Lee Stuff/opinions, thoughts

[Boolseye]

Folks,
About to set myself up with $100 worth of Lee gear–thought I'd bounce it off the community before I hit "order" We're talkin 10# production pot, a couple two-cavity molds, Alox, an ingot mold. Whaddya think? I'm liking the low investment to start–I will be a low-output caster (probably).

[EMC45]

I like Lee. It is about 98% of what I use!

[dragonrider]

I use a lot of Lee stuff and for the most part am ok with it. JMHO but get the 20 lb pot instead, more than likely you will end up with some 6 cavity molds eventually and the 10 lb pot doesn't keep up with them.

[Boolseye]

Thanks, folks.

[fryboy]

+ 1 on the 20 pounder !!! if needed save the ingot mold for a bit as many many things will also work . that being said ..midway does have a sale ATM on the ingot mold lolz , sometimes it pays to shop around , i often look at midway natchez wiedners and graf's ( jerry's sports center if u can [shrugz] ) as for the alox .... if ur gonna be gettin a sizing die soon it comes with it

[Boolseye]

-cool

[kyle623]

if you weld or know someone who does, ingot molds can be made out of 1 1/2 ' angle iron. i made several for smelting and they work great.

[prickett]

Folks,
About to set myself up with $100 worth of Lee gear–thought I'd bounce it off the community before I hit "order" We're talkin 10# production pot, a couple two-cavity molds, Alox, an ingot mold. Whaddya think? I'm liking the low investment to start–I will be a low-output caster (probably).

Lee's stuff can be either pretty good, or absolute ****. Everything you mentioned above fits the "pretty good" category. Like the others, I too recommend the 20# pot, though.

[HeavyMetal]

One more vote for the 20Lb Lee!

In general the Lee stuff works pretty good, I have had several of thier single stage metalic press's over the years and they perfomed better than most.

Dies are the hot ticket for the money and I would never be without the trimmer set ups or the primer tool.

Molds are fair to good but lack boolit design input in most case's. More than half the designs just don't cut it for me. Can't say enough good things about the 6 banger design if QC is on the job!

Having said this I will say that not everything Lee makes is "Nobel" prize quaility! Never met a Lee Progressive or shotgun press that I would actually pay for.

I think the 75 to 85% range is about right for the usable stuff and thats not far off everyone else in the industry.

Tumble lube is a hit or miss deal, some like others do not, but it is a path to the most economical way to shoot cast on a budget!

I usually suggest start there. If you like it and then move up to a lube size as you shoot more!

[nicholst55]

That Lee ingot mold doesn't amount to much. IMHO you'd be much better served by anyone else's ingot mold.

The rest of the stuff you listed is good kit, although I agree with the recommendations to go with the 20-pound pot.

[Frozone]

As you've been told. Skip the 10# pot and get the 20#er right off the bat, you won't be sorry!

[onondaga]

The 20# bottom pour Lee is my recommendation also. I cast 10# of bullets with a double cavity 45 cal 340 gr bullet in less than an hour. I really like the Lee pro 4-20. follow the instructions on how much to leave in the pot and how to prevent rust. Many ignore that. Keep a screw driver handy when casting to frequently rotate the valve rod . Give it a few turns after every 100 or less castings and it will be trouble free. Over adjusting the flow rate will cause continuous flow, caution.. Paper clip clean the spout every melt and before you adjust the flow rate to make sure it is not gunk slowing your flow. The mould stop locator is my favorite part on the 4-20, set it to locate your mould so that you get 1/8 to 1/4 at most flow length to the sprue funnel gate on your sprue plate. Good casting should swirl the metal into the mould by the flow being off center to the sprue hole by half the diameter of the flow, and the mould stop locator really helps with that.

If you are a beginning caster you need to learn to identify the signs on cast bullets that identify temperature problems and how to adjust temperatures and work speed to correct . and properly cleaning, lubricating and pre warming moulds too. The instructions with the pot and the Lee moulds are good, really learn them, don't just read them.

I use brush on high heat never seize lube on the adjusting screws and exposed friction bearing surfaces of the lever assembly. I protect the steel pot and top rim from rust when cool with one inch of alloy in the pot by spraying the pot with silicone spray. That simple reasonable care is important, mine is over 20 years old and works beautifully.

