Lee Hollow base molds

[richhodg66]

I seem to have really bad luck with Lee molds. I got a 58 caliber target minie, the kind that looks like a hollow base wadcutter. Anyway, after it heated up and I got about ten good casts, it wouldn't close all the way and upon investigation, it seems that base pin assembly is the reason. The channel in the mold block that the base pin assembly fits into seems to have gotten buggered up. Not sure if I'm explaining this well.

So now I gotta figure out how to clean up that channel or buy a new mold. Any thoughts or recommendations?

I really kind of dislike Lee molds (except the six cavity ones). Does anyone else make a real mold in a similar design?

[Mk42gunner]

It may not be the right tool, but a sharp pocket knife will trim the aluminum that Lee uses.

I don't have any of their hollow based molds so I don't know if you could get a file or sand paper in place to adjust the fit.

Robert

[richhodg66]

I'll keep messing with it, it just seems that Lee molds cannot be made to cast decent bullets to me. Something always seems to go wrong with them, or they just plain don't cast.

[Donor8x56r]

Last weekend I used 45 cal HB mold.Did an entire 4-20 pot of them.No problems at all.

One thing I found with older Lee (older Lyman too sometimes) that those molds close a lot easier when tilted 90 degrees.

They seem to align easier too,without any damage or binding.

[dromia]

Lee's moulds are shoddy in the extreme.

In saying that I have found their HB moulds to be a bit better, they still need fettling and need to be handled with care.

Have you contacted Lee?

[35 shooter]

I just packed up a lee .454 minnie ball mould that i received last week. Same problem, you could see daylight with mould closed. Tried to adjust pins a bit but no luck. Called Lee and they said box it up and send it back for repair or replacement. I sent it off priority today for an extra 8 bucks in the mould now, but at least their standing behind it.

I'll say one thing about that mould though. I knew it would pour over size because of the crack in it. I pre heated it on a hot plate after cleaning it and cast a few just to see. I was surprised when it dropped every boolit from the mould without having to tap it once....just open and drop a boolit. Of course they were 4 thousandths out of round. We'll see what they send back.

[Buckshot]

.............All aluminum moulds need lubrication and ESPECIALLY Lee aluminum moulds, and double especially their self locating HB Minie' moulds. When Aluminum gets hot, (and you need'em REALLY hot for HP Minie's to cast w/o voids) it gets sticky and draggy. You need to keep the alignment surfaces clean and lubricated. Do not use boolit lube as it will cook on and cake up. I use Bullplate lube since I first learned of it years ago and will use no other. This is all based on the assumption that your mould was correct from the factory.

Further, the blocks need to be GENTLEY closed over the cavity pin. Let the 2 blocks and the pin ease back into alignment with each other (the lube works wonders here). Since I doubt these Minie' boolits are being used in a magazine fed rifle, a few hours of steady thoughtfull mould operation will yield a considerable number of well done Minie' slugs to provide many days worth of shooting. I have at least one of every 58 cal Minie' mould that Lee makes and each has cast probably several hundred slugs apiece. With proper lubrication and gentle closure a Lee Minie mould will last and cast a LOT of slugs!

..............Buckshot

[bedbugbilly]

+ 1 ^