Lee molds

[1maxhunter]

New to casting.like lee products altho neaver did.i am now very impressed with the stuff.BUT what do you guys think about the LEE molds???? would like to work with casting .357-.38 sp. rounds. and .308 for 30-30 and .45 acp any good,bad or other things you guys can share?? does there tumble lube realy work??? any help would be great...thanks..

[Wal']

Read through the stickies, just about everthing you asked will be covered there.

Lee molds are great starters pricewise & then try some of the good/known s/h steel molds, there's many to chose from, again the stickies. [smilie=s:


:cbpour:

[Ben]

1maxhunter

WELCOME to the forum ! ! !

Yes, go to the stickies. They will MORE THAN answer all your questions about Lee molds.

[zuke]

I picked up a LEE 6 cavity and it worked pretty good from the start.
But after I learned to LEEment them? MAN what a differance.
I now LEEment all my gang mold's and they just fall out.

[41 mag fan]

You do a search you'll find many rants and raves about Lee molds. Some people like them, some hate them. It depends on what you call acceptable on whether you'll like or hate Lee molds.

[Jim]

You do a search you'll find many rants and raves about Lee molds. Some people like them, some hate them. It depends on what you call acceptable on whether you'll like or hate Lee molds.

And some people buy them 'cause that's all they can afford.

[cajun shooter]

Lee moulds are like your shoes you purchased in high school with your work money if you fall into that group of people.
They will do a job that at the time you feel is very good. As you learn more about the fine art of casting, they begin to loose some of the fine fit you felt at first. You then wonder why others are paying so much for the name brands when yours does the job. You finally come to a stage in your life where you have more disposable income. You decide to try a pair of the more costly ones. You instantly fell like your feet are walking on air, no wonder these are so sought after by others. How could I have taken so long to see the correct thing to buy.
Go to any shooting event where accuracy is the goal and you will not find anyone who uses a Lee mould.
They are cheap for a reason.
For just a few dollars more you may purchase a mould made by Tom at Accurate that is light years ahead of anything made by Lee.
I sent 5 of the group buys from Lee back to the factory for numerous problems. They are only made for starting the hobby. If you find someone who brags about the Lee moulds then they have a very low standard of precision. Later David

[captaint]

IMax - Lee molds are kinda like you find them - some are very good, some not so great. They're cheap enough, that's for sure. With a little work, they can work real well. If it were me, I would avoid the tumble lube thing though. Again, it's OK, plenty of people have success with it. I didn't like the gunk in my dies, so I got a real sizer/luber and I'm very happy with that. I did start out with the tumble lube like many of us here.
enjoy Mike

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

All very good advice so far...look to the stickies is probably the best advice as you will likely find the best answer to the questions you are not asking...but should be.

to the question you are asking...
LEE molds, you get what you pay for. Their quality is hit and miss, sometimes you get more than what you pay for. Their designs are general use at best, if you're lucky enough, your gun/application may only need a general use design. I have about 50 Lee molds, of them, I treasure about 10 of them...the rest are collecting dust because I found a better alternative.


"where does tumble lube work?"disclaimer: this is my opinion from my own experience.
Most Lee tumble lube molds are a bit on the small size, they seem to be designed to be used for the most basic (low pressure) plinking, where if your Rifling is near spec. the boolits will probably not need sizing. Just tumble lube them, then they are ready for loading.
Good Luck
Jon

[mold maker]

I'd tend not to belittle ,or talk down to Lee molds or their users. I have quiet a few LEE 6cav and smaller molds that I use regularly. I also have quiet a few NOE and brass 4 cav molds made by Mihec, along with iron molds. Each was bought with a purpose in mind, and each does what I wanted.
Those that can only afford LEE are no less entitled to respect. They are enabeling themselves the same enjoyment in casting, as those who can afford the most expensive (not necessarily the best) molds. After all we are only making objects, that we intend to kick in the backsides, and slam into an object that will deform and mangle it. The target or game couldn't care less what kind of mold made the boolit.

[Fishman]

Very well said moldmaker. I get just as much satisfaction out of one of my single cavity Lee moulds as one of my NOE, Mihec, or Accurate moulds. Sometimes more because they are cheap and require more skill to operate correctly.

[Casting_40S&W]

Lee molds are great, reloading/casting is all about saving money. The NEW STYLE Lee double cavities which you may have seen on various posts are a answer to my prayers.

[ShooterAZ]

Lee molds are just fine to get started with. As you become a more experienced caster, you may (or may not) want to invest in some higher quality molds. I have had a couple that had to go back (to Midway) for out of round issues or gas check shank issues. I now use primarily cast iron molds, RCBS & Lyman. They work better for me and are much more durable. This is not to say you can't get a bad cast iron mold, luckily I haven't had a bad one yet.

Take the advise not to purchase "tumble lube" style molds. Buy some conventional lube groove style molds, and you can tumble lube them just fine if you wish. Then if you decide to buy a lube/sizer later on you will already be ready to go.

