6 cavity WC - Finally a bad experience with Lee

I have had great luck with lee products, and really haven't had anything bad to say about them, I have many molds of many makes with quite a few Lee molds in the mix, BUT...

I recently got a new 358-148-wc 6 cavity mold, new production (the alignment pins are different, they are using the slightly smaller ones that come on the new 2 cav molds) and when sizing the boolits from it I noticed that the crimp groove was nearly disappearing. I measured a few unsized boolits and they measure .364!! I am using straight COWW, with no tin added, --- ridiculous.

Try dropping your melt temp somewhat and see if that'll help. What are you sizing them to? The .358?

Assuming you did everything right, then Lee Precision will "FIX" it by replacing the mold. Have not seen complaints of that mold casting so much over spec.

"Had his shooting been as good as his running, he might have given a better account of himself."
James. C. Henderson

Try dropping your melt temp somewhat and see if that'll help. What are you sizing them to? The .358?Don't you mean raise the melt temp? Or have I been doing it backward?

I thought that a hotter alloy would experience more shrinkage upon hitting the mold, due to greater heat loss.

Please correct me if I am wrong

PS try sizing them to 360 if you can. My lee 148 wc drops at 360 and they shoot great as-cast

I size them to .359. I haven't found a revolver yet in which .358 shoots better than .359, and only my older S&Ws like .360. I have an older Lee 2 cavity that drops at .360, but this new mold is ridiculous, and I've tried varying the temp, lowering it only brought them down to .363, high temps took them up to .365. Like I hinted at in the OP, I think it may be a symptom of how new it is, I don't know if quality has gone down as they rush to meet demand, but my old 2 cavity drops nice .360 boolits, so this one is going back.

I've had some issues with the alignment pins in my new 2 cavity 452-230-2R... I fixed it.. but I think it was because it was "rushed"... Still how can I complain for the price?

Boolit Man Join DateMar 2012Posts104

Just give up and send it back to Lee for a replacement. They will cast with the one they send you to verify it casts to the correct dimensions. You can try to work with your mold temp, etc and get some variance, but .005 over specs is way too big unless you have a specific need for that .364 boolit. Lee is a good company that sells decent molds. They serve a big need in the casting/loading world (the people who can't afford the top of the line) and they serve that market well. I have tried to get by with an out-of-spec mold and it is just too much work (culling boolits, sizing in two or three steps, etc). Besides when you size a bullet down from .364 to .358 take a look at how much less lube the bullet holds. Than can be a factor when the lube grooves are marginal to begin with. For the price of the mold (as you pointed out) it is hard to expect every one of their molds to be perfect. Especially when they will always replace it for the postage it takes to get it them.

Good Luck

Yeah their QC is probably over-stressed and feeling pressure to churn out the molds that people are trying to buy. I mean, how many molds can Shirley thoroughly inspect in one day?

I guess the alloy temp issue is still sorta out for debate. Maybe aluminum molds are the exception to what i swear the manuals told me: hotter alloy produces smaller boolits. But the alloy content and mold temp have effect, i just found this old thread that makes me wonder

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?104800-Impact-of-alloy-temperate-and-mould-temperate-on-bullet-diameter

Yours still seems way too big though

I mean, how many molds can Shirley thoroughly inspect in one day? Now that right there is funny,I don't care who you are!

NRA Endowment Member

I don't own an assault weapon. I own a counter-assault weapon.

You might be able to sell that mold for as much or even more then you paid for it to the right person that needs a wadcutter mold that casts that large. I'd say list it for sale in the for sale section of this forum clearly indicating that it casts that large.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading
Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt"

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