How Good Is A Lee Mould [Archive]

Ben

03-10-2011, 10:00 PM

If you're fortunate enough to get one that has cavities cut cleanly and the bullets drop at the correct dia. for sizing in your particular weapon, you'll easily get your monies worth.

They can't be banged around and treated rough like a Lyman 4 cav. steel mold. Keep a check on the sprue plate and don't allow it to gald and gouge the mold damaging the top surface of the mold.

Some Bullplate lube is highly recommended at this point in time for you. It is really amazing what this lube can do !

btroj

03-10-2011, 10:03 PM

I really like the 6 cav Lee moulds. Like Ben said, treat it well and it will serve you very well. The Bullplate should be required with any mould but especially Lee moulds.

Brad

Longwood

03-11-2011, 07:17 AM

I have two 45 molds a 308 and now a 457 Lee mold. I also have 5 cast iron molds by other makers.
I told myself after buying the first three Lee molds last year that I would never buy one again. I just ordered a 45-70 an decided on trying a 457 by Lee after trying to find a 458 and could not believe what they sell for now.
The new mold casts 1to 2 thousandths small (got a few to come out at 457) and the mold halves do NOT match perfectly.
Never again! Again! Watching ebay.
I priced a bore size paper patch mold and at $130 to $160 I decided to make my own using the directions I found on one of these sites.. Casts 405, 360 and 310 at .450 bore size.
But then,,,, I am into long range accuracy, if you shoot pistols at short ranges then go for a Lee.

Bret4207

03-11-2011, 08:31 AM

Define "good". Lee moulds are fantastic values for the money. I own probably 30 Lee's in 1,2 and 6 cavity configurations. All of them work fine and cast boolits large enough to fit my particular guns. Some people like Longwood have gotten undersized moulds. That is not something limited to Lee. I have several Lymans that are clearly undersized, a SAECO that is undersized and people of late are reporting undersized RCBS.

The question shouldn't be "how good is a Lee mould?" but rather "Can I figure out how to get the best from a mould of any make?". It's like the old saying, it ain't the arrow, it's the indian shooting it.

NHlever

03-11-2011, 09:10 AM

I have a number of Lee bullet molds, a number of Lyman molds, both old, and new, an RCBS mold, or three, and one Saeco mold. Out of the box I have had problems with all but the fairly old Saeco, and I only have one of them. The Lee molds have been running about 50% good lately for me without any tweaking. A good Lee mold is fun to use, light, and makes very good boolits, but they can be a bit of a pain at times. The molds that seem to be "bowed", or warped so that they don't come together evenly have been my worst headaches. I have found that sometimes they push a burr into the grooves when they drive the alignment pins in, and sometimes the pins are just too tight I think, and that distorts the aluminum mold when the pins are pressed in. Sprue plates need to be sharpened sometimes, and made flat, and some just need a good going over for burrs, etc. All in all, they are very good value for the money, but I have to say that there have been times when I felt that if I had to buy two Lee molds to get a good one, I might as well just buy a "better" mold to start with.

selmerfan

03-11-2011, 10:07 AM

I've got three 6 cavity Lee molds. 2 of the three drop boolits like they're jumping out of the mold. These are both from Ranch Dog, made by Lee. The other is a GB copy of a Lyman #358627 and it throws good boolits, but they don't jump out. All are just a hair larger than I need them, the 359-190-RF throws .360", the 311-165-RF throw .312", the 358627 throws .360", all good!

1Shirt

03-11-2011, 10:33 AM

Mine are all good. I treat them well, and they return the favor w/good blts.
1Shirt!:coffee:

deltaenterprizes

03-11-2011, 10:37 AM

You can't beat them for the money!

pdawg_shooter

03-11-2011, 10:39 AM

I have 41 moulds collected over the last 40+ years, 28 are Lee. Guess that tells you what I think of them.

