RCBS or Lyman Molds

[greg1]

I am about to give up on Lee molds for various reasons. I own 5 and with suggestions from this site and return policies of different suppliers, I got them usable.

If I were to switch to RCBS or Lyman, which one is best?

Thanks for all the fine suggestions on this site.

Greg

[454PB]

In my experience, I'd say RCBS. I've had several Lyman moulds with problems that required returning them, but never an RCBS.

However, I own 18 Lee moulds and haven't had a major problem with any of them.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

I personally prefer Lyman. Both are good, however RCBS is generally considered the better of the two. I have seen a lot of Lyman bashing about their new moulds, however I have not experienced any problems. All the Lyman moulds I own both new and old are great moulds. I also prefer the styles the Lyman moulds come in and the fact that they make 4-cavity pistol moulds is a huge plus to me.

Why are you unsatisfied with Lee? True the aluminum is not as forgiving but I have used a lot of Lee 6-C with great results for a long time.

[jameslovesjammie]

If buying new, RCBS is good. If buying older stock, say from the 90's or earlier, Lyman moulds are actually quite good. My last Lyman was a .40 cal pistol mold made in August 2008 purchased November 2008. Supposed to drop at .401. Dropped .402x.406. The star sizes them down but it is a pain with WW's.

Since then I have only bought moulds from Mihec, NOE, and am going to get one from BP in the near future. It is really refreshing to get moulds that drop what they are supposed to.

[stubshaft]

If buying new, RCBS is good. If buying older stock, say from the 90's or earlier, Lyman moulds are actually quite good. My last Lyman was a .40 cal pistol mold made in August 2008 purchased November 2008. Supposed to drop at .401. Dropped .402x.406. The star sizes them down but it is a pain with WW's.

Since then I have only bought moulds from Mihec, NOE, and am going to get one from BP in the near future. It is really refreshing to get moulds that drop what they are supposed to.


+1 Newer RCBS or older Lymans. I don't buy anything in an orange box that is new.

[greg1]

Thanks for the response. I have only 2 cavity molds. Of the 5, One of them was out of round and the other the mold blocks did not line up correctly. I lee-mented the rest and got them working pretty good.

[Colorado4wheel]

I have a new Lyman 147 gr 9mm mold. I returned all my Lee to Midway and now I won't use the aluminum any more. One Lee was casting OK but the bullets were really light. The other Lee wouldn't even close with out me working on the pins for a hour. It then finned regularly. My Lyman molds are the only 4 cavity molds that meet any resonable expectations. I haven't tried Saeco. But I want 4 cavity so RCBS is not a good option for me.

[Colorado4wheel]

Lyman was a .40 cal pistol mold made in August 2008 purchased November 2008. Supposed to drop at .401. Dropped .402x.406. The star sizes them down but it is a pain with WW's.


Those bullets size to .401" so don't you want them to cast to .402"?

[fredj338]

I have never gotten a bad mold form either, wish I could say that about Lee. It mostly comes down the style of bullet or whether you want a 4cav, RCBS only makes 2cav molds.

[That'll Do]

I'd go with RCBS. I have both Lyman and RCBS molds, but the RCBS molds (in my opinion) seem to be more well-constructed as opposed to the Lyman mold.

My Lyman molds (and they're new–2009 manufacture) cast good boolits (proper size and weight), but the RCBS mold is just plain better. Easier to cast with all-around.

[Rex]

I just got a new Lyman and like it. The only reason I chose it over RCBS was price.
Rex

[JudgeBAC]

Molds are like anything else, some are good and some are really bad. I have had bad molds from all three manufacturers. Fortunately, I found a fix for all of them except for my first 6 cavity Lee which I promptly ruined.

After learning the Lee menting technique and applying it, I have had great results with all of my Lee molds. RCBS molds are a little heavier and more stoutly constructed than Lyman. Even steel molds will benefit from lapping.

At this point, I prefer the custom molds from Mihec and others. You get exactly what you pay for and get the bullet you really want instead of something close.