Lee mould for round balls?

[mac266]

Hey all, I've been casting pistol rounds for about 10 years or so, and am just branching out into rifles. What I've found with Lee moulds is they tend to be ok for pistol boolits. I didn't want to risk the quality issue with a rifle, so I bought an RCBS from a caster on this very site.

Now for the question: Does anyone use Lee moulds for round balls in their frontstuffers? I've acquired a lot of almost-pure lead and I figure I could make some round balls for the ol' frontstuffer. However, as with any rifle, I want it to be as accurate as possible. Will the Lee mould do the trick?

[Hogdaddy]

Sure, The right mold (fit) will do fine ; )
H/D

[rodwha]

I bought Lee RB molds in .457" and .490". They all look great with only an inkling of a sprue. But they are also a little small. I'm not sure if it's my casting, the heat, or the lead, which was a mix of lead piping and old BP bullets. I'm new to casting, and it very well could be me.

I've yet to try these cast RB's.

[mooman76]

I use mostly Lees. Work great and after all they are just RBs so less to mess up.

[GARD72977]

Let me say that I hate lee molds. But I really like there round ball molds. I have only cast with the 54 cal . It is one of my favorite molds and I would not hesitate to buy another one.

[Maven]

"...as with any rifle, I want it to be as accurate as possible. Will the Lee mould do the trick?"

If the [Lee] mold drops a ball that fits your bore, it will work as you can adjust the patch thickness to suit. That said, I have several Lee RB molds, as well as Lyman, RCBS, Tanner, and Thompson Center, and the Lee's cast as uniformly and concentrically as the others. They are a great value!

[Boogieman]

I use Lee RB molds for target shooting & hunting. Also use Lyman, Green Mountain,& TC They all make good balls. They are easier to use, heat up faster & don't rust. They'll produce balls as good as the high priced ones. They are my first choice if Lee makes the size I need.

[ShooterAZ]

All 4 of the RB and conical style LEE molds that I have recently purchased have been of the "new style pin molds", and I have been very pleased with them. No problems at all. I got them from Midway.

[Omnivore]

Same here; I have several Lee RB molds, and no complaints. I like to cast up a big heap-O-balls in one sitting, for one thing because once you get everything going, your temperatures are settled in and the balls are dropping in perfect shape, it's hard to stop when it's going so well.

[Kylongrifle]

I have a .530 and a .311 Lee RB mold. Both are good molds and drop good balls.

[Hanshi]

I cast with Lee molds in .62, .54, .50, .45, 40 and .311. All but the 40 & .62 are double cavity. I have Lyman in .445, .562 and a T/C in .350. I prefer the Lee molds.

[StrawHat]

I am fond of the lee style mold, 2 cavity and six cavity. I was unaware that Lee had a six cavity RB mold. That is a new item, when I was shooting a lot (in the last cantury) that mold was not available. I used a pair of 2 cavity molds for speed and ease of casting.

[Nit Wit]

I've used Lee moulds for years, no issues.
NW

[DeadWoodDan]

I just cast my first round with a LEE .490"RB and REAL combo. Works for what i'm going to do with it. Just have to put them down range now. best of both worlds
DWD

[w0fms]

Hey.. I didn't want to start a new thread and it is relevant to this topic. I have kids going though a YHEC program and I picked up a new CVA Wolf a few months back. It does really well with cast 45 ACP and sabots (with my normal mix of COWW and recycled range lead), but in the program they use patched balls and a powder puff load (Pyrodex at 30 gr).

I have a Lee 50 cal ball mold I picked up about that same time, and I'd like to start casting for the muzzleloader as well.

Anyway.. I have been too slow moving to pick up soft lead here twice now (just barely missed out on it both times).. and I am wondering if range lead is soft enough for a 50 cal ball in the modern inlines? If so I have plenty of that lying around.

What do those of you who have been doing BP for awhile think? Or do I still try to get pure lead from somewhere? Thanks... The kids need as much practice as they can get as they are just beginners...

[StrawHat]

If you are wrapping the round ball in a patch, any lead can work. Reading the journals from the ODGs, they mention hardening the round balls for less deformation.

[mazo kid]

If you are wrapping the round ball in a patch, any lead can work. Reading the journals from the ODGs, they mention hardening the round balls for less deformation.
To a point..... If the hard ball is too big, it will be hard to get started down the bore. "Hardening round balls for less deformation"....? In what? Upon ignition of the black powder, the ball obturates to fill the bore, so any deformation is negated. At least IMHO.

[StrawHat]

Baker and others wrote of hardening the cast to prevent deformation on impact. They were more interested in terminal ballistics.

I would imagine the OP was using properly sized balls, why would you think he would use one that is too big?

[w0fms]

I suppose I need to try it at least. At the time I bought the mold, I could only get the 0.495" version. So it might end up tight. But it appears if I use the softish range lead I have, the worse I can do on a patched ball is have a hard time driving it down. I shouldn't get into a situation where it would probably damage the bore. For all practical purposes the modern inline's bore looks like any other modern rifle bore.

I suppose I really need to check the board several times a day.. I almost had pure lead last week but I went away for the weekend and an offer for sheet lead on late Friday night was "negated" on Sunday.. checked in on Monday morning... too late again... sigh.. It's not all that easy to get locally either... don't have the time to run around looking for it...

And this is why I am asking.. I've been meaning to cast for the Wolf for several weeks now but I always hear that you need pure lead, and the Lee mold, of course, also says that...

Thanks for the responses guys.