JonB_in_Glencoe

03-11-2011, 10:45 AM

I have bought about 20 Lee molds.
the ones I bought NEW within the last 6 months have all been excellent,
except for the Lee Bator fiasco.
I have bought used ones in the sellin' and swappin'
section here and it's a coin toss to get one I'm happy with.
but with the price paid, it's worth the gamble.
Jon

PS: I like the 6 cav. Lee molds. one I bought through RD.
the gas check shank was undersized. RD took good care of me
and He personally reamed the mold with a reamer he got from Lee.

Wally

03-11-2011, 11:13 AM

I use Lyman, Saeco, RCBS, & Lee...the DC Lee's are the easiest to use IMHO as they are very light and come to temperature very quickly. I've had/used some for many years and they will last indefinitely with just a bit of care.

Love Life

03-11-2011, 11:35 AM

I have 2 Lee 6 cavity molds and love them both. They took a little love to make the bullets just fall out, but since then they have been great. I also love their 2 cavity molds. Sure wish they would make a 4 cavity though.

thegreatdane

03-11-2011, 12:46 PM

They're awesome. I'm at several thousand in all my lee 6's. Highly recommend.

45-70 Ranger

03-11-2011, 01:03 PM

Been casting with iron for well over 45 years. With that said, I do have 5 Lee moulds. The only issue I've had was with a double cavity 457 mould. Alignment pins falling out. Mould crapped out with less than 50 rounds cast. I was ready to toss the mould out the door and forget it. I was unhappy. A note to Lee and they sent me a replacement mould within a week. It has been a good one thus far. But I do perfer iron for the most part.

$70 for a Lyman v.s. $20 for a Lee....Ya take your chances and sometimes a bad one will surface. Found that ya just gotta keep 'em hot and cast like you're in a race. Iron, take your time and you'll enjoy the ride:smile:

Wade

Doby45

03-11-2011, 01:44 PM

I had the exact mold you are asking about and it made good boolits. I just recently sold it though because I "upgraded" to a Mihec H7G68 clone 4 banger in brass. ;)

barefooter175

03-11-2011, 11:39 PM

Boolseye

03-12-2011, 12:20 AM

treat 'em good and it should be fine for ya.
I have 3 6-cavs and they're all great.

NHlever

03-12-2011, 02:23 AM

For those of you using the Lee 6 cavity molds, do any of you pour with a dipper? I don't have a bottom pour furnace that works well enough to use, and I just like casting with a dipper.

Ben

03-12-2011, 03:45 AM

For those of you using the Lee 6 cavity molds, do any of you pour with a dipper? I don't have a bottom pour furnace that works well enough to use, and I just like casting with a dipper.

I've had no luck with bottom pour. Many guys here wouldn't use anything else. For me however, I'm a " dyed in the wool " dipper caster.
In order for me to get the kind of fill out that I was looking for I had to open up the inside dia. of my Lyman ladle a little bit with a drill bit. That seemed to make a huge difference in the quality of my casting. This change causes very slight " finning " in about 2-3 % of my molds. The others have responded well to the change.

If I do see finning in a mold, I simply turn down the heat a little and the finning usually disappears.

Ben

garym1a2

03-12-2011, 06:54 AM

I have the Lee 6UP 45 SWC mode. It has worked quite well for me except that I cannot get good fillout on the sixth bullet closest to the handle.
But even with using just five and the Lyman dipper I can make a lot of bullets fast for my 45acp. When heating up a cold mold I don't pout all 6. Just the end bullet till it heats up some than the next bullet and slow increase till I pour all 5. I think if I pour all 6 from a cold mold I will get too much force on the screw when trying to cut the sprue.

Ben

03-12-2011, 08:30 AM

The most common problem with the Lee 6 cav. ( as you are already aware ) is trying to pour all 6 cavities in a cold mold. Once alloy is poured into all 6 cavities of a cold Lee 6 cav. mold, a tremendous amount of pressure is required on the sprue cutter handle and it often snaps.

