Aluminum or steal molds, wich one and why? I like the idea of Lees 6cav. mold, but I'm unsure if aluminum will hold up. Please let me know what you think.

I'm sure the purists will poo-poo Lee's molds, and although I've never used their 6 cavity, I have used their 2 cavity molds for more than 15 years. They make cast boolits just as well as my RCBS steel molds and they don't need to be oiled up for storage.


I especially like their tumble lube designs used with liquid Alox.

Like onefunzr2 I have used Lee moulds for many years. I have not damgaed one and had to throw it away. All mine, including those bought in the mid 70s are still good working moulds. I think the biggest problem with them is beating the sprue plate open with a mallet as shown in the directions or in manuals. I use a thick leather work glove one my right hand and open the mould sprue plate by hand. Dipping the corner of the mould in the alloy to preheat it is all that is required. From then on the sprue plate opens easily by hand.

I also have several Rapine aluminum moulds that work very well. I notice no difference between the Lee, Rapine, Lyman, RCBS and a couple other makes of moulds if they are treated well and used correctly.

BTW; I have 9 Lee 6 cavity moulds. The important thing with them is; don't hold the sprue handle shut when filling as it will partially open the mould. Watch out for sprue run off under the sprue handle cam surface as you can preak the handles if there isn't clearence for the cam to work.

Debur the sprue plate of all moulds when you get them. Use a quality graphite lube for moulds. I use the Rapine mould lube on all my moulds and sprue plates.

Caveat; the Lyman 4 cavity mould does require the use of a mallet to open the sprue plate. The other makes of 3+ cavity moulds usually do also. Just be careful with it and don't "wail" on the sprue plate to open it. With proper use all moulds should last more than your lifetime.

Larry Gibson

I am typically the outlyer when this subject comes up, and quite frankly, there are aluminum moulds I readily buy, and aluminum moulds you couldn't run fast enough to GIVE me. The Lee moulds fall into the latter category, the two-cavity moulds particularly.

I have warped more Lee moulds than I care to talk about. They just don't have enough meat to them, in my opinion. They get too hot too quickly, and casting speed falls to almost watching paint dry.


In short, I have several Lee moulds I bought years ago that aren't used. I have learned better. Older NEI moulds, Rapines, LBTs, yes. Lee? absolutely not.

Just my $.02...

quote:

Originally posted by Doubless:
They (Lee 2 cavity molds) get too hot too quickly...

Perhaps I never had such a problem cause my Lee Production Pot IV has a thermostat which I adjust to the aluminum mold's characteristics to get shiny, well-filled boolits.

Or perhaps because I use 2 or even 3 moulds at a time. I'd rather cast bullets and not "watch the paint dry"

larry Gibson

Yeah, good luck with getting a decent variation in bullet weights with two or three different moulds.

Personally, I like my eight and 10-cavity H & G moulds. The bullets all drop at less than a grain apart, and in ~45 minutes I have a pile of 500 or so. No waiting for a sprue to freeze because the mould is too hot, no culls, just gorgeous silver projectiles.

You get what you pay for.

With Aluminum I have gone to the use two program. Cast. set it down, and cast the other one. Open the first one. drop the bullets on a towel, pour and set it down. Repeat. I have gone to that for steel and brass/bronze moulds as well. I find it the best way to regulate mould temperature.

Works for me, but other do it differently. I am talking rifle bullets for competition though. Mine need to be consistent enough for MOA competition. I like knowing that errant shots are my fault shooting, not casting.

Rich

For rifle shooting, I typically ladle cast into single cavity blocks. Same for muzzleloaders. If I do my part, seldom is there over a couple tenths of a grain variation, and that is close enough for what I need.

Under those circumstances, a Lee might work. I just don't like the cheap sprue plates held in place with a sheet metal screw, and the lack of "meat" in the moulds. To me they just scream "cheap". If LBT, Rapine, NEI and several others can make a quality mould of aluminum alloy, so can Dick Lee! But he doesn't, as far as I am concerned.

