I am giving up on Lee moulds.....

[Harry O]

I have 10 or 12 of them. I usually buy them because they are always available (even now). They are inexpensive and I have been able to get them to cast decently. They are more "delicate" than other moulds, but that is not the reason.

The problem is that they are not as accurate as other bullets I cast. None of them that I own are the most accurate bullet with any gun or caliber that I own. I usually (eventually) end up with one of the Lyman or RCBS classics as the most accurate bullet. However, those moulds are not always easy to get ahold of.

I got back into the .45 (Long) Colt in January, after a lapse of about 40 years. I put a Lyman 452424 on back order since it was not available anywhere. It took 4 or 5 months before it finally got here. In the meantime, I got a Lee 452 255-RNF and a Lee 452 252-SWC to try. The RNF was not very accurate at all. I tried two different powders and several quantities of powder. The SWC was better, but not as good as I expect.

The Lyman452424, when I finally got it, was accurate from the start. I don't know why it is so different, but it is. Maybe the generous lube groove made a difference. The lube grooves in all the Lee moulds are small or non-existent. Other than that, the Lee SWC and the Keith SWC don't look a lot different. I use the 357429 as my standard .38 Special bullet now and it is as accurate as can be. That has a large lube groove, too.

[PS Paul]

The most accurate .45 Colt boolit I have EVER shot in any revolver was a Ranch Dog-designed 290 gr. Lee boolit from a six cavity mold. and I've shot a LOT of varieties in the caliber. I have found Lee's traditional-lubed 250 gr. RNFP to be exceptionally accurate. More accurate than my RCBS 255 KT by a very slight margin. I have many Lyman molds and an Accurate mold too.

I suppose molds, just like guns and people, are all different. Just my own personal experience, that's all.....

[RobS]

Lee molds will often drop at or just a bit over the .452 diameter. What diameter did your Lee molds drop and how about the Lyman 452454? What alloy, air cooled, water quenched etc. I ask these questions for a reason as a larger softer boolit (lets say .454") such as a wheel weight alloyed one of 11-12 BHN that is sized down in a die to .452 tends to withstand case swage better than a boolit as cast being at .452 and having the same diameter that doesn't size down when run through a .452 sizer die.

Long story short did you ever pull a Lee boolit to ensure the very edge of the base of the boolit was at your intended diameter and that case swage didn't occur and like wise with the Lyman 452454. By the way you may have it on the 452454's lube groove being more generous as the lube can mask a slightly undersized boolit and aid in keeping the base and boolit from gas cutting.

[jmort]

A lot of happy .358-125 and .358-158 RF users.

[big dale]

I have had lots of Lee molds since the 70,s. Some I liked some I did not. Since I discovered this site I have bought few molds that were not group buy molds and have been spoiled by the quality of Mihec and Noe. If I were getting back into the 45 Colt again I think I would get one of those RCBS 270 grain mold for the 45 Colt Or even better one of those of that design made by Mihec or Noe. I enjoy shooting the SuperBlackhawks so much I will Probably just stick with the 44's.

Have fun with this stuff.

Big Dale

[slim1836]

Just send them my way, I'll pay the shipping and dispose of them in a dignified manner.

Slim

[Harry O]

To reply to some of the questions. The Lee moulds were very little over 0.452". I used a .452" lubrisizer on them. The Lyman drops a little bit bigger, but is also sized to 0.452". That is the size of the throats in the cylinder. The barrel is between .451" and .452". All orifices were slugged. The mix was the same for all, about Bhn 10. The lube was the same for all, the NRA 50/50 mix. The bullets were air dropped onto a towel.

I did not pull a bullet to check the base. However, the cases are being sized the same for all, it does not cause any problems with the Lyman-Keith mould.

After this last go around, I am thinking of dumping the Lee moulds on the Swapping and Selling page. I just checked and found that I have 13 of them, but I will keep three of them. One I will keep is a custom 41 Long Colt mould (not the most accurate, but how many of them have you ever seen), a 358148WC that has been pretty accurate in dead soft lead (but the factory HB are better -- when you can get them), and a 309120R-GC for my M1 Carbine (so-so accuracy, but I was not able to get jacketed bullets for it for nearly a year). The others go.

