I am in need of a new melter, think I should wait on the new Lyman?

[TMenezes]

I destroyed my Lee furnace (partly my fault, partly the salt air here by the ocean) and am in need of a new melter. Think the Lyman will finally be out in July like they are claiming or should I just get a new Lee? The Lyman looks much more rust resistant as its enameled or painted, and has some cool features. But its several times the price and as yet unavailable...

[jmort]

Lyman melter looks cool and has all the features China can provide.

[500MAG]

The built in PID and 25 pound capacity looks nice. I do have concern about the mould guide. The pictures show limited room under the spout and I like to pour HP's which require more room. The picture may be misleading.

[IraqVet1982]

$66 for a Lee bottom pour on Amazon is unbeatable

[runfiverun]

the date for the lyman has been pushed back a few times.
I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it.

[GLL]

the date for the lyman has been pushed back a few times.
I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it.

Very True ! ....about 1 1/2 years worth ! :)

Jerry

[Bigslug]

My understanding is that the new Lyman will retain the spigot of the old Mag 20 - which IME is great for dripping stalagmites under the spout . . .until it clogs up and needs a paper-clip enema.

Moved the separate PID unit from the Lyman to an RCBS Pro Melt and haven't turned the Lyman back on since.

[TMenezes]

Yea I was curious about the Lyman since I saw it was coming out, but as I had a perfectly functional Lee it wasn't terribly important. Now I don't, so considering the options.

Option one, my Lee worked fine and a direct replacement is $67.

Option two, that Lyman looks pretty sweet. Costs more at $250. But I do like working with quality tools so might be worth it.

Option three, the RCBS also looks pretty cool but its price tag is just to much for me right now. The savings of the Lee or even the Lyman buys allot of diapers and baby food.

[dromia]

Buy once with confidence, I would really try and stretch for the RCBS.

The Lyman hasn't landed yet and the only basis you have to buy on is a picture.

The RCBS is a proven classic and is in a totally different league to the Lee.

But if cash is tight then the Lee will melt, pour and drip lead for a while and let you cast some bullets.

[Catshooter]

The Lyman sounds pretty sexy. But I dislike being a Beta tester. Your call.


Cat

[Jack Stanley]

The wait for the Lyman has been longer than most of the group buy deals you guys had with LEE for moulds . I won't hold my breath waiting for Lyman to get their act together , if you need one now buy the LEE and save for the RCBS . I won't hurt a bit to have two melters in the shop ;-)

Jack

[theperfessor]

I have a 20 lb Lyman with a PID I built to control it. If I didn't and money was tight, I would buy the Lee and a cheap PID to control it. Honest fellas, a PID control makes a lot of difference, and having one you can move lets you step up to a better furnace someday.

I would NOT wait on Lyman to make a reliable unit w/a built in PID. I'm happy with the conventional thermostat controlled one I have, since I just turn it on full and let the PID do its thing.

[dragon813gt]

The Lyman will never be released. And if it actually is......you will be sending it back due to PID failures. While having it all built into one package looks nice. It's the dumbest thing you can do for the PID controller. Electronics and heat do not go together. A pot full of 700 degree lead is going to cause PID failures all the time. Buy the pot of your choice and add an external PID. You have the added benefit of redundancy. If your PID does fail you can still cast using the thermostat on the pot.

[mrbill2]

Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[pls1911]

Ok , I guess I'll step in and promote the RCBS with more than the Honorable mention inthe above posts.
I cannot begin to tell you how many thousands of bullets I've cast over 20 years, but my RCBS unit has never stumbled. It's not the fanciest with bells and whistles, no is it the cheapest. However in its simplicity is reliability... there is little to go wrong with it. Buy. Quality.. Buy once... Buy RCBS PRO MELT and never look back.
Scrape and save an extra month or two... You will ever regret it.

[jmort]

Why get the inferior RCBS when you can get the Magma Masterpot. Why settle for the lesser RCBS? I would get the Lee and save up for the Magma. The RCBS is probably loaded with Chinese parts as RCBS is want to do with their electric powered products. With a 40 pound capacity the Masterpot rocks.

[sw282]

Rifle maker Kenny Jarrett has been making his own barrels for about 20 years....They are lead lapped by hand..The lead slugs/plugs used for the lapping are poured from an RCBS ProMelt furnace...He has two ProMelts..0ne he uses daily..0ne as a backup...The backup sits on a shelf,in its original box unopened box...His daily user is outside on the porch..l doubt its been inside since it was first heated up in 20 plus years ago..ProMelt is ''American Made''...That may not mean much to the walmarters out there.. lt does to me............

[M-Tecs]

I have a Magma CastMaster 90 lbs with PID that I love but I also have a RCBS ProMelt that has zero issues. I was going to get a 40 pound MasterPot but with the RCBS rebate and sale that Midway had at the time I got it for half the price. I can strongly recommend either one as a great product.

[dromia]

I have nothing at all against the magma but I have no need for a 40 lb pot, the RCBS is a fine pot in every respect and its capacity is better suited to the nature of my casting. I certainly wouldn't call it a lesser pot, if I need bigger capacity then the Magma would be bought but only for its capacity not for any superiority they are both fine and faultless pots from my experience.

[bannor]

Casting is such a pita, (and dangerous enough) that when I do it, I want 1000+ bullets an hour. I set up and go at it for an entire weekend and then don't have to bother with it again for a year. :-) Friday evening is spent melting the wheelweights, etc, and making ingots. the rest of the week (evenings) is spent sizing/lubing with the Star Progessive machine. This method requires a 100 lb pot of lead, on a propane-fired plumber's furnace, several 6 cavity molds, a fan blowing on me, a hotplate for keeping the molds warm during breaks, I turn each mold over and set it on a wet rag, to cool the sprues adequately. . I used to quench them in hot water, when I used steel molds from H and G, but the aluminum Lee's worry me enough to not risk such treatment. The alloy temp has to be carefully controlled, and large batches of homogenous tin/antimony/lead alloy must be prepped and ingoted. I had to make my own (spigoted) dipper. The factory ones don't quite hold enough lead for 6 .45 bullets, unless your pouring technique is perfect. A pc of 3/8" thick particle board on the floor gives me some hope of not destroying a mold if I drop it. :-) I use a big rubber mallet to open the sprue plate. I hire a couple of kids to "mine" the dirt berms a couple of times a year. $10 an hour each, under my supervision. So I end up with about 4c each of cost in each .45 slug, a bit over half that for the 9mm boolits.

[lesharris]

Lee for now. Lyman if it ever comes a reality.
Les.

[Beesdad]

$66 for a Lee bottom pour on Amazon is unbeatable

New Lee 20lb. Bottom pour on EB @ $57.77 shipped right now...item # 351067065556

[Silverboolit]

Check out Titan, sponsor here, for a good price on the LEE 4-20. Got a new one 2 months ago and hasn't dripped at all. I did lap the spout and the rod when it was new and maybe that helped.

[Freischütz]

I like the Lee and external PID combination. I just bought a new Lee 20 lb and see that the wooden valve knob has been replaced by a heavy metal one. Wonder if the heavy one is supposed to reduce dripping.