New lee mold

[fiver]

the MEC metallic is a beast.

many of the new hulls are bordering on junk.
even the stuff we bought in the past as 'premium' loads have gotten to become B or C quality.
it's a sad shame that someplace like france and spain can make millions of hulls and get them right, and our now monopolized ammo manufacturers struggle to get a whole box of them within a couple of millimeters.

you'd think a 15 dollar box of shot shells could at least get the length correct, it's like screwing up 30-30 ammo.

 

[STIHL]

I have stood by Lee molds, but I have gotten a Couple wonky ones lately. Just going to put my time and effort and money into a mould I know is good. My days of unnecessary projects are over, I just want it to work, rolling the dice and hoping ain’t worth a shit anymore. Sad thing is I have a couple lees I really like. Guess I’ll be emailing Tom when the day comes I need to replace them, hopefully he can clone them easily. End up with a better mould and help him out all at the same time.

 

[Rally]

the MEC metallic is a beast.

many of the new hulls are bordering on junk.
even the stuff we bought in the past as 'premium' loads have gotten to become B or C quality.
it's a sad shame that someplace like france and spain can make millions of hulls and get them right, and our now monopolized ammo manufacturers struggle to get a whole box of them within a couple of millimeters.

you'd think a 15 dollar box of shot shells could at least get the length correct, it's like screwing up 30-30 ammo.

Yep, I’ve been buying import hulls last four years. I own, and have way too many AA’s to throw them away, but my .410 and 16 hulls now are made overseas.

 

[waco]

I have stood by Lee molds, but I have gotten a Couple wonky ones lately. Just going to put my time and effort and money into a mould I know is good. My days of unnecessary projects are over, I just want it to work, rolling the dice and hoping ain’t worth a shit anymore. Sad thing is I have a couple lees I really like. Guess I’ll be emailing Tom when the day comes I need to replace them, hopefully he can clone them easily. End up with a better mould and help him out all at the same time.

Accurate molds are pretty much my go to. I did buy my first MP mold and it is wonderful.

 

[Jeff H]

Poor Shirley. I'll bet she had half a minute to look at the mould and compare it to a check list. Six Cavities, check, Handles, check, Sprue Cutter, (Sprue, that's a silly word), check. Drop the slip in the box that says, "Inspected by Shirley", check.
Of course I am terribly prejudiced. Lee is a good solid Wisconsin Company, like MEC, that has never let me down. Jobs for Shirleys I say!

I wonder if Shirley is even a real person, or if maybe Shirley retired, or was promoted to sales manager and someone else was dropping Shirley's leftover slips in the boxes? Another possibility is that everyone took turns in the inspection bay and had "Shirley Slips" to drop in the box.

A MINUTE?? I made washing machines for one very miserable segment of my life and I had SIX SECONDS to do everything I needed to do before the line started back up and took it away from me. The people downstream who did inspection had exactly six seconds too.

Back when I first started buying LEE moulds, half of them worked right. Eventually, I learned how to make most of the other half work. As time went on, the moulds got better and I do still have a few. The last few have been excellent moulds.

STILL, it's wise to just go ahead and D/T a set-screw hole for the sprue-plate screw (per @Ben 's method) before casting a bullet.

 

[Jeff H]

Accurate molds are pretty much my go to. I did buy my first MP mold and it is wonderful.

I have all the moulds I'll ever need, but I still look at both sites and feel like I should own at least one mould from each of those two.

 

[STIHL]

@waco, yessir, point being my time is too valuable now days to worry about the ifs, ands, maybes. I’ll just buy a quality mould and go for it.

@Jeff H i didn’t know what I was missing until I read Ben’s post on adding a set screw, it is a must for them. Once you add one you wonder how you ever made it without it.

I’m not knocking Lee, it’s just I don’t have the time nor the want to fool with the, “I hope it cast correctly”. Fortunately they are Cheap enough that it doenst hurt quite as bad when you get a bad one.

 

[Jeff H]

...Fortunately they are Cheap enough that it doenst hurt quite as bad when you get a bad one.

That philosophy has kept LEE in the mould business for a long time. Recently, they seem to cost quite enough to make a real difference - at least to me.

Before I learned to tune/tweak them, it was about 50/50 - HALF would stay on the casting bench and half would take the final flight out the garage door, across the drive and into the rock pile. I can't throw that far any more, so it's a good thing they've cleaned up their act a little.

 

[Rick H]

I have been very lucky with Lee molds over the years. I can't say the same for their push through sizers. I have never got one that sized a bullet to the diameter stamped on the die. Thankfully most have been small and I am able to open them up, smooth the lead angle and make them work.
The set screw is for the screw plate pivot screw is a great improvement.

 

[Billy G]

I have been very lucky with Lee molds over the years. I can't say the same for their push through sizers. I have never got one that sized a bullet to the diameter stamped on the die. Thankfully most have been small and I am able to open them up, smooth the lead angle and make them work.
The set screw is for the screw plate pivot screw is a great improvement.

I have 12 Lee 6 cavity molds. They all work fine. A couple do cast larger than I would like, I prefer them to be .001-.002 larger than stated. I want to feel it doing something when I push it through sizer. What is the set screw for, is it so you can set the sprue plate looser ?

 

[462]

What is the set screw for, is it so you can set the sprue plate looser ?

Once the sprue cutter's screw is adjusted, the set screw keeps it in place and prevents it from backing out.

And, yes, even the left-hand screws can and will back out.

 

[fiver]

yep.
adjust the self tapper once or twice and your chasing it around till you set it permanently.

 

[Billy G]

I bought a 155 gr lee 312 155.
I cast 10lbs of them,and the mold is simply awesome!!!
Except.....
The bullets mic .314x.317,,,,,to big and to oval!!
I need these to be .309,i think,,,,so onto sizing,and see if i have any lube grooves left!

The lube grooves on mine turned out fine. Bullets will probably come out longer though from being sized so much.

 

[Mainiac]

Had another session with this mold today.
Come to find out,i have to squeeze handles tight,then close sprue plate.to much tension on that wave washer,,makes the halves want to spread. They run .3135.-.315 today,,,thats much more exceptable!!!
Btw,,,open shake all 6 fall out,,,lee has really got their game going!!!!

 

[imashooter2]

Mine casts .314 and round. It sizes to .310 with plenty of lube capacity left. I don’t think I’d be happy with a mold that oval.

Edit again… should have read the whole thread before replying. .0015 oval I could live with.

 

[MW65]

I "Ben-ified" just about all my lee moulds... set screws installed on my two and 6 bangers! Only ones I haven't touched are the single cav.

 

[Billy G]

waco said:
Accurate molds are pretty much my go to. I did buy my first MP mold and it is wonderful.

I have 1 Accurate mold. I would not have bought it if seller had described it better. He hid the fact that it was a 1 cavity mold & it had no screws for attaching handles. It is a brass mold & the bid was only $50.00. I put my max bid at $60.00. bought it for $56.00 & I am very glad I did. This thing is amazing. It has the best vent groves I have seen. It casts PERFECT bullets nearly every time. Started to say every time . It is #311-175B. I really like the design. Will let you know how it shoots when I can get to the range

 

[PED1945]

I bought a 155 gr lee 312 155.
I cast 10lbs of them,and the mold is simply awesome!!!
Except.....
The bullets mic .314x.317,,,,,to big and to oval!!
I need these to be .309,i think,,,,so onto sizing,and see if i have any lube grooves left!

I have had good luck with a Lee 309-160-R single cavity mold I bought in 1975. Bullets drop at .309 or .310 depending on alloy and work well in 308 Win, 30/06 and a 30/30 bolt action rifle.