[freebullet]

I'm happy with all mine they work great & surprise me with how accurate they are. For their price they can not be beat. After you add set screws I don't see anything for anywhere near the money that will cast as many as a lee 6 banger. To each his own.

[Shiloh]

Some mold don't work well. The .358 158 gr TLSWC doesn't work well. It is undersized. My modified LEE 200 ge .452 SWC will shoot the center out of 50' NRA bullseye targets. .356 TLTC is too small. Poor accuracy. The .356 125 gr RN drops large enough to be sized in a .358 sizer. Accurate boolit. My Lyman 311299 dropped less than .310. didn't shoot well. I sold it.

Shiloh

[JWFilips]

Some mold don't work well. The .358 158 gr TLSWC doesn't work well. It is undersized.
Shiloh

I guess many runs of the molds are different I have a Lee .358 158 grain TL SWC that I purchased in January of this year (6 hole) mine cast a .360 " boolit with 50 %COWW 50% Pure Lead (w/ add'l 2% tin) & they shoot very well in my .357 mag S&W's and my Model 15 S&W (.38 spec) I do not size them for one on my .357 Mags ...a Pre-27 N-frame which has .359" cylinder throats but I do size for my Model 19 and Model 15 S&W thru a "modified" Lee sizer @ .359" ( They like them a a bit large also)
All are tumbled lubed with Recluse's formula. No leading up to 1200 fps with the .357 Mags

[RobS]

Some mold don't work well. The .358 158 gr TLSWC doesn't work well. It is undersized. My modified LEE 200 ge .452 SWC will shoot the center out of 50' NRA bullseye targets. .356 TLTC is too small. Poor accuracy. The .356 125 gr RN drops large enough to be sized in a .358 sizer. Accurate boolit. My Lyman 311299 dropped less than .310. didn't shoot well. I sold it.

Shiloh


Yep there is a pattern here.........undersized. Lee molds worked well for me when I used an expander plug that was long enough to reach down far enough in the brass so there was no case swage on the seated boolit base or............ I water quenched my boolits so the cases wouldn't swage down the boolits. Boolits will size down and..............then they will size down. I've found that not all sized .452 or .377 or .401, whatever have you boolits are the same even when they are cast from the same alloy. In my experiences as cast diameter does have a difference in the who equation.

[finishman2000]

I always hear "for the money" from lee owners. I have tried them and hated every one of them. I worked harder and got less quality heads for the effort. I now buy used H&G's, sure they are more money BUT I will get every cent I spend on them back and then some. That's after using them for years and years. It's like getting free use of a mold for a lifetime and every boolit it drops a bonus. For smaller runs on odd boolits I use my master caster with iron molds. After a few throws, every boolit is perfect.

[Matt85]

I just picked up a used Lee 459-405-hb mold. its worn, discolored, and looks like its had a rough life. but the bugger casts a fine looking bullet that shoots some outstanding groups at 100 yards. this bullet shoots every bit as good as my other 45-70 mold which cost me 10 times more.

-matt

[gmsharps]

I'm not judgemental and if someone likes the Lee Molds and have had good luck with them so be it. Myself I'll take a brass or iron mold. I do own a few NOE molds but have not used them yet, just never say never to Aluminum, some may just work.

gmsharps

[44man]

While it is a joy to use a good mold, I have no problems with Lee molds. The big thing is choice of boolits, I don't like the looks of some so it narrows to one or two from a whole line up per caliber. Just too many funny designs. I have Lee molds for every caliber and have great accuracy. There are many designs I will not buy.
Of course, many other mold makers have a lot designs I don't like either. Even some custom makers show a range that I would never buy.
Am I strange to look at a page of boolits and say "no, no, no, then yes?"

[Ramjet-SS]

I havev6 cavity 310 gr RF drops them at .452 tuble lube with Alox seat the GC with Lee push thru sizer die. Shooting them 1600 FPS from Henry rifle skinner peep I have shot 2" groups from the bench at 75 yards no leading.

