Mould handle for Accurate 2 cavity mould?

[huntinlever]

Hi all -

Please bear with me, new to casting and gathering information and equipment to begin.

I have an Accurate 2-cavity mold coming over the next several weeks. Dumb question (I know), but searching through, I didn't see this one answered (probably missed it - sorry. "Accurate" brings up a ton of results). He indicates his moulds fit RCBS handles. Is there a particular one you should use, with his 2-cavity mould? Or does one RCBS fit any RCBS-fitting mould?

While we're here - got some good advice over on Marlinowners. Just curious here - experiences with using the Lee sizer/luber/gc seater on non-tumble lube bullets?

Many thanks.

[VHoward]

The Lee six cavity mold handles will also work. https://fsreloading.com/lee-precision-commercial-mold-handles-90005.html At $12.99, they are a lot better deal than paying $30 or more for a RCBS handle.

Yes, you can use the Lee bullet sizing dies on non tumble lube bullets. Lee bullet sizing dies do not apply lube, you do that before you push the bullets through the die.

[huntinlever]

Great, thanks VHoward. Picked up the Lee just now. Thanks, too, on the info re: the Lee Sizer. On its way from Track of the Wolf.

Very much appreciated!

edit: someone from Marlinowners cautioned against using the Lee lube, and to be honest I also had my reservations. He mentioned there are people on this site who actually make and sell quality lube? Would you happen to have any recommendations (I understand it might be difficult to say, as there is more than one doing it)? (btw - this is 460-425Q (http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=46-425Q-D.png), for my 1895 45/70 guide gun).

[VHoward]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/forumdisplay.php?58-Boolit-Lube-! This forum section has a lot of info. read through it.
What lube you use depends on what method you want to use. If you still want to tumble coat, dry and size, you can still do that with this bullet. Straight Lee liquid alox may not be ideal, but there are custom recipes discussed in the lube section.
You can also pan lube where you set your bullets up in a shallow baking pan and pour in some traditional wax type lube that you melt in a double boiler untill the lube grooves are covered. After the lube has hardened, you then remove the bullets and the wax type lube should stay in the lube grooves. You then push them through the sizer.

Many are also now powder coating their bullets. Read through the powder coating section for info on that.

I don't know who is selling lube already made except for White Label Lubes. He sells a version of the liquid alox and sells wax type lube sticks. I have used his carnuba red and BAC lubes successfully.

[huntinlever]

That's great. Just starting to begin learning from the lead and alloy section. So much to learn - appreciate this site is here.

Heading out of town to see my brother but looking forward to sitting down with this when I get back. Many thanks again, and have a great weekend.

[Dan Cash]

You will be better served with the RCBS handles in the long run; one size fits all RCBS, Lyman, Accurate and many others. The Lee sizing dies do a good job when they are bored true but many of them are bored off center and result in an excentric bullet.


buck Shot on this forum makes a die similar to the Lee but his produce uniformly round bullets and are priced about like Lee. A push through sizer dies not reliable seat a gascheck squarely on the bullet, regardless who makes it. VHoward is correct regaarding lubrication.

I do not size bullets unless absollutely necessary. Whenever possible, I try to buy a mould that produces a bullte that can be shot as cast. I like flexibility so my .30 moulds are bought to deop a bullet suitable as cast for the intended weapon. I size that bullet down if I am going to paper patch it. Another example is my Accurate mould for .32-20 which drops a bullet suitable to shoot as cast for a Marlin 94 and an old Win 92. The bullets have to be sized smaller to work in my Cold Army Special and Ubeerti Cimarron Single Action.

[huntinlever]

Dan, thank you. I've actually got the Lyman GC seater coming as I thought I would have to commit to a sizer/luber, like the 4500. I also have the top punch set from Accurate coming. And thanks on the RCBS handle note. It's on my cart.

Sizing: Again, guys, please forgive any errors due to my newness and ignorance. My hope was that bullets would drop from the Accurate mould at .460; pan lube, then be done with it.

However, the need for gas checking, I thought, required a luber-sizer and so I ordered the Lyman GC seater. Bottom line, if I'm understanding correctly, is that even if my bullets drop out perfectly, given my need to gc, I will need a true sizer-luber with something like the Lyman seater, yes? No way to crimp them (ignoring the Lee) without it, right?

[VHoward]

Absolutely nothing wrong with Lee mold handles. Never a failure from the 10 different pair I have. The RCBS are overpriced.