[WILCO]

I like Lee. It is about 98% of what I use!

Yep. Same here. Meets most of my needs.

[Boolseye]

Thanks again, everyone, for your input. Very helpful–I'll get the 20# pot.

[cptinjeff]

Folks,
–I will be a low-output caster (probably).

Sorry.....but you are dead wrong here.:violin::violin: Once you get started...you won't want to stop!:mrgreen::mrgreen: Enjoy.


Btw. I have a few lee products and they have all been great for me. I think the "low investment" approach is a wise way to go. Get your feet wet and then decide if/when you might need something more. Once you've done it a while...you'll have a better idea of what else (or nothing) you may want to purchase.

[mdi]

Good thing the "Lee Bashers" haven't seen this thread yet!:mrgreen:

I too recommend the Pro 4-20 pot. I have one and it doesn't leak other than a few ounces over a long casting session, maybe the "Drip-o-matic" is the Lee Production Pot IV? I also don't think ingot molds are necessary, I use muffin pans, and corn bread pans, and homemade aluminum angle ingot mold. One item I really used a lot at first is Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook. LOTS of good info for all aspects of bullet casting especially troubleshooting (Once you get started "bullets" change to "boolits").

:castmine:

[Boolseye]

I did it. 20 lb. pot and a 6 cav .45 mold, w/ all the accessories! psyched.

[BobCat]

You are pushing me toward the edge. I've been reloading since 1971, reading here for years, but never cast anything, buying cast lead 200 grain SWC for .45 ACP, and .357 RNFP for Cowboy Action shooting when I was into that.

It is close to time for me to buy the exact setup you just ordered, to keep my 1911 fed.

Have fun!

Regards,
Andrew

[Boolseye]

Cool, Bobcat. I don't have a 1911 yet but there's one in my future.

[Bent Ramrod]

Most Lee stuff is a great value for the money. I started off with a Lee 10-lb pot and it took over 25 years to burn the thing out. I happily got a Lee 20-lb to replace it.

However, if you ever decide to ladle cast, get a RCBS ladle rather than a Lee.

[onondaga]

Hope you get a good start. I have been casting since age 7 and am now 60. I learned some good tips here as a pretty recent new member that I heard nowhere else and they improved my castings this year:
1) when you melt use a wooden paint stir stick for stirring- the charred stick's powdered charcoal from the heat helps clean the metal before you skim.

2) After each new melt, flux with bees wax then spoon skim, then place a tablespoon of sawdust over the clean metal and spread it around.You will need no fluxing or skimming till the pot is low enough to start a new melt. so just keep casting. That was a big deal for me to learn after all these years of tedious fluxing, fluxing, fluxing and it really works well. I still thank the members for this tip.

3) Tip from me- if you take a break and need to re-warm your mould, just skim the charred sawdust to the side to warm your mould block edge in clean metal 30 seconds, then re-spread the sawdust and continue casting without even stirring the pot.

4) Never re-add cut sprues and run over to the pot till you start a new melt--that will drop temp and cause oxides requiring fluxing again.

I hope you do well with a 6 cavity mould. I have never had one and they look a little intimidating to me. Hope you get some good routine advise from members here. I think a sixer would be hard to start with when everything is new. Keep your ingot mould or a small iron fry pan under your mould holding area when casting to catch important overflow when casting and mind the angle you hold the mould to control where overflow goes into the pan or ingot mould. If you enjoy your new hobby half as much as I do, you will have fun too. I actually enjoy casting and reloading more than shooting!

Gary

[Boolseye]

Thanks, Gary, for all the experience–I will definitely refer to it as I undertake this new discipline.
Appreciate the heads up on the difficulties I may encounter–I'll take my time to avoid unnecessary frustration. I, too, enjoy all of the homebound aspects of the shooting arts; reloading, amateur gunsmithing and now casting. RE. the sixer: seemed to make sense, since I was buying the mold handles anyway, and it's potentially quite productive. I'll report back after I fire it up (which may be a good while)
jp

[Mk42gunner]

Like Bent Ramrod said get an RCBS ladle instead of the poorly designed Lee spoon.

