selmerfan
09-29-2008, 01:10 PM
I wanted a lighter .358" boolit for some loading I'm doing for a friend and his .357 Mag. I didn't want to spend a lot of money ($50+) on a mold, so I decided to try out the Lee 358-158-RF. I got it in the mail last week and have been casting with it for several sessions. I boiled it in dish soap and water on the stove to degrease it, lube up the plate and pins, scraped off a couple burrs obvious to the naked eye, and went to casting. At first I was frustrated with fill-out, then I threw my thermometer in, I was at 600 degrees. I smoked the mold and waited for the lead to bump over 700 (I recalled what some people on here had said about Lee molds liking it HOT), preheated the mold per their recommendations (dipping a corner in the melt for 15 seconds) and then went to casting. Every boolit, and I mean EVERY boolit was perfect! They dropped nicely, some dropped as I opened the mold, some needed a couple handle taps. I've never had molds work quite this well, and now I'll have to try smoking all of them! I'm really impressed with the value of the Lee mold, the only downside is that one alignment pin fell out this morning. It looks like it is just stamped in to hold it and it failed. I went right on casting, everything was still perfect. I'll call Lee about it this afternoon. Next time I need a mold, I'll be giving Lee a call!
Selmerfan
Selmerfan