Lee Mold Misalignment

[Mattog22]

I have a .45 ACP 6-cavity Lee mold and was having a problem with out of round boolits with the skinniest part measuring at .4515. If I measure just off of the seam from the molds coming together that is where the small dimension is every time. I finally realized it's because my molds are misaligned! I just started casting but have been careful to keep everything lubed and not smack the blocks together. Boolits have not been sticking so there hasn't been any beating on anything to release boolits. I have noticed that the cutout on the sprue plate that fits around the bolt to hold the mold together when closed is getting shaved by the bolt. Once again, I am constantly lubing it but it still happens. I think this misalignment has been the case ever since I got the molds. Could I have done something wrong for this misalignment or is it just a defect? I called Lee and they said to send it back but I just want to make sure I'm not causing this.

Thanks,

Matt

[Mattog22]

Someone told me that I may have something not allowing the blocks to close together correctly so I will give it a thorough cleaning tonight and try again

[Mk42gunner]

Matt,

If I read your first post correctly, your boolits are measuring .4515" along the parting line and somewhat more in the opposite direction. If this is so, itsounds like the mold isn't properly closing. Take the mold off the handles and check that it mates together properly, with no rocking.

On one of my six cavity Lee's, when the alignment pins were pressed in on of thenm swaged the aluminum out enough to keep the mold from closing all the time. The wierd part was that it would close properly just enough that I thought I was doing something wrong.

I finally found the problem by smoking both mold faces, then opening and closing the mold several times to check for contact. the mold blocks where making contact about halfway around the pin closest to the handle. Once I trimmed the aluminum with my pocket knife, it started raining round boolits.

The only reson I didn't send it back to Lee was that it was a group buy maold that Ihad had for about a year before I got handles to fit it, then I played around for a year before I fixed it.

Good Luck,

Robert

[excess650]

I bought one a few months back, and it sounds like it was acting like yours. It cast .451" perpendicular to the parting line and as much as .458" across. I found that the alignment pins were too small for their sockets and allowed the blocks to move. With the blocks free from the handles, I could see the play. Like yours, mine dropped the bullets freely. I sent the mold back to Lee and they replaced it.

[Fly-guy]

Matt,



The only reson I didn't send it back to Lee was that it was a group buy maold that Ihad had for about a year before I got handles to fit it, then I played around for a year before I fixed it.

Good Luck,

Robert


I bought a 6 banger .356 TL mold last fall and discovered that it was dropping
.365 boolits. I called Lee several weeks ago and told them what it was doing. They asked me to ship it back to them and they would fix it. About a week later, I received a new mold and all it cost me was the shipping. It was nice not having to produce a receipt or any thing to prove that I bought it - hassle free service. It would have been even better if they had paid the shipping both ways.