Lee 6 Cavity Mold Vs. Lyman 4 Cavity Mold.

[Jason30-30]

I want to purchase a multi cavity mold For Medium Volume shooting. The only thing that is making me hesitate purchasing the lee mold is that its alluminum and will not last as long as iron molds. I Would Like To Purchase a mold that will last me for years and am having little trouble deciding.

How Long Have You had your lee 6 cavity molds cranking out bullets?

[mooman76]

I have some 6x moulds and allot of 2x lee moulds. I've put allot of boolits through the Lee 2x and some are used and still going strong for allot of years. Will proper care the 2x should last a lifetime and they aren't built quite as well as the 6x moulds. Unless you really shoot allot you can kick out enough bullets from a Lee 6x in one day to last you a few years. Even if it did eventually ware out you could buy 2 Lees for the price of one Lyman 4x.

[btroj]

I far prefer the Lee 6 cav over the Lyman 4 cav. the Lyman is so darn heavy and the nutcracker style handles are a pain to use in my opinion.
It comes down to many things the first of which is the bullet design you want. All else is secondary to that.
Properly treated a Lee 6 cav will give Ypu 10s of thousands of bullets in it's lifetime. I can't ask for much more than that. Just keep it well and properly lubed.

[Lloyd Smale]

personal id take a lyman 4 cav hands down. Im not a big fan of lymans 2 cav molds but there 4 cav molds are as good as many of the custom molds. There much better made and last alot longer. Only downside is there a tad heavy. Lee 6 cav molds are hands down better then there two cav molds but still not near as well made or durable as a 4 cav lyman. Plus when a guy goes with a lee mold unless your in on a group buy your stuck with there bullet designs and there designs for most caliber just arent as good as the lyman bullets.

[Bret4207]

I think the question is, are you they type that can be observant, careful, take you time and that can pay attention to things? Or are you the type that tends to reach for a bigger hammer, to put things off and to get so driven for quantity that you overlook problems? You can destroy a Lee 6 cav in one casting session. But you can also destroy a Lyman 4 cav in one casting session! You just have to try a little harder with the Lyman.

I have Lee 6 cavs that have produced many thousands of boolits for over 10 years. Somewhere around here I also have one of my first 6 bangers that is a galled, scarred mess. It all depends on the operator, the tool is capable of working fine for an indefinite period.

[casterofboolits]

I prefer Lyman four cavity iron moulds and buy them in pairs. I have only had one bad Lyman mould in 42 years. I have at least 100. But then I had my own cast boolit business for 23 years and prodution of good boolits was the goal.

I always cast with at least two four cavity moulds, sometimes three.

[462]

Given that the boolits drop at the desired size and nothing more than the usual initial mould preparation is needed, I prefer a four-cavity Lyman (mounted on Lee 6-cavity handles) because of its durability. However, I would hold out for a used one, since Lyman’s current quality control seems to be iffy, though I’ve had to return two Lee moulds.

[oso]

Cranking boolits out of Lee 6 cav molds for more than a decade. Sweet and easy for me to use.
Use them more than than my Lyman 4 cav molds which are so heavy and awkward for me to use that I've dropped more than just the boolits. More than one of my Lymans has a high handle screw due to insufficient drilling and tapping.

[VA Shooter]

I have both and IMO I like Lyman better BUT for the price the Lee is fine and you can really crank out Boolits with it

[white eagle]

sit down and cast away with the 6 holer
by the time you wear it out you have enough boolits to last you for centuries

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Which boolit design are you looking for.
there are small differences in similar designs from
one mfg to another.
that tends to drive me in one direction or the other.

also, if you can afford it,
I'd First recommend a mold from a custom mold maker,
if you truely know what you want in a boolit (design and size).
Jon

[Old Caster]

I would rather have Saeco first, RCBS second (but only 2 cavity), custom mold third, Lyman 4th and LEE last however some 2 cavity Lymans can be pretty bad. What I just did though was list them in order of price also however a 4 cavity Saeco can be as cheap as $150 and a custom iron mold will cost more. In other words you pretty much get what you pay for. I have never used an LBT mold or know what they cost but have heard good things about them from reliable people.

[singleshot]

I have a 6-cavity Lee in 45 that probably has around 4k-5k boolits dropped from it. It's still my "go-to" for my 45 ACPs and throws perfect boolits from the first drop if I keep my technique consistent.

[bhn22]

Lees still a "no go" for me, I just quit complaining about them. Lyman four cavity molds have been completely reliable for me. You can order new style handles for the Lymans that open conventionally, you're not stuck with the old style "nutcrackers".

[leadman]

The new Lee molds are much improved and very easy to cast with. I have had many Lyman 4 cavity and am now down to 1. I have about 10 Lee 6 cavity molds.
I recently replaced a Lee 6 cavity that had approx. 60,000 boolits cast with it. Sold it locally so it is still going. The Lee molds are made of soft aluminum and do need to be handled gently. But for less than $40 and the cost of handles it should last a lifetime.
The last 2 Saeco molds I bought have not been up to their previous high standards. My impression of the personnel at Redding (Saeco) is they are not avid casters and do not know as much about the specs the molds should be made to as they should.

[Animal]

I'm new to casting and I have a lee 6 banger and a lyman 4 banger. This is what I have found: (consider that I'm new to this)

Lee:
1. Great boolit
2. Can make lots of them
3. Difficult to get mold temp/alloy temp in perfect harmony
4. Lots of rapping at the handles
5. Boolits seem extremely consistent on all 6 cavities
6. I make just as many bad boolits as good boolits

Lyman:
1. Expensive
2. Heavy
3. Okay boolit
4. Not consistent at all 4 cavities
5. Mountains of good boolits in a short time
6. Very few rejects

I like them both. Perhaps with more experience I'll report less cons on both.

I look at my lyman as a plinking boolit making machine.

I look at my Lee as my "go too" mold for my serious rounds that I don't mind putting a little extra effort into.

Enjoy

[Larry Gibson]

Lyman switched from the old nut cracker style handles to the newer ones (work just like Lee's) some time back. If you get a set now it will be the new ones.

I use Lyman and MP 4 cavity moulds (iron and brass) which are heavy and also numerous Lee 6 cavity. I have the Lyman Mag20 on a table and sit on a stool when casting. I adjust the mould guide on the Mag20 for the mould so it holds the mould while pouring. I let the sprue harden a bit and then set the mould on a piece of plywood or a M60 barrel change mitt to my left for the sprue to completely harden. This is done with the 4 and 6 cavity moulds regardless of make or weight. Thus I don't hold the moulds for any extended period and have no problems using either.

Larry Gibson

[krag35]

Lyman, hands down. I have run 10's of thousands of bullets through mine. I have several Lee 6 bangers, and if I really like the design, I bought 2, because they will wear out through normal use.