The six cavity Lee molds will build a pile of boolits in a huury. Watch were the sprue plate handle cam bears on the edge of the mold, a lot of people install a steel screw for the cam to bear against. When I tried to do that on my first six banger, the head broke off the cheap screw, so I ended up drilling and tapping anaother hole and used a small stri[p of spring steel for the cam to bear against. It worked so well that that is what I have done to all the other six cavities that I have.

Robert

[Boolseye]

Thanks for that, Robert. I'll do that...just read the sticky on it, too.

[Cowboy T]

I use Lee six-cavity moulds all the time and actually started out with them. Good stuff. They're very easy to use, as long as you remember to keep your melt's temperature up there, say 750 deg. F. One of my moulds prefers 800 deg. for all six cavities to give good fill-out.

See, for me, time is money. I have saved a boatload of time with the 6-bangers over doing it with the 2-bangers. They've more than paid for themselves.

Lee's Pro 4-20 pot is highly recommended. I've gotten tens of thousands of boolits out of mine. They can drip a little, but it's not hard to deal with.

[patsher]

+1 on the RCBS ladle. It's like the difference between a Yugo and a Mecedes Benz!

I do like the Lee ladle, though. I use it to scrape the dross off the top when fluxing.

[patsher]

onandaga, don't be intimidated by the Lee 6-banger.

Just start the flow into the closest sprue hole until it overflows, then move onto the next, without ever stopping the flow of lead. Pretty soon you're at the end of the row, wait 3 or 4 seconds while the sprue "freezes", then open it up over an old cotton bath towel or something, and drop out SIX nice bullets. (If they're not nice, just do it again -- it didn't take very long to do the first six, did it?)

Great fun! Very exciting!

[shotman]

well they got you talked in to the stuff
NOW you need the ingot mold from here[check blammer] and
AZSHTR can save you on the Lee stuff
OH dont forget the KROIL got to have that

[geargnasher]

One more for the dead horse 20-pounder.

Lee's ingot mould is kind of a waste of money IMO, as is their ladle. Better ingot moulds can be had at Wal-mart (tin-plated steel muffin tins) for less, and if you consider getting a six-banger Lee mould in the future, include an 1100-watt single-burner hotplate as a required accessory for preheating it enough get good fillout on the boolits. One of the biggest problems with the six-cavity is getting and keeping it hot, and you do this by using a powerful outside heat source and a fast casting pace, NOT by cranking up the heat on your pot. If you use wheel-weight alloy or similar with a little tin in it, you should keep temps below 725*, and actually 650 is hot enough if you cast quickly.

Gear

[a.squibload]

...dont forget the KROIL got to have that

Still confused on which one.
I saw Kano "Kroil Penetrating Oil and Bore Cleaning Solvent" 8oz liquid
in the Midway flyer regular 9.49 sale 7.59, is that the one for molds?
I think there are other types of Kroil, wanna get the right one.
Thanks.

[Cowboy T]

One more for the dead horse 20-pounder.

Lee's ingot mould is kind of a waste of money IMO, as is their ladle. Better ingot moulds can be had at Wal-mart (tin-plated steel muffin tins) for less,

Agreed. My ingot mould is a K-Mart muffin pan, no teflon. Works great.



and if you consider getting a six-banger Lee mould in the future, include an 1100-watt single-burner hotplate as a required accessory for preheating it enough get good fillout on the boolits. One of the biggest problems with the six-cavity is getting and keeping it hot, and you do this by using a powerful outside heat source and a fast casting pace, NOT by cranking up the heat on your pot. If you use wheel-weight alloy or similar with a little tin in it, you should keep temps below 725*, and actually 650 is hot enough if you cast quickly.


I find that the hot plate actually isn't necessary, and I do cast at a reasonably fast pace (400 boolits in half an hour). Matter of fact, I find I have to cool down the mould due to the pace! :-)

650 degrees will work for one of my moulds. However, it's not quite optimal with most of 'em, and I find it depends somewhat on the model of mould. The 358-158-RF definitely likes 800 degrees for that third cavity to fill out properly. The others definitely like 700, and one prefers 750. This may have to do with the fact that most of my casting is done when it's cold out.