[jmort]

Some may give up, but many more will not. Hard to beat a $20.00 mold. Tune it up and go. I do like ordering Accurate molds and intend to do so as often as I can afford. I am waiting for the "custom" Ranch Dog TLC311-165-RF six cavity. That will be sweet and a smoking deal. I think it certain that Lee Precision will continue to sell more molds than any other company even with the compromises.

[mdi]

There's a lot more than mold design/manufacture for making accurate bullets. Aluminum molds require different temps to drop good bullets and some are much more temperamental about temperatures. I've had some molds that would only drop good bullets with a certain alloy. I have 12 molds and 9 of them are Lee. The only problems I have (real problems, not quirks) are with 2 molds, one a Lee and one an Ideal. I've cleaned, lapped, brushed, filed, heated, cooled and laid hands on, and still can only get 75% keepers. I have notes on most of the others as some seem to have their own personality.

I'm +1 on Ranch Dog molds (Lee). I have a 265 gr .44 mold that makes reallllly good bullets for my magnums...

[kd7kmp]

I'm sorry to hear that you are potentially giving up on Lee moulds. I've had excellent results with several of them.

Kevin

[dilly]

I more or less avoid Lee molds myself. They aren't the worst thing in the world, but they require just a bit too much fuss for my taste.

[snuffy]

I always hear "for the money" from lee owners. I have tried them and hated every one of them. I worked harder and got less quality heads for the effort. I now buy used H&G's, sure they are more money BUT I will get every cent I spend on them back and then some. That's after using them for years and years. It's like getting free use of a mold for a lifetime and every boolit it drops a bonus. For smaller runs on odd boolits I use my master caster with iron molds. After a few throws, every boolit is perfect.

What in tarnation is a "head".

You were doing something very basic wrong. Every lee mold I own has produced BOOLITS that are just what they were supposed to be. If they were a bit small, I lee-mented them. Made them drop better and made them larger.

The six cavity design is better than the older 2 CAV. guide rod design. Now, the single and double cavity lee molds are made like the 6 cavs.

http://photos.imageevent.com/jptowns/general/websize/lee%20new%20mold%20003.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/jptowns/general/websize/lee%20new%20mold%20004.jpg

Are the lee alum. molds different? They sure are, they take a different technique than iron molds. So do the Mihec brass molds, different temps and pour techniques.

[finishman2000]

casting for 35 years and have tried many lee molds and always left disappointed. I have come in and out of shooting many times over the years and for ME Lee just isn't work the time. The 6 cavities would not give me 6 good boolits (heads), I would have to go over each one and throw back the rejects. with my large iron molds 8 and 10 cav h@g and my 8 cav seaco's, once up to temp (very quickly I may add) every one is good and I'll cast till I can't pick up the mold anymore. But to each his own, I'll invest in quality molds that will go up in value, giving me a lifetime of use for free.

[Ramjet-SS]

I think we all have our favorite molds and bet most have molds from several mfg. I know I do. Cary's thing is now brass aluminum, steel from Accurate, Mihec, Lee, LBT, RCBS, Lyman and few I forget. Among those we all run across that mold that just does not drop a good bullet. Better that mold be low cost Lee ....... Right? ok just kidding few tricks with Lee they do have high temp threshold especially the 6 cavity. I try and run two molds when using my 310 RF .452 and am getting some dwell time or cooling time between pours. You might try that or just lower the temp. Make sure the handle pin is tight so the mold halves cannot walk.

[snuffy]

So RCBS steel molds are much better than lee-----,,right? At the price they want, they should be! 70+ bucks for a single cavity mold!

I wanted a lighter .501 mold for my 500 S&W. The Lee 440 is an excellent boolit,, BUT it's gas checked, and they're 4.7 cents each.

So I got the RCBS 375 SWC. First casting session was a nightmare. The lefthand side of the mold had some sort of burr on it, the boolits just would NOT let go, It took 3 times as long to cast about 50 good boolits. Reject rate was 50%. Upon examination I discovered the boolits were casting right at .500! Not good, my big smith needs at least .501. So I lee-mented it. Spun a boolit with a drill coated with fire lapping compound 320 grit.

Next casting session was better, but the boolits were still hanging up on the left block. They grew a bit, barely .501, most were .5005. So I did the lee -ment again, this time 3 boolits with 320, followed by 1 with 600 grit. Finally an end to the hang ups with the left cavity. AND they miced out at .5015.

