Bret4207 I think you make a good point. Many (most) didn't take care of their Lee molds. Many of us casters know full well that aluminum is a soft metal and that it has to be handled very carefully. Lee molds have a reputation of being prone to loose sprue plate screws. I suspect that is how owners dealt with it led to their ruining their bullet mold.
How about we discuss using Lee Tumble Lube cast bullets?
- Thread starter Wallyl
- Start date
Walks.... I think your statement is correct; I feel the same way. Lee molds offer good value and I use them the most, despite the fact that I have quite a few Lyman, RCBS, & Saeco bullet molds.
I'll use Lee molds, but will always feel just about every mold I've ever used is better then Lee.
I'll use Lee molds, but will always feel just about every mold I've ever used is better then Lee.
RBHarter
West Central AR
I started with Lee moulds what an eye opener that 45-200 was .
Give a choice of like moulds .......not a hard one to make .
Lee makes a tool to do a job and it does that job .
Too often you have to futz around with final fit and finish .
I find NOE to be the best dollar for dollar value .
I've written that about 150 times .
Give a choice of like moulds .......not a hard one to make .
Lee makes a tool to do a job and it does that job .
Too often you have to futz around with final fit and finish .
I find NOE to be the best dollar for dollar value .
I've written that about 150 times .
JWFilips
Well-Known Member
Ed Got A NOE 3 cavity Aluminum block 63 grain .25 cal mould When he gave it to me to cast I ended up contacting Al because I was sure something was wrong with it! I even pressure cast with it and got fins galore but the bands would be rounded! Al told me to heat it up good on the hotplate and raise my alloy temp to 750 degrees +! And cast as fast as I could! OK I did just that and got perfect bullets!
There is a massive amount of Aluminum block and three tiny cavities! Learned something that day.
All his other moulds are Steel so That isn't too bad even the 22's
There is a massive amount of Aluminum block and three tiny cavities! Learned something that day.
All his other moulds are Steel so That isn't too bad even the 22's
CZ93X62
Official forum enigma
Heat can definitely be your ally in this game. So can a bit of added tin.
I have an OLD single-cav Ideal mould #225438. The guy who sold it to me @ $20 said "I have never gotten a decent casting out of it. THANK YOU for getting it outta my sight."
Here--HOLD MY DIET COKE.
Nice-condition tool, no visible vent lines (yeah, OLD) and no signs of past abuse. Pre-heat the block, and try it with Linotype. OMG--beautiful castings. Very few throw-backs. Aight. Next try was with 92/6/2--got the alloy temp up around 775*, and it made good castings--with about 10% scrap rate. I can live with that, and the castings shot well in a 22 Hornet at 100 and 200 yards.
But that Linotype result kept rattling around in my head. There's lots of unused room. Loverin bullets and their tiny grooves/bands. Good fill-out with Lino, and very close weight SDs. Lyman "specs" for Lyman #2 alloy. #2 is 5% tin.
I bought some tin bars from Roto, and added about 2% more tin to my 92/6/2 for my next Loverin bullet, a new #266469. I heat-cycled the mould over an afternoon, 3 or 4 times. I heated it back up after complete cool-down, and started pouring bullets with my custom/one-off 91/5/4. The fourth pour produced keeper castings, and continued to do so. This will become The Standard whenever a Loverin-like design is in the mix. I feel confident that similar steps will help with the Ranch Dog or other tumble-lube castings are on the menu.
I have an OLD single-cav Ideal mould #225438. The guy who sold it to me @ $20 said "I have never gotten a decent casting out of it. THANK YOU for getting it outta my sight."
Here--HOLD MY DIET COKE.
Nice-condition tool, no visible vent lines (yeah, OLD) and no signs of past abuse. Pre-heat the block, and try it with Linotype. OMG--beautiful castings. Very few throw-backs. Aight. Next try was with 92/6/2--got the alloy temp up around 775*, and it made good castings--with about 10% scrap rate. I can live with that, and the castings shot well in a 22 Hornet at 100 and 200 yards.
But that Linotype result kept rattling around in my head. There's lots of unused room. Loverin bullets and their tiny grooves/bands. Good fill-out with Lino, and very close weight SDs. Lyman "specs" for Lyman #2 alloy. #2 is 5% tin.
