Lee CTL312-160-2R 7.62x39mm (312 Diameter) 160 Grain Tumble Lube

[PBSmith]

If any of you have this Lee 6-cavity mold, I'd appreciate hearing your experience of what diameters it actually drops with WW and soft lead. Like many others, I've been through the frustrations with undersize Lee bands/noses and don't wish to repeat. Nor do I wish to rely on beagling in an attempt to get useable bullets.

Thanks, PBSmith.

[tomme boy]

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/index.php?cPath=30_330&osCsid=p110008d0eevgfmmptfmieglc5

Get one of these and save yourself a whole lot of grief!

[Cowboy_Dan]

I have used the 155 gr standard lube groove model. Shot pretty good in my SKS the first time I tried them out, but I didn't measure them before I pc'ed them. Still have some uncoated examples if you're interested, but definately showed signs of sizing after pushing them through a .313" die before coating. That 6-banger drains the pot fast and rains boolits.

[Forrest r]

With straight range scrap my 6-cavity lee 312-160 tl mold drops bullets around .312/.313. Typically I use 3 to 1 ratio of 3 parts range scrap to 1 part mono-type. Those bullets cast in the .314/.314+ range.

I pc these bullets and was actually hoping that the mold would cast an undersized bullet (around .310/.311). When I cast with the harder alloy I have to size them 1st then pc them and size them again. I use/shoot them in a 308 (.311).

Just picked up another lee 6-cavity mold, the lee 120gr tc bullet for the 9mm. I wanted to pc these bullets and the lee 120gr tc bullet is supposed to be .356". Using nothing but range scrap I'm getting .359/.359+, go figure.

I wanted the lee molds because they are supposed to cast an undersized bullet & both the molds I bought in the last years cast oversized bullets with nothing more than a junk alloy. Wanted undersized bullets because the pc coating adds 1/1000th's+ to the bullet's diameter. Figured I'd simply cast/coat/shoot, no sizing involved.

Anyway the last 2 lee 6-cavity molds I've bought (1 of which is the mold you're asking about), they both cast oversized bullets. I've had no problems with bullets sticking or any other issues. I simply cleaned the molds when I 1st got them with dish soap,pre-heated them and started casting. Both molds make a pile of bullets in a hurry.

[PBSmith]

With straight range scrap my 6-cavity lee 312-160 tl mold drops bullets around .312/.313. Typically I use 3 to 1 ratio of 3 parts range scrap to 1 part mono-type. Those bullets cast in the .314/.314+ range.

I pc these bullets and was actually hoping that the mold would cast an undersized bullet (around .310/.311). When I cast with the harder alloy I have to size them 1st then pc them and size them again. I use/shoot them in a 308 (.311).

Just picked up another lee 6-cavity mold, the lee 120gr tc bullet for the 9mm. I wanted to pc these bullets and the lee 120gr tc bullet is supposed to be .356". Using nothing but range scrap I'm getting .359/.359+, go figure.

I wanted the lee molds because they are supposed to cast an undersized bullet & both the molds I bought in the last years cast oversized bullets with nothing more than a junk alloy. Wanted undersized bullets because the pc coating adds 1/1000th's+ to the bullet's diameter. Figured I'd simply cast/coat/shoot, no sizing involved.

Anyway the last 2 lee 6-cavity molds I've bought (1 of which is the mold you're asking about), they both cast oversized bullets. I've had no problems with bullets sticking or any other issues. I simply cleaned the molds when I 1st got them with dish soap,pre-heated them and started casting. Both molds make a pile of bullets in a hurry.

Are you measuring on the bands or the nose, or are band and nose diameters the same? Are all six cavities giving close to the same bullet?

[PBSmith]

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/index.php?cPath=30_330&osCsid=p110008d0eevgfmmptfmieglc5

Get one of these and save yourself a whole lot of grief!

Thanks for that link tomme, and your suggestion. The NOE costs twice what the Lee does, but the frustration with Lee that I've experienced takes its own kind of toll.

The only Lee mold I own that does well is a GB 6-banger. I seem to recall reading on this forum that the Lee Sixers tend to be more carefully made. Don't know if that's something a person should rely on or not ????

[Tackleberry41]

Thanks for that link tomme, and your suggestion. The NOE costs twice what the Lee does, but the frustration with Lee that I've experienced takes its own kind of toll.