Alloy is 17# linotype, 3# pure. Very hard, I would guess 18 BHN.

I shot some of the smaller ones from the first cast, they leaded the bore lightly, but were plenty accurate. The second session leaded less, I haven't shot the last session yet.

A lot of work for what is supposed to be ready to cast right out of the box. I don't mind tinkering, just expected better results.

I too have a mixture of mold brands. Most are lee,(30 plus molds), because of cost, and they just plain work. 3 Mihec brass, about a dozen Lymans,(all pre 1990), and now a RCBS.

[Char-Gar]

Lee bullet molds have both fans and detractors. I belong to the latter group. To each their own.

[TheGrimReaper]

Yea, Lee molds have worked great for me so far.

[Shiloh]

Yea, Lee molds have worked great for me so far.

Me too. Only a few problems. Yes, LEE molds need to be fussed with. But only when new. Then they drop good boolits.
One trick I learned here was boiling new LEE molds. Then I scrub the heck out of them with Comet cleanser.
My molds drop boo;its easily with a tap of the mallet and no smoking of the cavities.

Shiloh

[prs]

Lyman molds give me some guff such as some of them casting smaller than nominal or the spru cutter plate screw moving. Lee 6 cavity molds have rarely let me down, but I hated the old 2 or single cavity ones. My few RCBS molds have had no problems at all.

prs

[dougster]

Do you have any 22, 9, 40, 45, 30cal molds? I'll take them off your hands and pay shipping and a fair price($10 for 2s and $20 for 6s).(:-)

[beefie]

Lee 6 cavity molds are well made. The single and double cavity molds' "alignment pins' are a bad joke.

[390ish]

With the exception of the TL 9mm moulds, I have not had any problems with Lee moulds. I really like the six banger 158gc.

[DxieLandMan]

I have not had any problems with my Lee molds. Only good things to say.

[freebullet]

What's funny about this is so many expect a 33$ lee to do what a 150$ mihec does with no tinkering. It makes me wonder. I would bet nearly half the casters wouldn't have gotten into it without lee. Lee offers a real decent selection of off the shelf molds. It takes less than 30min to add a set screw to a lee mold. That nets a significant savings over ANY other brand of mold.

[beefie]

No, I got into it with lyman, but it wasn't until I got a pair of H&G's, a Star Progessive sizer and a 100 lb pot on a propane fired plumber's furnace that it started being worth my time. Given a pair of 6 cavity molds, I can have 5000+ finished bullets in an 8 hour day. However, that time is from good clean, properly alloyed and tested ingots, a full tank of propane, with everything ready to go and doesn't count cleanup time. I do eat, drink etc, in the few minutes it takes to melt another potful of lead (if I leave 1/2" or so of the alloy molten in the bottom of the big cast iron pot). I also get a fair amount of sizing/lubing done while the lead is melting. I keep the molds warm on an electric hotplate while the lead is melting. I spend a few weekends in the winter doing nothing but casting/sizing, then I put away the casting gear for the year.

[mold maker]

Remington-Federal-Winchester-CCI blah blah blah
LEE-RCBS-Lyman-NOE-Myhec-Accurate-ect-ect-ect
Ford-Dodge-Chevy-Honda-Toyota-Fiat-KIA -on, and on, and on. and on.
Different strokes for different folks. That's what keeps the world turning.
No point in dissing any brand. You've already made up your mind about what you do/don't like. Only the new folks are looking for advice, and price will likely play a big part in their decision.
Not all the moulds from any mfg will be the best or the worst. I can say that money wise I can get a big bunch of LEE moulds for the price of a few of the rest. What I kill is just as dead, and none of them, so far, have complained about, being shot by a boolit, made in a cheap mould.
I think lots of us have made up our mind not to like a product, but bought it because of price. Thats a hard prejudice to over come.

[quilbilly]

My Lee 130 gr 7mm RNGC is far and away my most accurate boolit maker. On the other hand the Lee 140 gr 7mm soup can not so much but ok.

