Lee 452-200 RF

[Cherokee]

Got this new mold, cleaned it up well, preheated, then started casting. What ?? Bullets will not drop. Rap the handle hinge with the mallet, still no drop. Repeat mallet thing several times...still bullets will not drop. Well, I figured there were burrs. Bullets were really stuck. After the mold cools, take it apart, check for burrs. Hummmm, right side cavities all have sharp edges, left side doesn't. Use sharp blade to knock off any burrs on the right side. Then I looked down into the cavities of the closed mold. OK, now I see, the cavities were not center cut on the parting line of the mold, the right side has more of the bullet curve than it should so naturally it would hold onto the bullet. Back to the seller it will go. Pic's are for you to judge if I am correct in my assessment.

 

[Brad]

Those sure look off center to me. That mould will never drop bullets easily.

Just when you think Lee has it figured out.....

 

[Ian]

OH MY! That's the worst one I've ever seen. It's a shame, too, because Lee has really made some improvements to their mould designs in the past few years.

 

[Todd M]

Wow I've never seen one like that. Really sad that a thing like that is the problem. Certainly would seem avoidable.

 

[Rcmaveric]

Took me a minute of staring at the picture to see what you mean. Hopefully the will replace the mold.

 

[waco]

I know some will argue with me. I know the Lee stuff is very affordable, but....
How many posts just like this one come up ALL the time.
I got to the point where I hate Lee molds. They are trash compared to others that I will gladly spend 3 times my hard earned money on to get what I pay for. The only saving grace for undersized, out of round Lee molds is PC.
Maybe I have been unlucky with the Lee stuff. I do not own a good one....

 

[fiver]

most definitely off center.

 

[Rally Hess]

Looks like Shirley had another bad day.

 

[Ian]

Sad thing is I had an MP mould that had the same problem, except it was tapered and the two in the middle were close enough to tap out, just the ones on the ends stuck, one on one side and one on the other. I think the three of us that got the bad ones all measured about 11 thousandths off-center from the parting line. In a cherry-cut mould, one half cut at a time like Miha does it, the capturing problem shouldn't be so bad except on this run he orbited the cherry and cut some wrap-around in the process.

 

[Rcmaveric]

If it weren't for Lee I wouldn't be casting and reloading. Like anything else mass produced, there will be a few lemons and you cant please everyone.

 

[Cherokee]

This is the first time I have had any real problem with the 6 Cv molds, and I have 8 of them. Waiting on the vendor to get back to me on returning the mold for a refund; sent them the same pictures so there should not be any question.

 

[Rick]

I agree with Walter completely. I don't buy any tool of any kind so I can see how much time & effort I need to put into to it to make it do what I bought it to do and that's been my experience across the board with LEE molds. I bought my last one many years ago and I do mean my last one. I'm hardly rich but for me it's money well spent to save up and wait to get a tool made well enough to work correctly. A quality tool working correctly is a joy to use, a poorly made tool is aggravation.

 

[RBHarter]

I wonder what the production numbers are for Lee ?
I did buy 2 375 RB moulds about 6 months apart with the same defect .
I have a problem with choking down $80+ for a 2c RB mould ....... As luck would have it I did trip over a couple of orphan Lyman and an RCBS RB conical combo mould for about the same prices as the Lee's .
I haven't found a mould I like better than the 358-158 RF for 38/357 and when I got identical performance on target and over the chronograph with an LBT 403-175 RF and the Lee 401-175 SWC and tripled production I kept the 6 cavity and made the next guy a screaming deal .
I don't like the Lee rifle moulds for 7mm and 30 cal I have a terrible time with them . It takes too long for them to settle down , I have to over heat it to get them hot enough to cast then I fight the temp with every few degrees change in air temp seems like I have to adjust my rate all the time and chase frost and wrinkles ......
Yeah I guess it's about an even split . I have 16 on hand 2 are destined to be blanks for next year when I get that lathe I've been threatening me with for 5-6 yr . 3 work but we don't talk much . 5 that I won't trade because, well , they work in the platforms and cartridges and 40 that work but just aren't as good as I'd like them to be or need a different nose design but they'll do for now .

