new Lee mould

[Rifleman1776]

I just received a new Lee mould from TOW. I think this is the first new mould I have purchased since about the first ice age :haha: and, I noticed a couple things have changed. I'll add, so far the better. The corners are beveled, nice touch and the size is actually stamped on the mould. My previous ones had a model number that did not reveal the size. :hmm: Pretty stoopid thing to do, IMHO. And, probably the best change is the elongated alignment pins have been replaced with cone shaped nibs. I believe this will improve things, no more having lightly tap the mould to make it close properly. :applause: At least I hope. I'm not a big Lee fan but buy many of their products because the prices are more affordable than the top of the line brands.

 

[George]

Weird. I bought a new Lee double-cavity mold last year and it is marked only with a nonsensical model number. Most of my old Lee molds are marked with the size, as 395-RB. All but the oldest one, that is, which is more then 30 years old, and only marked with a nonsense model number. Seems they can't decide how they want to do it. They all seem to have the same method of locking them in alignment, with those oblong bars and troughs, not pins.

My Rapine molds have tapered pins for locking, and use a code which makes it easy to know the size, such as 600320 for a .600" ball weighing 320 grains. I'm not partial to the Rapine molds, mine all leave a large crooked sprue.

Spence

 

[Treestalker]

I've been using Lee RB moulds for years,always happy with them,(except for lack of size stamping) but the last I bought a year ago had a difference I don't care for. It seems in the interest of saving money :grin: they reduced the size of the sprue plate from a nice square to a kind of mutant triangle. :shocked2: Now unless you are danged careful you'll spill molten lead on the block face as well as the sprue plate, increasing the likelihood of a smear. :cursing: That Said, I do indeed like Lee's prices and quality of RB's I make from thier moulds. Tree. :hatsoff:

 

[dikman]

I've bought all my Lee twin cavity RB molds within the last 18 months, from different vendors. Some use elongated pins and others use coned pin/sockets. One of the coned sockets came loose not long after using it. I wrote to Lee, their answer was to stake it with a punch! Coupled with their refusal to accept responsibility for selling me an under-size, out-of-round mold it says a lot about their customer service (or lack thereof).

Personally, the older method of manufacture seems better, to me.

 

[Greebe]

Care to take a pic of the new alignment set up. That has always been something I did not care for on the 5 or so Lee moulds I own. The lengthwise pins and zig zag mould part line. Several of mine do not line up well with just closing the handles and need to be "messed with" to get to close properly. This is despite the recommendation of Lee to lube these points with bullet lube.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Care to take a pic of the new alignment set up. That has always been something I did not care for on the 5 or so Lee moulds I own. The lengthwise pins and zig zag mould part line. Several of mine do not line up well with just closing the handles and need to be "messed with" to get to close properly. This is despite the recommendation of Lee to lube these points with bullet lube.

Church first. I'll try to get a good pic for you later today.

 

[Shooey]

I bought a Lee mould recently and it has the same cone/pin design. It makes better balls than my old mould which would put fins on the balls.

 

[azmntman]

Fins on the balls....hmmm I see a muzzleoading drone in the future? Laser guided PRB anyone? :rotf: After all it would be quite difficult to trace a PRB to determine where it came from :youcrazy:

 

[Wes/Tex]

Or Saturn shot from a gun! :wink:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Girdled_bullet_and_twin_rifle_groove.jpg

 

[Leatherbark]

I've bought all my Lee twin cavity RB molds within the last 18 months, from different vendors. Some use elongated pins and others use coned pin/sockets. One of the coned sockets came loose not long after using it. I wrote to Lee, their answer was to stake it with a punch! Coupled with their refusal to accept responsibility for selling me an under-size, out-of-round mold it says a lot about their customer service (or lack thereof).

Personally, the older method of manufacture seems better, to me.

Same problem here. I've probably got 20 or so Lee molds over the last 25 years. I bought one of the new ones marked .445 and it had the pins that loosened that I had to center punch. The older system was much better.

Bob

 

[dikman]

Yeah, I'm guessing that the "new" method is cheaper for them to make (which doesn't mean it's better).

 

[Rifleman1776]

Care to take a pic of the new alignment set up.

OK, so I didn't get it done Sunday. :redface:
Used it first time today. Got good balls from git go.

[/URL][/img]