[mpmarty]

I have LEE, RCBS, Lyman and NOE molds. They all make good boolits if I do my part. Guess I'm not a LEE snob.

[Harry O]

I think a whole lot of people here totally missed what I said. I have no dispute with Lee over their mould. Not the cost nor the quality. What I said was that my dispute with Lee is over their bullet designs. For whatever reason, NONE of the Lee bullets I have are as accurate as classic bullet designs in other mould blocks.

I ventured the opinion that the .45 Lee SWC has less lube groove area than a very similar 452424 and guessed that might be the reason it is less accurate. The cause of Lee's inaccuracy may be due something entirely different. I don't know.

However, there is no question from my tests that bullets cast from Lee moulds are less accurate than similar bullets cast from other moulds. Granted, I am testing the Lee against the best designs out there (357156, 358429, 452424, etc), but I think Lee would do themselves a favor if they just copied the best instead of what they offer now. For whatever reason, when they changed their designs instead of just copying the best, they lost accuracy. That is my problem with them.

[enfieldphile]

I have LEE, RCBS, Lyman and NOE molds. They all make good boolits if I do my part. Guess I'm not a LEE snob.

I have LEE, RCBS, Lyman, Saeco and NEI molds. They all make good boolits. Like any other tool, learn how to use it properly, and it will perform.

A couple of tricks I use to smoke & prep a LEE mold: I use disk brake spray cleaner (the cheap Wal-Mart brand) to wash the mold after it comes out of the box. I take a 3' long 3/16 steel rod and suspend it horizontally. I wrap a piece of old sock or old T shirt around the end. The sock is soaked in gasoline. Toss a match @ the sock and hold the mold in the sooty smoke. It T-Totally blackens the inside of the mold w/ a good, thick coating of soot. Also coat BOTH sides of the sprue plate. Have a bit of beeswax handy. Use a sliver of wood or one of those wooden shis-ka-bob skewers to rub a bit of beeswax onto the pins, joints, plate retaining screw etc, while you hold the corner of the mold in the hot alloy. I have some old LEE molds and they (especially the 6-cavity) are a joy to use!

[mroliver77]

Some of my best cast accuracy is with Lee designs. Their .30 cal rifle boolits are all winners for me!. The .45 255rf is awesome in a few different .45. I had a single cavity .358 swc that weighed like 165 gr.Weird looking boolit but it shot long range very well.

I think some of it is Karma. The cast Gods sense negative vibes and your molds/boolits will not perform well.

I have a couple LBT molds. One is a jewel while the other is a pain!

[dverna]

I hope I did not screw up. I went and bought a Lee mold for my .40 based on input from guy on this site I respect. I have only cast with H&G and Lyman molds. Is this dog too old to learn to use a Lee mold???? Oh well...............

[jmort]

What kind of crazy $$$ will you waste if you try it, don't like it, and sell it here, used? Might cost you $10.00 to $20.00 and a lesson learned. But then you might like the Lee Precision mold and then you saved yourself $50.00 to $75.00 plus. Don't see much of a downside to trying it out.

[snuffy]

I hope I did not screw up. I went and bought a Lee mold for my .40 based on input from guy on this site I respect. I have only cast with H&G and Lyman molds. Is this dog too old to learn to use a Lee mold???? Oh well...............

#1. Throw the lee instructions away! Do NOT use boolit lube to lube the mold. Do NOT smoke the mold. DO get the mold clean before using it. Really clean, I boil the mold in water with a lot of a dish washing soap. Then use a solvent that has NO oil in it. Carb cleaners have a bit of oil in them.

The mold should be lubricated, if you have some bullplate, use it, if not, go to a auto parts store, buy some synthetic 2 cycle oil. Use a tiny amount under and on top of the sprue plate, the sprue plate pivot bolt, and the guide pins. Keep it out of the cavity.

[jmort]

I agree with Comet/toothbrush initial clean-up. Also, check for burrs. I use synthetic two cycle oil.

[nekshot]

yup, if you see them as junk then junk they are! Suits me because I hate these back orders and I prefer to keep a good thing to my self. I just cast with a new one this morning and didn't even do the meticulous break in procedure, just lubed and used hot lead for frosty boolits and in 4 casts it was making perfect casts.