LEE vs. LYMAN Moulds

[WI Smoke]

Is Lyman worth the extra money of a .54 RB mould?

WI Smoke

 

How many years do you plan on shooting?

I have Lyman molds that I bought in the '70s that have cast around 500 rounds each week since they were new. They still make as good a bullet as when they were bought from old Jauque Herter. They are one of the few things in life that are "overbuilt". My grandson will probably inherit them from his dad.

I also have Lee molds that I bought in the '80s that are still making good slugs. They are adequite but not impressive.

Well now, that's 20 years + for the Lees and 30 years + for the Lymans. You decide how much casting time you have left.

I take care of my blocks and still have the origional boxes for most of them. They stay in GI ammo cans when not in use. Taking care of them is the key.

 

[ktw]

Is Lyman worth the extra money of a .54 RB mould?

The Lyman and the RCBS molds are definitely better than the Lee molds, but only in the sense that they are likely to last a lot longer. You won't see any difference between the three with respect to the quality of the balls produced.

The Lyman leaves more of a sprue than either the Lee or RCBS.

The aluminum LEE molds will heat up and cool down faster then the iron lyman/RCBS's. (i.e. may work better when using a ladle)

You can buy three or four of the Lee molds for the price of a Lyman or RCBS.

-ktw

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I have had 2 Lee molds for at least 10 years, one each for my '58 Rem and Ruger OA, slug molds. They are aluminum. The only complaint I have is that the sprue cut-off must be kept clean or it gets rough. They will be casting slugs long after I'm gone. I cast around 3-400 slugs a year with each mold. Some of them go to friends that own the same pistols.

 

[BrownBear]

The big difference I find is in mass, as related to their thermal properties. Lyman/RCBS are steel and heat up more slowly but hold their heat better. Once they come up to temperature, the steel moulds generally throw more consistant bullets- especially on anything with grease groves, whether BP conicals or metalic cartridge bullets. There's also a difference with really big stuff from the Lee, because so much of the aluminum block material is cut away and not much is left relative to the mass of the lead. I.e., it's easier to get wrinkling in big bullets if your Lees cool at all. Keep them hot and form a good-sized sprue with the Lees, and even big bullets aren't a problem.

 

[bwhoffman]

How many are you going to cast???
I have lee molds for round ball and pistol in cals from 32 to 50 rb and 25 to 45 pistol, about 10 mold total, been casting for close to 23 years. The 358 pistol and the 50 roundball seeing the most use, in the 1000's, and no great issues on the lee's.
I find them consistant and prefer to 2 cavity molds. some of these were bought used and all work great.
I dont have to buy extra handles either like for the lymans and rcbs blocks, so I can cast several balls/bullets at the same session or teach someone side by side and we are both runnin' ball.

 

[WI Smoke]

Thanks to ALL!!
I think with shooting my 500-750 times a year it isn't worth the extra cost for the mould plus handles.
Thanks
WI Smoke

 

[cowpoke1955]

I agree with the majority. I cast with nothing, but Lee molds. I used the same molds for over 15 years and they still cast good balls (and I use them alot). You can't beat the price. When I take a break I set the mold on top of my Production Pot IV to keep them warm. I don't think Lee has a life time warranty, but they should. Most shooters that I know, who cast, have Lee products.

 

[silverfox]

The last time I checked Lee had a 1/2 price replace or rebuild policy. I know on a 15 to 20 dollar mold thats not much but it's a good deal either way. Most times it would be cheaper and faster to just buy a new mold if you have Lees than to ship one back to Lee.
Fox :thumbsup:

 

How's this for a reply. All but one of my round ball molds are Lee. They're more than adequate and I've had my .440 mold since about 1975 or '76. Still use it.

None of my bullet molds are Lee. They are, in order of preference, NEI, RCBS and Lyman.

Vic

 

[Tumblernotch]

My .390 and .395 molds are Lee and my .440 and .662 are Lyman. As for round ball casting the Lees are good enough, but I can see that the ball is not as spherically true as they are out of a Lyman. It hasn't seemed to effect them however. With the Lee there is also less sprue on the ball, on my .390 there is only a very small flat spot. To reduce the sprue on any mold, all you would have to do is remove the cutter and mill a few thousandths off the top and replace the sprue cutter. I'd have to give the nod to the Lymans for quality of the ball, but they take longer to heat.

As for Minie Ball molds, I much prefer the Lyman or Ideal molds. They're much more durable and retain heat better. The drawback is having to use the separate base cavity plug versus having it built into the Lee. I have a 505 gr. Lee Minie and a 485 gr. OS Lyman as well as a 685 gr. OS Ideal.

The Lees are more affordable and light weight if hand fatigue is a factor. If you shop around and get what mold blocks you need in the Lyman, you can save a lot of money by getting all of them in one handle size (large or small) and you only have to have one set of handles for them. All you have to do is swap out when changing to another size, unless you are one who likes to keep 2 or more molds busy at the same time.
:thumbsup: