rust wingtips at the end of a session and if you boogger 1 up you can afford to replace it and/or try your hand at prototyping a patch mould from the 1 you wrecked 1 calibre up or more.

[Oreo]

I feel like there ought to be a higher category for Miha's molds. The term Fine Art comes to mind but you guys call them as you see fit.

[ShooterAZ]

Based solely on my personal experience:

1) RCBS best
2)Lyman good
3) LEE hit & miss passable

[Jack Stanley]

I am also curious as to why you rated Noe as poor? I have 29 molds from NOE. They all perform very well. Customer service is excellent.

That's easy , I bought two of them . First one wouldn't take a Hornady gas check unless you used a mallet to put it on regardless of alloy . The second absolutely refused to fill out no matter the alloy , temperature , ladle or bottom pour , how it was cleaned , time of day or cycle of the moon .

Jack

[dragon813gt]

All my molds work and that's all that matters. Like any product there will be lemons from time to time. I am in the process of replacing all my aluminum molds with brass but this is just personal preference. There is nothing wrong with the aluminum molds. Why bother rating them when they all work?


Brought to you by TapaTalk.

[blikseme300]

H&G
Lee
Lyman

[MT Gianni]

1] LBT, NOE, old H&G
2]RCBS
3] Lyman, some Lee, Saeco-casts great after they fixed it bought in 2004-
4] Le rest of the Lee's

[gandydancer]

NOE rated as poor?? you have got to be kidding me. I have 12 NOE molds and all work great and any checks that where a no fit from hornady turned out to be undersized for a 308 caliber.NOE is one of the best mfg's in the USA. gd

[40Super]

There isn't really any way to rate them, they are just in catagories that mostly follow the price you pay

Group 1= NOE, H&G-Ballisticast(so far my best),MP, Accurate(my second fav's), I don't own any NEI,LBT or Mountain Molds but I would assume they would be in here.

Group 2= RCBS, Seaco, Lyman , MAYBE a few Lee, basically factory stock molds

Group 3= Lee (if price is a concideration they can be higher than some of the others in group 2)


If someone had 30 of each brand maybe a person could give an accurate rating based on condition recieved, tweeking needed to work better/or at all, return for refund or replacement ect... otherwise to rate on a few samples is rather inaccurate.

[scb]

Best= Mihec, NOE, Accurate, Mountain Molds,CBE, Hoch
Very good= RCBS,Saeco
OK= Lyman,
Poor= NEI
Worst= Lee

[DHurtig]

Exceptional>>>>>> MP

Excellent>>>>>>>>RCBS

Good>>>>>>>>>>>Lyman

Serviceable>>>>>>Lee

Wouldn't rate any as poor, Dale

[Bullet Caster]

Since I only have Lee moulds I cannot say as to how the others cast. The Lee's work for me. BC

[geargnasher]

TOP: Accurate Molds, MP Molds (MiHec), Hensley & Gibbs
MIDDLE: RCBS, Ideal (and older Lyman), LBT, BA Bore, Saeco, and Lee.
BOTTOM: Lyman from the past five or six years, and NOE.

Haven't had the opportunity to try: Lachmiller, Mountain Molds, or Hoch.

Gear

[Beau Cassidy]

Best- MP, Ballisticast, H&G, Accurate, NOE, LBT, Mountain Molds
Fair- Older Lyman, RCBS, Saeco, Older NEI
Poor-
Substandard- Lee by far.

I have a Hooch mold and Lachmiller mold and probably a few more stashed away that have never been used.
I never got to buy an Applegate mold before he quit making them and would probably jump thru hoops to get it if I came across one.

[MBTcustom]

In my limited experiance,
The best are Accurate, Mihec and H&G
Very good: RCBS, old Lymans, Ideal, and the occasional Lee 6 cavity.
Fair: new Lymans, some two cavity Lee molds and some 6 cavity Lee mods.
Poor: Some two cavity Lee molds, some new Lyman molds, any clam shell "fishing sinker" style molds.

That's my impressions of the molds . The right boolits for my rifles and pistols turn up in the oddest of places. I bought an Accurate that wouldn't shoot well in rifles that loved a similar RCBS mold and I have found double cavity Lee molds that were a pain to work with that cast good boolits.
One boolit that works great in just about anything I shoot it out of and drops from a mold that is a pleasure to work with is the RCBS 35-200-FN. That is definitely my favorite mold/boolit combo, for what it is.

[Kraschenbirn]

Speaking only of the moulds I've actually owned/cast:

Best: Older NEI (Walt's), Ideal (pre-Lyman), Ohaus
Good: RCBS, Saeco, Older Lyman
Adequate: Lee (after Lee-menting and/or Beagling)
Poor: Current Lyman

Bill

[Piedmont]

I won't fill in all the categories but will say the best casting (easiest to get good bullets that just fall out of the mold too, with a low reject rate) molds are my H&Gs and LBTs. The LBT sprue plate is the best in the business.

