Lee's " NEW " 2 cavity molds.

[Ben]

As many of you by now are aware, Lee has a newly redesigned 2 cavity mold. Lee has abandoned the " V Block " arrangement that we've know for so many years in favor of conventional alignment pins similar to their 6 cav. molds.

Photo below courtesy of rexherring.

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p545/Ben35049/NewStyleblocks_zpsbc64ad9f.jpg

I contacted Andy with Lee Precision today and inquired about getting the Lee , 30 cal. , 200 gr. RN in the new block design. Won't happen today, but I thought that many of you might like to see Andy's reply to me :

__________________________________________________ __

We have received your request and will get back to you within 48 hours. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 3:45pm CST.

General Information

Ticket ID #MRM-285-51915
Name - - Ben


Subject: Product Question

I'm beginning to see photos from some cast bullet shooters of your new style 2 cav. molds.

I'm very interested in ordering one. Catch is, .....if I order I'm afraid that I'll get the old style blocks.

How to I guarantee that I'll get the new style blocks from you or a vendor If I order now ?

Thanks,

Ben



_____________________

Ben

You would need to ask the seller. We are switching all single and double cavities to the new design, that transition probably will take 1 year to complete. By transition I mean dealers selling old stock and replenishing with new stock. If you have a mold in mind in particular, I can run out to the factory and see if we have switched to the new style and you could order direct from us. We are the manufacture, so we charge full list $25.98.

Thanks,

Andy
__________________________

Ben,

The larger rifle molds are not available yet in the new style extrusion. We have a new style rife mold extrusion, pushed out of 6061-T6 Aluminum Billet. We are currently manufacturing the machining fixtures, to fixture and machine the new style rifle molds. They will be CNC engraved like the pistol molds.

Thanks,

Andy
__________________________

About half of the pistols and 75% of round balls, Minnies and slug molds are switched over.

Thanks,

Andy

[Jailer]

That's great to hear, thanks for sharing Ben.

[Marlin Junky]

Ben,

Was there any mention of how Lee plans to vent the rifle cavities cut in the new block design?

MJ

[Ben]

MJ,

Sorry, but no information was offered on your point of concern......I posted everything that he gave me.

Ben

[plmitch]

Thanks for the update Sir.

[41 mag fan]

I wonder how that'll work on closing with both alignment pins on the bottom only

[theperfessor]

I don't see alignment pin location as a problem. I really like the looks of the new molds. I bet they could sell a bunch of them just as blanks, for all the guys that want to hack, whittle, and gnaw out a cavity or two.

[JIMinPHX]

Those are bullet nose pins. I've used them before. I like them.

Just having 2 pins on the bottom should be fine with that type of pin.

The lack of venting concerns me.

[Ben]

Jim:

The lack of venting concerns me.

___________________________________

That caught my attention early when I 1st glanced at their new blocks also.

Of course, I've got some old IDEAL molds that don't have a single vent line on them and they cast fine bullets.

Ben

[rexherring]

I poured about 100 with that mold last night and they worked great. There isn't overly visible venting but the machining marks seem to be enough but then again it's a small boolit. Larger rifle designs may need more venting. That pic I took isn't the best so you can't see the machine tooling marks but it vented o.k..

[Houndog]

I like the looks of that new mold AND from the looks of that particular mold it'd be an easy task to hollow point! I'm going to try to get my hands on one and find out!

[reloader28]

Sweet. I think they will probly up they're sales with that design. I know I'm more interested, I think the mold will last longer. I have some molds that need replacing.

[Bullshop]

Ben
What diameter is that mold pictured dropping?

[SciFiJim]

Depending on how the new mold design works out, I have a couple of molds that could stand to be replaced.

[madsenshooter]

Those are bullet nose pins. I've used them before. I like them.

Just having 2 pins on the bottom should be fine with that type of pin.

The lack of venting concerns me.

If the handles are as wobbly as the old ones, they'll need that bullet shape to get the halves to come together!

[Ben]

Ben
What diameter is that mold pictured dropping?

I don't own that mold , it belongs to rexherring.
According to rexherring, It drops right at .356 and 104 grs.