I bought some tin bars from Roto, and added about 2% more tin to my 92/6/2 for my next Loverin bullet, a new #266469. I heat-cycled the mould over an afternoon, 3 or 4 times. I heated it back up after complete cool-down, and started pouring bullets with my custom/one-off 91/5/4. The fourth pour produced keeper castings, and continued to do so. This will become The Standard whenever a Loverin-like design is in the mix. I feel confident that similar steps will help with the Ranch Dog or other tumble-lube castings are on the menu.
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Sandspider500
Member
Tumble lube molds rule!!!
Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Some of the instructions in the older Lee books (I don't have any newer ones) were put somewhat roughly and might not have gotten the right idea across. And some of what was written was patently false. I got the feeling whoever was writing some of that stuff never actually did any of it and data mined the info from elsewhere. Maybe I'm wrong, but some of it read that way to me.
RBHarter
West Central AR
Lee and Lyman data other than Lymans bullets is all "borrowed" data . Lymans is probably retained old data . The 6.8 has been with us nearly 30 years and Lyman publishes no cast data for it and the data for the WSMs is probably just same case volume bullet weigh pull over reprint . It is however the largest available source of basic data .
I find the Lee 90 gr tl swc as easy shooting as anything else in 32 Long. I also find that tumble lubing it with a very light coat allows enough lube for the 750-800 fps it likes to be shot at. I also shot more than a few wadcutters with just tl and done just fine. Both used soft lead and 800 fps which was a pattern for me.
I started with the mold from hell, pre internet days in the early 90's. The lee 124 gr tl 9mm bullet just wanted to do all but group well. Happiest day of ownership was some fool taking it off my hands.
I know Ranch Dog loved the stuff. He coated the bullet before sizing then double dipped the grooves in original strength LLA. It worked for him at rifle speeds.
I started with the mold from hell, pre internet days in the early 90's. The lee 124 gr tl 9mm bullet just wanted to do all but group well. Happiest day of ownership was some fool taking it off my hands.
I know Ranch Dog loved the stuff. He coated the bullet before sizing then double dipped the grooves in original strength LLA. It worked for him at rifle speeds.
Rally
NC Minnesota
I started with RCBS steel moulds and their lubes. Then bought a few Lyman moulds, and wasn't impressed with them, but they offered more variety than RCBS. Bought a couple Lee moulds and wasn't impressed with their bullet moulds either, but use their slug and buckshot moulds still. I just see them as disposable, but they offer moulds nobody else does. Even made cutters for the 18 cavity 00 buck. Closest thing I have to a TL design are the Ranch Dogs from NOE and I use Bens Red on all of them. Size and lube all my rifle bullets in an RCBS and nose first size all my pistol in a Star. Don't intend to get into PC, I have enough bad habits now!
ChestnutLouie
Active Member
Powder coated bullets look great and there is no need to swab out your seating die every couple hundred rounds loaded but I think it important to stand the bullets up in the heating tray so that there are no defects on the coating; this process is tedious. Tumble lubing with 45 45 10 is so easy and gives great results for my (38 special & 45 ACP) shooting. Some have said in this forum that softer bullets can be pushed faster when powder coated.
does this mean that wheel weight lead can be pushed to 1300 fps out of my henry big boy 357 mag??? 38 special is shown below but do you think that 1300 fps (the speed limit at my local range) is reasonable for my 357 mag example? which brand of "liquid car wax" are you using? exactly how are you applying it?
thanks
Francis
does this mean that wheel weight lead can be pushed to 1300 fps out of my henry big boy 357 mag??? 38 special is shown below but do you think that 1300 fps (the speed limit at my local range) is reasonable for my 357 mag example? which brand of "liquid car wax" are you using? exactly how are you applying it?
thanks
Francis
Attachments
I PC'd some Lee #358-158-RF, loaded it in .357 Cases over max 2400. Slow day at the range, so I managed to dig 2 out of the embankment. PC was still pretty much intact. No leading in My old Marlin 1894C. No Chrono, so I have no way of knowing the velocity. But that old load did 1350fps out of my old Blackhawk 6 1/2".
Cast of 50/50 COWW/#2. 2 -3" group off hand.
Cast of 50/50 COWW/#2. 2 -3" group off hand.