I have 1 of 9 NOEs that gives me fits and whiskers , a 5 hole that I swear in 5 yrs and probably 15-20 runs I've never cast 5/5 or over 3 keepers per throw . I'm sure it's an operator error on a 285-150 . At the other end I have a 225-55 and I don't remember other than first casts and broken flow not getting 425/100 pours . Even the 460 543 3C is trouble free . But that 1 ......

Do we need to even think about Lyman QC of recent times or the U moulds and the randomly changed numbers , having to add shot , wire clippings or file flats to keep sprue plate tension , rust and the stuck screws ......

I have a 7mm-168 sil that is so nose small that I can size it .278 for the 6.8 or paper patch it for the 7RWH (7×6.8) , 7×57 or 280 , while the 27-130 FP throws a .281-141 . Why did they have to have their own handles ? Which won't fit anything else either .

If I think about it I'm sure I could find sunshine and rain in anybody's product .
Chevy's won't run if all the lights and power dodads work .
Ford's have horrible switches .
Dodges don't play well if you mess with the T cases and if the power steering isn't leaking it ain't running .
Every International or AMC I ever drove was dubbed rattle and hum because you could hear the oil pressure come up and hit each crank journal .
Jeep ? Guess who's parts they used this week , nope that was last week .

 

[KHornet]

Think I am lucky, maybe very lucky. Have 8 I think 6 Cav
lee molds, and all are fine. Maybe there is a little Irish in
my background that I am not aware of.

Paul

 

[Longone]

I think we all understand that you get what you pay for. Lee’s prices are at a price point that probably has gotten many people into casting but if you are a serious caster you soon realize the mold won’t be with you for years to come. Some of us are forced to buy RB molds from Lee because others don’t make a 36 mold. I would love to have a RCBS but paying $120 for one doesn’t make sense to me. Lyman molds have a horrible sprue stem that just shoots terrible. So for RB molds at least I buy Lee and chuck them when it’s junk. My recent 38 cal Lee purchase was on a whim and for the price of the mold if I get two season from it I’ll be happy.

 

[Rally Hess]

I sent back a slug mould last year to Lee that didn't have a vent line on it anywhere! Maybe somebody there should take a look at what goes out the door.

 

[earlmck]

You're totally correct in your assessment of your mould problems Cherokee. Send it back!
That said, I'm in there with khornet -- must have just been lucky. I have a number of Lee moulds including one old 2 cavity that must date back to when they were new in the mould game. Have never had a bad one and have become rather a fan of the 6-cavity Lee. My only complaint has been that they don't make the 6-cavity in all their bullet designs.

 

[KeithB]

I can't make a six cavity mold as good as a six cavity Lee FOR THE SAME PRICE. I can make a better mold for a lot higher price, so if I can get a Lee six in a size/style I want I don't mind messing with it a little. That said, I have only had one problem with a Lee six that required more than tapping a set screw hole or knocking off a bur, which to me is a simple almost-daily activity.

Send back the mold, it isn't fixable. Can't imagine getting any argument over a problem that is so plainly visually apparent. I can imagine about 100 causes for that particular problem, but it would have been nice to have caught it during final inspection.

Not a big fan of Lee one or two cavity molds, I appreciate a lot of people got their start with them but I began with a couple of used Lyman two cavity molds so I have no nostalgic feelings about them. I just don't think the vertical alignment method on the older ones (A half round groove on an 1/8" pin) was very robust.

 

[fiver]

it definitely wasn't, and it relied on the mold itself being peened over the edges to keep those little pins in place.
I have one of the older ones I got 'on loan' and have cast well over a thousand bullets with it, almost 2 now since I'm almost out of gas checks.
if I finish those and another thousand off I would say it was money well spent by the original owner, since he made enough to last him before sending the mold to me.
would I want the same system again...no.
I would really like to have that same mold cut into some saeco or rcbs blocks though.

 

[Cherokee]

Update - The vendor is accepting the return for a refund. I'm looking at Tom's selections.