Does this new LEE Mold look OK to you !?!

[derek45]

Wow…





Derek,

Brand new sharp tooling tends to chatter until the cutter is broken in or dulled from use. Molds on the shelf here exhibit the same finish. The lite chatter shown in cavity will have no effect on cast bullet performance or release from the cavity.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Brenda
Customer Service

[schutzen-jager]

after email + phone conversation with Brenda is one of the reasons i will never buy another Lee product again -

[rosewood]

Wow…





Derek,

Brand new sharp tooling tends to chatter until the cutter is broken in or dulled from use. Molds on the shelf here exhibit the same finish. The lite chatter shown in cavity will have no effect on cast bullet performance or release from the cavity.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Brenda
Customer Service

All you can do now is follow their instructions on a new mold, cast a few boolits and see what you get. Then you can contact them back and tell them it ain't working and show them what you are getting. I am with others, I doubt the boolit will drop out.

I have never seen any that bad and I have multiple molds. Just got a new one last week. It looks smooth.

I might even ask if she can send you a picture of one of those on the shelf that she says is just like that. Then ask if she can send you one that was made after the "new tool" was broken in.

Rosewood

[Hannibal]

That's a shame. I'd had good luck with Lee the few times I needed something. Honestly I'll remember your experience if I'm comparing products in the future.

[bedbugbilly]

Hmmmm . . . . lube grooves in two directions.

Any way you want to cut it . . . poor quality control and a "good 'nuff" attitude.

I purchased a 2 cavity Lee a number of years ago - arrived with poorly installed alignment pins as well as poorly cut cavities that when closed, the half cavities in one side of the blocks was offset from the cavities in the other half block of the mold by .004" to .005". When I talked to Lee CS, after e-mailing photos to the supplier and Lee - I was told "you don't know how to cast" - gee, guess I had been doing it wrong for 50 years.

I have 100 + molds af all makes including a number of Lee molds that have served me well . . . . but about the only Lee mold I'll buy now is if I want to try a certain design I can't find in another brand . . . . all I can say after the experience I had with the individual I talked with at Lee CS Dept. is that I really love my NOE molds . . . my guess is that the CS Rep you talked to has never hand their hand on a machine tool but has all the "canned answers".

[Soundguy]

How do they shoot and what is the as cast diameter? One of my RCBS molds is very roughly machined, but shoots better than most. Your mold is quite interesting, but after sizing and going through the forcing cone will look a lot different.

Remember.. the ogive of the bullet isn't riding the bore.. only the driving bands.. once you size the bullet, or once it jumps thru a cylinder mouth or a forcing cone, or once it engages into normal rifling.. those micro lines won't mean ANYTHING.

I'd see how it shoots. besides.. they probably iron out on the driving bands during sizing anyway..

[Soundguy]

Wow…





Derek,

Brand new sharp tooling tends to chatter until the cutter is broken in or dulled from use. Molds on the shelf here exhibit the same finish. The lite chatter shown in cavity will have no effect on cast bullet performance or release from the cavity.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Brenda
Customer Service

I bet those bullets shoot fine. I have molds that are vintage that had poorer aged machining that once you lube and size will eat the center out of a target. small imperfections on a non contact portion of a bullet for non long range shooting is BIG minutia. Even minor cosmetic flaws in the driving bands of most ammo won't affect anything unless you are a long range shooter.

[derek45]

MIDWAYUSA gave me a pre-paid UPS return label, I just shipped it back and got a refund.

That is what I call great customer service.

[rosewood]

MIDWAYUSA gave me a pre-paid UPS return label, I just shipped it back and got a refund.

That is what I call great customer service.

Good deal!

[405grain]

I only have one Lee mold left. I threw the others in the trash. The only reason I still have the one is because I haven't used it in years. If I ever use it again, and it behaves as bad as the others did, it will go in the trash too. I've got plenty of higher quality molds so I'm not going to fight with a hot mold just to try and make it work correctly or product acceptable bullets. Other people say that they've had good luck with Lee molds - I haven't.

[rosewood]

Love my lee molds. Only one I have issues with is the one i bought used. I know better now.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I had a Lee 2 cav 501-440 RF mold with chatter lines, I've cast many, they shoot fine in a handgun. I'd be less thrilled about chatter if it were a rifle boolit mold.

[Soundguy]

Love my lee molds. Only one I have issues with is the one i bought used. I know better now.

80% of my molds are Lee. The only molds I have that make marginal bullets are old world Lyman molds..
I have no special problems making good bullets out of a wide range of ages of Lee molds. Chewing the center of a target out has a lot more to do with a lot of other factors other than the mold.........

[jonp]

Wow…





Derek,

Brand new sharp tooling tends to chatter until the cutter is broken in or dulled from use. Molds on the shelf here exhibit the same finish. The lite chatter shown in cavity will have no effect on cast bullet performance or release from the cavity.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Brenda
Customer Service

Yeah, Brenda was the one that asked me to send my melter back to them and then told me they were not going to fix it because it had been modified which was what I told them in my initial correspondence right in the first sentence. All I wanted was a heat shield. Cost me $30 and I have no melter

[Hannibal]

MIDWAYUSA gave me a pre-paid UPS return label, I just shipped it back and got a refund.

That is what I call great customer service.

I'm glad to hear that Midway took care of you. I recently ordered a Pro Shot stainless cleaning rod from Midway and when I received it the box was damaged and the cleaning rod looked like an old bow. Midway gave me a return label and gave me a full refund. I'd try to order it again but I'm convinced UPS can't get it here without bending it so I'll look for one locally. Anyway, glad it worked out for you and I'm happy with every order I've ever placed with Midway.

[1hole]

... Other people say that they've had good luck with Lee molds - I haven't.

Hummm ... wonder if there's a secret message in that?

[super6]

Hummm ... wonder if there's a secret message in that?

The secret is buyer beware.

[jonp]

IDK, ive had good luck with the molds

[Hannibal]

I find aluminum molds in general to be a bit harder to run consistently because they heat and cool faster but otherwise I've had no particular trouble with Lee.

[derek45]

I should have taken better photos

lots of burrs in each cavity