Lee vs NOE vs MP vs Arsenal ect

[Wolfdog91]

So another one of my wide reaching questions. You you guys who've used of have all of these IN GENERAL which do your FEEL just plain cast better?
Disclaimer I'm not looking for any type of perfect/100% true answer. Just opinions

Like if you where gonna get a mold made by any of them and wanted in that would just plain cast easier and better then all the others regardless of whatever, which company would you go with ?
Like right now seems like a toss up between NOE and MP. In the fact they just plain cast well.
Anyhow what's eveyone think ?

[Huskerguy]

I have all three of these mould manufacturers in various configurations and calibers. My conclusion is the style of bullet plays an important role in whether it releases well or not. My MP HP mould with no LG releases like a dream. My NOE 125 grain with a LG can be a little sticky at times. My Arsenal 358-150KT is about the same as the NOE as it has a LG. I also have other manufacturers including Lyman, RCBS and Saeco and they are all about the same depending on bullet design. I tend to like the SWC or FP moulds verses the RN so I think that makes a difference as well.

EDIT: I note you only asked about manufacturers but not about the material the moulds are made from. The 6 cavity steel moulds get plenty heavy after a while but they retain their heat. I have a 6 cavity Arsenal that I had alignment pin problems with and if I had it to do over, I would go with a 5 cavity. It seems to me once they get stretched out, there is more opportunity for problems. It is my understanding the NOE and Arsenal are from the same area? If you place them side by side, it is difficult to tell the difference without reading labels. They appear to be made from the same blanks but the NOE has a better pin alignment system. Now the MP mould in brass is a piece of art, can be a bit heavy but wow do they produce some exquisite bullets!

[Bigslug]

NOE makes a good off the shelf mold, and if the specs of that mold work for you, or are sizeable to where they do, you're set.

MP has the better hollow point/ hollow base system.

With Accurate, you can tell Tom what you want and get it, with your specs for diameter, alloy, band locations etc... Builds are to order and fast, with quality a bit higher and a thicker sprue plate than NOE. All of which you do pay a little extra for. None of this is a dig on NOE - they're running different business models. I've got a lot of NOE's molds that work great, but have had several that they ended up not being perfect matches for the guns they were bought for, and that's where Accurate comes in with allowing you to create your own blueprint, if needed. Only strikes are Tom's equipment requires you to have a meplat of 0.18" or greater (no round noses or spire points) and you have to go elsewhere to turn his molds into HP/HB configuration if that's what you're after.

[Greg S]

For the money Midway is asking for a mold, I be money ahead getting a custom as the last Lyman I got dropped undersized and exchanged it for another undersized out of round mold.

Some molds drop like rain while others need a tap or three. If the lube groove is ■, aka Keith design, it'll need some persuading to slide off the shelf.

[Harter66]

I have Lee , Lyman, Lachmiller, Cramer , H&G , RCBS , NOE , MP , Mountain , Herters , Rapine , and have owned LBT , Ohaus , and TC moulds . They are in 1,2,3,4,5,6,&8 cavity with HP and HB pins .

I don't have any makers that gave zero issues, some of them were just plain dumb operator error issues and some of them were just sorting out some minor detail peculiar to that particular mould .

Lee makes a tool for a job and it does that job . The 6s and singles are great but require a certain cheap tool vigor mind set to run the singles and doubles well . Hot and fast is accurate but doesn't quite express the vigor needed . I typically get 2% weight variations in the sixes and 2 % between bullets in a double isn't unusual. I do like the 6s for running a pile of pistol bullet quick . 1 light , 2 heavy and 3 nominal bullets is the rule .

RCBS has set me straight on weighing bullets and it's not unusual to have 3-4 gr difference between the 2 cavities. My 27-130 FP casts 141 gr but the cavities match so .........

Lyman the 257412 4c is a PITA to keep hot , too much block not enough bullet . The 458193 is perfect in an oddly small 45-70 . It's literally perfect. The 308291U is great sized .301 and papered . It lives up to the Undersize mark .

H&G .......it's an 8# hunk of steel . It casts 8 .453 SWC at 195.8-196.8 , it also cost $127 shipped w/handles in 1992 .

Cramer is fine but they sold out before WWII . It would seem that if B1 were a pointed 130 gr .279 and B3 was a spitzer 140 gr .279 that a B4 should be a 140 or 150 gr .279 .......no it's a 130 gr pointed .285 .
The mould casts 2 identical bullets , just like the other two I have .

LBT Ive had 2 of them both were excellent moulds and poured well cast great bullets with nil difference between cavities. That stamped sprue plate is awesome but I had a Lee and when it came to the business end it had no advantage and the Lee cast 3x as many every pour .

Rapine their numbers are horrible and must have been like Lyman . The 458201 is a 255 gr RNFP that was probably for first gen 45 Colts but it's a neat plinker in 45-70 at .459 .

Mountain molds much like Accurate did customs and you got exactly what you ordered. They also had a cool design tool that worked well. The .453-350 RNFP WW+2 casts 2 identical bullets at .453 and 350 gr in WW+2% tin .

MP I will probably never own another new brass mould what a long winded PITA .....mostly and operator problem. It's a PB/HB 2 cav and as long as the operator gets the PB pins in correctly oriented it casts 2 .460 dia 417 gr PB or 380 gr HB bullets every time .