[warf73]

I'll rate them in the order of me buying another one and how well built the mold is, made to spec, ease of use and customer server after the sale.

Accurate
NOE
LEE custom 6 cavity
RCBS
NEI
Lee standard run 6 cavity
Lee standard run 2 cavity
Lyman

[cbrick]

BOTTOM: Lyman from the past five or six years, and NOE. Gear

Hhmmm . . . Another poor rating for NOE. I have a few of them and while aluminum is my least favorite mold material each of my NOE molds is absolutely top notch.

For those that rated NOE as poor what where the problems you encountered that caused you to rate them this way?

Rick

[HARRYMPOPE]

Old-
Original Eagans
Barnett
Richard Hoch cut molds form the 1980's
Modern Bond
Ideal/lyman single cavity
Melander cut NEI's (Iron nose pour cherry cut 47B in Particular)
Bud Welsh recut Lyman SC blocks

New-
Steve Brooks
Accurate
LBT
NOE(non hp ones)

[Elkins45]

This is gonna sound dumb, but I don't think I can do this. Most of the two toolboxes full of molds out in my garage are Lee two bangers, and Lee was the only brand of mold I had ever used from when I started in 1987 until 2010 when I bought a used Lyman off of eBay. Maybe I'm like those guys that professional chefs make fun of because their palate isn't sophisticated enough, but every mold I own except one makes good boolets with very little fuss. Like someone else said, that doesn't mean the particular boolet they make works well in my particular gun, but in terms of casting I have been blessed with exceptionally good results from almost every one of my molds.

At the moment I own:

Two RCBS, both of which cast beautifully. One of them is the 35-200 which is one of the best boolets ever designed IMO.
Three MP (Mihec) Cramer- style brass HP. All make beautiful, effortless boolets.
Two Mountain Molds: one brass and one aluminum. Both are fine quality molds. The brass one casts a very poorly designed bullet, but that's the fault of the designer (me).
Several Lee six cavity, two of which were from the first production runs back in the late 80's. A couple of them have needed to be leemented but all work well now.
More Lee two bangers than I can count. I think I have at least two different ones for every caliber I cast for.
A handful of older used Lyman's and Ideals. All cast well, although one is a bit undersized.
One new Lyman. It needed a good leementing but now makes a very nice 30 cal boolet.
One NOE five cavity 311407 Loverin design. It gives me fits because it has to be run at almost nuclear temperatures in order to fill out. Even on a hot summer day my 10lb Lee bottom pour pot won't get Linotype hot enough to fill out this mold. I don't know if that's the fault of the mold, my pot or the bullet design, but the only way I can get a properly filled boolet from it is to fire up the pot full of wheel weights and crank it up to max.

[badgeredd]

In all fairness to everyone, I won't rate any of the manufacturers. I haved "TWEAKED" mold from all of the manufacturers I have, which are several. I'd say that in my mind, reasonably close tolerance and reasonable delivery times will and do influence my decisions to purchase. I do not consider 9 to 12 months (or longer) from beginning of a Group Buy to delivery "reasonable." Customer service after purchase is a biggie to me also. You're opinions are the same as mine, opinions.

Edd

[Moonie]

I'm also one that would rate NOE in the same category as Lee, I only have one NOE, it is the 221 clone 5 cavity, I have one cavity that has release issues and I've worked and worked to fix it. Even after leementing the one cavity it still sticks a bit.

Thankfully it is for my sons 5.56 upper that he rarely ever uses so I don't have to struggle with it often.

For all the lee molds that I've had sticky issues with they always clean up after leementing and fall like rain.

[Finarfin]

The only mold I've ever had is an Accurate mold and it seems to work just fine to me. I was highly impressed with the service and delivery time. I think I had it 3 or 4 days after ordering it and it caught me off guard as I hadn't ordered everything else I needed to start casting yet. I highly recommend Accurate.

[rmatchell]

I would say my older ideal and lyman are the best I own as far as the lee molds i own i cant complain. The lee is put together cheap but still makes good boolits.

[geargnasher]

I was just reflecting on this again, and really, guys we are right in the middle of the real Golden Age of boolit casting. There are more options and custom makers today than ever, and CNC technology has enabled some of the producers to do really amazing things with moulds and still make them affordable. We all have our preferences and our own experiences that have lead to those preferences, but the bottom line is we have a LOT of options about which to form opinions and recommendations, and there are companies who can fit any budget while others can fulfill any custom design need without a lot of extra expense vs. a comparable-quality "production" mould.

It's a good time to be alive as a boolit caster!