[fryboy]

Still confused on which one.
I saw Kano "Kroil Penetrating Oil and Bore Cleaning Solvent" 8oz liquid
in the Midway flyer regular 9.49 sale 7.59, is that the one for molds?
I think there are other types of Kroil, wanna get the right one.
Thanks.

that one is the one i use ( apply sparingly with a q-tip ) some guys use the aerosol ,it also has many uses around the house and for the most part has replaced wd-40 ( not totally but close ) reading the reviews never hurts but with 60+ of them ....lolz

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=137203

[Thecyberguy]

Still confused on which one.
I saw Kano "Kroil Penetrating Oil and Bore Cleaning Solvent" 8oz liquid
in the Midway flyer regular 9.49 sale 7.59, is that the one for molds?
I think there are other types of Kroil, wanna get the right one.
Thanks.


First...I like Lee stuff. 80% of what I have is Lee and will be.

As for the kroil..

"Google Offer" - (2) Aero Kroil King Size 13 oz. aerosol cans for $12.00
Aerokroil Kingsize including transportation. Limit (1) per customer. newbut2.gif

I got this the other day and added an 8 oz can to boot.

https://secure.concentric.com/kanolabs.com/orders/order_google.shtml

Have a good 'un TCG

[2wheelDuke]

I agree that most Lee stuff is decent value for the money. I just got a Lee ingot mold. It was the cheapest ingot mold I could find other than just getting a muffin pan. None of the thrift stores had any, so I figured I'd give the Lee a try.

Ideally I'd have a few of those molds for smelting, because it takes a little bit for the metal to cool enough to dump, even though it goes much faster with the mold on a wet rag.

I hear it's not a bad idea to keep something like an ingot mold under a bottom pour spout anyway.

The Lee ingot mold doesn't come "assembled." I went ahead and put a little JB weld inside the hole on the wood handle before I tapped it onto the tab of the mold just for good measure.

So far I've been ladle casting with a regular, non-bottom pour Lee 20# pot. I don't mind the cheap Lee dippers that everyone else hates.

Next time I've got the spare money, I plan on getting one of the 4-20 pots, because I'd like to try some 6 cavity molds down the road.

[RobS]

I did it. 20 lb. pot and a 6 cav .45 mold, w/ all the accessories! psyched.

Welcome to the forum. Regarding the Lee 6 cavities and people shearing off bolts and breaking cam levers etc. it can happen and especially if a person is trying to put too much force on the system. This happens when people try to cut sprues that are to solid (cold) and is more often than not occurring when the mold is first being used; the mold is not up to casting temperature.

Something that will make common sense if you stop to think about it is to start of by filling one or two cavities at first and then two from the back and then two in the middle and then three, then four etc. See where I'm going here; and you'll have less likelihood of having broken parts. I'm not stating that others who had issues did anything wrong as there are faulty parts from time to time, but being a hard head doesn't help the situation out.

Also before you go out there with excitement to cast your 1st time do yourself a favor and wash the mold with hot water, dawn dish soap, and a toothbrush to release the cutting oils from the factory as this can really make some fugly boolits and can ruin a newbies casting session. You may also want to check for small burs left over from the factory and take those off very carefully with something sharp like a pocket knife. Here is a good first time read before starting off as well:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=654

If you can manage, a good thing to have is a hotplate to preheat your mold.......it is not necessary but it sure does make life easier for the initial casting. You may be able to find one at a goodwill store for a little bit of nothing or even new for $20 or so from a store.

Others have given good advice and again welcome to the forum and to the addiction of the silver stream.

[Thecyberguy]

Double post...sorry 'bout that.

[a.squibload]

I'll ask over here, any opinions on the Lee Load-All shotshell reloader?

What can I say, I'm cheap, if it works OK I might get one.
Just want the ability to load buckshot and slugs once in a while.

[JFrench]

It's cheap and it works.
James

[Moonie]

a.squibload, I have one and use it a bit. It is good bang for the buck if you aren't feeding multiple skeep/trap guns.