[huntinlever]

VHoward, thank you. I truly know nothing so I can't comment on any of this. Just to say I'm grateful for all the input. My guess is that like a lot of this, I'm going to end up trying a lot of solutions - that only so much can be obtained virtually, online, no matter how good the advice. And I count this all as excellent advice from experienced casters.

[Wayne Smith]

You say you ordered the Lyman gc seater. This requires a lube sizer in case you did not know. It will work on the Lyman or the RCBS, and the RCBS is the better machine of the two. You can seat gc's by pushing/tapping them on and sending them through the Lee sizing die. This requires a flag boolit base, but you need that anyway!

[cajun shooter]

I've used the Lee handles on all of my molds for years with out any problems but one and I modify all my handles before using them.
The Lee come from the factory with just a pressed on fit. After a few casting sessions and the handles heating up, they will at times pull apart.
To correct this, I use some JB WELD on them before ever using them on a mold. Mix up a good amount of the weld and put it on the metal from top to bottom. Push the wood handles back on and as the excess comes out, use a popcycle stick to form a raised area around each metal handle where it meets the wood. Later David

[oldlincoln]

This is a good mod for the Lee handles that David has suggested. It will work with others too. His method of dealing with the excess keeps the ferrules in place as well.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Think of it in these terms. You can go thru 3 pair of LEE 6 cavity mould handles for what 1 pair of RCBS mould handles cost.Robert

[VHoward]

And the lee handles last just as long in my experience. And yes, you can seat gas checks using the lee push through sizing die. The only concentricity issues you might have is if the ram on your press is not centered.

[Green Frog]

My friend and mentor Dale53 showed me a trick he uses on new Lee handles... he drills a small hole through the ferrule, wood and steel of each handle and drives in a tight fitting roll pin, then he cuts and grinds the pin flush. Handles treated thus seem to never come off, so I'm in the process of adapting my own handles the same way.

Froggie

[Wayne Smith]

Froggie, pay for roll pins?? I just drill for a brad and punch one in, grind and done. Brad's are cheaper!

[VHoward]

A nail I have laying around works as well. I however, have found that plain ol epoxy works too. No drilling or grinding.

[huntinlever]

And the lee handles last just as long in my experience. And yes, you can seat gas checks using the lee push through sizing die. The only concentricity issues you might have is if the ram on your press is not centered.

Sorry for the belated reply, was out of town and catching up. Thanks VHoward, and everyone else. The point is well taken that if it doesn't work for whatever reason, it's not like I'm out the price of a Rolex. Will do.

[huntinlever]

You say you ordered the Lyman gc seater. This requires a lube sizer in case you did not know. It will work on the Lyman or the RCBS, and the RCBS is the better machine of the two. You can seat gc's by pushing/tapping them on and sending them through the Lee sizing die. This requires a flag boolit base, but you need that anyway!

Whoops, sorry, Wayne yep, thank you. I've actually got both the Lee Sizer and the .460 sizer from Buffalo coming. I've heard from many more that the Lee works fine, so will give that a try.

It was actually my hope to simply drop, lube and seat the GC, all without sizing. But if sizing gives me +.002, which is expected it will, I suspect all is good. I will likely pan-lube and size and gc seat through the Lee for now.

Speaking of pan-lubing, I plan to make up a batch of Ben's red. Just coming to this area as well, so don't know of any particular success or mods required for this lube to work well when pan-lubing - any suggestions, guys?

[MT Chambers]

The other dif. is that the Lee handles are made of cheap pot metal (scintered metal) and will break if you are rough with them or try to alter them too much. I had a set break after I opened the holes a touch to fit larger mold screws, it should never have broken and is now part of a very large Lee broken parts/spare parts box. The RCBS have nicer fit handles and are made of STEEL.

[Wayne Smith]

Nope, no advise on ben's red except get the scentless tranny fluid. It does make a difference when making it. Follow his directions, it is rather forgiving if you are not precisely accurate in your measurements. Be proportional.

[huntinlever]

Thanks Wayne. I don't recall which tranny stuff I got, but I do know it was a sub, not the exact Dextron brand. It said "suitable in cars using Dextron II or Dextron III. I couldn't find any actual Dextron. Any idea whether this is a deal-breaker?

[goofyoldfart]

according to Ben, it should work ok, God Bless to you and yours.
Goofy aka Godfrey