Lyman for me

[peter nap]

A much a I like buying Lee molds and trying different bullets, I am going to buy Lyman or other higher end molds for the standard bullets I load a lot.

I got my Lyman sabot Slug mold Friday...My first Lyman.
I cleaned it, checked it out and started casting. The first one went back in the pot but the next 50 came out perfect. No fussing or tweaking or figuring why this or that was happening, just cranking out bullets.

Love it.

[Wally]

Peter,

I like Lyman & RCBS molds as well, which I often use, but the Lee molds are more enjoyable to use as they are lighter and they offer some bullet designs/shapes that the others do not. As I have been using them for over 25 years I am used to their quirks and feel they are of great value. I'd like to mention a no. of bullet molds that I own from Lee that produce wonderful bullets that just aren't offered by Lyman nor RCBS. As I use WW metal sometimes blended w/lead, the fact that Lee molds tend to run large in size is quite a blessing IMHO.

[peter nap]

There's a lot of merit in that Wally, and I'm not knocking the Lee molds. They just aren't the same quality as this Lyman.
This mold is a great example. It;s a hollow base with a removable base pin. Absolutely no problems so far.

I have a new Lee improved Minnie with that idiotic automatic base pin in it. The first 20 bullets got the base pin out of alignment enough to gouge a chunk out of the mold. I bent it back and still cast with it but have to work the little vane off the side of each bullet now.

There's no reason why they don't just have a simple base pin like everyone else.

As far as the bullets it casts...with the vane removed, they shoot like a dream out of my 58.

[jdgabbard]

You know, I have some of the later production Lymans, all the way back to early ideals. And I'll be the first one to say that they do make some beautiful boolits. Once you get an iron mold cleaned out and broke in it doesn't flaw much. My biggest problems is build up of lead under the sprue plate and gouging from the spring washer. Both of which can be taken care of. And the lead smearing is from cutting the sprue too quick. That thats the user's fault.

I won't buy a Lee unless its a group buy thing, and I just can't get the boolit from some other mold maker.

[TAWILDCATT]

I have a lyman hollow base mold with pin on problem is the tendency to lose the pin.(not when your casting)the lee is always there. another is the lead shold be mostly lead not WW as they shrink.I found that out the hard way on lees shotgun slug.
you might find the lyman mold is not as good as it used to be as a number of casters have had trouble.

[mooman76]

I like the fact that Lee has the built in base pin. It sppeds up production and makes it easier too. They made hollow points that way too and I wish they still did.