[Bullshop]

Perfect! A light RN for 38 spl.

[Ben]

Perfect! A light RN for 38 spl.

Bullshop*:

OOOOppps, Need to make a correction :

According to rexherring, It drops right at .356 and 104 grs.

That is close to where my tumble lube 125 Lee was throwing also.
However, I corrected that :

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?175448-Lee-35-cal-125-gr-Tumble-Lube

[rexherring]

My first batch was .356 with a softer alloy for the .380 the very bottom of the base was .357. I'm going to try some harder cast this week end to see if they drop a little larger. I just ran them in the RCBS lube sizer with my .358 die and lubed them but they didn't seem to do anything for sizing but lubed good. If they stay at the .356 size, I may just start tumble lubing.

The handles on the mold are pretty much the same but they are still tight. If they get loose, I just put some high temp silicone in the handle holes and re-insert the handle. So far that seems to work the best for my Lee molds.

The one thing I need is a better powder measure as the big Pacific one I have works great for larger loads but not so good for the .380 and 2 grs of Bullseye. Those small loads don't seem to measure as accurate as the adjustment is almost closed on the measure.

[johnly]

I don't see alignment pin location as a problem. I really like the looks of the new molds. I bet they could sell a bunch of them just as blanks, for all the guys that want to hack, whittle, and gnaw out a cavity or two.

Exactly what I was thinking of doing.

John

[Andrew Mason]

i cant wait to get my hands on a set of these.

should be great for making HP cast boolits

[trying2learn]

Sorry if this has been mentioned here but I am in a hurry and was afraid I would forget to read the whole thing. I contacted them and they told me there was no gaurantee when you order rather or not the style I got would be the new one or not and they anticipated a 1-2 year delay for there to be a complete switch over. They suggested I asked the seller and I asked if I bought it from them directly all be it possibly higher cost if I could get the new style guaranteed. They wouldn't say yes or no just that it was worth a try. But if it wasn't a new style that I got unless it was defective they wouldn't swap it for one. Hopefully this wasn't put up already.

[Ben]

This " strategy " of Lee's ( and Lee's retail stores ) could backfire ?

What if people who are anxious to buy the " New Style "
molds just sit back and don't buy anything for 2 years ?
That would be the " play it safe strategy ".
If you don't order a mold , you can't have
the wrong mold sent to you, now can you ?

Some potential buyers might say...." Well, if I have to
wait X amount of time to insure that I'll get the "new
style mold", that is just how long I'll wait before I place
an order."

UUUmmmm , a 2 year dry spell for 2 cav. mold sales for Lee ?
That doesn't sound like good business for Lee's Sales and
marketing program ? ?

What would Lee Precision do with the large
pile of " old style 2 cav. molds " that casters
obviously didn't want to buy ?

Ben

[Irascible]

About time they improved their small moulds. That looks like a lot of aluminum for those two tiny bullets, they could have made that into at least a three cavity.
Are those handles removeable?

[trying2learn]

Ben I agree with you and now I plan to read the last pages I missed. When I spoke to both the receptionist and the tech which was not andy but I think his name was larry. It was few months back I even told him that I and many people would probably just wait it out to which he replied that was a option I and many others had.

Now granted after the original response I was in a little irritated state from his lack of caring I suppose. However I understand not being able to guarantee a new style if it has not be ran yet, but just to do it to get rid of the old stock doesn't sound right to me.

I would suggest a sale on the old ones or even say put a n at the end or something so as to designate them and give people the option intil they run out of the old. Heck they even have a clearance section. Why not use it. I might buy the old style at a discount to get a few extras depending on the price. But some of the ones I don't have a mold for I would do the new styles.

That's just me and I might be the odd ball but I just don't understand the answers I was given by the gentleman. Normally they are great for me answering my questions and orders of parts I lose.

[rexherring]

Well I cast some hard cast tonight and it did drop them bigger as I thought it would. Water dropped at .358 so I'll use some in my .38 for plinking light loads too as well as the .380. Should also be good for a 9mm. So far, this mold is great.

