Lee 2-Cavity 452-255 RF Mold - Not Quite Sold Yet

[Recruit]

Need a little convincing one way or the other on this mold. Intended use is in a 45 Colt rifle for whitetail hunting out to 125 yards. The Lee 20lb pot will do the melting:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/775...ProductFinding

It will be my first mold and really don't want to start with a 6 cavity...perhaps later on.

However, I've read mixed reviews on Lee molds...particulary their 2 cavity molds. Apparently, they cool faster than the 6 and therefore make it more important to maintain a set pace?

Are all Lee molds now the "new" design (pin alignment, less aluminum, etc)? The pic in the link above appears to be the old style.

The price is certainly right on a new Lee 2-cavity but would I be better off picking up a used Lyman/RCBS/SAECO?

On a semi-related note, my bore slugs at 0.452". Wouldn't I want a mold that drops at 0.453? If not, how do I attain AND maintain the larger diameter? Even if they drop at 0.453, doesn't a standard lube/sizing die crunch them back to 0.452?

[Tar Heel]

I have a few Lee molds and IF you lubricate the molds as per the instructions, you too can get 30 years of use out of them. Look...they cost 20 bucks. Even if you change your mind, you are only out 20 bucks. Give it a shot and don't place a lot of stock in the nay-sayers. I own expensive molds, aluminum molds, steel molds, inexpensive molds, brass molds. That all have personality. I am satisfied with my Lee molds and they have been very useful and productive for me.

Odds are the mold will cast a little larger than .452 anyway. I have NEVER had a commercial mold that cast at or smaller than the advertised size. I HAVE ordered custom molds that cast precisely at a predefined size with a predefined alloy. That probably will not happen with your Lee mold. While you are ordering from MW...order a .453 size die for your lubrisizer. That way you can simply lube the bullets and not size to .452. They are going to shoot just fine.

Go ahead and get yourself one. See what happens. You can always sell the rascal for 10 or 15 bucks if you don't like it.

[Mk42gunner]

Recruit,

That looks like a good mold for a .45 Colt rifle; if I hadn't already had a Lyman 452424, I probably would have gone with that one.

A two cavity is fine to start and learn with; there are many casters that do not need the production of a 6 cavity.

You can read dissenting opinions on just about any mold maker that has ever made a mold. Of course the two cavity will cool quicker than the six-- less mass will do that. Once you get in a good rhythm with a Lee two cavity mold, you will be making somewhere between three and five fills per minute. Kind of like a HP mold, don't stop to admire the shiny new boolits, just keep piling them up.

The new production is probably all new style; but there have to be a lot of old style molds in the pipeline. I wouldn't worry about which I was getting, just be gentle with it and it will last a long time.

$20.00 now is about like $6 or $7 thirty years ago.

As to size, see what it drops at with your alloy before you start worrying. Then read all the Lee-menting, Beagleing, and mold lapping threads.

Good luck,

Robert

[Recruit]

I have a few Lee molds and IF you lubricate the molds as per the instructions, you too can get 30 years of use out of them. Look...they cost 20 bucks. Even if you change your mind, you are only out 20 bucks. Give it a shot and don't place a lot of stock in the nay-sayers. I own expensive molds, aluminum molds, steel molds, inexpensive molds, brass molds. That all have personality. I am satisfied with my Lee molds and they have been very useful and productive for me.

Odds are the mold will cast a little larger than .452 anyway. I have NEVER had a commercial mold that cast at or smaller than the advertised size. I HAVE ordered custom molds that cast precisely at a predefined size with a predefined alloy. That probably will not happen with your Lee mold. While you are ordering from MW...order a .453 size die for your lubrisizer. That way you can simply lube the bullets and not size to .452. They are going to shoot just fine.

Go ahead and get yourself one. See what happens. You can always sell the rascal for 10 or 15 bucks if you don't like it.

Thanks Tar Heel. My wife says I overthink most things. Guess, that's true here too. You had me at "Look...they cost $20"

I don't have a lubrisizer. Was going to pick up a Lee Lube & Size kit. Seems easy enough...and cheap too!

Thanks again,

Recruit

[Recruit]

Recruit,

That looks like a good mold for a .45 Colt rifle; if I hadn't already had a Lyman 452424, I probably would have gone with that one.

A two cavity is fine to start and learn with; there are many casters that do not need the production of a 6 cavity.

You can read dissenting opinions on just about any mold maker that has ever made a mold. Of course the two cavity will cool quicker than the six-- less mass will do that. Once you get in a good rhythm with a Lee two cavity mold, you will be making somewhere between three and five fills per minute. Kind of like a HP mold, don't stop to admire the shiny new boolits, just keep piling them up.

The new production is probably all new style; but there have to be a lot of old style molds in the pipeline. I wouldn't worry about which I was getting, just be gentle with it and it will last a long time.

$20.00 now is about like $6 or $7 thirty years ago.

As to size, see what it drops at with your alloy before you start worrying. Then read all the Lee-menting, Beagleing, and mold lapping threads.

