Lee 452-228-1R

[tinyejp]

Hey there, folks! Long-time lurker, first-time poster.

I recently added a Lee 452-228-1R 2-cavity to my collection, and my luck with these guys seems to have run out. I've always gotten good stuff from Lee in the past.

This fella drops really nice boolits... They actually almost leap out of the mould! Best as-delivered drop from Lee thus far. Unfortunately, they mic out at .458. I can probably size them without breaking the bench, but I wonder if that might take off too much...? Unsure of the limitations in sizing.

I don't want to use pure Pb, I've tried changing temps up and down, and I am at a loss.

Anyone have use for a grossly over-sized mould?

[RobS]

Are the boolits the same diameter all the way around (turning the boolit and measuring at multiple points)?

[theperfessor]

RobS is on to something. If there is a burr somewhere or a flake of lead trapped between the faces you can easily get a bullet that might be oversize when measured perpendicular to the split line but just right along the split line. If its oversize the same way all around then send it back to Lee. If its only oversize perpendicular to the split line then start looking for a burr or a piece of trapped lead somewhere that's holding the block faces apart.

Are you using a little lube such as BullPlate on the alignment pins and Vs? It will help blocks close easier and all the way.

[RobS]

Yep, that is where I was going, just didn't want to type it all out if the mold was truely dropping large diameter boolits.

[tinyejp]

Both good points, but both already pursued. I cleaned the mould thoroughly a couple times, checked for burrs, etc. No problems there. They are slightly out of round. If you measure perpendicular to the split they show .458, and along the line gives .457. Not a significant amount.

Thanks for the quick replies, fellows!

[fredj338]

Alloy? Try 50/50 lead/clip ww, should get you a little smaller.

[RobS]

Alloy? Try 50/50 lead/clip ww, should get you a little smaller.

Not enough to make that much of a difference. Straight WW alloy vs 50/50 WW to lead and you'll only see .0005 to .0008 at most depending on the WW's.

Send the mold back as it's diameters are way to far out of spec. I'm wondering if Lee mixed up and marked & boxed a conical black powder mold........they look almost identical to the Lee 452-230-1R.

http://leeprecision.com/xcart/MOLD-D-C-456-220-1R.html

[tinyejp]

That is a real possibility, Rob. They do look very close.

I am using 50/50 WW and pure Pb now.

I spoke to the folks at Lee, and they'll gladly replace it. I thought I might post it in the Swapping section once I have enough clout to do so. It may be useful to someone as-is. I decided I am not fond of this particular loading for my uses, anyway. I have received a pm regarding it's potential use as a plinking boolit for .45-70. I am sure there are other potential uses, as well.

[RobS]

Good point on maybe finding someone who may have a need for the mold; the great part about buying a used mold is knowing what it casts out at and with what alloy.

[theperfessor]

I have one of those molds, a gift from a friend who bought it when he had a Ruger SS Old Army. He sold the gun to a guy that didn't want the mold so I ended up with it. I have used it in .45 ACP, cast of almost pure lead sized down to .452. Soft as they were it was still a lot of effort to size the .456 - .457 bullets down in my Lyman 450, and the process pretty much smeared out the grease grooves.

A push through sizer with more mechanical advantage and tumble/dip lubing might make this bullet OK for general .45 ACP use, but there are better bullets that take less work so why do it?

I could see lapping one of these out to .459 - .460 and using it as a light .45-70 bullet.

[Armorer]

I have an Ideal 452484 that the previous owner removed the gas check shank from and it drops at .458 with my alloy. I don't have any problems resizing it to .452 with a Lee push thru. My XD will shoot em all day long.

Armorer

[geargnasher]

I have a good one that drops .453" with wheel weight alloy, you can have it for $15 shipped if you want it, I found that it doesn't work well in most of my .45 ACP autos because the nose is too fat toward the base and they have to be seated way deep to keep from tripping the slide lock lever prematurely. Good boolit for .45 Colt, though, easy on self-healing targets.

Gear

[tinyejp]

PM sent, geargnasher!

I was worried about the shallow lube grooves left after sizing. I ran a few through the Bisley BH, and came away with a little leading. I am attributing this to insufficient lube, as other boolits sized at .452 work without a hitch.

Once I am able (30 days or 25 posts), this mold will be for sale. Thanks for all of your thoughts, fellows. I really appreciate everyone putting their brains on display for picking!

[*Paladin*]

I have the 228-1R and it consistently drops .453" with 50/50 WW to Pb...