The Goose
NES Member
Here is my .02 on Lee molds. I got into bullet casting initially because I shoot some of the more exotic BPCR rounds (50/90. 40/70, 45/120 etc) and casting (and reloading) is the only way to keep it affordable. Casting handgun bullets was an afterthought. I am meticulous about casting my rifle bullets. I have some custom molds and some Lyman, I weigh my bullets and segregate them, I size and lube them. Bottom line, I spend a lot of time and relatively speaking a fair amount of money.
Handgun bullets is another story. I bought Lee 2 cavity molds with the handles already attached. I cast a lot of .45 Colt, specifically the 200 gr. and 255 gr RNFP. I do not size them and I tumble lube them with the Lee product. I put a bunch of bullets in a container, shake them around with some lube and spread them out on wax paper for a day or two. Then back into the container with a little baby powder to off set the stickiness and that's it. I have cast several thousand so far. Just a few rejects getting the mold up to temperature and then good to go. I shoot a Ruger Vaquero, a Uberti 1858 Remington with an R&D cylinder and a Uberti Henry rifle. Accuracy is as good or better then with either factory ammo or purchased cast bullets. I have had zero problem with leading. The bullets look ugly because of the lube and baby powder, but they function perfectly. Now, I am just a plinker. I do not compete in any way, I just love to shoot. Maybe if I was more serious or shot more variety it would be different. I also use Lee molds to cast .38 and .44 and a 340 gr. .45 rifle bullet that I use in my Marlin 1895 lever gun. I only size the rifle bullet.
Most of the guys here are more knowledgeable then myself, but I thought I would share my experience as a fairly new bullet caster. The Lee molds are cheap and have worked for me so far, for handgun bullets mostly. Also knowing myself I will undoubtedly start upgrading soon. LOL!
Handgun bullets is another story. I bought Lee 2 cavity molds with the handles already attached. I cast a lot of .45 Colt, specifically the 200 gr. and 255 gr RNFP. I do not size them and I tumble lube them with the Lee product. I put a bunch of bullets in a container, shake them around with some lube and spread them out on wax paper for a day or two. Then back into the container with a little baby powder to off set the stickiness and that's it. I have cast several thousand so far. Just a few rejects getting the mold up to temperature and then good to go. I shoot a Ruger Vaquero, a Uberti 1858 Remington with an R&D cylinder and a Uberti Henry rifle. Accuracy is as good or better then with either factory ammo or purchased cast bullets. I have had zero problem with leading. The bullets look ugly because of the lube and baby powder, but they function perfectly. Now, I am just a plinker. I do not compete in any way, I just love to shoot. Maybe if I was more serious or shot more variety it would be different. I also use Lee molds to cast .38 and .44 and a 340 gr. .45 rifle bullet that I use in my Marlin 1895 lever gun. I only size the rifle bullet.
Most of the guys here are more knowledgeable then myself, but I thought I would share my experience as a fairly new bullet caster. The Lee molds are cheap and have worked for me so far, for handgun bullets mostly. Also knowing myself I will undoubtedly start upgrading soon. LOL!