[rexherring]

I see the e-bay web site for the dealer I got mine from is back up. This is the one I ordered from him.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lee-9MM-38-380-AUTO-Dual-Cavity-Bullet-Mold-LEE-90305-/390494993032?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5aeb50ba88

[Chicken Thief]

Just looked in the 2013 catalogue and theres no mention of this change.
Strange as it is a great improvement and defenetly worth bragging about. Just my http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm153/Chickenthief/Blandet/Smilere/2c.gif

[Ben]

Again, I doubt Lee will say much about all this until their last old style mold is sold and gone, then and only then will they begin to showcase their newly designed molds.

If you're selling two products for the same identical price and 1 is clearly superior to the other ........You want to guess which one the public is going to want ? ?

Ben

[Black Lung]

Interesting. I've got 3 new Lee molds under the X-mas tree and Santa won't let me touch them until Christmas, so I don't know what they are! One was back ordered from Midway, and two were in stock. I'm betting I got 1 new one and 2 old style.

Blacky

[Ben]

I hope all three are the " new style ", but I have my doubts.

Ben

[milrifle]

Lee Molds are so cheap, I would just place the order. If, when you get it, it is the old design, cast with it for a year or two, then order a second one after you KNOW the new design is implemented.

[MBTcustom]

Oh happy day!!!
Do you have any idea how much better a HP conversion is going to be? Right now, I hate it when I have to HP a Lee mold because I have to work around that crazy cross pin, but now its going to be just like doing a Lyman etc.
Also, don't worry about the vent lines. They are very easy to install yourself, and the molds will probably work perfectly without them (notice the strange finish on the block faces).
This is big news for booliteers everywhere. They just removed one of the biggest gripes I have had with their molds.
I will be dropping some money next year for sure.

[theperfessor]

You guys got it all wrong. I'm going to buy some of their old ones, wait a couple of years, and sell them on Ebay as "classic", "vintage" molds. Probably triple my investment in five years!

[Ben]

You guys got it all wrong. I'm going to buy some of their old ones, wait a couple of years, and sell them on Ebay as "classic", "vintage" molds. Probably triple my investment in five years!

HA ! ! !, I needed that.....

Ben

[William Yanda]

Sir
You are a devious conniving old ........words fail me

[theperfessor]

Sir
You are a devious conniving old ........words fail me

Not sure if that's for Ben or me but if it's for me - thanks!

[deltaenterprizes]

I wonder how hard it will be to convert them to fit a Master Caster?

[white eagle]

Nice work Lee ...........Yippeee :Fire:

[Smitty's Retired]

Titan has some of the new design Lee Moulds also. I ordered the C312-185-1R along with some other items, which was a Christmas Present from my Better Half. (I know, no fair in knowing what I'm getting.) Was forbid to open it until Christmas Day. Package came Friday, so I handed it over for her to wrap.

I still have not cleaned it, or used it. Plan on doing so tomorrow. Here are some pictures (the best I could do). It seems they have changed the milling process for the rifle molds. I have included arrows to show where the vent lines are. It also seems they have changed the pattern for milling in the center area, I guess also to aid in venting. I'm no machinist, maybe you that are can comment on this. It seems to close tight, and the handles have no looseness, and the blocks seem to be even. What do you think?

56816
56817
56818

Just my two cents that aint worth a nickle.
Smitty

[SciFiJim]

It looks like some sort of swirl pattern was faced onto the mold block before the cavities were cut. I blew up the middle picture but couldn't tell for sure. It looks like some of the vent lines near the driving bands may have been closed off during the cutting process. Probably have to cast with it to tell for sure. It may be fine.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Ben I agree with you and now I plan to read the last pages I missed. When I spoke to both the receptionist and the tech which was not andy but I think his name was larry. It was few months back I even told him that I and many people would probably just wait it out to which he replied that was a option I and many others had.

Now granted after the original response I was in a little irritated state from his lack of caring I suppose. However I understand not being able to guarantee a new style if it has not be ran yet, but just to do it to get rid of the old stock doesn't sound right to me.

I would suggest a sale on the old ones or even say put a n at the end or something so as to designate them and give people the option intil they run out of the old. Heck they even have a clearance section. Why not use it. I might buy the old style at a discount to get a few extras depending on the price. But some of the ones I don't have a mold for I would do the new styles.