In a cold mold, I pour the 1st two cavities, then the next two and " feel " the amount of leverage that is being required to cut the sprure, the mold will tell you when it is heating up and you're ready to cast more then 4 cavities. This technique will minimize or eliminate the problem of broken sprue handes on the Lee 6 cav. mold.

singleshot

03-12-2011, 09:26 AM

For those of you using the Lee 6 cavity molds, do any of you pour with a dipper? I don't have a bottom pour furnace that works well enough to use, and I just like casting with a dipper.

I used a dipper for a while until I got my first 6-cav mould...then I broke down and bought a bottom pour and wouldn't go back. It was too hard for me to keep up with the casting pace required for the 6-cav and a ladle. Plus I just leave some dross on top to keep the lead from oxidizing faster...something I couldn't do with a ladle.

zuke

03-12-2011, 10:27 AM

I picked up a 6 cavity TL452-230-TC and was able to pour 29 lb's of bullet's in one session.
I LEEmented it and when they started to just fall out of the mold I didn't stop.
29lbs/230gr = 882.6

mooman76

03-12-2011, 10:36 AM

I have allot of Lee moulds. I started with them because that's what I could afford. Seems like the ones that have the most problems with them are the ones that start out with other moulds and then work down to Lees. The put out fine boolits and with care will last a lifetime with normal use. Some times they need a little tweeking and some think they shouldn't have to but they are only $20 moulds. I'm amazed they can make a profit from them with the machine work involved. They could be better but the cost would be higher too. I do have other moulds and like them also but I mostly use and buy Lees.

shdwlkr

03-12-2011, 10:39 AM

I have several molds from different makers and can say they all do what they were made to do and that is cast bullets. Like people they all act differently, want special treatment and need different attention.
I am also a ladle caster now started out as a bottom pour but found it just wasn't working for me when I went from one and two cavity molds to 3 to 6 cavity molds.
We all have different expectations of our molds and for me it is to cast the bullet that the mold was cut for. I don't care how many I can get in an hour because I do it to relax and think about other things then life and current events.
I have been casting for only 40 plus years on and off and only have maybe 40 molds so I am just a new kid at this casting game but I have fun doing what I do and that is what is important.
Lee molds gives you a chance to try a bullet style for little money to see if you like and if so you can maybe get it in a 6 cavity from Lee or get a group buy going here for it and get a better mold. For the money if you can get a good Lee mold you can not beat it and starting out in casting they are a very good place to start. I have maybe 10-15 Lee molds and I am happy with all of them. Have LBT, NOE, Lyman, Rcbs molds also it just depends on who has what I am looking for when I have the cash to buy a mold.

NHlever

03-12-2011, 11:45 AM

Thanks Ben. I am pretty much dedicated to using the dipper since I get better quaity boolits that way, and I enjoy it. Though I stir, flux, and clean, I often get dirt, or inclusions in my boolits when I use the bottom pour, and the Lee pot I used dripped a lot. Now I have the 20# Lee dipper only pot. It actually holds closer to 15#, but it works well for me. I'll have to open the old dipper up a bit, and try one of those 6 cavity molds.

pls1911

03-12-2011, 11:48 AM

You could NOT give me a lee 2 cavit mold...
Howewer, the step up in quality makes the six cavity molds very acceptable.
Ranch Dog molds are Lees, and are good. I have Lee six holer in another caliber as well as their mold for 00 buckshot.
Stay away from the two cavity Lees and you'll do fine.

MtGun44

03-12-2011, 10:22 PM

No offense, but there are no Lee molds that are "H&G 68 clones". There is a H&G 68
look alike, which some members have had success with, and others not so much. Here
we get kinda picky with mold designs, and when we do a group buy on a "clone" of
some design, you'd be amazed at the serious, serious effort that is put into getting
the precise dimensions of the orginal to make a true clone, not just a look alike.