The only Lee mold I own that does well is a GB 6-banger. I seem to recall reading on this forum that the Lee Sixers tend to be more carefully made. Don't know if that's something a person should rely on or not ????

Thats the question you have to ask, what is your frustration worth? Yea NOE is a bit more, but I have never had to fight with an NOE, they work every time.

[Forrest r]

Are you measuring on the bands or the nose, or are band and nose diameters the same? Are all six cavities giving close to the same bullet?
The drive bands.
The noses are the same on all 6 cavities.

Are these custom cast bullets??? No But you will be hard pressed to tell the difference. The lee mold will give you a pile of bullets in a hurry. They are accurate enough for 90%+ of most shooters needs/capabilities/firearms.

[Forrest r]

Sorry about that, took me a little while to measure the lee 160gr tl bullet's noses. I measured 10 of them and they are all .309" just in front of the tl drive bands.

I just cast a 20# pot of these bullets. They weigh 163gr/163.5gr with gc from my mold/3 to 1 alloy. The bases are sized to .311 from the .314 as cast. Just in front of the tl drive bands is .309" and you can see the marks on the bullets nose where I put the bullet into a 308w bbl that is .308"/.300.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/forrestr-photo/9e06a7fc-4acd-403f-b0fb-48bf49b248e0_zpsqvj9nknr.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/forrestr-photo/media/9e06a7fc-4acd-403f-b0fb-48bf49b248e0_zpsqvj9nknr.jpg.html)

[PBSmith]

[QUOTE=Forrest r;3960288]Sorry about that, took me a little while to measure the lee 160gr tl bullet's noses. I measured 10 of them and they are all .309" just in front of the tl drive bands.

I just cast a 20# pot of these bullets. They weigh 163gr/163.5gr with gc from my mold/3 to 1 alloy. The bases are sized to .311 from the .314 as cast. Just in front of the tl drive bands is .309" and you can see the marks on the bullets nose where I put the bullet into a 308w bbl that is .308"/.300.


Thanks for that information - very helpful.

[Boolseye]

For quite a while that Lee mold was the only one I had for my Mosin Nagant. I sold it for about $100 during the 2012 nuttiness (yes, a 2-cav), and have since bought another, 2-cav new style. I think mine drop around .313". It's a very versatile, great shooting boolit. No, not six-cav, but expect .312-.313". Unfortunately, Lees do sometimes drop small, I can only guess they're lawsuit-shy and err on the side of too small. Silly. NOEs are always spot-on.

I recall the nose is around .306", feeds in any .30 cal, from .308" to Russian.

[Maven]

PBS, When I purchased my 1st SKS (Type 56), I researched Lee, Lyman, & RCBS offerings: none advertised a CB larger than .312". I then asked Veral Smith to cut that [C.E. Harris] design for me: it dropped at .314", which was what my rifle needed.

Fast forward to 2015 when I acquired another Type 56 SKS, having sold the original one. However, this one needed a mold/CB which cast at least .316", thus ruling out Lee, Lyman, & RCBS. LBT had become too expensive so I ordered a slightly heavier C.E. Harris design from NOE. Within days [of my order], I got telephone call from Al Nelson himself, who offered a 4 cav. mold @ .316" for a most attractive price. Needless to say it was perfect in every way, including accuracy. NOE is certainly worth considering if you want an excellent mold.

[Donor8x56r]

If anyone has that mold or regular driving band version that makes boolits too large I'll be happy to buy it.

[lotech]

C.E. Harris designed the original and NEI put it into production long before Lee or anyone else made a copy. I don't know how close any of the copies are to the original NEI, their designation being 311.155GC. However, I got very good accuracy with mine sized at either .311" or .312" and used in a Ruger bolt-action. My notes indicate that an alloy approximating Lyman #2 shot with slightly better accuracy than water-dropped wheelweight alloy. I tried seven powders, the best of which were AA1680, IMR4198, and AA2230. Best accuracy was in the 1,800 -1,900 fps range.

I tried many cast bullets, almost all of which were heavier, as I recall, in my rifle and another identical gun. It would be necessary to research old notes to find how the NEI bullet compared in accuracy with other bullets. Seldom use the cartridge anymore.

[tomme boy]

Lee is not a exact copy. Far from it. NOE worked directly with ED to make the real version