Lee 452-200-RF Problems

[fish0123]

I just got a six cavity Lee 452-200-RF with the intention of using it for 45 acp and the thing casts boolits way to fat. They drop at .457! Running them through a .452 sizer and there is almost no radius left and no lube grooves once sized. Has anyone else ran into this issue? I have never had a problem with any of my Lee molds. I'm hoping they will replace it with one that is in spec. The other option is it would probably work pretty good in the 45-70!

[462]

Yep, Lee's shallow lube grooves are a problem.

List it in the Swappin' and Sellin' sub-forum.

[ShooterAZ]

Have you used other Lee 6 cavity molds? If not, be sure to keep your hands off the sprue handle. Squeezing on it will surely cause it to cast large.

[500MAG]

Send it back. They are pretty good about replacing it if there is a problem. Put in a ticket on their website then throw a couple casts in with it when you send it back.

[fish0123]

Ok thanks guys. I called them and they told me to send it back and they would replace it. The guy thought I was crazy when I told them they should pay to have it shipped. Oh well.

This is my first 6 cavity mold but the mold halves are aligned properly and my hands aren't on the sprue at all. Usually when the mold isn't closed the boolits will have fins. These look perfectly normal, except they are way too big.

[462]

"The guy thought I was crazy when I told them they should pay to have it shipped. Oh well."
Fish0123,
You aren't crazy, but the guy you talked to is.

I don't understand why the customer should be expected to pay return postage on a defective product. I bought two Lee moulds, from Midway, that proved to be defective. Midway reimbursed my postage cost.

[500MAG]

"The guy thought I was crazy when I told them they should pay to have it shipped. Oh well."
Fish0123,
You aren't crazy, but the guy you talked to is.

I don't understand why the customer should be expected to pay return postage on a defective product. I bought two Lee moulds, from Midway, that proved to be defective. Midway reimbursed my postage cost.
Never thought of that but that is a great point. Especially when the shipping is more than a quarter the price of the mould.

[castalott]

Hmmm... I would have kept it...It might have made great plinking boolits in the 45-70...But that's just me..

[fish0123]

Hmmm... I would have kept it...It might have made great plinking boolits in the 45-70...But that's just me..

I thought about that but I really don't need a six cavity 45-70 mold and I already have a 45-70 mold that I am happy with. This is the reason why Lee can get away with the prices they charge on some of their items like these molds. They are cheaper than everyone else for a reason, with RCBS, Dillon, etc stuff you pay for that warranty convenience.

[Fishman]

The last lee 6 cavity I bought had displaced aluminum on the leading edge of the cavities on one side of the blocks. I did a little file work and it works great now. Symptoms were similar to what you describe.

[ku4hx]

I had the exact same problem ... sizing completely removed the lube grooves on a Tumble Lube boolit. Lee refused to even consider a swap; Midway replaced it no questions asked.

[fredj338]

Usually Lee molds cast on the small size. Certainly send it back.

[TCLouis]

Check to be sure it is closing fully.
If mold is OK, then it is time to list it as a lightweight rifle mold.

I have a Lyman 358429 4 cavity mold that casts boolits 0.368' in diameter.

Not sure how they goofed that bad either

[Cmm_3940]

I have that mold, and it definitely doen't do that for me. I run them through a .452 sizer, but there is very little resistance. It mostly just cleans off the excess lube, and makes some shiny spots on the lead. I seat them to OAL of 1.10" and crimp to .470" to make them work in 45acp. I had some IMR PB sitting around, and loaded some up with 5.2 gr for a mild target load.

[HeavyMetal]

I'm another one for sending it back!

Warranties exist to take care of problems with defects in materials and workmanship: if the manufacturer doesn't know it's broken how can they fix it?

Lee makes a lot of great product but I don't think they have a QC dept, LOL!

So send it back until they get one!