Accurate vs lee moulds

S

Sharps '74

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
21   0   0
My new ACCURATE 45-200H 5 cavity (their version of the H&G 200 SWC) mould arrived yesterday. Nice piece of work, but .....

If I put it alongside any of my Lee 6 cavity moulds, I defy you to tell me who made what mould without reading the stampings.

Same venting lines, inside and out. Same close fit of the two halves. Same nicely cut cavities.

The sprue holes on the ACCURATE mould are rough compared to those on the Lee moulds and the sprue cutter seems loose. It's the type that requires bashing with a mallet to open, whereas the Lee utilizes an easy open lever.

I haven't used the ACCURATE mould yet (might this aft) so I can't judge it's casting qualities.

I'm just wondering what I got for my $166.50 USD plus $32.30 CDN taxes that I couldn't have gotten with a Lee mould costing half that much.
 
I think that the price difference can be explained by volume.

Custom mould makers make them one off, keeping you waiting for weeks. Lee cranks them out en masse but keeps the QC at a pretty good level.
 
I use a lot of Lee molds but there's a lot of options the niche mold makers have that Lee just can't justify.

If it's a common design that Lee or Lyman make I buy a new Lee or a used Lyman/RCBS. If it's a heeled 11mm or a 320gr .380" I have fewer options and go to the custom mold builders.
 
Lee will do custom orders. A CAS pal has a Lee heeled bullet design for his .41 Colt.

After a brief cleaning, I just had a casting session using the ACCURATE 5 cavity and a Lee 6 cavity mould. This is the way to go to build up a stock of bullets in minimal time!

The Lee is definitely easier to use with it's long sprue cutter handle. The ACCURATE required the usual bashing with a hammer handle which actually seems a brutal thing to do to a quality mould. It would be easier if it was twice as long. I quickly learned to keep the sprue puddles minimal after the mould was up to temp. The bullets it cast were beautiful but not any more so than the Lee bullets.

Now the decision - do I PC them or size/lube them with my Lyman 450?

The last batch of bullets I PC'd (Lee .357/158 and Lee .452/200 RNFP) gave mixed results. The .38s were fine, but the Lee .452 bulged cases to the point they would not chamber in my 1911s. They had been run thru' a Lee .452 sizer after PC.

I really don't find PC to be the be all and end all compared to conventional sizing/lubing. Both are a PITA and a chore.
 
Sharps '74 said:
Lee will do custom orders. A CAS pal has a Lee heeled bullet design for his .41 Colt.

After a brief cleaning, I just had a casting session using the ACCURATE 5 cavity and a Lee 6 cavity mould. This is the way to go to build up a stock of bullets in minimal time!

The Lee is definitely easier to use with it's long sprue cutter handle. The ACCURATE required the usual bashing with a hammer handle which actually seems a brutal thing to do to a quality mould. It would be easier if it was twice as long. I quickly learned to keep the sprue puddles minimal after the mould was up to temp. The bullets it cast were beautiful but not any more so than the Lee bullets.

Now the decision - do I PC them or size/lube them with my Lyman 450?

The last batch of bullets I PC'd (Lee .357/158 and Lee .452/200 RNFP) gave mixed results. The .38s were fine, but the Lee .452 bulged cases to the point they would not chamber in my 1911s. They had been run thru' a Lee .452 sizer after PC.

I really don't find PC to be the be all and end all compared to conventional sizing/lubing. Both are a PITA and a chore.
Click to expand...

My reloading goals are volume with minimal time investment. For 45 ACP I don't size my bullets, I tumble lube in 45/45/10 then use a Lee Carbide FCD to size the casings post bullet seating. For my 45 cal guns the final bullet size works out well as I don't get leading and accuracy is great.
 
Sounds like a workable alternative!

- So you deprime without resizing?
- Any case bulging after the initial seating?
- what is 45/45/10?
 
During the idiot Obama administration getting any custom molds made was hard. You had to get a design agreed upon by 20 people. Then you had to have someone running it and collecting the money and then you would send off the dimensions and money to Lee. Lee quality at the time was sketchy at best and the usual wait was 1 year to 18 months. A big box was delivered to your door and you would take one of the molds out and try it to see if it was good. Most times it was not, dimensions were wrong etc and you would send it back and wait another 3 to 4 months for them to get it right. I did 3 group buys and swore I would never do another.

This is when NOE and accurate and Mihac molds jumped in and saw a definite market that needed to be filled. They could produce molds that were correct the first time in 2 months and not have to go thru the collecting of the money, constantly hastling Lee, (How much longer?) Etc.

If you can use an of the shelf mold with correct dimensions then Lee will be cheaper. Powder coating has drastically improved the usability of Lee molds as most are undersized and by increasing the size by powder coating you can buy the cheaper molds off the shelf. If you need something that is bigger than 3 thousandths or a different weight then hence the need for a custom mold.

Off course Lee will not do hollow point molds or any material other than aluminum, but if you need a standard size and weight for a pistol/handgun then I pick up an off the shelf Lee 6 cavity , powder coat and continue on.

I have found that most rifle bullet molds are too small that Lee makes and I like to have the ability to custom size the bullet for proper fit and hollow point .

With the election in the states and the riots etc it is already getting hard to find reloading components and the custom mold makers will be swamped.
 
Sharps '74 said:
Anything that saves the hassle of PC or lube/sizing is worth a try.

I wonder if I could come up with a similar formula using liquid Ballistol, Murphy's Oil Soap and ?????
Click to expand...

Once you start looking into lubes you will find TONNES of recipes.

Try it, let us know if it works.

Use parafin to harden your mix.
Use Carnuba to keep your barrel clean
Use Bees wax for high temp

http://www.lasc.us/LubeIngredients.htm#beeswax
 
Sharps '74 said:
My new ACCURATE 45-200H 5 cavity (their version of the H&G 200 SWC) mould arrived yesterday. Nice piece of work, but .....

If I put it alongside any of my Lee 6 cavity moulds, I defy you to tell me who made what mould without reading the stampings.

Same venting lines, inside and out. Same close fit of the two halves. Same nicely cut cavities.

The sprue holes on the ACCURATE mould are rough compared to those on the Lee moulds and the sprue cutter seems loose. It's the type that requires bashing with a mallet to open, whereas the Lee utilizes an easy open lever.

I haven't used the ACCURATE mould yet (might this aft) so I can't judge it's casting qualities.

I'm just wondering what I got for my $166.50 USD plus $32.30 CDN taxes that I couldn't have gotten with a Lee mould costing half that much.
Click to expand...

I had a few Lee molds, they work. They are frequently undersized and alignment issues aren't uncommon but if you don't subject it to heavy use the Lee will make good bullets. They are a good deal for many people.

I have an Accurate 405gr 45-70 mold that has passed the 40K mark and it's still as good as new. For my use the Accurate mold is far cheaper in the long run, and I can custom order the band sizing even if I order from the Accurate's catalogue, and know I'll get what I ordered.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom