Pros & cons Lee boolit molds - opinions please.

[sharps4590]

Lee molds are serviceable. One can make good bullets. They work. I have Lee molds and most other popular molds. Lee is great for small runs. Give me RCBS, Accurate, NEI, the old Hoch for longer casting and more bullets. My 1967 Morris Minor, 1956 MG-A or any of my 4 vintage cars are great fun running back and forth to town or a short run, morning or evening drive. They will also get me from here to Omaha or Tampa to see my sons. So will my 2017 Mercedes 300. Guess which one I'll take to Omaha or Tampa.

[fredj338]

I think the newer Lee molds are quite a bit better than the older ones, especially the 2cav. That is the pro.
The issue with Lee is always QC. Sometimes they run just fine, sometimes they suck. The other issue is very limited designs. I have several but unless I am buying something to try out a new caliber, I prefer Accurate or NOE. Better mat'l. & QC, easier casting.

[Arkansas Paul]

Pros - They produce a good bullet for a very fair price
They heat up quickly and begin producing good bullets in just a couple of pours

Cons - Not quite as durable
The heating up pro is a double edged sword. You can cast too fast and really heat the thing up.

Overall, I like my Lyman molds better. But, I also like my Lee molds and wouldn't hesitate to buy more.

[megasupermagnum]

Unlike many, I started casting after Lee had already gone to their "New" style some 10 years ago with tapered alignment pins, and better sprue plates. I do own a couple Lee molds with the round bar alignment pins, as well as at least one with the pinched metal alignment. I have not had any real problems with any of them, but I'll speak for the newest versions, as that is what most people are going to buy. There isn't a lot of reason to buy a used Lee mold, unless it is a design they don't make anymore.

The mold blocks themselves are great. They now have tapered alignment pins that come together with no problem, and their vent lines are top shelf. They even started vent lines on top of the mold blocks before the custom makers started doing it. The aluminum they use in their molds is on the softer side. This means you can get galling under the sprue plate pivot if you do not lube it. Other than that, I don't know how you could damage them that wouldn't ruin any other mold. The sprue plate's are aluminum as well, but I've had no problems with them at all. Some don't like the pivot pins, but again, I've found them no trouble. Some I've got have been slightly too tight for my liking. This is where you see guys drill and tap so you can loosen them. I've found a much easier alternative is to grind off some of the spure plate in that corner, and that reduces the tension. The sprue plate pivot on the new Lee's is a left hand thread shoulder bolt, and it has a spring washer to hold tension. I think it is a great design for lower cost, and most of them are perfect out of the box. The few that were too tight, it's only a 2 minute fix.

The designs offered by Lee, some are good, some are not so much. I do not like their tumble lube designs. They used to offer hollow point molds, and I'd just say that was one of their flops. I'd avoid those molds. They make some very accurate rifle bullet molds, and while there is always a way to improve, I find a lot of their rifle bullets are about as good as you can get from bore riding designs. Their pistol bullets are more varied, and a lot of them seem more target orientated. I'm more of a hunter, and am not as interested in a lot of their designs for hunting. They do have a few that are really good. A lot of people really like their shotgun slugs. The 1 oz is not great, a couple people got them to shoot, most have not. Their 7/8 oz though is about as good as I've seen from an in-wad slug. The best molds Lee makes are round ball molds. I have most sizes they offer, and they are top shelf. Not just for the money, Lee makes the best round ball mold that I am aware of. They are better than Lyman, or JT, or Dixie, or any other I've tried. They cast a ball as round as you could ever hope for, and they cut the sprue off flush.

Unlike some others, I actually find Lee molds are easier to cast with than some other molds. I have 1, 2, and 6 cavity molds from Lee. I actually like their 2 cavity the best for the most part. I find them the easiest to operate, and control the temperature. The 6 cavity is just as good, and most people like them a lot. I once had a Lee mold that I could not get to cast big enough. I only tried it once. I sold it, and the next guy was able to cast them .003" bigger than I was. That just goes to show how much alloy, and temperature matters. It isn't always the mold, and Lee molds are sensitive to changes. This is a good and a bad thing, not a pro or a con. This is a high production brand, so cant really get what you want. You either buy what they have, or go elsewhere. I really wish they made a 309-170F in a 6 cavity, but it doesn't seem that will happen anytime soon.

Pros-
Inexpensive
High quality bullets
Easy to control

Cons-
May need small adjustments
limited bullet designs, and only certain cavity blocks
Once in a great while you may find one that casts too small

[ACC]

I have some Lee molds that I still use today that are from 1973. My brother and I cast thousands of bullets with these. BUT you have to be more gentle with them.

ACC

[QuackAttack24]

I have multiple Lee molds. They all cast great bullets right out of the gate except for one, which to this day has never turned out one useable bullet. I did nothing but give them a good cleaning and start casting. They shoot great, and are still the bullets I shoot the most. Accuracy is great as long as you properly size them to the barrel.

[Stuckcase]

They have their usefulness. When you purchase your first MP mold or Accurate mold, you’ll not look back.

[Harter66]

I have ;
LBT
RCBS
Cramer
Ideal/Lyman
H&G
Herters
Lachmiller
NOE
MiHec
Lee
And at least 1 more I can't remember from 22-.690 cal .

Lee makes a tool to do a job and in my experience it full fills that need .
I like some of the originals I bought to get into casting enough to buy the 6 cav moulds . I shot 3 versions of a 40 cal 175 gr RNFP from singles and doubles and they were no better than the Lee version in the 6 cav . I don't dislike the casting tasks but where I shoot a bunch of bullets I'd rather cast 100 keepers in 20 pours than 40 .

To quantify quality is a difficult thing to generalize .
There are a few things that "you just have to do" with Lee moulds . You almost always have to break the edges and the sprue hole . Often there are burrs left on the cavities . The 6c moulds are better finished . I've had 20-25 Lee moulds in singles , doubles and 6s . The 6s cast 1 light , 1 heavy , and 4 close enough . If you weigh lot them at 1% you will have 4 piles . In the case of my 358-200 I get a 196 , a 205 and the other 4 hanging in the 198-202 .
Doubles often 1-2% different weights .
Of course technique will influence that some .

NOE I have 9 . I've cleaned up one burr , and failure to follow the wash , 3x heat cycles directions made one a little fussy at first .
I have 2,3,4,&5 c moulds . 1 a 3 cav 460-543 drops 3 bullets that are identical within 1.5 gr for 10# of alloy after the round and wrinkle cull .
The 5 c 454-250 version of the 454424 casts the same 1.5 gr for 10# .
You just take them out of the box , wash them in dawn , heat and air cool 3x and cast great bullets that weigh the same from every cavity .

M-P is a love hate thing for me I have 1 in brass , it casts a pair of 460-417 gr RNFP with a plain or hollow base . I lived in the land of "what's rust" and had a terrible time getting it to patina enough to settle down and pour good bullets . It has some machine marks I could fix but it casts 2 at a time +- 1.5 gr in 10# of alloy . I've read that sometimes you need a little steel wool on the hollow point/base pins to get good release I didn't have that .

The old iron H&G 8c #130 drops 8 bullets at .453-196 gr within 1.2 gr for 10# of alloy it eats too fast .

I have 1 new Lyman single and one new RCBS mould . The RCBS needed a little sprue plate hinge screw adjustment and poured a matching pair out of the box .

I'll be honest I had an LBT , RCBS , and Lee in a 40 cal 175 gr RNFP on paper there was zero difference . I don't mind casting but I sure like casting 6 at a pour over 2 . Since it's for a 40 S&W mostly shot inside 30 yd the 4 gr variations aren't a big deal .

If not for Lee I likely wouldn't cast 19 cal .
Lee makes a tool for a job and it does the job .
There are better finished , more accurate tools , and those cost more .

[rockrat]

I have a number of Lee moulds, mainly 6 cav. and they have been good moulds. I lean more towards NOE,Accurate, MP and Arsenal moulds though.

[charlie b]

They have their usefulness. When you purchase your first MP mold or Accurate mold, you’ll not look back.

Yes, I do. I have several NOE and Acc molds. When I wanted a 6 cavity for the .357 and .45 I bought Lee molds and am still very happy with the decision.

But, if I wanted a hollow point mold I'd go to MP. They have the best HP mold design out there, IMHO.

[Streetwalker]

I started with Lee molds and other Lee products and I have had good results with them..as long as I followed Lee's instructions and handled the molds carefully. I especially like the TumbleLube designs and their various rifle molds are really hard to beat, accuracy wise, in my rifles. I have molds from many different makers; most are good, some are clunkers but the various Lee molds have served me well for many, many years.

[45-70 Chevroner]

I don't like Lee molds. I bought one years ago and it didn't produce boolits nearly as good as other mold brands that I use. I don't use that mold anymore. Then, later, I bought another Lee mold and it fell apart the first time I used it. I don't use that mold anymore either.

Fortunately I have never experienced that problem, I think I have had one Lee mold out of probably 60 that didn't work properly, sent It back to Midway and got a new one. I have had several 20 # bottom pour pots and after about 15 years of use I needed a rebuild kit for one of them, Lee sent me a rebuild kit for free and they paid shipping. The one thing that I bought from Lee that I absolutely hated was there Zip trim case trimmer. Never a problem from any thing else I have bought Lee made.

[45-70 Chevroner]

Lee molds are serviceable. One can make good bullets. They work. I have Lee molds and most other popular molds. Lee is great for small runs. Give me RCBS, Accurate, NEI, the old Hoch for longer casting and more bullets. My 1967 Morris Minor, 1956 MG-A or any of my 4 vintage cars are great fun running back and forth to town or a short run, morning or evening drive. They will also get me from here to Omaha or Tampa to see my sons. So will my 2017 Mercedes 300. Guess which one I'll take to Omaha or Tampa.

Well at least we know where a good portion of your money went, love to have that 56 MG-A I'm guessing it's a Convertible. Happy touring.

[Texas by God]

I’ve been happy with all the Lee molds that I’ve used over the years- except two. One was a .45 230 gr hp single cavity and the other was a TL356swc- but that one could have been the gun( bad leading). I have more than a dozen Lee moulds and I cast with a hot pot and use 3, 2 cavity moulds in sequence when I’m casting. I like the results.

[ukrifleman]

I have moulds by Lee RCBS and Lyman and they all produce good bullets, I have never had a bad mould of any make.

Most of my moulds are Lee why? because I can buy a Lee 2 cavity mould with handles for £23.40 and a 6 cavity for £49.50 (handles £19.50 extra.)
My .264 140gn RCBS mould cost me £89.00 without handles,- nuff said.
ukrifleman.

[AlaskaMike]

Not much more to add beyond what's already been said here.

In the past, the 6 cavity molds were much better quality than the 2 cavity molds. It sounds like the newer 2 cav molds are better though. Lee's quality control was also a problem in the past. Years ago, we did a large number of group buys here with custom designs with Lee, and the molds frequently were out of spec, dropping bullets that were ridiculously oversized.

That said, I have a couple of 6 cav molds that I'm perfectly happy with. They cast excellent bullets, and it's hard to ask more than that from a mold. I do think the aluminum alloy Lee uses isn't as good as the alloy used by Accurate, for example. Still though, as long as you don't abuse a Lee mold, they'll last a long time and provide excellent service.

[almar]

I have a number of lee moulds, they do the job but they are not in my opinion on the same level as accurate moulds, noe or this mihai something europeen guy moulds or even lyman. They deteriorate too quickly although this may be my fault. But they are not a joy to use as the first 3 I mentioned. The first 3 are like the Bentleys of moulds, the lyman is the Cadillac and the lee is the...chevette maybe? it gets you to the grocery store but its not a joy to drive.

[high standard 40]

I've owned quite a few Lee molds. I like the 6 cavity lee molds that I have for 40 and 45 auto pistols. I had good success with the 357 140 gr bullet which I found to be accurate, but I sold it and replaced it with an Accurate mold which is far better. I have sold all of the Lee rifle bullet molds that I had, 223, 7mm, and 30 caliber. None would deliver a bullet that was a good fit for my rifles. Granted, the ones that I had were the 2 cavity older design molds. I hear some say that the newer 2 cavity molds are better. All the ones I had of bore rider design had a nose that was greatly undersize. I never found a load combination with those that would meet my expectations. Additionally, every one of those molds had to be de-burred and lapped before they would work at all. I don't consider myself a Lee basher. I have several other lee dies and tools that work just fine. I'm really glad that we have an American producer that can supply affordable products. And depending on what your particular requirements are, Lee products can often meet your needs as well as your budget.

[megasupermagnum]

I have a number of lee moulds, they do the job but they are not in my opinion on the same level as accurate moulds, noe or this mihai something europeen guy moulds or even lyman. They deteriorate too quickly although this may be my fault. But they are not a joy to use as the first 3 I mentioned. The first 3 are like the Bentleys of moulds, the lyman is the Cadillac and the lee is the...chevette maybe? it gets you to the grocery store but its not a joy to drive.

A Lyman a Cadillac? I hated every Lyman mold I ever had. I'd give up bullet casting if they were all I had to use. Lee is definitely superior in quality and ease of use.

[almar]

I guess i've been lucky with mine, i have the Lyman 311299 and the .457 round ball they have been good performers, the only downside is the sprue plate screw always getting loose but besides that, all is good.