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Thread: Lee Molds v Sharpshooter Buckshot molds

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy Lagamor's Avatar
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    Lee Molds v Sharpshooter Buckshot molds

    Looking for experienced opinions. I want to start loading buckshot in 12 gauge. Just ran across Sharpshooter Buckshot molds. They look kind of neat to me. I wonder how they compare to Lee molds.
    I was also wondering about other types of shot sizes for 12 guage. I know that 00 Buckshot fits the 12 guage really well, because three pellets naturally make an even row without slack or forcing them in. Are there other shot sizes that fit that well in 12 guage. #4 buckshot seems to be really popular.

    Thanks in advance.
    Last edited by Lagamor; 03-27-2017 at 12:47 AM.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    Sharpshooter are way better than the Lee. And you can get the combo molds for 2 kinds of buck. Sharpshooter is only way to load 0 buck for a 16 ga, lee you make 2 at a time.

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy Lagamor's Avatar
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    I saw Lee's 00 buck mold where you can in theory make 18 with a string of three in six holes. But a lot of people complain that they can't get the third space to properly fill out. Don't want to spend a lot of time sorting the bad ones out.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Issue I had with the Lee was getting the strings of 3 apart. I found a pair of cutters in my tool box that did the job, but it gets old sitting there snipping them apart. Yea you have to cut the sprue off the sharpshooter, but alot easier to do when they are fresh and soft. I did have alot of issues with the Lee filling out. Took it a bit to get evenly heated, then it would work, and eventually get temperamental again. I jsut like the other sizes I can get with sharpshooter.

  5. #5
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    This is the one mold to rule them all


    Lee .310" round ball mold,
    six (6) cavity mold blocks,
    with cam-action sprue plate,
    requires Lee handles
    Part Number: LEE-310-6C
    Availability:
    Price: $53.99
    Order Quantity:




    Cast six balls each time you fill this mold!

    Lee Six (6) Cavity Mold Blocks require our #LEE-HANDLE sold separately. The special alloy sprue plate can never attract solder smears, and has a cam action assist to ease cutting all six sprue.

    This round ball mold produces six (6) .310" diameter round balls with each use. You will soon cast hundreds of balls per hour.

    Before you start, scrub the new mold (cold) with liquid detergent and hot water, using a toothbrush to remove any invisible preservative oil from the mold cavities and surfaces. Heat the mold to dry it. Continue to gently heat it until any traces of preservative oil are vaporized. You can sometimes see oil vapors evaporate, when viewing the mold in strong light, or holding it in front of a window on a bright day.

    Round balls for muzzle loading rifles must be cast of soft lead, so the ball's equator and patch will be easily engraved by the rifling at the muzzle. Round balls for smooth bore muskets, or used as buckshot, need not be dead soft.

    These six cavity molds work so smoothly that you may be amazed. Perhaps you have fought with Lyman ball molds that refuse to release the balls. Lee molds allow the balls drop out easily when the mold is opened. No need to bang away on the mold to dislodge balls. One tap on the mold handle pivot bolt head will cause the balls to drop into your cloth lined pie pan.

    Tools you may need include a sturdy wooden stick to gently tap the mold open, closed, drop the sprues, and drop the balls. We use our standard hickory tomahawk handle, as-is. Order #HANDLE-STD.

    Keep a 7/16" six point box end wrench handy. Dab a tiny amount of #BC-CTL Birchwood Casey's choke-tube-lube where the sprue plate slides under the shouldered bolt head, and where the sprue pivots.

    Lee's 6 cavity ball molds are aluminum alloy. Aluminum blocks won't rust, lead won't adhere, and they heat quickly. But they are softer than blued steel and require gentle handling. If you treat these high precision molds with care and respect, they will last a lifetime. The cavity cannot rust. Six cavity molds require #LEE-HANDLE sold separately.

    Gently break in your new mold. New molds require a break in period, and are most likely to be damaged during first use. Wash the mold cavity, dry, and lubricate the cavity and the underside of the sprue plate with candle smoke. As you cast, increase your casting speed to increase temperature and bullet quality. Apply more smoke, as needed. Be gentle!

    After the wooden handles with metal ferrules are heated over time, tap them with your mold stick to keep them snug. Eventually you may wish to drill a 1/16" or appropriately sized pilot hole centered through the metal ferrule and through the steel handle extension. Insert a panel nail or appropriate finish nail to permanently lock the wooden handle in place. Yes, a mis-drilled pin hole will weaken the handles, so plan your hole carefully.

    After a few hours of use, this mold will "break in" and become even faster to use, and smoother to operate. Custom made by Lee, this six cavity mold is offered only by Track. We offer a few other ball molds in six cavity blocks.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
    Mytmousemalibu's Avatar
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    I have a Sharpshooter combo #4 & 00 mold and am quite pleased with it. It works pretty good and makes nice shot.
    ~ Chris


    Casting, reloading, shooting, collecting, restoring, smithing, etc, I love it all but most importantly, God, Family, The United States Constitution and Freedom...

    God Bless our Troops, Veterans and First Responders!

    Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas
    Accuracy, Power & Speed

  7. #7
    Boolit Buddy
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    I wouldn't say that 00 Buck 0.33" fit 12 ga shells really well. I find #1 Buck 0.30" does fit really well (but 0 Buck 0.32" will in a pinch.)
    Just because change doesn't make a difference doesn't mean that change is bad.