Good luck,

Robert

Thanks Robert. A Lee it is then. One concern...I will have a very difficult time not stopping to admire the shiny new boolits. I'll probably be in awe for the first few before piling them up.

[Jupiter7]

The mold is a fine boolit for the colt from mild to wild. That's assuming it drops large enough. I had one and it worked great in my Blackhawk as it dropped .453-453.5. But my Rossi lever gun wanted 454.

[CastingFool]

As far as getting the Lee Lube & size kit, I would wait and see how the boolits drop out of your new Lee mold. They may drop at the right size.

[Tar Heel]

I am a fan of the regular lube, not the tumble lube set ups. I am sure the TL fans can bespeak its benefits but the standard lube method works best for me. Just don't order a TL lubing kit for a "Standard" bullet. The cast bullets needing the TL method have the "TL" in the bullet descriptions. You can use a TL bullet in a standard lubrisizer but a standard bullet won't lube in a TL system. You will need a lube/size kit to lube the bullets unless you plan on pan lubing them.

[TXGunNut]

I like this boolit for my BP 45 Colt loads. I bought the 6-cav version because my SAA's are a hungry bunch. Mine drop @ .454 using ACWW and the generous lube groove carries plenty of SPG to do the job. I use a RD 454-290 for hunting but the Lee 452-255 has a nice big meplat so it should be a good choice.

[StrawHat]

If you want good bullets fairly inexpensive, Lee is a great start. I have 20+ of the Lee one and two cavity molds. Treat them with the respect they deserve and they will treat you right. I have not bought a new one in years but throw away the instructions that come in the box. Read about Lee-Menting and use a good lube on the pins and under the sprue plate. If you have questions, here is the place to ask them. The six cavity molds are more of a good thing but the one and two cavity molds will do the job.

[C. Latch]

That mold was one of the first ones I bought, and I only bought it because I couldn't find the one I really wanted in stock at the time.

I have shot that bullet at everything from 700' to 1450' MV from my 5.5" Bisley Blackhawk .45. It shoots great, and loaded over a maximum charge of VV Tin Star has produced on multiple occasions groups that I have not matched with any other load with any other bullet.

Buy with confidence. It's only $20.

[tazman]

I bought that mold for my next door neighbor to shoot in his Henry Big Boy 45colt rifle. He also uses it in his Ruger Blackhawk. The rifle produces1.5 inch groups at 50 yards. He hasn't tested it at distance yet.
The boolits drop at .453-.454 with range scrap. He usually shoots them unsized and tumble lubed.

[NVScouter]

I shot it from an 18" carbine over H4227 and R7 to 200y pretty well. I also just used the boolit to take a decent mule deer doe at 40y a couple weeks ago. The load was only 1100fps from my 4" barrel of WW air cooled. Both shoulders lungs and heart. Boolit kept on going. What more can you ask? Buy the 6 cavity though.

[RayinNH]

Everything said so far echoes my findings with this boolit. It also has a huge meplat for punching holes through critters.

[dubber123]

Also be aware that while it isn't conducive to a high production rate, you can pretty easily smear most semi soft stick type lubes in the grooves of a boolit by hand, no equipment required.. I have done this many times when I wanted to test a new lube without cleaning out one of my sizers.

[tward]

I bought the same mold a month ago and, following directions, cast great Boolits after 3 or 4 pours. Nice Boolit! Tim

[Frank V]

Recruit
Welcome to the forum.
I'd get that mould. I use it in a handgun & really like it really slaps stuff & shoots accuratly.
I think you'll like it & the Lee moulds don't break the bank either.

[salvadore]

I have shot this bullet out of an Uberti 73 Win copy. 6"+ groups @ 50YDS from a Chiappa 92 copy 2" @50. The Uberti didn't shoot anything accurately.

[Airman Basic]

I am a fan of the regular lube, not the tumble lube set ups. I am sure the TL fans can bespeak its benefits but the standard lube method works best for me. Just don't order a TL lubing kit for a "Standard" bullet. The cast bullets needing the TL method have the "TL" in the bullet descriptions. You can use a TL bullet in a standard lubrisizer but a standard bullet won't lube in a TL system. You will need a lube/size kit to lube the bullets unless you plan on pan lubing them.

Actually, I've had the reverse experience. The tumble lube bullets don't work in a lube sizer. The narrow grooves disappear. But any boolit I've tried works fine with tumble lubing, including the 452 RF Lee. I also got the 6 cavity version. Good stuff.

[tazman]

I have used pan lube, lube sizer, tumble lube, and powder coating. Of the whole batch the easiest for me to get results with is tumble lube. I use standard groove boolits and tumble them just like everything else. They all work for me except for my neighbors Ruger Blackhawk 45 Colt revolver. The bore is rough enough in that one that no matter the lube, uncoated boolits lead the barrel. Pc on the 453 255 RF works fine for that one.
Tumble lube on that boolit works great in his Henry big boy though.