[Casting_40S&W]

Tumble lube is the way to go, requires no pricey equipment

[PS Paul]

Welcome to the forum there, 1max! I see a lot of great advice on this thread and encourage you to start with a Lee. I own lots of different molds from Lee, Lyman and RCBS, but I look at it this way: I have been in marine and rod/gun business for almost 20 years. In the world of boating, there are lots of "elitists" who hold contempt for boaters who own Bayliner boats because they are the boating equivalent of Lee Precision products: affordable. I always have maintained that if it were NOT for Bayliner, there would be less than HALF of the boaters we have on the water out here on the West Coast. Same goes for Lee: it puts a LOT of people in a position to cast boolits who would not otherwise get to enjoy the most wonderful aspect of shootibng there is: the pride in makin' yer own!

Just my .02, that's all. Enjoy!
Paul

[frkelly74]

If it weren't for lee molds I would not have ventured into casting. they work great usually. Tumble lube is an effective , if messy , way to get boolits lubed, It works.

[PS Paul]

If it weren't for lee molds I would not have ventured into casting. they work great usually. Tumble lube is an effective , if messy , way to get boolits lubed, It works.

See, just like I said: gets LOTS of folks started out, me included. Magic!

[1maxhunter]

Thanks so much you guys...i understand what you all are saying.if i can start out making some half way good with them to start,hopfully i can make some even better with a better mold as time goes on.
What do you mean about LEEment them????

[Tazman1602]

VERY well said MM. NO reason to tell a new member to "read the stickies, do a search" etc IMHO that is NOT a warm welcome. I have a ton of Lee molds as well as BRP, NOE, AccurateMolds, and MIHEC and they all serve a purpose.

I buy Lee molds because they're cheap and affordable and I can work with them if I need to and not worry about messing up a $100 mold.

Matter of fact I've got a new 6-banger on the way to try because it WAS affordable.......

To the OP I don't use Lee Alox lube because it's messy, but there are a TON of guys here that use it regularly along with TL molds and get amazing accuracy from their guns. Don't ever let anyone talk you out of trying Lee products. Some of their "cheap stuff" I prefer over more expensive brands.

1Max WELCOME to the forum!

Art


I'd tend not to belittle ,or talk down to Lee molds or their users. I have quiet a few LEE 6cav and smaller molds that I use regularly. I also have quiet a few NOE and brass 4 cav molds made by Mihec, along with iron molds. Each was bought with a purpose in mind, and each does what I wanted.
Those that can only afford LEE are no less entitled to respect. They are enabeling themselves the same enjoyment in casting, as those who can afford the most expensive (not necessarily the best) molds. After all we are only making objects, that we intend to kick in the backsides, and slam into an object that will deform and mangle it. The target or game couldn't care less what kind of mold made the boolit.

[1maxhunter]

i found leementing..thanks..
do you have to wait longer to let the mold heat up because its aluminum to cast?
and what can happen if it gets to hot?

[Bullet Caster]

If your casting mould gets too hot use a damp but not soaking wet cloth to set the mould on between pourings. That will cool things down a bit. Most of the time inexperienced casters do not get the moulds hot enough. I always pour about 6-7 castings and put those in the sprue catcher tray before I start accepting the results. This usually heats the mould up to operating temperature. Oh, and by the way, welcome to Castboolits, the best danged site on the internet. It appears that you've already gotten bit by the casting heroin. It's truly addictive. Stay safe and have some fun. I just love sending something I've made downrange. BC

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I posted this a few days ago in responce to a similar question.

I judge mold temp (while casting) by the number of seconds that it takes for the sprue puddle to freeze, Ideally I like 4 to 6 seconds. when just starting a casting session, this tells more what the sprue plate temp is, then the mold temp. But if you preheat the mold and start the your casting cadence, after 10 or 20 pours, it's also a good judge of mold temp.

So to re-word that, I start casting with a preheated mold. I watch how long it takes for the sprue puddle to freeze, if it's less then 4 seconds, I cast faster. If it's longer then 6 seconds, I open the mold to cool it down a bit and also cast slower.

[fcvan]

I have a Lee 356-125 2R mold I bought in 1986 and have cast about 500k boolits with. It was used so much that the sprue plate screw stripped out. I drilled it out and re tapped with a larger stainless bolt. For years this was my go to boolit for 38 special (it casts .3585) and only recently has been pressed back not service for 9mm. I have quite a few Lee molds and have not had one dud. The last two I bought were this year so I have stuff from the 80s and some from this decade. The only molds I have that aren't Lee are in designs not produced by Lee. I like them a lot.

My Lyman and SAECO molds are great too. I have SAECOs from the 70s and 80s, and the Lyman is two years old. The only thing I don't like about some Lee designs is the bevel base because of lube at the base. You can remove the bevel base easily but it isn't such a problem that I have bothered. Now that I'm making plain based gas checks the bevel base isn't even an issue. I like to think of Lee molds as affordable, not cheap. Frank

[1maxhunter]

thank you frank. im geting wrincles in the nose of the 180 gr. mold. my buddy says the same.not hot enought.