But my opinion is worth exactly what you paid for it.

But Mr. Lee would say that LBT, Rapine, NEI and several other manufacturers were wasting money by building their products in such a manner. Lee products are cheap by design, and for the most part work well. The six cavity moulds are hard to beat for handgun bullets.

I have a couple of dozen molds most a are lee aluminum. They work well. I cast around 6000 175gr 40 cal last winter no trouble. plus a lot of 41mag 44 452 458 bullets.

My hands down favorite molds are Ballisticast cast iron. If you get a chance to use one, you'll understand why, they are perfection, and at an appropriate price for their quality.

That said, I've got more lee molds than all other brands combined. Why? The bullets are accurate, and the molds are reasonably priced. I especially like the 6 cavity molds.

The key to aluminum molds, well all molds for that matter, is don't abuse them! If you slam the mold halves together when you close them, you'll eventually damage them. Take a little bit of care with the molds, and they'll last a long time. I haven't seen any wear on my lee molds, and I've cast 1000's of bullets from those molds.

onefunzr2 and larry gibson,

i'm also a fan of lee moulds; 6-cavity's, excellent bullet designs, push-thru sizers and liquid alox made me retire my...heavy, very heavy...steel 4-cavity's and most other steel moulds, too...but only after i found out about and tried bullshop's bull plate sprue lube. http://www.bullshop.gunloads.com/tbs_lube.htm

it prevents lead smearing under the sprue cutter when opening too quickly, thereby avoiding galling the aluminum mould's top surface. it works on steel moulds, too.

budman

ignorance is fixable, stupidity is forever...

Add my name to liking LEE moulds or aluminum moulds in general. I like the cast iron mould also.

If a Lee mould isn't abused and maintained they hold up for a very long time. Their aluminum seems softer then other aluminum blocks I've used, but with care they are fine. Some of the more accurate loads I have, have come from a LEE mould. I especially like how they won't rust which is a problem with cast iron mould especially in very humid areas. I think the aluminum moulds let the bullet harden faster too cutting down the waiting time and speeding up production.

I have no issues with steel, aluminum, or brass molds although I don't have a brass one yet I do have one on order.

Lee for the most part I like to tell the truth but then again I can take the time to "tune" my $20 Lee 2-bangers the way I want them, then I take care of them.

The six cav Lee's are definately better quality than the two cav's but for $20 I can screw up a mold and not feel too bad about it.

Other aluminum molds I have are a three cav BRP Product 45-70 mold and a couple of NOE's .444 Marlin molds. Both are excellent quality aluminum molds.

Just my humble opinion............hope all had a great turkey day!

quote:

Or perhaps because I use 2 or even 3 moulds at a time. I'd rather cast bullets and not "watch the paint dry"

quote:

Yeah, good luck with getting a decent variation in bullet weights with two or three different moulds.

I too always cast using 2 moulds, with the same procedure that Idaho Sharpshooter described, but each mould is for a different caliber, style, or weight bullet. No issue with variation of bullet weights.

I also use a variety of moulds, both Lee aluminum and Lyman and Saeco steel. They all work fine.

quote:

With Aluminum I have gone to the use two program. Cast. set it down, and cast the other one. Open the first one. drop the bullets on a towel, pour and set it down. Repeat. I have gone to that for steel and brass/bronze moulds as well. I find it the best way to regulate mould temperature.

When I cas commercially I ALWAYS did that using two six gang Hensley & Gibbs moulds. And a bucket of water at my feet to quench cool them in now and again.

As for the Lee? Unless it is in a bullet style that nobody else does (their superb 246 grain 44 S & W Special) I really won't use them.

I'm a tight fisted Brit mean with money and I don't like paying TWICE for a thing! Sorry but Lee moulds just don't last.

The fault isn't the blocks as such just the "flimsy" hardware that they come with. The sprue plate is too thin and the handles are also too thin.

Lee blocks machined for RCBS type handles with a good thick sprue plate...now that might well be the best of both worlds!