That's just me and I might be the odd ball but I just don't understand the answers I was given by the gentleman. Normally they are great for me answering my questions and orders of parts I lose.

I have spoke to Larry on a couple of occassions and he never impressed me. I sent a mold back that was casting .304"x.307" rather than .309". He sent it back with a note saying all it needed was the mold handles lubed in order for it to cast correctly. I called and asked what lead alloy he cast with it and he said they aren't allowed to use lead to cast with and use cerrosafe to check the molds.

I really like Lee molds for the money but most need a little work. Hopefully this new design fixes the need to repair them.

Dolomite

[trying2learn]

Yea whenever he answers I kind of give up hope and just get through the call then try whatever he half hearted suggested. Then if it diesnt work I call get the other guy who seems to care and go from there.

[45FP]

I recently got one of the "new style" from midway, it's a 452-230. Nice looking mold too. I like that the molds now have the size/ weight etched on the top opposite the spru plate pivot screw. First casts went about normal for a new mold, got to dropping good ones pretty soon. Had to fill a little slower than the other old style molds though, probably from lack of vent lines.
About 20-25 into the good ones I noticed that the mold line was very visible on them , quick visual check didn't show any thing out of order (maybe I just ain't holding the thing tight enough) keep going paying attention to blocks, grip, ect. Dang something just ain't right here i thought.:-?
After closer insp. under better lights I discovered that the alignment pins had retreated back into their sockets and weren't out far enough to properly engage the bushings set in the other half. Hence the misaligned blocks.
So that was the first session with the new mold.
I'm pretty sure I've remedied the situation but won't cast more till tomorrow.

[Lucky Joe]

Two years, man I ain't getting any younger.

[rmatchell]

I just got two of the new style for Christmas and so far im really impressed. I got the 356-120-tc and the 311-100-2r, so far I have only used the 356-120 but from a somewhat warm mold I was getting great boolits within a few cycles I let some air cool and the measured out at 127gr and .356 to .358. That was me rushing to try out a new lee 20lb pot and two new molds.

[-06]

Needing a 380 mold right now--thanks for the heads up.

[OuchHot!]

I just received a .38-55 mold set and was surprised that it is the new style. It is the smoothest cut cavity I have gotten from lee in a long time and seems to be very well fitted.....I have yet to through lead, but it sure looks good so far.

[Lucky Joe]

I just received a .38-55 mold set and was surprised that it is the new style. It is the smoothest cut cavity I have gotten from lee in a long time and seems to be very well fitted.....I have yet to through lead, but it sure looks good so far.

That is very good to hear, Lee gets a lot of bashing, not all undeserved I guess but encouraging to know they are trying to put out a product with quality and a modest price. I have quite a few Lee moulds and dies.

[375RUGER]

^^
yes, I just got a 2C RB mould and it casts SO much better than their previous 2Cs. I'd almost replace my .358-158-RF but it is a nice fat boolit and is working quite well as cast.

[bravo2]

Any 45-70 new molds yet? How about in 40/10mm,45,35 rem,30-30,9mm?

[JWFilips]

Would anyone know if the new batch ( Just came in) of Lee 2-Cavity Bullet Mold TL358-158-SWC (38 Special Tumble lube)
are the new style? I wrote Midway USA customer service but the haven't answered yet

[Ben]

I asked LEE that specific question, I was told :

The only way to know is to ask the company you are ordering from if they are shipping you the old style blocks or the new style blocks .

[autopilotmp]

I just placed an order with midway for the 401-175-TC, will let you guys know if it is new or old style. They just came back in stock this past friday so hopefully it will be new style.

[autopilotmp]

Got my 401-175-TC mold from Midway today and it is the new style, can't wait to cast with it. After making a fresh batch of FWFL. I sat down and looked it over real good ant found a couple pieces of alum that did not come all the way off the top of the cavity (base of boolit). Rubbed all the edges with a soft piece of wood and looked at the sprue plate that they didn't change, will have to add the set screw in the side like all my other molds. I will get it clean tomorrow evening and hopefully this weekend I can pour some and see how she works.