Gear

[MBTcustom]

Oh you are so right Gear!

[NoZombies]

For me NOE molds have been hit and miss as well. More hits than misses, but honestly, my first NOE mold almost made me swear them off.

The first NOE mold experience, that was almost my last:

225017 mold. After properly heat cycling the mold 4 times per instructions, the alignment pin bushings worked their way out on the mold face. The resulting gap caused the mold to be unusable. I sent it back, and Al graciously replaced the mold with another one. That one has held up just fine, but the alignment pins aren't chamfered, so the mold doesn't want to open, and doesn't want to close. Two of the cavities stick. The bullets won't accept any standard gas checks without far more force than is required for any other mold I have. All in all, it's one of my most difficult molds to use.

I almost didn't buy the second NOE mold, but the design was one I really wanted, so I took another gamble. It paid off, and since then, I have purchased several others without complaint. I'm still in on at least one NOE GB, and once he's back towards being caught up, I'll probably sign up for more. But if I hadn't purchased that second mold that turned out alright, I would have listed NOE at the bottom of the list as well.

[andym79]

Of the moulds I have and a few manufacturers are missing.

Best: NOE have a few and casting usually runs smooth with mostly good bullets, moulds are cut well.

Good: CBE moulds are made well and produce good bullets (so long as I run everything to the same heat as the fires of hell) I would love to see this manufacturer offer aluminum moulds as an option. Brass may machine beautifully but outside of summer its hard to keep hot enough (an here a winters day is often 70F so not cold. As far as the moulds go, forget the material they are made of they are good, but the grub screw on the spure plate seems to let it work loose from time to time, and I often find myself having to make adjustments half way through.

Poor: Lyman, RCBS and Lee I cant see why the lyman and rcbs cost so much more than the lee, none seem to drop the bullets to size. In fact for the cash the lee are probably better value.

[Taterhead]

I have fewer molds than most of you, but here's how I rate mine from best to worst:

LBT (far and away easiest to cast with and closest to nominal size/weight)
RCBS (surprised that a production mold is of such good fit and finish. Size is right on. Iron is great! Too bad only a 2 cav)
NOE (couple of them. Neither release well but cast nicely)
Lee (beyond frustrating to use)

[zubrato]

#1 is MP molds. The Cramer system is unparalleled, for so so many reasons. Whenever I had a problem even minor, Miha sent me another mold from Slovenia at his cost! Accurate is similar in quality, but no HP molds, so I can't say it's equal. Still tom is fantastic to work with, and the molds are top top top, very similar to MP but much much more expensive.

Noe... I buy a mold here and there sometimes but I'm never excited. I thought about posting this earlier but thought against it.
I bought a spire point mold where the gas check shank was grossly out of spec. Being a spire point there's no way to get the gas check shanks on without puncturing your fingers. Not to mention, the mold weight was off by 10+ grains off the actual cast weight.
After I contacted him thru his site, I received a call on my phone, and we talked. I expressed my concerns about the mold. I confirmed I was using the correct alloy for the mold, correct temperature, quality gator gas checks identical to the ones sold on his website, on top of that I always anneal my gas checks, on and on and on.

He basically told me that he would be coming out with a gas check expander in the future and I could buy that from him if I wanted to.
I mentioned I didn't like the idea of having to expand gas checks where my Lyman, MP molds and even Lee had not presented me with these kinds of problems, they always snapped on with nary an issue.
I got a "yeah..." followed by chit chat.
Once again I reiterated I liked a lot about the mold except the gas check shank was definitely out of spec, and got the same kind of answer.
I expected better from the glowing reviews.

Not impressed, and I wouldn't recommend NOE unless you really really can't find the mold anywhere else.

I didn't want to open up this bag of worms, but every time I lubrisize and gas check the boolits from the mold it grinds my gears.



Edit: After reading more of the thread wow I had no idea so many shared a low opinion of NOE. Here I was expecting to be tarred feathered and ran out of town, after hearing so much praise for NOE..

[andym79]

Can't speak about all Noe molds but I recently bought a 309-169 4 cavity and was very please with how well the hornady gas checks fitted. I just put the gas check in my lube a matic placed the bullet in lubed and sized and it fitted beautifully. I have used gator checks in the past without issue but hornady checks are difenitly a thicker gauge and I guess less springy.

[frankenfab]

Accurate and Mountain Molds are my best casting ones. I think a properly made lathe bored mold will always be better.

[Hickok]

Truthfully, I have never had a bad mold. Nothing that could not be made to work. Did have a Lee that the gas check shank was a bit small, but that was an easy fix. I have Lee, Lyman, and RCBS.

I have to rate Accurate molds as A+, as I have one for my 38/55. Excellent.

