Lee/Lyman Mold head to head test

[hanshi]

I've tested a Lyman .445 mold and a Lee .440 side by side. I own many Lee molds and many steel ones by at least three different makers as well as a T/C .350 aluminum mold.

The two molds cast nice ball but the Lyman wasn't quite at the advertised .445" level; just slightly undersized. The Lee was dead on with both cavities at .440". They both fired with equal accuracy and virtually identical velocities. I have more Lee than any other brand. The finest molds I ever used were two 4 cavity Saeco molds. I like that the Lees don't leave a sprue - I load sprue side up where I can see it. The little flat on Lee ball is almost invisible; plus I tumble ball that I cast.

 

[Zonie]

IMO, because the Lee molds are aluminum and the Lyman and RCBS molds are steel, there are some differences in how they must be used to make good castings.

The aluminum molds heat up to casting temperature fast and because of their light weight they can over heat if one is trying to cast a lot of balls/bullets fast.
Likewise, they will cool off fast so if one is casting too slowly they can become too cool to allow the cavity to fully fill or it will fill unevenly making lumpy castings.

The steel molds on the other hand take a lot of time to fully come up to temperature.
Once there, they will hold the temperature for much longer lengths of time so slowing down a bit wont greatly change their temperature and result in lumpy castings.

Two different mold materials and two different methods but IMO, both can make excellent castings.

 

[mooman76]

Lee moulds don't really produce a sprue on the ball like other moulds so I don't really bother to place up or down for that matter. If they did or I use a mould that produces one, I'd do sprue up. Lee moulds heat up fast as others have said so when I start to get there I slowly a little at a time until I get to the temp needed for my speed. It should take about 3-5 seconds for the lead to show hardening(in the sprue puddle) that I can open the mould and drop the ball.

 

[Larry Beach]

I am going to have to try it shooting them up. I just got in the habit of putting them down.
I just tested some .54 round balls from my Lee
I weighed 40 .54 round balls I cast out of pure lead and they were mostly around 250 grain but ranged from 247 to 254 grain, Is that normal?
They weren't wrinkled OR Frosted so I had the temp correct. I use the Lee Dipper.

 

[mooman76]

That range is too much. They will shoot fine if not shooting competition. Practice will narrow them down to better consistency. Sometimes you get little tiny lead splatters between the mould halves during casting that prevent closing all the way or possibly it just didn't close all the way. It's a good habit to check each time you close the mould to insure it is closed all the way. There is always the possibility of small air bubbles in the cast. Consistency really helps here as in most everything else.

 

[Dewey]

Not trying to get too off topic, but how do brass molds compare to those made of aluminum or iron ???

 

[ohio ramrod]

After a friend ruined his mold by striking the cut off lever with a hammer, I started putting a "handle" on my cut off levers and haven't had to strike them since. I have gotten thousands of good balls from lee molds.Using a handle on the lever means you are never striking anything so it eliminates the possibility of striking the mold. :idunno: :idunno:

 

[Rifleman1776]

Not trying to get too off topic, but how do brass molds compare to those made of aluminum or iron ???

I recently started using a Jeff Tanner (brass) mould. Wish I could give a clear response to your question. But, I am casting with a mystery metal (hard lead, zinc or Martian mystery metal?) and results are not definitive. But, what I have experienced is the mould heats well and evenly and holds the heat just fine. At this point, I would use brass moulds again.

 

[Larry Beach]

What should the range in grain be? I think mine is the difference in the sprue, looking very closely at a couple of the lightest ones show small cracks on the outside.

That range is too much. They will shoot fine if not shooting competition. Practice will narrow them down to better consistency. Sometimes you get little tiny lead splatters between the mould halves during casting that prevent closing all the way or possibly it just didn't close all the way. It's a good habit to check each time you close the mould to insure it is closed all the way. There is always the possibility of small air bubbles in the cast. Consistency really helps here as in most everything else.

 

[Billnpatti]

Almost all of my molds are made by Lee. I have had absolutely no problems with any of my Lee molds. So long as I do my part about proper care and proper preparation for casting, they work extremely well. I also have a couple of Lyman molds and one T/C mold. I don't know who makes the T/C molds. One Lyman is a .50 cal, the other is a .40 cal. and the T/C is a .32 mold. I also have these caliber molds by Lee. The Lee molds come with the handles whereas both the T/C and the Lyman come without handles. I seldom use either the T/C on the Lyman molds, not because they are inferior in any way or that they do not cast a good ball, it's just that the Lee molds are ready to go and I do not have to attach any handles. I have never noticed any difference in the balls that they cast when compared to a ball of the same caliber from a Lee mold. I seriously doubt that if you compared balls from a Lee and balls from a Lyman or T/C of the same size, you would find any difference at all.

