Originally Posted by
I'll Make Mine
My first thought when I saw the price difference was that a Lee mold, with handles, cost less than a set of handles for a Lyman or RCBS mold; in fact, I can buy five Lee mold sets, each with handles, for about the cost of an RCBS mold and a set of handles.
Beyond that, I haven't had a chance to cast in mine yet (tomorrow after work, I hope -- got some ingots smelted today). One of the two I bought has some burrs in it, but Lee support says it may cast okay with the burrs, and if not, should be fine once I skim them off with a razor blade. I opted not to ship it back until I'm certain it doesn't cast right -- it'd cost 2/3 of what I paid for shipment -- but that option still exists if I can't fix it with their methods.
Given I bought two molds and a .314 push-through sizer for less than the price of a Lyman mold, and Lyman has their own quality issues, I think Lee is the way to go for molds they have; their selection is a bit limited and they're possibly a little too fond of tumble lube designs, but I'll be able to get my hand in with casting and start learning to paper patch before I have to spend big money (by my budgetary standards) on a "better" mold.