I'm having trouble with my Lee molds ...

[dogtag]

I've been casting for close to 30 years and I have 15 Lee molds
some of which I haven't used in years. At one time Lee only
sold single cavity molds, so I have a bunch of those which have
never given me any trouble except casting takes forever.
So, I replaced my SKS and my 185 grn 311 singles for doubles
as the singles are kinda labor intensive..
After casting just over a hundred 185 grn bullets I found that
the gas checks won't fit. And just now my SKS mold fell apart.
The pin fell out. I put it back but it keeps coming loose.
I guess i'll have to take this up with Lee, but I just wondered If
anyone else has had problems.

[p246]

I've found Lee mods are more tempurature sensitive than Lyman and more fragile. However they've always stood behind therir product with a phone call. The only single mold I have is the 12 gauge slug mold. All others are doubles.

[Matt Anthony]

Years back I had a similar problem with two Lee 30 caliber bullet moulds. I didn't like the aluminum factor nor did I like the bullet shape. One has to be very careful with the Lee moulds because the aluminum is soft compared to steel and will dent easier if you happen to drop it. The pin problem was also an issue along with very tight fitting gas checks. Needless to say, I put the moulds back in my casting cabinet and left them there to remind me not to buy aluminum moulds again.

There is only one mould worth it's salt and that is a Hoch precision mould. The Hoch mould is a top pour design which is superior to any bottom pour mould. The accuracy that you obtain with the Hoch is the same as a premium jacketed bullet. I have a 308 Rem. 700 VLS that will group 3 shots with the 190 Hoch bullet at 100 yards into one large hole. Did it take years to do this you ask? Yes, 40 years of experimenting and many, many many moulds later, Saeco, RCBS, Lyman and Lee were all tried and results were fair to poor to rediculous. I would get into casting two to three times a year and then stop due to poor results. Start up again, year after year, because I wanted to make it work!

Everything changed when I bought my first Hoch mould from Midway and then I sat down and re-read the Lyman Cast bullet manual! Having a perfect bullet is everything, but seating it is just as important. Cast bullets require a Lyman M die to properly place the bullet straight in the case when seating. Believe me it works and it also works for jacketed bullets. Heavy bullets with a 1800 fps limit in 30 caliber is absolutely devastating on deer under 100 yards. Using #2 alloy, expansion is terrific and without leading. Accuracy, if you do everything right will be just as good if not better than jacketed. Also, the most important end is the bottom of the bullet, if it's not square it won't work, if the sprue cut is concave or convex, it won't work! The gas check must be seated against the bottom of the bullet, it won't work if it's crooked.

Aluminum moulds are not for me and I have paid a high price over the years to prove that fact!
Matt