Lee round ball moulds?

Looking for thoughts on Lee's ball and bullet moulds? These are much more affordable than some of the others brands. Just wondering if they are junk or not.

Thanks for the help!

great molds! Keep them lubed and they last forever.

You get what you pay for!

I've gotten good ones and bad ones. Have .350 round ball mold that the sprue cut off is below flush with the side, that makes a great big lop side on the ball. Had a .600 that wouldn't close. Lee replaced it no questions asked. Have others from Lee that are excellent.

I rely on Lee molds for just about all my guns. The ball measure very uniform and the weight is dead on. I still use Lee molds I've had for decades. They are just as good as Lyman, RCBS and others.

I've never had a problem with Lee anything. You do get what you paid for, so you're not getting a bullet proof product, but the customer service is excellent, and specifically the mold I have is perfectly serviceable.

You do get what you pay for, sorta kinda.
The Lee molds are such a good price and generally of such good quality combined with good service that they're hard to pass up.
I only have 3, but they have been perfect in all regards.

I love mine I got 7 of them from .311 to a .530 all work great and they all cast good balls from the start.

I am not a fan of Lee products or the company. But, I do use Lee moulds. They are good, but nowhere near "great".

They are OK, and they are "fragile!!

DON'T bang them together, keep them lubed, make sure you hit the sprue plate square - or better yet, wear heavy welders gloves and just twist it open after the mould warms up. while it is cold you still may have to tap it once or twice.

They will give good service, but you have to be careful.

More than Lee, but cheaper than anyone else, is Jeff Tanner moulds. He will make any dia. you want, out of brass. Use lee handles, and they are the fastest mould to use I have ever seen. Cut the sprue later w/ dikes while you watch TV.

I cast so hot and so fast that the sprue crystalizes and breaks off even w/ the ball about 90% of the time anyway.

Been using them for years. Never lubed one, never broke one, never had one throw a bad ball unless it was my fault.
Mark

I have a half dozen Lees - round balls and REALs. I don't see how you could cast a better ball with another mold. Never had a problem with mine.

I use Lee moulds for two different sizes of roundballs, and both work excellently. As you say, they are less expensive than some others, and for me at least they work great.

I have two on,e for 350 rb and one for hollow based 45 mini. Both work well and were bought used. Just remember they are aluminum and can be easily damaged. I use a custom made "third handle " rather than a mallet to cut off the sprue NEVER us a hammer! :idunno: :idunno:

I have Lee moulds for .490 and .375 round ball and 45-70 and 50-70 for catidges. All cast very good bullets. My .490 cast a perfect ball on the first pour. Follow the directions and you should have no problems. Be sure to follow all safety rules when casting. :thumbsup:

been using them for years and they are well worth the money. a few weeks ago i just bought a new .530 double and in four nights i made 2000 balls. if it fell apart the next time i use it i could care less. locally those balls would cost over 350$, the mold was 23$.

Been doing this for around 35 yrs an all my molds are lee. 2 of them are 30 yrs old an have molded thousands of balls without a single problem EVER :thumbsup:

Papa said:

Been using them for years. Never lubed one, never broke one, never had one throw a bad ball unless it was my fault.
Mark

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I concure!
I also use them exclusively for all my handgun bullets as ell.

I have never been a real big fan of anything made by Lee. Too many problems with stuff made out of pot metal. For the price Lee bullet molds are ok. In my younger days I was heavy into NRA bullseye pistol shooting. During that time I was shooting many thousands of cast bullet per year and those Lyman molds are still in great shape today. Never got that milage out of Lee molds, but for the price an the amount of bullets most will shoot they are ok.

I have about 20 Lee, and 2 RCBS. Both cast good bullets. Like has been said though, Lee are made from aluminum so are more fragile than the steel RCBS, but I my oldest ones are almost 15 yrs old now and I still haven't had a problem with any of them, so they must not be as fragile as I initially thought. The Lee does warm up to casting temperature faster than the RCBS and casts faster, if that is a concern. Just take care of them like any other equipment and they will be fine for many years.