[Guesser]

Having read 44 posts on this thread all I can offer is that it was a waste of my time...........The only mold I've ever had that was less than satisfactory was a used mold that had been neglected or abused by it's previous owner.

[dragon813gt]

Five years later and it's amusing to read my previous response. I still think if a mold works a mold works. But I've completed replacing all my Lee molds and couldn't be happier about it. I sure don't miss the frustration. I only buy brass when it's the only option, Mihec. Buy mostly aluminium molds from NOE w/ an occasional one from Accurate.

[jmort]

Accurate
MP Molds
NOE

If you don't need a HP, round point, or .223, THEN ACCURATE IS AN EASY #1

[flint45]

Of all the molds being made right now my two favorite are Lee and Accurate .I have over twenty Lee molds and not one of them have givin me any problems old ones and new ones. The price point alone puts Lee near the top in my book and Accurate molds are works of boolit mold art.Lyman is at the bottom for me expensive and under size. My old Lymans are ok.

[MT Chambers]

Good: Accurate, Eagan, LBT, Mountain, NOE, Saeco, Mihec,
Almost as good: Lyman, RCBS, CBE, Hoch
not very good: NEI(only the newest ones, the old ones were top rate)
not acceptable: Lee

[fredj338]

Best: any of the custom guys
Good: old lyman & RCBS
Poor: Lee, though the newer molds are getting better.

[fredj338]

Truthfully, I have never had a bad mold. Nothing that could not be made to work. Did have a Lee that the gas check shank was a bit small, but that was an easy fix. I have Lee, Lyman, and RCBS.

I have to rate Accurate molds as A+, as I have one for my 38/55. Excellent.
IMO, if you have to "make it work" then something was wrong with it. I don't have to maker my toaster or coffee maker work, it does what it was designed to do.

[JMax]

Old H&G, NOE, old Lyman have performed the best for me.

RCBS and SAECO have been good performers

New Lyman and Lee have not been good performers.

A process step that has helped me greatly with aluminum has been to preheat the mold to 500 F giving me excellent fill out with louverane style bullets and I cast good bullets after a couple of fills.

[flint45]

Never had to make any mold work except three under size Lymans . Another thing I like about Lee is they come with handles I think that is a good deal.

[jimb16]

Speaking only for the molds I own:

NOE
RCBS
Lyman
Lee

I own a couple of other no-name molds that rate with or below Lee, but everything that I own is at minimum serviceable.

[ShooterAZ]

I posted on this thread five years ago too. I have since discovered Accurate molds, and would rate them as #1. RCBS still holds a spot at the top of the list. Most of the NOE molds I own are pretty decent, BUT, I will not buy another hollow point anything from them again. Lee is still hit & miss.

[pworley1]

Molds are like most everything else in life. You usually get what you pay for, but keep in mind that there is no need to pay for more than you need. If you shoot 10,000+ rounds a year then buy the high dollar molds, but if you shoot less than 1000 you probably don,t need a $200.00 mold. I have molds from most major and some lesser known makers that I have acquired over the last 40+ years. They all work fine for me.

[Jack Stanley]

Thanks Fredj338 , that's pretty much what I think of a mold .

Since the time this thread came out I've bought another RCBS that is excellent and spent the money and got one of Tom's Accurate molds . Excellent mold and money well spent for it , I really should have tried them years ago .

Still haven bought a new Lyman or NOE in the last several years though .

Jack

[oldblinddog]

I have two NOE molds. I have had others. They are well made, but they are aluminum. Everyone that I have owned has been what I would call difficult. I believe it is because they are aluminum. If I do everything correctly (preheat, etc.), cast 100 bullets, 65-70 will end up back in the pot. One of them has never cast a good bullet from one of the cavities. I use it as a single cavity now.

I also have several Accurate, Lyman and (have owned) RCBS. All are iron. All drop perfect bullets from the get go.

I started casting in 1980 with an RCBS 45-255-SWC for a S&W 25-5 .45 Colt. I have cast bullets from a 535 gr Postell to a Lyman 225415 and a lot in between. I have never owned a Lee mold. So, for me, Accurate, Lyman and RCBS are the best.

NOE could equal them if he would simply switch to iron and drop the aluminum.

[jmort]

For his personal use, Tom at Accurate prefers aluminum molds. Me too.

[dragon813gt]

NOE could equal them if he would simply switch to iron and drop the aluminum.

I don't mean this in a derogatory way. But it's not the mold, it's you. I think I have 20+ NOE molds. All of them cast perfect bullets when the mold and lead are at the correct temperature. Aluminium is not iron and doesn't cast the same way. I live in the rust belt and you will never see an iron mold in my collection. Both aluminium and brass molds from NOE produce perfect bullets.

I'm not just defending NOE. I see the same type of posts when it comes to brass molds. The mold materials have different qualities and you need to cast differently w/ each one.

