PDA

View Full Version : Talked to a Lee tech. about the out of round



gregg
11-10-2005, 05:48 AM
lee molds . He told me there was no way they could be out of round . Unless
someone had switched mold halfs. I told him I don't think so. All i have have been in the box and taped together. Then he told me that it had to be lead
between the blocks. I told him I don't think so but would look it over. One of my own Lee mold a 6 banger 452423 the bullets are 3 to 5 thou. out of round.
Any other of you see this? Also the bullet sized to .454 one side will be sized more then the other. Lee guy told me it was my sizer?? These bullets run .453 to .458 or .459. Have to re check. Did not write it down. Just a
heads up guys.

David R
11-10-2005, 07:13 AM
Hmm, its everything but the mold. My BD45CM is outa round.

It seems to me if the lathe its turned in has any slop, it could move and becomd out of round. If the chuck was off center some how, the hole would STILL be round, just offset.

Tell the lee guy, mine are out of round BEFORE I size em.

David

Oldfeller
11-10-2005, 07:43 AM
LEE cuts the mold cavities after closing it once (the very first time). They also crush seat your mold when they chuck it up in the CNC lathe (first time the knurling gets seated together). Any chip, wire edge etc that is there when they cut the cavities helps define the bullet size and roundeness.

You get it home, open and shut it a few times, maybe even do the LEE crime of cleaning up a burr or two -- and it is suddenly out of round and off size all of a sudden. Go figure.

You done been warned not to do that to a new LEE mold.

Also, LEE Sr used to ship your mold with a rubber band holding the handles tightly shut -- this was to keep vibrational fretting in shipment from abrading up your alignment surfaces. LEE Jr cost reduced the rubber band and you now get a slightly shipping damaged mold "new from the box" now.

Oldfeller

bdoyle
11-10-2005, 11:34 AM
My bd45 and bd45cm run .452 on the width and .454-.456 on the depth. Like the mould isn't quite closing enough or properly. My 454423 is right on at .455. I have some regular 6 bangers that work just fine. The 311440 is fine also @ .314. But then I have some RCBS and Lyman moulds that aren't round either.(tool deflection? proper width - shallow depth)

Brian

13Echo
11-10-2005, 12:46 PM
My BD45CM is also badly out of round, so much so that sizing in a 454 die over sizes opposite sides of the bullet and doesn't even touch the other sides. I thought something might break when I tried the .452 die. Good looking bulet, but probably unuseable.
Jerry Liles

redneckdan
11-14-2005, 12:20 PM
I picked up a tumble lube 230 gr truncated cone mold from Midway. The rear cavity casts to .452, .455, .457.; this is all on the same bullet! The front casts to .459, .460, .465; again on the same bullet! I called lee and the guy on the phone told me to check for lead between teh blocks and lube the blocks with anti sieze lube. It made no diffrence. I ain't got time to screw around sending molds back to the company. I went to the machine shop, got a nice piece of 4130 chrome-moly, bored it to .453 and harded it to about rockwell 65. I made a punch and I now size my bullets with the 'homemade" sizer kit and a framing hammer. Then I tumble lube them. Kinda defreats the point of tumble lubing but I ain't got the ching to buy a sizer press.