  8. #8
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    I have no less than 8 Sharpshooter molds
    They are good
    All the way from #1 buck to .680 ball

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    SharpShooter molds work very well for buckshot. The combination molds need to be very hot for good fill out. I heat with a bottle propane torch and use heavy duty welding gloves when handleing these molds. The wood grips are small on the mold and it is easy to get burnt without good gloves.

  10. #10
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    RogerDat's Avatar
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    I have been looking at both. More variety of sizes in the Buchshot molds, but the Lee 6 cavity round ball makes a good substitute for #1 buckshot in a good mold. Not much difference in price really. YouTube videos gave me the impression that the molds all have some failure rate. And are sort of fiddly what with cutting and everything. I'm sort of leaning toward the Lee 6 cavity .31 round ball and a buckshot in #00 and #4 don't think I'll ever do "production" casting for shotgun but in the interest of being able to make what I need to shoot from my own supplies.

    Going to follow this thread with interest.
    Scrap.... because all the really pithy and emphatic four letter words were taken and we had to describe this source of casting material somehow so we added an "S" to what non casters and wives call what we collect.

    Kind of hard to claim to love America while one is hating half the Americans that disagree with you. One nation indivisible requires work.

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  11. #11
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    ^^^^
    Members here have been very happy with the Lee Mold

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master GhostHawk's Avatar
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    A I think if you go with the 18 cav Lee mold don't take them apart. Stack them in strings. They'll separate just fine on their own. I believe Bubba Roundtree had a video about that on the youtube.

    B My #1 .30 caliber Sharpshooter mold is my favorite buckshot mold hands down.
    That girl just wants to make balls.

    C Combo mold in 00 and #4 had to be hot as a pistol, took most of my small lee dipper pot to get it hot. And by the time I had melted a new batch of lead in the pot, yeah it had cooled off. Took forever to get enough 00 to load a box. The #4's were no better.

    My .22 mold is not bad, handy sized, more pellets per load, less wasted space. Would be wicked on geese and backyard varmints both 4 and 2 legged.

    But my #1 mold is my baby, love the way she casts, love the shells it turns out. I will admit it is a little lighter load, more of a tactical load than a balls to the wall 00.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master Ole's Avatar
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    I have used the sharpshooter molds and the Lee molds. I prefer the Lee molds because you don't have to deal with crazy amounts of sprue material.

  14. #14
    Boolit Buddy Lagamor's Avatar
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    Im going to have to get one of each. I didn't even think about the six count Lee, plus my other molds operate the same way. Still wanna try a Sharpshooter, if you could only have one Sharpshooter what size would you get?

  15. #15
    Boolit Grand Master GhostHawk's Avatar
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    #1 Buckshot. Hands down.

    Big enough to have good penetration. Flexible enough to be able to use in a wide variety of wads.
    Lighter weight so less recoil in a possibly stressful situation.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master

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    I like my Lee 00 buck mold, I have found pressure casting works great for getting complete fillout when using only COWW metal.

  17. #17
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    "Still wanna try a Sharpshooter, if you could only have one Sharpshooter what size would you get?"

    #O buckshot
    .320"
    I think the perfect size is .310" which I call # .5 buckshot

  18. #18
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by jmort View Post
    "I think the perfect size is .310" which I call # .5 buckshot
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Aye, 'tis indeed a perfect size for small pellet buckshot loads in protective shotcup wads - patterning best from the choke bore in a two by two stack. And since most commercial manufacturers play fast 'n loose with pellet diameters, there is every reason to enjoy the use of a favored analog moniker for the 158 gauge pellet! Indeed, I often have a chuckle at the reaction to my chosen terms for the mighty three pellet buckshot loads! I refer, of course, to the famed 33 gauge and 22 gauge buckshot pellets in Twenty and Twelve bore cartridges respectively.

    Perhaps some here will recall the Great War protest of 1918 against American shotguns and 9 pellet #3 Western buckshot loads. The German Government considered the use of such cartridges both barbaric and inhumane!
    Last edited by RMc; 03-29-2017 at 08:36 PM.

  19. #19
    Boolit Grand Master
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    I think jmort is right about the 6 cavity Lee. I have the 18 cavity Lee but cutting the shot apart is a real pain. Like RodgerDat, I bought the mold to be self sufficient. I only use buckshot for SD. Midway recently had S&B buckshot loads on sale for less than $8/box so I order a couple of flats. Not worth the hassle of making them for that price.
    Don Verna


  20. #20
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by dverna View Post
    I only use buckshot for SD. Midway recently had S&B buckshot loads on sale for less than $8/box so I order a couple of flats. Not worth the hassle of making them for that price.
    The S&B 00B load harkens back to pre-1963 buckshot put up in paper hulls by the big three US ammunition makers and later to those early 1960s plastic cased, fiber wad cartridges loaded by Remington.

    As I have said before:

    At hallway distances none of the pattern enhancing advances in buckshot ammunition, (at least since the introduction of the pin-fire breech loader of the mid-19th century), make any meaningful difference.
    Last edited by RMc; 04-24-2017 at 05:53 PM.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check