[onondaga]

"a.squibload I'll ask over here, any opinions on the Lee Load-All shotshell reloader?

What can I say, I'm cheap, if it works OK I might get one.
Just want the ability to load buckshot and slugs once in a while. "

I Like it. My brother had the Load-All in 20 ga. He was a very occasional loader and decided quit reloading. He was going to toss out the Load-All kit and I rescued it from the garbage. I only wanted it for loading 12 ga slugs, so I bought the gauge conversion kit to change the press from 20 to 12 gauge for $16.00 from Midway. . I reviewed the press instructions online at the Lee site and bought the 1 ounce Lee Slug mould and some wads from Midway recommended for the 1 oz Lee Slugs with the WW AA hulls I have:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=447719

That wad works well with NO spacer below the slug in AA hulls with Accurate #5 powder.

This went very well, the only slight difficulty I had was developing a consistent wad/slug seating pressure for column height but that worked out after the first 20 rounds. I used the recommended charge that came with the slug mould 38.5 gr Accurate #5 for AA hulls. The press charge bar did not like that powder. So I use the Lee scoops or my Lyman #55 powder measure to throw very precise charges. The 2.2 cc scoop throws a less than maximum charge with that powder. With an RCBS scale measuring 38.5 gr. I got very consistent slug velocity just over 1500 fps on my chronograph. 50 yd accuracy with my Winchester 1300 is 1.6 inch consistent group size.

The charge bar probably likes some powders more than others but I have no complaints with other powder measuring methods available at my reloading station.

It is just pennies to load a 12 ga slug with this setup and no factory loads gave me this accuracy in my smooth bore Winchester, Brenneki sabots grouped over 4 inches, Federal classics were second best to the Lee and the Federals grouped 2.5 in at 50 yds. The Lee Load All works very well for me and produces top notch 12 ga slug ammo that works better than 5 different factory slug ammos that I tried.

[a.squibload]

Thanks Onondaga, nice writeup.
I don't mind measuring each load if I have to, won't be a huge number of rounds.
I might get one!
Have busted old concrete blocks with slugs before but only a few times,
gets expensive with factory rounds, even on sale.

Dangit, now I need another mold!

[9.3X62AL]

Late to this party, and welcome to the board. Lee has some real "diamonds" for the caster, whether new at the hobby or experienced. I REALLY like their truncated-cone autopistol designs with conventional lube grooves. These are an excellent design for the purpose, feed well in a variety of pistols, and shoot VERY accurately. Likewise many of the bore-rider rifle designs, and their 405 grain 45 caliber rifle boolit has been OUTSTANDING in my Ruger #1 in 45-70.

Had I not stumbled across an RCBS furnace NIB for $50, the Lee 20# furnace would have replaced a 10# Lee pot for me a few years ago. Lee furnaces are a stone bargain.

[HardColt]

Lees, are not bad; priced reasonable, affordable,available and durable. Started cheap and that was all I could afford. 20# melter still running since 1989 and moulds are still well aligned too.

[bootsnthejeep]

I got my 10# pot for next to nothing, so I shouldn't complain, but every time I use it I wish it was a 20. I'll get one eventually.

I like Lee stuff because I'm too cheap to buy anything else. But as far as I'm concerned, they're great value. But it is the essence of "You get what you pay for".

You want to go around the track in a Ferrari? Fine. Its gonna cost you. And if you had the money to spend, and that was your desire, it will be well worth it, and gangs of fun.

Can you cover the same ground and get the same result in a $500 Ford Escort wagon? Yeah. Will it be as fun? Possibly. Depends on what you're after.

I don't fault the people spending $300 on a quality RCBS melter. Am I also melting lead with my Lee? Absolutely. Did I get frustrated as hell with my malfunctioning thermostat and blow a C-note on a PID controller to fix it when I could have fixed the thermostat for $7? Yes. But that was a personal choice.

I love Lee dies, I like the moulds of theirs that I have. And for the 10 pound pot, I like Lee's ingot mould, because my regular muffin tin ingots are a bit of a squeeze and kind of a lot to dump in there all at once. The 20 pounder wouldn't have that problem.

