Any thoughts on must have "Lee Moulds" as good shooting rifle bullets

[JWFilips]

Hi Folks,
I'm sure all of you have experienced the low price two cavity Lee moulds at some point in time.
I'm not discussing the trial and tribulations of casting with them in this thread. I'm asking about accurate shooting bullets....
I have a few of take em or leave em....I have some that just don't shoot well but I do have a few Stellar performers. For me two in particular which I use in my 8 MM Mauser's. They are the Lee 329-209 and the 324-175. Both shoot very well in my GEW 98 ( of course I size down the 329-205 to .326 for that rifle).
I believe asome of our past threads mention a few different caliber styles that shoot well for some folks. Thought getting them all together in one thread would be worth while
Jim

 

[Ian]

Their .22-55 is a good bullet, and very effective for a lot of things, with the only negative being the wide meplat is not so good for really long range. That wide meplat makes it really good for small game inside 100 yards at low velocity, though, and over-all it does very well at high speed.

The two SKS bullets loosely copied from Ed Harris' SKS design are also decent ones. The 312-180 Russian bullet works pretty well at medium speed in .30-caliber rifles that it happens to fit well. I've gotten the 7mm bullet to shoot way better than it should but I would NOT say it is a good design. There are a couple other .30-calibers that do ok at low speed but are not really "rifle bullets". Most of the Lee designs are inherently poor for anything beyond 1800 fps or so, which is the natural drawback to most "universal fit" designs.

 

[fiver]

the only reason I didn't get into LEE molds way back when was because of their mold construction.
but I thought they had some pretty good designs.
let me re-phrase that, they have some good outlines of designs.
where they drop the ball is in the execution and detail department.
it's like they shot for generic and over achieved.

 

[James Nicholson]

it's like they shot for generic and over achieved I got to steal that phrase.​

 

[Rcmaveric]

I like my Lee molds. I have two more in the mail, in bound. I have the I have the C309-150-F, 356-105-1R, 356-125-1R, 358-158-RF, and 277-130-RF. The Lee .311 RB mold is in the mail for making buckshot and the Lee 1oz Key Drive mold are the ones on the way. I agree they are not the best molds. Doesn't matter how much i lube the spure play it still gals. They drop good bullets that fly straight. So far they are all accurate except the C309-150-F, but i think that's just me not finding a good load for it yet. I need a slower powder than Reloader 7.

I am certain though that by the time I wear these molds out i will have gotten my 20 bucks worth and saved money for a better mold.

I wish they would come out with 6.5 MM mold. Any time i need a mold i turn to Lee first.

 

[fiver]

try some anti seize for that galling.

 

[Rcmaveric]

I will have to try that. I use dollar store 2 Cycle engine oil.

 

[fiver]

that works but the anti seize puts a little physical barrier there.

 

[Will]

I always put my lee sprue plates on a flat stone as soon as I get them. Usually the sprue plate has a roll around the edges from being stamped.

After stoning the sprue plate flat and breaking the edges most of the galling stops.

 

[RicinYakima]

I am certain though that by the time I wear these molds out i will have gotten my 20 bucks worth and saved money for a better mold.

I.

That is what they are made for, wear them out and if you like the design, buy a well made mould.

 

[Ian]

Or if it suits your fancy, just buy another Lee [shrug]. I have stacks and stacks of Lee moulds, some of which have cast many thousands of good bullets. They need a little bit of extra care to last, but they do fine if you take care of them, keep them lubed, and don't bang them around too much.

 

[RBHarter]

The 324-175 ......I'm sure mine is a 325-175 ......and the 312-155 are the only 2 that really worked out for me . The 325 wasn't for beans in the 8mm but it turned out to be pretty good in 32 Rem . I would replace it anyway if a good one came along for game vs poking paper holes .

The 312-155 is great in 30-30 , 308 even the old wave barreled 06' liked it . It's no where near big enough for the SKS 8×39 slop barrel it was intended by design for . I'd say it really shines in the 325 Savage 30-30 but I think it's harder to find something that won't shoot in that rifle than loads that do.

 

[JWFilips]

RB the Lee designation for that mould is C324-175-1R ( but mine drops .325")

 

[Intheshop]

Got a 22-55 and a 285-130.The first has been shot in a cpl 223 bolts,and a 22-250.It casts very well,no issues.

The 7mm.....humph.Worst galling mould I've ever used. It's been fixtured,waiting for sumthin? now on the Bridgeport for way too long.Heck,it gets a fair bit of treatment,after casting to shoot in my EDC 7-08 that,I should just buy another one?Meaning,it ain't anything special,I'm gonna swage it into submission anyway.But it does shoot,and is impressive accuracy wise.Not a speed rig,more like Timex vs a Rolex.

 

[Bret4207]

30 cal "Soup Can" has worked great for me in a variety of smaller 30 and 31 cal rifles and handguns. I also have what I think is a discontinued 358-180GCFN that is simply a wonderful design in the 35 Rem/Whelen. I have a lot of other Lees that work well, but the details escape me.

As far as the moulds themselves, yeah, wish they were brass instead of aluminum. but they work if you give them a little TLC.

 

[Ian]

I forgot to add one, this is a "must have" if you own a .35-caliber rifle: The C358-200-RF.

 

[KHornet]

As usual, I agree with Bret. I have yet to find a 30 cal rifle that won't
shoot the Lee 150 or 155 what ever it is. My mold is an old Lee, and
probably has cast 2-3000 bullets. The PB version shoots equally well
at vols up to 1200. And yes, a little TLC is necessary particularly with
the older 2 cav molds.

Paul

 

[earlmck]

I'll second Ian on the .358-200. And it comes in 6-cavity also, becoming my favorite mould for 35 Remington.

 

[Reloader762]

Four of my favorite Lee rifle molds that have just shot well for me right out of the box.
For my Sav. 170B in 30-30 and Sav. 99 in 300 Sav.
C309-150-F
C309 -170-F

I shoot both of these in the SKS and Mosin rifles.
CTL-160-2r, can be sized down to .311" and shoots very well in the Sav. 99
C312-185-1R

 

[Rally Hess]

I’m going to try the never sieze. I have a couple of the Lee 7/8 oz slug moulds that are self destructive. I have a Beretta that likes them, and it makes neat holes in snobanks.
I cast 22 lbs of numer 4 buck a couple days ago. It drops them in strings of 3, 18 per drop. Without a doubt the hardest mould to keep up to temp. I add tin and run the pot at 800, fast pace and two pots to keep recycling the sprue. Too low of temp and the shot look like turnips. Needs a little pressure directly in the hole also.