lyman vs lee molds

[michiganflyer]

Ok can you guys tell me what you think of lyman molds? I have always used lee molds and been happy with them. Other than the 40 additional dollars are they really much better?
Thanks,
Ron

[versifier]

Yes.[smilie=1:

[35remington]

I like Lyman moulds and have had good luck with them. They are durable and offer good, accurate designs.

You might check when you receive a new one; oftentimes the locating pins are not driven out far enough, and may wallow the opposite locating hole. Check to see that a small amount of parallel bearing surface is present before using. If they're a little short, drive them out a bit until they're long enough.

Some of the Loverin designs in the small calibers need a little more tin in the mix, combined with higher temperatures, to fully fill out the small bands. This is due to the bullet design, not Lyman's manufacturing.

No complaints otherwise.

[crowbeaner]

I have several of both, and each mould has it's quirks. The Lee moulds cast a good bullet with little warmup, and the Lymans hold heat better when adding or changing alloys. I like both, and other than the fact that Lyman quit making some of the bullet designs I want, I'll continue to buy both. Some of the discontinued moulds are getting crazy valuable judging from the auction prices on fleabay. A 4 cavity 410459 went for $150 the week before last! Hell, I wish somebody would offer me $75 for my 2 cavity! Hope this helps. CB.

[NVcurmudgeon]

I have or have had moulds by H&G, Ideal, (really Lyman) Lee, Lyman, NEI, Ohaus, and RCBS. More than half are Lyman, including some of my favorites. Lyman moulds are, in my experience, excellent. There are two Lymans and one RCBS on my wish list, so maybe I'll get to try one with the new thicker sprue cutter soon, which has got to be a big improvement. Nothing wrong with Lee, except they sometimes need tweaking and are easy to damage. Lee has helped a lot of people on a budget get into reloading and casting.

[Buckshot]

Yes.[smilie=1:

..............Ha, ole Versifier must be running low of ink in his computer. But that was the right answer. I know many guys who have said they get excellent service and several years worth of casting from Lee moulds. I don't doubt it. However, on the face of it the Lyman mould is certainly capable of being 'Generational', in that with a bit of care your grand kids would still be able to use it.

I have about 40 Lee moulds, which includes several of the group buy moulds. I treat them kindly and don't bang them closed, and keep them well lubed (Get some Bullplate lube!!). However, due to the materials used and their construction I seriously doubt you'll be able to cast the same number of boolits over the years that you will from a Lyman.

A new Lee 2 cav sells for about $20, and used ones don't bring much. They might be in perfect condition but a guy whose been casting for awile may be afraid of the previous users lack of finesse. And for them to live they need a bit of that in operation. You can destroy a Lyman mould also, but it takes some effort to really put one out of commission. New Lymans sell for about $50 give or take, yet a old used discontinued Lyman can bring over $100 for some of'em.

..................Buckshot

[jh45gun]

I got one Ideal 311407 and the rest Lee and I like Both.

[monadnock#5]

I never owned a Lee mould until about a year ago. I've been lucky with the three that I own so far, no major issues. The aluminum moulds are easy to use in that they come up to heat quickly. The Lyman's require a hot plate to get them quickly up to speed. All in all, I'll stick with Lyman for their durability, and buy Lee for specialty moulds.

[Shiloh]

The iron molds require more careful storage, take a little longer to heat up, but deliver great cast bullets.

I have several Lee molds all but one are six bangers for pistol calibers. They throw a LOT of boolits in a hurry. The Lyman molds IMHO, are better quality and last longer. They are also more expensive. One gets what one pays for.

The advantage of Lee molds is that they are less money, and throw a good boolit. Some Lee molds seem to need more tweaking to get good boolits than others.

Shiloh :castmine:

[Leftoverdj]

The Lee six cavities are a way better deal than the Lyman two cavities at about the same price. Since the life expectancy of a Lee six cavity is greater than my own, I don't worry about Lyman's lasting longer still. I bought a Lee six cavity .358 DEWC TL the year they were introduced (c. 20 years ago?) and it's still casting fine despite very heavy use the first few years.

Were I casting commercially, I'd have a different opinion, but I ain't, and I'm past sixty. Don't have enough time left to worry about something wearing out more than 20 years in the future, and don't have enough time left to be casting two bullets at a time when I could be casting six.

I also get a higher percentage of good bullets from the Lees. They come up to temperature much faster, and I find them easier to keep at a constant temperature.

[Sundogg1911]

I difference for me is that the Lymans last me for ever, The Lee's (2 cavity) will last about 2 casting sessions before I start having problems. (Pins falling out of handles, sprue plate coming loose) Not much longer they self destruct. The 6 cavitys last me a lot longer than the 2 cavitys, but i'm prone to breaking them too, but I usually feel that i've gotten my moneys worth out of them first. I've had a stripped Sprueplate screw on a Lyman, and cracked wood on the handle, but nothing that I couldn't easily fix. But, If you get good bullets out of the Lee's and they hold up for you, I'd keep using them. They cast good bullets and they're cheap.

[PAT303]

A lee mold in oz is cheaper than a box of j boolits.I get a year or two out of them,then buy another.Lee have alot of critics,but how many people reload because of them?,how many obscure calibres do they make molds and dies for?.I will support them for that reason alone. Pat

[Ken O]

I prefer the iron molds, but I use the Lee's more. I need lots of .45acp, so the Lee 6 banger really gets the job done. As others have posted, these are usually not ready to go out of the box, they need a little "refining". There is a Lee lamenting post pinned somewhere here.

[cuzinbruce]

I haven't had real good luck with the Lee molds I have had. Smoke them like they say, and they come to temperature quickly and drop nicely filled bullets. However the sprue plates are cheap and didn't fit that well, so I got flash at the base. Also the sprue cutter wants to tear up the top of the mold real bad. I had a pistol mold with a hollow point device, clever but lousy bullets. You can tune them but it is work and probably not going to last like an iron mold.
Lyman molds are a mixed bag. Some cast great, right from the start, some take a bit of work, others never quite seem to work like they should. Doesn't matter if they are old or new, just as long as they aren't damaged. I have had old Ideals (pre-Lyman) work great, and a new Lyman that had to go back to the factory. (The two halves of the bullet were slightly offset) Looked weird and the devil to get to drop.) They replaced it. An ancient 358318 I tried out for the first time last week started casting beauties right off the bat. One thing I have noticed is that some Lyman molds look like the cutter was about worn out when they cut the mold. Others have tool marks that are hard to hide. Still, the Lymans can almost always be tuned to work good to excellent.
You didn't ask but the RCBS molds are pretty good too. Fewer tool marks in the cavities and pretty nicely finished. The only thing I have noted is that the grooving on the face of the blocks is a little deep. Tend to have whiskers until you turn the temp down a bit. Especially with a bottm pour furnace.
The best I have used were Hensley & Gibbs molds. Beautifully finished cavities, well made, heavy sprue cutters, the ones I have cast like champs. Out of business, so look for used. Most of my molds were used when I got them.