Vintage Lee HP mold

[AceOfXs]

I acquired a single cavity lee c358 158 SWC mold with a hollow point widget. Got it from an estate along with some cast bullets from it so it appears to make good bullets. Does anyone know if this used to be a factory offering from Lee? Just curious. Also, is there anything I need to know to get good results from this mold? I plan to alloy some pure lead with a bit of tin to give me soft bullets. Plan is to recreate the old FBi load or something similar.

Thanks,
Dean

[Bazoo]

Yes it was factory. They made them in several calibers.

[45workhorse]

Good mold, find the right temp for it, and cast yourself up some nice boolits. Have had one for years, don't remember where it came from though.

[oldhenry]

I have one in their .454-252-SWC . I got it in the '80s

[John Boy]

I have both weight molds.

[Mk42gunner]

I have never used one of the Lee HP molds, but based on using both Lyman style pull the pin HP molds and other aluminium Lee molds: run the mold hot, don't stop to examine the boolits once you get going.

Good Luck with it,

Robert

[AceOfXs]

Thanks everyone! I’m excited to try it out! Robert, thanks for the tip. I’ll run it hot. Results to be posted. Thanks!

[fcvan]

I have that mold, a favorite of mine. It likes heat to keep the center pin at temp. I also have a Lee 450-200 RN HO designed for use as a conical for the 1858 Remington (copy) BP percussion revolver. I found it at a Black Powder Store, it had sat on a shelf for so long, the listed price was from the 1970s. I bought the mold in 1986 for $12.98 at the time. I also bought the RN version from the factory.

Both molds cast fat, they are a tapered mold for loading into BP cylinders. I was able to load and shoot them into 45 ACP, but I later honed the HP mold to be less tapered. They shot very well in 45 ACP.

Flash forward, I started shooting 45 Colt. I was also making plain based gas checks (from soda can material) and tried them a little warm. I had purchased a single shot 45 Colt rifle and tested some 45+p Colt loads in the carbine, with the PBGC, and wow. Just under 2k FPS with room for more. I still have a bunch sized with Javalina and PBGCs cast before I switched to Powder Coating. Either do so well when launched at velocity.

45 Colt 250+ boolits at 1000 fps is deadly. 200 RNHP with PBGC at 2000k fps should be very deadly!

[Wayne Smith]

I have one that makes a gc boolit for the .357. Bought it off the Lee sale page when they were getting rid of the last of them.

[megasupermagnum]

Yes, Lee used to offer a number of hollow points. I have a 44 caliber 215gr SWC hollow point. I swear I have another one, but forget what. I also have a number of hollow base ones they make, which are for Minnie balls, and shotgun slugs. They certainly work, but I am not a huge fan of the Lee hollow point pins. The linkage is fine, but the pins themselves are aluminum, and don't seem to heat well, and often don't close in the mold great.

[oldhenry]

Yes, Lee used to offer a number of hollow points. I have a 44 caliber 215gr SWC hollow point. I swear I have another one, but forget what. I also have a number of hollow base ones they make, which are for Minnie balls, and shotgun slugs. They certainly work, but I am not a huge fan of the Lee hollow point pins. The linkage is fine, but the pins themselves are aluminum, and don't seem to heat well, and often don't close in the mold great.

The pin on my 454-252-SWC is steel (it's circa early '80s). Mine also requires a deliberate action to close.

[rustypot]

I have 3 45/70 405gr,358 158gr and 429 240gr. My favorite is the 45/70

[MT Gianni]

I have had a few and always thought the best thing about them is selling them for crazy prices online. People bid these up way past to mear what a NOE RG mold sells for. I would use them if they were the only game in town but thankfully they are not.

[AceOfXs]

I ran my first batch of boolits out of this lols today. Generally satisfied with the results. The only issue I had is the boolits were a little reluctant to drop off the center pin. I had to tap on the hinge to get them to drop. Any tips on that? I’m wondering if I didn’t have that quite hot enough. I used it in rotation with another mold, which is my usual practice. Wondering if that’s not the way way to use this one and if I should cast at a brisk pace to keep that pin hot? Thanks!

[45workhorse]

Cast at a brisk pace keep pin hot!

[Hutch556]

Any pics of the bullets coming out of that mold? Curious to see the hollow point cavity. Also what weight are the bullets dropping at? And what diameter are the bullets dropping at? Thanks. I have a line on that same mold so just curious.

[AceOfXs]

I’m gonna give it another try today, hot it is!
Hutch, I’ll get some pics up today. The bullets are dropping at 152-153 grains, cast from range scrap sweetened with 50/50 solder. They drop a little fatter than my other lee molds, diameter of the first batch was .359-.360

[Hutch556]

I’m gonna give it another try today, hot it is!
Hutch, I’ll get some pics up today. The bullets are dropping at 152-153 grains, cast from range scrap sweetened with 50/50 solder. They drop a little fatter than my other lee molds, diameter of the first batch was .359-.360

Sounds good, Thanks for the info too.

[Tripplebeards]

I have one one in a .429” 240 gr GC HP. The halves do not line up very well on my mold. I even tried to re pin the halves. Doesn’t shoot well in any of my guns or pistols either. Not very good quality...must be why they discontinued it.





I wouldn’t get too excited about a lee HP mold an boolit until you see if it shoots or not.

I used a pencil and shaded the HP pin to help drop my boolits out when I casted with mine. If it doesn't shoot worth a darn out of your firearms you can probably make enough profit off it to replace it with a MP or Lyman devastator mold. I still keep mine around just because. I casted up,PC'd,and GC'd a bunch of them and sized at .430". To bad I didn't try a few first before I got carried away

[cwlongshot]

I have one in a 200g .452 RN. Not really a very deep HP. But a HP just the same.

Care must be taken while using and be sure everything is aligned and closes completely!! (Or ya will make some Fine finned boolits!)
Im constantly watching for them and will grab them if appropriately priced.
CW