Got this many done before this happened

[STCM(SW)]

Never liked aluminum molds. Get too hot too quickly or cool off doing multi
molds of different bullets.
Have a few and don't use them any more.
Steel is much better. Holds up better and are always tight.

 

[rosewood]

The steel ones are heavier and causes fatigue on the user quicker.

Rosewood

 

[gwpercle]

Ifin you would quit tightening that sprue plate bolt every few minutes, you wouldn't have brokeded it.

I find myself having to tighten mine regularly while casting.

Rosewood

Easy fix to try - remove the bolt , pay attention to LH or RH thread , pull 3 or 4 strands of 0000 steel wool from a pad and wrap them around the bolt threads and reinstall .
This will usually keep the bolt from getting loose .
I did it on a two cavity Lee that wouldn't stay tight ... it hasn't come loose since... I tried to remove the bolt but it held so tight Iwas afraid to force it any harder ... so I just left it alone and it hasn't come loose again .
Sounds crazy but it's working .
Too cheap and easy a fix not to at least try it.
Gary

 

[fredj338]

Accurate molds will last your lifetime even if you cast 50K a year.They are more costly at the time of purchase but when you consider you'll never need another one,it comes out cheaper.
And you can customize them;I have many brands and while I can't badmouth Lee's molds(they'll do the job proportionally for the $$invested)Accurate are now the ones I buy 95% of the time.
You won't regret the investment!

I have a few lee molds & always hate using them. I have a bunch of molds, mostly Acccurate in alum or Saeco, RCBS & Lyman in iron. I love casting with a quality mold. It makes the process far easier with very few issues.

 

[fredj338]

The steel ones are heavier and causes fatigue on the user quicker.

Rosewood

Especially if more than 4cavs. My 4cav molds are mostly Accurate alum. I have a couple iron 4cavs & while heavy, not as bad as brass. When you go beyond 4cav, you really want alum molds or casting becomes work & not an enjoyable hobby.

 

[StrawHat]

All of you that hate your Lee molds, please, PM me for my address and send them to me. I have some two cavities for 40 years and six cavity for 20. Even have some Lee custom molds. They hold up as well as my Lyman, Ideal, NOE, or Accurate molds. It depends on how you treat them.

So please, send them to me and I will fix the ones that need fixing and use them.

Kevin

 

[fredj338]

All of you that hate your Lee molds, please, PM me for my address and send them to me. I have some two cavities for 40 years and six cavity for 20. Even have some Lee custom molds. They hold up as well as my Lyman, Ideal, NOE, or Accurate molds. It depends on how you treat them.

So please, send them to me and I will fix the ones that need fixing and use them.

Kevin

I am sure it depends on how much you cast but to even imply that the quality is the same is really funny. Lee makes a decent mold. Their 2cavs are better now than the old ones, better alignment with pins. The alum on the lee molds is really soft, easier to damage. The sprue plate handle on their 6cav is horrible, cast pot metal that almost always breaks at some point. I have replaced a couple with machined steel ones, a 100% upgrade.
Lee are fine for beginners that arent sure of casting, though they are more diff to work with, but the quality of anyone elses molds are superior in every way Imo. I cast 15k bullets + annually. Better gear always makes the job easier.

 

[StrawHat]

I am sure it depends on how much you cast but to even imply that the quality is the same is really funny. Lee makes a decent mold. Their 2cavs are better now than the old ones, better alignment with pins. The alum on the lee molds is really soft, easier to damage. The sprue plate handle on their 6cav is horrible, cast pot metal that almost always breaks at some point. I have replaced a couple with machined steel ones, a 100% upgrade.
Lee are fine for beginners that arent sure of casting, though they are more diff to work with, but the quality of anyone elses molds are superior in every way Imo. I cast 15k bullets + annually. Better gear always makes the job easier.

Have to admit that I have passed my apex of casting. Back when I competed in PPC, the only way I could afford to practice was to cast. Back then Lee did not make a 6 cavity so a pair of two cavity molds was put to work. Had a lot of time with them and still have them. Yes, I hear the new two cavities are an improvement. If they have a style I like, I may give them a try.

Since I don’t beat on my molds, I don’t need them to be hard. Pop showed me how to swing the sprue with a gloved hand. Works great and doesn’t beat up on the molds. Sticky cavity, had that problem with a lot of the companies, cast a bullet and use it as a lap to polish the cavity.

I do like the upgraded sprue plates for the Lee six. I have also made new sprue plates for Lyman and others. Same with hollow point pins. Bullet molds are rarely perfect from the factory but with a little TLC they can all be made to produce good bullets.

As far as implying the quality of a Lee mold was the same as the others, I never did that. Perhaps you read too much into what I wrote.

Your last line “Better gear always makes the job easier”. I like that. But only if you treat you gear well.

Kevin

 

[Qc Pistolero]

I have a few lee molds & always hate using them. I have a bunch of molds, mostly Acccurate in alum or Saeco, RCBS & Lyman in iron. I love casting with a quality mold. It makes the process far easier with very few issues.

I did not mean that Lee molds were the equal of others(altough I like my Lee more than my Lyman and I own aprox 8 to 10 of each;my Lee will cast with a much lower % of rejects).I fully agree with you and that was my conclusion that Accurate are now the best I can buy.I too will not downgrade Saeco and RCBS and I still use one from the defunct NEI which I like a lot. But I still use some of my Lee molds and they will give birth to accurate bullets.
I guess that at that point,it is getting to the ageold argumentation of which one do you prefer;blondes or brunettes?