[oldblinddog]

I don't mean this in a derogatory way. But it's not the mold, it's you.

I have no doubt you are correct. Also, I am aware that others get good results from their NOE molds. However, I'm not doing this so that I can cast. I'm doing it so that I can shoot and I don't care to work at casting 25-30 good bullets when I can cast 100 perfect bullets with less effort. If you have read through all the posts in this thread, you know that I am not the only one with this experience.

[longbow]

My preferences in order:

Mihec/Accurate
Old Lyman (and my newer Lyman round ball moulds)
NOE
Lee

I think Mihec and Accurate are top of the heap though Mihec has a nicer overall presentation. As for casting, they are both top notch and Tom is very easy to work with to get what you want. Hard to pick a winner there as they are both so good. I am talking brass moulds here too.

Personally, I am a fan of iron moulds and my old Lyman moulds are also top notch but of course "production run" moulds, not custom or preferred sizes for oversize bores and such. Newer Lyman moulds, except for my selection of 12 ga. round ball mouds, have been a disappointment. I don't go there anymore.

I have two NOE moulds and they cast as advertised. At the time they only did aluminum and I prefer brass or iron. No complaints about my 316299 or my 0.314" x 129 gr. NOE. Great moulds but oddly they cast like brass even though they are aluminum. Had NOE been making brass at the time I would have gone brass. I may replace my 316299 aluminum GC mould with a brass 2 cavity. Great mould. One thing I do not like about NOE moulds is the alignment pins. I prefer the radius nose type like Lyman. A small thing but... The moulds are well made and cast exactly as advertised so great in that respect.

Lee moulds generally are good value for money and if they need a bit of TLC to get them going I'm okay with that. They are not my first choice but overall are not bad moulds for the money... those that I have bought anyway. A little burr removal and they are good to go and work well.

Different strokes.

Longbow

[cuzinbruce]

Five year old thread? My take:
Best: Hensley & Gibbs, Cramer, old Saeco, Ballisticast, Old West
Better: Mihec, old Lyman, Ideal, RCBS, NEI, Ohaus
Adequate: new Lyman
Fair: Lee, Herters

Probably missed some, never used some of the others.

[PBaholic]

I've always used Lee Molds. Cheap, and get the job done. Yes, they sometimes need a little tweeking, cleaning, lubricating, what doesn't.

As for Customer Service, Lee is #1 in my book. I had one of my original molds start having problems (align pins kept backing out), they replaced it with no questions asked. Even got to talk with one of their engineers as he was curious, as he had never heard of my issue before.

[dragon813gt]

Yes, they sometimes need a little tweeking, cleaning, lubricating, what doesn't.

I can tell you from experience Mihec, Accurate and non hollow point NOE molds work right w/ no tweaking required. For some people the tweaking is part of the fun. For myself I have little time and the molds need to work right the entire time. I try not to disparage Lee molds because I cut my teeth on them. But it's the one Lee product that I will never recommend.

[zubrato]

I try not to disparage Lee molds because I cut my teeth on them. But it's the one Lee product that I will never recommend.

Resonates big time with me, though I do recommend beginners use Lee molds so they can run a 20-40$ mold into the ground, before they abuse a work of art.

Kind of like learning to drive stick on a Ferrari you had to wait months for.

Lee customer service is very spotty at best. Some get great service, but seems I get the jerks, and I've had to replace several of their products for simple quality issues or design defects.
Usually goes like they blame you, tell you it's either in spec or someone who couldn't recognize their heiney from a hole in the ground implies you're a idiot.

My first Lee mold 6 cavity 356-125TL dropped bullets from .354 to .362 and it gave me nonstop problems in terms of leading, jammed bullets in the chamber, tumble lube grooves shaved clean off from oversize bullets. The guy told me that was perfectly in spec, and word for word told me if I sent it in on my dime he would send it right back and I would have wasted both his time and mine. I was shocked, I was courteous, didn't blame or point fingers just described the issue, and asked if they could have a look at it.

After that I swore off Lee products, although their dies, presses, and powder measures are alright.
Rcbs takes care of their customers, and you can always catch a lemon from any mfg.


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[Harter66]

I have another 5 yr under my belt and I have a couple of moulds I didn't have 5 yr ago .
Tops go to ,
NOE , LBT , Mountain Moulds
Second place ,
Cramer , Lyman , Herters
3rd place
Lee

Now the decision is still out on the much loved M-P/Miha/Mihec . I was very happy to win it as a prize ........ And very let down in use but it was the first pour with a new mould and the only Brass mould I've used . Fill out sucked . I cast over 30 pours in a preheated mould , washed and heat cycled , lubed with the provided lube at arm's length with a q tip . By the 10th pour the pins for the 462-420 HB were hot making clean bases and clean noses it was just everything in between that was bad . Talk about having to work at making a mould work​ ! M-P has 3 names ? I won't even go into the 18 month old Group buy with 40 names on I singed up for and 19 months later we , 70 some , got the mould from NOE or the 9mm 135 or the 165 40 cal I backed out of after 8-9 months wait .