I will pass along what I learned here, and has taught me a lot. The RCBS lead thermometer is worth its weight in gold. Its about 40% of what you're spending on the rest of your lashup, but the data you can now keep track of is invaluable. Takes soooo much of the guesswork out of casting. Because the numbers on that Lee pot aren't settings, they're kind of vague guidelines.

As long as you don't expect champagne taste on a beer budget, but will settle for decent beer, you'll be very happy with Lee.

[mold maker]

I personally have 7 of the LEE ingot molds. The 2 different sized ingots allow me to quickly id the alloy by size.
Second is the ability to stack over 700 lbs in a milk crate. A milk crate and ingot mold for each alloy makes it easy.
Ingot molds are an investment. You can always sell them.

[Boolseye]

Hey folks,
thanks for all the replies and thoughts. Haven't checked the thread in a while–been too busy getting my smelting and casting up and running! Castboolits has been indispensible. I'm happy with the 6 banger and the 20# pot...as you all know, it takes a little while to get the kinks worked out, but over all it's been pretty painless. I continue to be a lee fan; ya know, I started with Lee when I was about 13, loading for my 30-30 with a Lee loader. I s'pose some of it is kinda lowest common denominator, but it works.. Works for me...another 6 banger and a two-cavity are en route–should keep me occupied during the cold New England winter.
-jp

[Beekeeper]

Boolseye,
I started out with the smallest ladle pot Lee makes.
I still use it a lot even tho I have larger pots now.
For .223 boolits that I cast it is perfect and it takes a lot of .223 boolits to empty it.
Lee equipment is good! There a lot of people here that started out with lee and still use it.
When I got back into reloading and casting I was not sure if it was for me and bought Lee as it was cheaper.
I still use Lee gear and have few complaints with it.
I also over the years have collected a lot of other colors and they are all about the same if you take care of them.


Jim

[timkelley]

Most of my casting and loading stuff is Lee, good enough for me.

[zxcvbob]

Welcome to the forum. Regarding the Lee 6 cavities and people shearing off bolts and breaking cam levers etc. it can happen and especially if a person is trying to put too much force on the system. This happens when people try to cut sprues that are to solid (cold) and is more often than not occurring when the mold is first being used; the mold is not up to casting temperature.If you can't cut the sprues because you tried to cast with the mold still cold (thinking a couple of casts would warm it up) just dunk the whole mold in the lead pot until the bottom couple of boolits melt out. Now you can cut the sprues without breaking the handle. Don't ask me how I know this.

And another vote for the Lee 4-20 pot.

[Boolseye]

How do you know this, zxcv? lol

[Cowboy T]

Actually, there's another way to deal with cold sprues. Take a flat head screwdriver and slowly pry the cam lever against the mould block. It'll go. Then, keep casting as normal.

Don't ask me how I know *that*. :-)

[Cowboy T]

The 6-bangers really are the way to go. Not that the 2-cavity models aren't good. They are. But I'm in the middle of a casting run doing 358-105-SWC for .38 Spl. This last Sunday, in half an hour, I did 646 good boolits. Then, in the next hour, I did 999 good boolits, including time to remelt the sprues in the pot back up to temperature (650 deg.). That kind of result is hard to say no to.

[Boolseye]

Thanks, Cowboy.

[1hole]

"However, if you ever decide to ladle cast, get a RCBS ladle rather than a Lee.'

Ditto, or Lyman. Lee has some very serviceable cast bullet tools but their dipper isn't one of them! And Lee's ingot mold does all I need one to do, how an ingot mold could fail baffles me. ??

I started casting long before Lee came along. I have a moderate collection of different caliber and bullet styles in iron and alum molds in single, double and gang cavity but I find no quality difference between the bullets from either metal. Nor do I find the lack of a wide variaty of bullet styles from Lee to be any handicap; give me a common Semi-Wad Cutter style for revolvers and/or a Truncated Cone for autoloader handguns and a round nose for rifles and I'm all set. Lee does that.

[Suo Gan]

I did it. 20 lb. pot and a 6 cav .45 mold, w/ all the accessories! psyched.

That's great! Merry Christmas! The Lee stuff you bought is a real value.