Shirley had a good day.....once

[freebullet]

Picked up a new lee 452-200rf 6 cav. The same mold I used in mass before liquidating 45 acp a few years back. Well, the bullets come out @ .452 and almost round from every cavity.

This success is only slightly overshadowed by the .452 push through that sizes to .451.

Guess I'll lap the push through & call myself lucky.

 

[Ian]

Wait two weeks before sizing your bullets. I don't know if Shirley had anything to do with it or not, but I have quite a few really good moulds that presumably passed across her desk.

 

[358156 hp]

Shirley you jest....

 

[freebullet]

Can't wait 2 weeks for these. Have new hungry 45 to feed. I'll try to get the new journey posted soon.

I actually meant this thread as a compliment to Lee. The mold is great, I cast some real decent bullet with it again tonight. I kinda doubt there is a Shirley or there could be numerous. It is what it is, I'm not sending the gear back.

It was a really cheap option to feed a really cheap 1911. I'm happy with it so far & was willing to accept the risks of buying lee. I would do so again for the proper applications.

The sizer is only off a little. My life could be much worse.

 

[Brad]

I would prefer a mould that casts a little large and a sizer that sizes a little small. I can make a sizer bigger or bullets smaller but it is awful hard to do the opposite.
Removing .001 froma Lee sizer is a 5 min job at most.

 

[fiver]

I have seen a number of sizers almost .001 small.
I think they count in the spring back some alloys [antimonial] have when making them.

 

[Rick]

I think the makers of sizing dies must all have grey hair. How many phone calls do ya suppose they get every day complaining their die sizes to the wrong diameter. There must be nearly as many different alloys out there as there are casters. Every alloy will size somewhat different than most any other alloy. Being a die mfg. can't be a picnic.

 

[Brad]

What? My pure lead bullets won't be the same size as my heat treated Linotype?

When I make a sizer the final test is sizing one of MY bullets cast from the likely alloy for that bullet.

Lee sizers are likely one of the best bargains out there. Easy to modify to your needs.

 

[Ian]

I have three or four Lee sizers marked .451" or .452" and several are polished by me to get what I want with a certain mould and alloy. Sometimes I have to size the same night I cast to get what I want, sometimes I have to wait and use a different sizer, it all depends. My 452-230-TC mould drops straight WW cast hot and fast at an average .4525" with about 3/4 thousandth total diameter variance including some bit of out of round. They all clean up nicely when shoved through a sizer that puts them out at .452", but I go ahead and powder coat them as-cast and immediately shove them through a .451-marked, un-modified Lee sizer and they come out a perfect .4515" which fits all my guns, doesn't shave in the throats, and shoots great.

 

[JonB]

SNIP...
I actually meant this thread as a compliment to Lee. The mold is great, I cast some real decent bullet with it again tonight. I kinda doubt there is a Shirley or there could be numerous. It is what it is, I'm not sending the gear back.

I've worked in various manufacture companies all my adult life, about 30 years.
I am sure Lee has a QC department in their machining division, but they aren't the inspectors that are putting on the 'inspected by' label, and the volume they produce, there is probably for more than one employee in that QC dept, I've never seen another name on that 'inspected by' sticker. The person/inspector that labels the final product, is, no doubt, in the shipping department, making sure the product "looks" like it's complete and assembled correctly, and in the correct box/package that's labeled correctly, and has the correct user manual.
That's my 2¢

 

[300BLK]

Despite reading about some of the too often negative experiences with new Lee moulds, I couldn't resist and bought the C358-200-RF and and the TL314-90-SWC. One of them had a sticker indicating "inspected by Shirley" and the other, someone else. Regardless, BOTH are dropping bullets within .001" or being round. The TL-314-90-SWC has one cavity casting .001" larger than the other, but the C358-200-RF is within a few ten thousandths between the cavities. Shirely must be slipping and let a good one slip.

 

[freebullet]

Shirely must be slipping and let a good one slip.

I snagged the 6 cav 358125 for 30$ & the 356120tc for 28$ on clearance from midway. Haven't cast with them yet but, at that price for a 6 gang mold I can beagle if needed. I don't even look at the lee literature, snag the mold out the box & the rest go in file 13 or the stove if it's cold.

 

[300BLK]

I have both of those, and they are both good. The only bad 6 cavity I had went back to Lee and was replaced (.006" OOR) 452-230-tC.

 

[Rally Hess]

Shirley had another bad day. I got the 358-148-WC 6 cavity last week from Midway. Cast a bunch of bullets from straight coww. In the same mold they range from .359-.362. Sized enough to send back with the mold. Was actually cutting and depositing lead shavings on the top punch in a .358 sizer. The last two Lee's I've bought have both gone back. Won't be a third.

 

[Intheshop]

Guessing here,cause I've got better things to think about....or not?The ratio of good/acceptable vs. why did I buy a Lee is 80-20.It's right at that Cracker Jack point of finding prizes.

Am always reminded,and have used the phrase many times myself....."I got that _____ (insert pce of equipment) for beer money".Well,there are occasions when the beer may have been more productive....doh.

 

[Fiddler]

Maybe Shirley is an acronym for something.