I have NOEs from 225-37 to 454424 in 2s,4s &5s , only 1 gave any trouble mostly because I didn't follow the start up instructions .

The Mountain Moulds custom ordered at a .446 nose , .1 taper to .450 with 453 bands at 350gr is dead on . The order page promised 6-8weeks and 9 days I had a mould in my hands .

The LBT looks odd but was a gem to use. I passed it along to another here in a mould swap . Because I have a Lee 6C that makes bullets that shoot within a 1/4" of the LBT and makes 2-3 times as many in the same time , an important feature when feeding autos .

I'd be very unhappy if I spent $70-90 for a 2C iron mould and it's 311291 was almost 308 and I can see why people are unhappy with Lyman thankfully the 457193 single was on sale and drops at 459 . The RB moulds are round and of advertised dia . I have a host of old singles , doubles and even a 4c . They all seem to deliver round correct bullets , well except the 291 that I knew was small and size down for paper patch .

I have 6 Lee 6 cavity moulds that pour +.001-3 over size and up to 10 gr heavy I have a hand full of doubles and singles both old and new . If the 18 ball 00B mould were a bullet not shot I'd be upset . The .375 RB moulds are only .360 across the tangical cut off I have 2 of those 2Cs to cut up or run buck shot in .... Yeah those suck but I've only had one of 20 + Lee's that was hard to pour , it's easy now ,I was young and stupid then I'm older now .

I will admit that going from some of the better moulds back to cheaper moulds takes a little reset . I can't count the times I've heard me saying pour and dump faster , roll left this time , your pouring heat to slow , dip now rest on the pot and pour . Pour faster ! Okay you're running to fast for this mould now ....... and so it goes .

[S.B.]

I own all three of the makers molds you mention and never had any trouble with any of them, mind you, they all have personalities of their own.
Steve

[Ken in Iowa]

From my humble experience..... best to worst.

NOE

Arsenal

RCBS

Ideal

Old Lyman

New Lyman

LEE

[Lloyd Smale]

best-ballistic cast/H&G
applegate when he was still making molds
Mihec
NOE, Accurate
saceo
rcbs
lbt
lee 6 cav
lyman
lee 2cav

[trixter]

MP/Mihec and Lee, the only 2 brands that I own.

[lightman]

Interesting thread! I don't have enough different molds to participate. I only have a couple of older Lyman, 8 or 10 RCBS and 5 H&G molds. The RCBS are easy to get good bullets quickly and both cavities produce consistent weights. I wish they made 4 cavity molds. The H&G's are a joy to cast with. Nuff said! The Lymans hardly ever get used, mostly because I use that type of bullet the least. I've been looking at some of the custom makers seriously lately, so this threat has been helpful to me.

[Digital Dan]

Have to smile a little after reading some of this. Some of you fellas walked a path I haven't.

Don't have any bad moulds, just some that are easier than others. They all qualify as favorites for one or more cartridges and/or muzzle loaders.

Hilliard .50 is about 150 years old and does the job.
Brooks, Hoch, Ideal, Lyman, Mos do just dandy.

About 20 moulds, no complaints.

A suggestion for those with fit issues for different moulds and such. Lyman and Hornady checks aren't the same diameter for all calibers/shanks. Lyman moulds prefer Lyman checks.

[sw282]

Best..Hensley&Gibbs

Runner-up... Saeco-RCBS-Lyman

Last and least...Lee

l just love their pots and priming tools.. Sizers too

[Elkins45]

Five years later and the only thing that has changed is that I have a bunch more NOE molds, most of which are hollow point RG models. I'm a member of the $1000 club.

One change is that the arthritis in my hands is annoying enough that I don't use my brass MP molds very often since they are so heavy.

I still don't own an Accurate mold, nor a Saeco.