[I'll Make Mine]

Relative to the comment up the thread about Lee tumble lube molds casting undersize -- I have a TL314-90-SWC, nominal .314 that drops at .317, and a C309-180-R, nominal .309, that drops at .311, both with 100% clip-on wheel weight alloy. I'll have to size the little ones to fire in my .313 groove Mosin Nagant, and the bigger ones should Beagle big enough to fire as cast for light loads (though I bought that mold intending to size down to .301 for paper patching). Point being, neither of these molds casts below the nominal size and both are big enough to require some sizing for the rifles (or pistols) they're intended to service.

[1maxhunter]

i played with the lee alox lube today using the lee .309 sizing die and alox lube.it seamed to dry fast and sized well.like lee says i need to lube again after sizing? i bought a box of genuin javilina lube from an old timer friend. i just need to get a sizer and bushings to get up to speed. im taking baby steps.

[I'll Make Mine]

Yes, you'll want to apply another coat of Liquid Alox after push-through sizing, because the sizer will rub the lube off the lead where it reduces the tumble lube ribs or driving bands -- which is exactly where you need lube the most.

[1maxhunter]

have you had good luck with this stuff?? gona set up an eddystone 3006 with this bullet.?

[I'll Make Mine]

I just cast my first boolits last weekend, haven't sized any of 'em, I'm just repeating what Lee recommends and why. Most of the long timers seem not to like tumble lube much, but the TL mold I have is intended for low velocity, low pressure loads and should be fine.

Generally, the faster you push the boolit, the more lube you're going to want; tumble lube (based on boolit shapes) seems to be intended mainly for pistol/revolver boolits, and unless you're making mouse fart loads for that .30-06, you'll probably want to go with gas check grease groove type, or start the learning process for paper patch.

[1maxhunter]

what is paper patch?

[I'll Make Mine]

Take a look a the "Smokeless Paper Patching" forum at the bottom of this section, read the stickies there. Basically, it's taking a cast boolit barely over bore (not groove) size, wrapping it in paper to fill the grooves plus a little, and loading that into the cartridge. The paper prevents lead from contacting the bore, as well as sealing against gas cutting, so prevents leading (the paper also polishes the bore); with appropriate load development, paper patch can allow cast bullets to be pushed well beyond the velocity limits of gas check types -- essentially, a paper patched bullet with the correct powder load can give any performance level a jacketed would give from the same cartridge/rifle combination, but at lower pressure (because there's less resistance to pushing a paper patched bullet than a jacketed one). The paper should, if everything is right, be just barely cut by the rifling and come off the bullet within a few feet of the muzzle.

[1maxhunter]

oh..like patch testing a muzzle load but with paper??

[I'll Make Mine]

I suppose; it's been thirty-plus years since I shot a muzzle loader and I don't recall ever finding a patch (didn't shoot all that much). Point being, the patch protects the bore and bullet from each other, like a jacket, but with less bore friction and bore wear, and lets you shoot cast bullets at jacketed velocity without even a gas check needed. I plan to start learning paper patching as soon as hunting season is over and I can concentrate on reloads (and spare gas and money to shoot at the range).

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

and what can happen if it gets to hot?

smaller, frosty looking boolets, if they fit your gun, who cares if they're frosty :)

[cbrick]

reloading/casting is all about saving money.

For some that statement is gospel, not by a long shot is that true of everyone.

For one type of reloader/caster there is one important thing and only one . . . How cheap can I get this done. That's fine if it's your thing, have at it.

For another type of handloader/caster what is far more important is making what you need to suit your own specific requirements. Even more important than that is that you made it to the very best of your ability with your own two hands. After that comes . . . What can I do to make it better.

I am not rich by anyone's standard, the vast majority of my reloading and casting equipment I have I had to save up for and get one peice at a time over many years. I get a great deal of satisfaction from the time I get to spend in my loading room with the tools & equipment I have & the ammo I produce, saving money isn't the reason it's satisfying. I don't buy tools with the intent of seeing how much time & aggravation I'll need to spend to get a tool to do what I bought it to do. Nothing satisfying for me about that.

Nothing wrong with "how cheap can I get this done" if that's your priority but it is not an accross the board statement. Many more reasons for both handloading and casting for many people.

Rick

[StrawHat]

New to casting.like lee products altho neaver did.i am now very impressed with the stuff.BUT what do you guys think about the LEE molds???? would like to work with casting .357-.38 sp. rounds. and .308 for 30-30 and .45 acp any good,bad or other things you guys can share?? does there tumble lube realy work??? any help would be great...thanks..

I have been casting for roughly 4 decades. I started with some iron molds, Ideal and Lyman, and then found Lee. The first Lee mold I bought was a double cavity, 358-150. I liked it so much I bought a second one. I got lucky and the second mold cast an identical boolit to the first. Using them in tandem, I could cast a pile of boolits in a short time which was critical to feed a competition diet. Are the old two cavity molds the best in the world? Not really, but they were inexpensive and turned out a good product when used with care. Since that time I have acquired many more Lee molds, some doubles, some singles and even some custom 6 cavity molds. All serve the purpose for which I bought them, to cast a decent boolit. All the molds I have purchased cast boolits appropriate to the diameter of my bore or larger. Did I get lucky? Not sure as I read about a lot of undersized molds. I also have molds by other companies and still have no complaints about the quality of my Lee molds. For the price, they are a bargain.