I imagine that this seems like picking nits, but I assure you, in the cast boolit business,
it is not. Some designs that are similar work very well, and some do not work well. This
can be particularly true with molds like the H&G 68 which are designed to feed in a semi
auto. Tiny, seemingly insignificant, changes in shape can seriously compromise the feeding
reliability, and in some cases, the accuracy.

All that said, Lee molds are pretty decent molds, without considering the price. When you
put the price into the mix, they are very good. Some of Lee's designs have been outstanding
for me, some have been utter failures for my particular application, but I have read of others
that have used the same design for their application with excellent results.

Bill

Boolseye

03-12-2011, 10:27 PM

For those of you using the Lee 6 cavity molds, do any of you pour with a dipper? I don't have a bottom pour furnace that works well enough to use, and I just like casting with a dipper.

Nope. Bottom pour all the way.

truckjohn

03-17-2011, 10:03 AM

I have done both - both work just fine once you get your technique sorted out.....

I was dipper pouring last night - and got really good results..... Didn't feel like pulling out the bottom pour pot.

On the subject of how good are Lee molds..... Well - I have sent a few back. They always take care of them when I do.... I gotta say that their customer service is great that way.

But... I have a 312-155-2R and a 312-160-2R for the 7.62x39... that I tried out for the 1st time last night.... Neither of them will drop boolits without pliers.... I would happily pay another $10 - $20 per mold if I didn't have to fool with it.... Compare that to my new Lyman 314-299.... Drops bullets no problem.. They literally fall right out of the mold.

Thanks

badbob454

03-17-2011, 10:41 AM

95% of the lee molds work good some need leementing to fill out the base "the 5%" but the value is there ,worth the price

mold maker

03-17-2011, 10:47 AM

I didn't know that LEE molds weren't "good" enough, so I have and use 32 of them, S, D, and 6 cav. They all cast what I expect of them if I do my part.
If I had only bought "good" molds I would only have a doz, and couldn't shoot quiet a few guns.
The RCBS, LYMAN, IDEAL, HG, NOE, and others, all cast good boolits, but no better than the LEE.
I don't abuse the expensive molds, or the LEE either. Each has it's own casting requirements and as long as that's met, the results are dependably great.

barefooter175

03-17-2011, 11:55 PM

Suo Gan

03-18-2011, 12:46 AM

I had missed out on the Mihec H&G68 clone, so I ordered the Lee. This will be my first 6 Cav from them. I had a 2 Cav Minie Ball mould a few years back that did not hold up. Hoping for the best here. Who knows? If it works well, I may get others. Right now, my mould count is at 60+, mostly Lyman and H&G with a few Ohaus moulds in the mix. I expect a lot from a mould in regards to good performance. The ones that don't perform go into a separate box and stay on a shelf as I don't want to pass any problems on to an unsuspecting boolit caster.

Thanks for all the good info so far.

James

The Lee mold can't be compared to a Mihec mold really. Kind of like comparing a Cadillac with a Kia, will they both get you there? YES! Do they both have their good points? Yes! The Lee mold will probably take a bit of work to pump out the boolits, and if it is undersize, Lee will give ya another one, its the oversize thing that they don't do. For $35 and shipping they are the best deal going, they would even be a deal for double that IMO. And they are a sponsor around here too! I really like the Lee 6 cavity sprue plate design myself. Lots of bang for your buck with the Lee unit.

Bret4207

03-18-2011, 06:49 AM

Good info so far... Thanks for sharing.

My 6 Cav. showed up at my front door yesterday. My initial inspection showed that all parts seem to fit well; no gaps where they shouldn't be.

Will I need to use anything on the sprue plate handle to open it, or should the palm of my hand work OK? Nope, preheat the mould and you should be good to go.

Good advice about pouring one or two cavities on a cold mould to start. Makes a lot of sense.