The Ohaus moulds were quality but one of those oh you want those 2 here take all 5 for $40 show deals . No personal need for a 58 cal SWC ML mould much less 2 . The one I tested worked fine . It cast a substantial 1.5 dia length SWC .578 in pure .

I personally find NOE to be the most mould for the dollar yes a 2c costs 3x a Lee and the 5c just over 2x the 6c but when the 3c drops .460-535 and a 12# run has a 1.5 gr variation for the whole 12# and only 1.7 for 12# of 454-250s I'm willing to pay that .
I bought my first NOE because I could get a 5c 287-154 for $10 more than the RCBS 7mm168 from Natchez after shipping.

I have 7-8 Lee 6s for volume pistol bullets and a rifle bullet that will double as a heavy pistol . The 358-158 is the best bullet I've loaded in 5 different 38/357 pistols , 2 38/357 carbines , and as a light plinker in 358 Win. The difference between them and the more costly is consistency and getting under 1% weight variations. At 21-75 ft it doesn't matter at 1000 fps . It matters more at 150 ft and 150 yd when the whole world and target is a softball . I don't like weigh lotting bullets. NOE , Mountain, MP , mostly Lyman and really just that one 7mm-168 that casts 176 and a 179 gr bullet take that out of the equation for 90% of my shooting.

[hermans]

I have MP, NOE, Accurate and RCBS molds, only solid boolits no HP. My best casting molds are the MP's with Accurate and NOE not far behind.

[Chena]

What about Hoch nose pour moulds? I have a single cavity 300 grain .375 I have yet to try out.

[charlie b]

Harter66 is exactly what I have seen with Lee, Accurate and NOE.

[archeryrob]

I have Lee, NOE and MP molds. I like them all and the latter two, obviously the best, because they are better. I have really been sold on the MP mold because Miha makes mostly brass molds, or at least everyone I buy. I have to set the Aluminum NOE molds on a hot plate while it sets up and the MP brass molds on a 2x3 to normalize and not get too hot. I just like the brass molds far more than aluminum.

[Kavein]

For the price it’s really hard to beat Lee molds, but my MP 45 hollow point mold makes near perfect bullets. The MP hollow point mold came with 3 different hollow point tips and 1 to make flat point bullets.If I’m casting small bullets and want to go fast, I sometimes do 2 Lee molds at once. I don’t time myself but I can make a bunch of bullets in a short time.

[MT Gianni]

Never owned Arsenal. I have one brass MP which might influence my thoughts but I really like NOE and Accurate molds. I have a number of Lee molds and use them for several things. I like the 35 cal 125 rf and their wadcutter works for my aged eyes. I like their 90 gr 32 mold. I cannot see ordering another Lee at this stage in my life.

[MarkP]

With Accurate you can order out of the catalog and make tweaks to it or get a fully custom mold made to your drawing / specifications.

I have an old LEE mold 379-250 FN that is so easy to cast with they just fall out I also have some custom molds that are finicky.

[Green Frog]

For serious casting as I do for Schuetzen, each bullet needs to be as good as possible and just like the one before it and the one iron single cavity mould is the order of the day.
I find myself casting a lot of revolver and pistol bullets that don't demand quite the same level of accuracy, so I go with 2 cav iron Ideal moulds or multi-cavity aluminum or brass moulds from NOE, MP and yes, from Lee.
The standard answer? There is no standard answer because it all depends on what you are casting and why.

Green Frog

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Lee vs NOE vs MP vs Arsenal ect

SNIP>>>
You you guys who've used of have all of these IN GENERAL which do your FEEL just plain cast better?
Disclaimer I'm not looking for any type of perfect/100% true answer. Just opinions

Like if you where gonna get a mold made by any of them and wanted in that would just plain cast easier and better then all the others regardless of whatever, which company would you go with ?

IMHO, LEE has designs that have the best casting functionality than any others.

[Wolfdog91]

Interesting, well looks like I'm definitely going to start with MP then NOE

[Ky-Dave]

My NOE cast better than my Lee molds. I would like to try a MP hollow point.
David

[Wheelguns 1961]

It always amazes me. There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum. I started with a couple Lee six cavity molds, and am glad that I did. I made some mistakes at the beginning, and am glad that I didn’t tear up any expensive molds.

[Green Frog]

Ky-Dave, of the few HP moulds I use, the MP design (based on “Cramer style”) works best for me, at least from the standpoint of easy production. I have one NOE I have yet to use and I’ve had good results casting HB Minie Balls in the RCBS Hogdon mould. As I said previously, it all depends on what you need and your own preferences. For instance, though I favor 1 & 2 cav Lyman moulds for a lot of things, I don’t like to mess with their hollow point/hollow base plug… too much extra work for me.

Froggie

[Iwsbull]

The MP molds are easier on the learning curve and are awesome hp molds but only seen brass ones for hp. The NOE are also great hp molds but a bit more fiddley but once you get the hang of it they are simple as well. Accurate Molds has so many different types and if you can dream it up he can cut it and they are great.

[Targa]

I have found my Lee molds to be the easiest to cast with. They are not the quality of my NOE, MP, H&G or Arsenal molds but they get up to temp quickly and drop bullets easily.