Lyman Mag 25

[Tenbender]

Any input on this furnace ? I'm looking for a new one and the Lyman is cheaper than the RCBS .

[dannyd]

I have both. The RCBS is very good, but that PID on the Lyman is great. No matter how low you run the pot it keeps right temp. You may have to work on the mold guide.

[OuchHot!]

I have a very old Promelt and do use a pid with it. The newer ones reportedly have better thermal control. I also have the new Lyman and like it more but the mold guide is home made. the stock Lyman guide didn't work with several of my molds. I use both a lot as I have several alloys in use. I prefer the Lyman, so far....if it starts acting up, I would change my mind.

[Moonie]

I stepped up from owning a couple of Lee pots, the 10lb bottom and the 20lb bottom pour with home made PID, now have the Lyman Mag-25, LOVE it.

[Mod42]

I got a Mag 25 about a year ago. love the PID, hate the mold guide, and it drips worst than my old lee pot, but overall very happy I bought it

[RKJ]

I really like mine. I took the mold guide and flipped it over as it didn't like the Lee 6 cavity or a mihec 45 mold I have.

[Kraschenbirn]

I've had mine for a couple years now with no major complaints. As mentioned, factory mold guide leaves something to be desired but can be easily reworked and drippy spout was a POA but also easily corrected with a bit of lapping and a spring on the operating lever.

Bill

[WFO2]

Kraschenbirn can you post a pic of how you mounted the spring . Just bought a Mag25 I have flipped the mold guide but the spring mod your talking about would be nice .

[Kraschenbirn]

183741
Kraschenbirn can you post a pic of how you mounted the spring . Just bought a Mag25 I have flipped the mold guide but the spring mod your talking about would be nice .

If the valve stem/seat are clean, it doesn't require much pressure to maintain a seal so you can use a fairly 'soft' extension spring and a short piece of flat chain allows you to fine tune the pressure even further.

Bill

[WFO2]

Thanks for the picture , my wife actually got it for me for Christmas but I had to "buy" it as she does not know one pot from the other . But at least she wanted to upgrade my Lee pot .

[HangFireW8]

I have one and love it. For one thing it showed me how wrong my old dial casting thermometer was. And its replacement.

The PID functionality showed me how much time I was losing fiddling with the temperature dial, adding sprues to cool a too-hot pot, wasting pours waiting for the mold to heatup, etc. (I use a hotplate to preheat my ingots and hold my mold at temp, but it still takes a few pours of wasted time and pot contents to get back to the exact casting temp.)

The extra 5# over the RCBS or Lee 20# pot is not to be dismissed lightly, especially when using 4, 5 or 6 cavity gang molds in larger calibers like 44 and 45. I now consider my old 10# to be unusable due to all the pauses it requires, being so small and needing filling all the time (unless I'm pouring .22 Bators or something tiny like that).

I fill the Mag 25 up, melt, flux, and then cast until I'm tired, at which point it still has a few pounds in it, and it's ready for a refill, and I'm ready for a break while it melts. Previously 300 was typical and 400 was outstanding from the 20# pot. Runs of 600 or more slugs are now common. I now stop because I have enough, not because of time or frustration.

Anyone returning a Mag 25 because of the mold guide must be mechanically challenged. It works with my molds. If it doesn't, and you can't adapt it or replace it, you're probably not handy enough to be casting or reloading.

[zomby woof]

I've had mine for one casting season. I love it. I had the mold guide machined out so it fits LEE and NOE molds. My production has increased and I don't have to monitor the thermometer. Well worth it.

[Valley-Shooter]

I had the mold guide machined out so it fits LEE and NOE molds.

Can you post a pic of your guide?