Will I have to work faster with this mould to maintain a good working temperature as compared to a 4 Cav. iron mould? Probably faster at first till it comes up to temp. It's hard to say you will HAVE to work much faster because every guy casts differently. Do what the mould wants.

I don't have any of the previously mentioned mould preps/lubes at the present time. Is there anything generally available at the local hardware store that will work OK? Anything that I may already have on my reloading bench? Just a little lube on the wear points is all you need. You can use boolit lube, but I don't care for it. Bullshop Lube is supposed to be THE answer. I use a carpenters pencil and rub it on the wear points, bottom of the sprue plate. Some guys use a tiny amount of 2 cycle oil.

Oh, I have Rapine's Mould Prep. Is that good for a start? Keep that krap out of your moulds, no matter what the brand. It insulates the mould from needed heat and can cause boolits to cast smaller.

Thanks for sharing.

James

You do have the 6 cav handles, right?

barefooter175

03-18-2011, 08:17 AM

You do have the 6 cav handles, right?

Yes, I have several pair actually.

DukeInFlorida

03-18-2011, 09:54 AM

I have about 4 Lee molds. They are what I started with, a bazillion years ago.

Then, I discovered the high quality custom molds...................

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh

no going back to Lee..............

Jech

03-18-2011, 10:09 AM

Lee's quality control has improved substantially in the past months. Each ships with an sticker bearing a Made in the USA flag and the inspector's name. I haven't had a single issue since they started showing up like this. Even before that, they were solid!

theperfessor

03-18-2011, 11:16 AM

I like Lee six cavity molds more than their one and two cavity versions, but I've got quite a few of each. The one/two cavity molds will wear out quicker if you're not careful when you close them. I sit the bottom of them down on a plate to help line up the halves before I close them to prevent wear on the alignment surfaces.

The six cavity molds use a more traditional pin and socket arrangement that I like much better and is much more durable. Except for a little deburring all mine work fine. Well, I did have one that had an alignment pin come loose but I reseated it and staked it in place and now it's OK.

Are there better molds? Yes. Are there better values in molds (price vs service life)? Not in my opinion.

PS. Preheat on a hot plate and you can often get good bullets on the first pour of a well broken in Lee mold. Don't force the sprue plate handle or you'll break it. And don't hold the sprue plate handle when you hold the mold shut, it can spring the mold a little open and cause finning and fat bullets.

Iowa Fox

03-19-2011, 01:26 PM

I purchased my first Lee mold somewhere in the mid 70s. It is a 358 single cav-sw-hollow point which is still in good shape and going strong for me. I have Lee singles, doubles, and 6cav, they all do a fine job and the price makes them a real value. Three or four years ago we did a lot of Lee group buys and I glad that I got in on a bunch of them.

I have molds from a lot of manufacturues, brass, alum, and steel, treat them with care and all will do a fine job but none will be priced as resonably as the Lee. Lee's customer service is also top notch. As mentioned here previously they are a sponsor here, they are sticking with this group.

MikeS

03-20-2011, 10:50 PM

No offense, but there are no Lee molds that are "H&G 68 clones". There is a H&G 68
look alike...

Well, it might just be a look alike, but LEE calls it an H&G #68. I just bought this mould in a 2 cavity Lee. I paid $30.00 complete with shipping, and even a small donation to the NRA from Midway, so basically for about the price of a set of mould handles from the 'big boys' I've got a complete unit that I can start casting with as soon as I get it (ok, some minor prep might be needed), I don't have to find a pair of handles that fit it, or buy a set separately, etc. Perhaps it's the Kia of moulds, but quite frankly, a Kia will get me where I want to go just as easily as a Cadillac will, and the targets I'm shooting with the resulting boolits won't care that it was cast from a Lee mould, or a Lyman, etc.

Just so I know, what dimensions on the Lee mould differ from the H&G 68? It's hard to tell by looking at drawings that don't have dimensions, but the drawing of the Lee mould sure looked like the drawing of the group buy H&G #68.