As for how I load the balls with respect to the sprue, I solved that little problem by tumbling my newly cast balls in an empty rock tumbler to remove the sprues. They come out looking like lead ball bearings...no sprue marks at all. But, if you do this, do not tumble them much longer than about 30 minutes without checking them. If you tumble them too long, they end up with a dull surface caused by banging together in the tumbler. A study that I did proved that it doesn't hurt them in any way, it is just an appearance thing. Tumbled the right length of time, they loose the sprue marks and do not have the frosted appearance caused by over tumbling them. If you have a tumbler or know someone who does, give it a try and see for yourself. Not having a sprue to worry about makes loading a lot easier.

 

[hanshi]

I, too, have a lot of Lee molds and prefer them; will eventually be getting at least three more of them. Brass/bronze makes an excellent mold; my only one is a Tanner and yes, they do seem to cast on the light side.

My old Thumbler Tumbler tumbles all the ball I cast and I don't care about the appearance; the deer/squirrels will likely never see them. And finding the sprue location on a tumbled Lee ball requires a powerful magnifying glass.

 

[mooman76]

What should the range in grain be? I think mine is the difference in the sprue, looking very closely at a couple of the lightest ones show small cracks on the outside.

That range is too much. They will shoot fine if not shooting competition. Practice will narrow them down to better consistency. Sometimes you get little tiny lead splatters between the mould halves during casting that prevent closing all the way or possibly it just didn't close all the way. It's a good habit to check each time you close the mould to insure it is closed all the way. There is always the possibility of small air bubbles in the cast. Consistency really helps here as in most everything else.

That depends on the weight of the ball or bullet you are casting and how picky you want to be. The average person probably wouldn't notice the difference. I don't worry about it too much myself because I don't shoot competition. Probably to start out + or - 1 gr but for starting out I wouldn't worry too much. You could separate them. Weigh them and the ones that are close put in one pile and the ones farther off you could shoot as plinkers or recast.

 

[Billnpatti]

Unless you are shooting in competition, a difference of a grain or two won't make any difference. There are just too many other variables that will have an effect so that a difference of a grain or two will be lost in the rest of the wibbles and wobbles and not even show up. However, a diference of plus or minus 5 grains will likely make a difference. If you weigh your balls and sort them by plus or minus a grain, you will have more then enough control of ball weight.

 

[Zonie]

Not trying to get too off topic, but how do brass molds compare to those made of aluminum or iron ???

As I don't own any brass molds that I use for casting** I'll first say, Rifleman1776 probably gave the best 'hands on' comment.

From a theoretical standpoint, brass molds are probably the best of both worlds.

Brass conducts heat almost as well as aluminum so the mold will heat up evenly and fast.

Because of the greater density of brass, when compared to aluminum or steel, it will hold its heat much longer.

If there is a negative side to brass, it is that lead will adhere to brass or bronze easier than it will to steel. (This can be demonstrated by using a lead solder and trying to solder aluminum (impossible), steel (difficult, without the right flux) and brass (fairly easy, even with simple fluxes).

**Actually, I do own a brass bullet/ball mold.
It is the kind that often comes with C&B revolvers in cased sets.
I have cast several bullets with it but because it doesn't have wood handles and it heats up rapidly, it is a PITA to use.
It was also made more for show than go so the bullets/balls it casts have rather bad misalignment between the halves formed in each side of the mold.

 

[Larry Beach]

I just got out my Molds, they have been packed away for 12 years or so, I cant find my .54 round moud but it does have a sprue so it might have been
RCBS or Lyman. I do have a Large Brass mold for a .36, it is for 6 balls at a time, I no longer have a .36, or 45 rifle which I have: Round, R.E.A.L Maxi, and Mini's. Looks like Ebay here we come..
I had a .45 Long rifle, but it wasn't Flintlock
so I sold it.

 

[coloradoclyde]

One thing about variables like bullet weight that many people don't consider, is that the effect of variables increases over time....in shooting time = distance....accuracy effecting variables involving projectiles are magnified with distance/time.......
So one must take into consideration how far he will be shooting.....
In many cases the distance is negligible....

But only proper testing will tell....

 

[ZUG]

For me the Lee molds cast OK - shoot OK - but nothing to write home about. Good for throwing lead down range. If I'm going for score I like a cast iron mold such as the older Lyman's, H & G's, RCBS, Seco. Just me - cost is not everything :idunno: :surrender: .