[johnnysespresso]

Just found this thread. Great info and comments. I have 4 new Lymans and 1 new RCBS. My first Lyman was for a Marlin .44 mag and a Marlin .444 and both have a groove diameter of .431, so I had to "beagle" it. My second mold was the RCBS .40 cal. 200gr. and there was a burr on the bottom of the sprue plate that customer service took care of promptly, but that left me leary of them. Glad to hear RCBS molds are held in fairly high regard as I will try them again. I'm thinking also of getting an Accurate mold that will cast the correct size from the get go for my .444 Marlin. I have no where near enough experience to rate the manufacturers, but I really appreciate that those with experience have done so

[white eagle]

like asking which kid you like the best
molds have different applications what might be good for
my pistol I may choose and prefer another manufacturer for a rifle
can't pin it down that easily
that said we are fortunate to have at our finger tips a cast of mold makers
that are second to none the golden age of casting is here

[JWT]

Excellent - MP/Mihec (all brass)
Very Good- NOE (all brass)
Good - RCBS, Lyman, Lee

I did have a little trouble with bullets sticking on the large HP pins in NOE brass 434-290-FN until I polished the pins. I have a Lyman 452630 4 cavity that the sprue plate washer broke in half in the first 20 pours. My only experience with Lee or aluminum is a Lee 459-405-HB which does ok. It's not a star but it does work and my trapdoor likes it.

Brass molds work great once you learn their heat preferences. The iron molds seem to be the easiest to just grab, pour, and get good boolits.

[fatelvis]

The iron molds seem to be the easiest to just grab, pour, and get good boolits.
I agree with you there. If they didnt rust, I would prefer that material the most.

[FISH4BUGS]

No question here - Hensley & Gibbs are the best. Been collecting and using them for 30+ years.
Second, I have 2 Carpenteria CA SAECO moulds from the original SAECO Company. Bought them from Paul Fitz Jones probably 30 years ago. Still have the original red and white SAECO boxes. Great casting 4 cavity 45 acp moulds. Made with Meehanite alloy and rosewood handles. Supposedly a special SAECO run made for him exclusively.
Then RCBS. Too bad they don't make 4 cavity moulds. I started with RCBS moulds years ago. They still cast wonderfully.
Then Lyman. Maybe I started with Lyman....who knows? I have been casting for 40+ years. I bought a few over the years.
Then Lee but only after being worked over.

[FISH4BUGS]

The golden age of casting is here
I respectfully disagree.
When Hensley & Gibbs were making moulds in the 40's 50's and 60's and maybe even the 70's, THAT was the golden age. I don't think anyone has come close to the tolerances and quality of those moulds. I own a fair number of them and I have to say the quality is always top notch.
They were master machinists. They didn't have the CNC machines and did it the old fashioned way on Bridgeport lathes - by hand and micrometer.

[dragon813gt]

I respectfully disagree.
When Hensley & Gibbs were making moulds in the 40's 50's and 60's and maybe even the 70's, THAT was the golden age. I don't think anyone has come close to the tolerances and quality of those moulds. I own a fair number of them and I have to say the quality is always top notch.
They were master machinists. They didn't have the CNC machines and did it the old fashioned way on Bridgeport lathes - by hand and micrometer.

And I will have respectfully disagree w/ you. You obviously collect H&G molds and have affection for them. Nothing wrong w/ this. It doesn't matter how molds are made. The current custom makers turn out molds that are to spec in a short amount of time. Tom at Accurate is the epitome of fast turn around. This didn't exist in the past. You can have any mold made that you can think of and have it in your hands in a few weeks. That's why it's currently the best time ever to be a caster.

[jmort]

And I will have respectfully disagree w/ you. You obviously collect H&G molds and have affection for them. Nothing wrong w/ this. It doesn't matter how molds are made. The current custom makers turn out molds that are to spec in a short amount of time. Tom at Accurate is the epitome of fast turn around. This didn't exist in the past. You can have any mold made that you can think of and have it in your hands in a few weeks. That's why it's currently the best time ever to be a caster.

This...

[FISH4BUGS]

And I will have respectfully disagree w/ you. It doesn't matter how molds are made. You can have any mold made that you can think of and have it in your hands in a few weeks. That's why it's currently the best time ever to be a caster.
OK....granted. BUT there is more to a mould than fast turnaround. I believe it DOES matter how moulds are made. I think this is particularly true with the raw materials the mould makers start with. Most of the earlier (up to the 70's and maybe even 80's) H&G moulds were made with Meehanite, which is not common today. I think the steel used today (for the iron moulds of course) is not the same quality steel as 40+ years ago.
I don't use brass moulds so I can't comment on those.
But to each their own.

[kmrra]

I have used several different brands of molds and have great success with Lee molds, they throw good bullets .

[dragon813gt]

OK....granted. BUT there is more to a mould than fast turnaround. I believe it DOES matter how moulds are made. I think this is particularly true with the raw materials the mould makers start with. Most of the earlier (up to the 70's and maybe even 80's) H&G moulds were made with Meehanite, which is not common today. I think the steel used today (for the iron moulds of course) is not the same quality steel as 40+ years ago.
I don't use brass moulds so I can't comment on those.
But to each their own.

Fair enough. It's really personal preference. I live in the rust belt so I will never own an iron mold. I have enough trouble keeping all my tools from rusting. I don't want to add casting molds to the list.