I may be new to casting boolits, but I'm not new to machinery, or tools, and I do know the value of better tools to do a job, but I also know the economy of mass production. I'm sure when Lee makes these moulds, they don't make 5 or 10, or even 100 of them, but probably more like 1000, or more, so the per mould cost goes way down from a custom made mould. I can understand buying a custom mould if the design you want isn't made anymore, or if the design itself is a custom one, but I don't understand buying a custom mould (or tool, or anything else for that matter) when there's a production one available (other than being able to say that you have a custom mould).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a custom mould made out of aluminium would need the same gentle care as a Lee mould would, as they're both made of a fairly soft easily damaged material.

Another thing about using a production made mould is that should something bad happen to the mould, I can just throw it in the garbage (if it's unsalvageable) and buy another one, and if talking about a Lee 2 cavity mould, I'm not out a lot of money!

I currently have 3 Lee moulds, and the H&G #68 I just ordered from Midway will make number 4, and so far I'm happy with them. 2 are .45's and one is a .30 170gr flat point that I'm currently having problems with fill-out, but before I start messing with the mould, I'm going to get more experience casting, as it's just as likely at this point that I just need more experience casting, as it is a problem with the mould.

casterofboolits

03-21-2011, 09:28 AM

I am a "dyed in the wool" beliver in iron moulds. I have over a hundred H&G, Lyman and Saeco moulds.

That said, I got my start in casting with Lee moulds and a Lee bottom pour ten pound pot. A pair of Lee two cavity 452-228-1R kept my IPSC habit fed for the first couple years. I once used these two moulds to cast 980 good boolits in under two hours.

The Lee moulds need to be treated with more TLC than iron moulds, but are an inexpensive way to start casting your own boolits. I have nine single and double cavity Lee moulds and they all did thier job well at the time. If you get a bad one, Lee will replace it quickly.

ChuckS1

03-21-2011, 11:41 AM

...Perhaps it's the Kia of moulds, but quite frankly, a Kia will get me where I want to go just as easily as a Cadillac will, and the targets I'm shooting with the resulting boolits won't care that it was cast from a Lee mould, or a Lyman, etc...

It's the quality of the journey that I enjoy, not the destination. I had the same opinion as you until I cast with my first H&G mold and have been spoiled ever since.

Boolseye

03-21-2011, 01:37 PM

Will I need to use anything on the sprue plate handle to open it, or should the palm of my hand work OK?

I trust you have the handles for the mold, that you have to purchase separately. There should be three handles total–a set for the mold and one for the sprue plate. It's quite the contraption when it's all rigged up. I remember the guy who bought a six cav and cast with it for a year before he realized the mold handles came seperately! If you need more than hand strength to cut the sprues, you're waiting too long and will eventually break something. If you get a really hard sprue that you waited too long for, dip the mold in the molten metal for a few seconds. Probably won't even mess up your boolits, and it'll save you a broken mold.

Dave C.

03-21-2011, 10:28 PM

The LEE 6 cavity moulds are a good value. I get between 40,000 and 50,000
bullets before replacing them. I think of them as consumables.

Char-Gar

03-22-2011, 12:27 PM

I have well over a hundred molds that are iron, brass and aluminum by Lyman, Cramer, Modern Bond, SAEC0, RCBS, Old West, NOE, NEI, Herters, Hensley and Gibbs, Applegate and Belding and Mull. While each is an individual and have it's quirks, they are all good products that produce good bullets.

Then there are the Lee molds! Compared to any of the above, they are inferior and the one and two cavity Lee molds are IMHO a waste of money, even as cheap as they are. I don't like disposable molds.

The six cavity Lee molds are much better. They often require some tweaking/Leementing, but once done, are a very good value in bullet molds. I have yet to wear one out, but my gut tells me they are not everlasting.