Materials have changed over the years and there is nothing that can be done about it. Buy whatever material you want and make it work for you. That's all you can really do.

[trixter]

I started with Lee and still have some and use them. I purchased 2 molds from MP (mihec) and love them too ( a little heavy, but you get used to it). I am still making boolits and am planning on adding a Lee 9mm next, a friend made me 20lbs and I will get a mold like his.

[SwedeNelson]

Mart

More than just a little offended that you think I would send you back a bad mould.

You sent a mould back that was in need of a little TLC and the RG pins need to be adjusted. Fixed it, cast with it, measured the out come and every thing is in spec.
No charge for the service or the shipping.

If you don't like the mould- just say "I don't like the mould!"

Will get you a refund in the works!

Bullet maker, maker
Swede Nelson

[mart]

Al,

My apologies. I didn't intend to imply you would send a bad mold back. I'm just stumped as to why I couldn't get it to cast for me. I'm no novice to casting and will certainly cast with it again. Probably next week while my wife is recovering from surgery. I'll need to stay close to home for that and casting will be a good project while she's resting. It was uncalled for of me to make that post and I'm sorry. I deleted the offending post and returned the refund.

Mart

[Harter66]

OK....granted. BUT there is more to a mould than fast turnaround. I believe it DOES matter how moulds are made. I think this is particularly true with the raw materials the mould makers start with. Most of the earlier (up to the 70's and maybe even 80's) H&G moulds were made with Meehanite, which is not common today. I think the steel used today (for the iron moulds of course) is not the same quality steel as 40+ years ago.
I don't use brass moulds so I can't comment on those.
But to each their own.

There isn't any radiation free metal made any more that is for certain .
There is a level of craftsmanship that is imparted to things made in the old ways . I will almost bet real money that a GI 1911 knocked out by Colt in 1925 and slapped in a box for to be shelved for 80 yr would feel nothing like the same GI gun made for commercial production in 2005 .

Sure the Cramer #45 mould I have just oozes feel and to cast it is near boredom . Pour , whack ,open , close , flip ,pour repeat make 100 pours this morning size and check 180 perfect bullets this afternoon .

I finally got the MiHec to run , it took 14 heat cycles and probably 200 pours .
1 of a dozen or so NOEs has given me trouble , men don't need no stinking instructions ........ Yeah about that , use them .
I needed a special bullet for a particular cartridge in a particular rifle so I went to Mountain Moulds and fussed with the bullet maker program for an hour or so ,lots of previous false starts , poked the order and recieved an email that said thanks for the order expect 6-8 weeks . 9 days later I cast the mould and it dropped exactly what I asked for , exactly on spec .

Now I have no idea what an original Cramer or a 40-60s H&G was like right out of the mailbox but I will guarantee that if you called them on the first or mailed a letter with payment on the 24th you wouldn't have been pouring a dead nuts perfect spec mould on the 10th of the same month .

That is what makes this such an amazing time to be a caster I have moulds from 10 makers 3 of them make responses Sunday through Saturday 6 of them answer the phone every time or call back within 90 min Monday through Saturday . Obviously Cramer isn't going to answer and Lee only shows up Monday thru Friday . TC will answer but may as well be Cramer .

[Harter66]

Mart

More than just a little offended that you think I would send you back a bad mould.

You sent a mould back that was in need of a little TLC and the RG pins need to be adjusted. Fixed it, cast with it, measured the out come and every thing is in spec.
No charge for the service or the shipping.

If you don't like the mould- just say "I don't like the mould!"

Will get you a refund in the works!

Bullet maker, maker
Swede Nelson

Here's a little something I don't think is found anywhere else in the industry !
This is what sets a standard .
This is ........a gold standard .

[10sandxs]

I sold two h&g 68 molds that both cast excellent bullets, but the weight between the bullets cast from the molds were slightly different. I used the proceeds to buy three NOE 68 replicas. Bullets fall 215 grains instead of 200. I cant add enought tin to get them back even close to 200 gr.

I have contemplated putting them on the bridgeport and shaving the tops, but its a significant amount to remove.

They cast ok, but not as good as the H&Gs they replaced. Aluminum is different than cast iron, and it took me about 2500 bullets to get it sorted out. I have proven they cast the same weight bullets once you learn how to cast them.

Biggest dissapointment... A week after I recieved the molds I get an email saying 10 or 15% off any molds from NOE. emailed them asking about a small refund... never got a response... a "no" would have been better than being ignored.

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[Leadmelter]

Best=Mihec, NOE, Accurate
Very Good when you find them: Vintage Lyman and RCBS molds
I never understood why RCBS never made four cavity molds.
Spin of the wheel: Lee I have several and I follow the instructions to the letter and get nice boolits.
Leadmelter
MI