Got a lemon lee mould! what to do?

mwjones

mwjones

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I've got a lee mould that is troubling. It's a CTL312-160-2R mould for 7.62x39. It has had a few problems from the get go that are getting progressively worse.

First problem was that the sprue cutter plate was bent. I was noticing from the first bullet cast that I was getting fins around the base. It was bent enough to gouge the top of the mould bocks. Removed the plate and straightened it out a bit, but it's still not perfect, and still getting fins, though smaller and less frequently.

The second problem is that the alignment pins seem to be out of place. This mould never seems to want to close properly. Sometimes, I can close the mould and use my right hand to push the pins into place, but when i do this, the mould stays open a fraction (the two halves don't quite line up) and I end up with fins around the whole bullet where the halves of the mould are supposed to fit together.

I bought from a retailer in the states through ebay, so returnng it is probably out of the question. I tried to call lee today, but they close at 3:45 so I didn't get through. anyone else had problems with lee products? What can I expect from them? Will they take the mould back and switch it for a good one, or am I hooped?
 
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I use Lee moulds as well but never had any issues with them whatsoever. With the problems you're having, your best bet would be to contact Lee for a replacement. I never had to contact Lee about any issues so I'm assuming that they should look after you. On a side note, I purchased my moulds from Higginsons, great people to deal with & never had to wait any more than about a week to receive my order unless they were temporarily out of stock.
 
Straighten the plate and tighten the screw that holds the sprue plate down. Use a magnifying glass and check the alignment pins sometimes there is a little piece of something caught in there. I have 22 Lee molds and all work great. I bought most from WSS and some from Lee factory sales.
I've never got any gouges because I always liberally spray my molds with liquid graphite. Repeatedly.
 
Or, hey, throw it away and buy new, from a local dealer you can talk to face to face and who wants your business. Ebay. sheeeesh. And then you can't figure out why there are no local guys left to deal with. All to save a few lousy bucks. Or not.
 
Take a picture and email it to them. Show them the problem and they will likely just send you a free replacement. I broke a sprue handle once. Sent them a pix and received a new one soon after.
 
I have tried a few Lee moulds and I think that they are crap, the blocks are too small so they overheat with any amount of casting and the alignment pin system is a joke unless you like having two bullet halves not aligned properly. Unfortunately they don't even make a good boat anchor as they are so small and light. I have moulds made by Lyman, RCBS, LBT, SAECO and Mountain Molds, all of which are vastly superior in quality to Lee moulds as they do not require any magic tuning or factory repairs to work properly from day one. I would say that the best for the money is Lyman, very good quality at a reasonable price.
 
I agree 100% with Silverback, Lee are not for serious casters or folks looking for quality cast ammo. Add to his list of great mold makers; NOE, BRP, Accurate Molds, Hoch, Paul Jones, etc......"ABL"...Anything but Lee!
 
I've sent an email to their customer service department via the form on their website, and am now awaiting a reply. I made note of the problem, made nown my disappointment with my first lee mould, as i had been pleased with their dies, and let them know how eager I am to recieve a reply with their ideas as to how to rectify the problem. The ball's in their court now :)

Oh, and here's the main problem i'm having:

PICT0048.jpg


PICT0046.jpg


PICT0050.jpg
 
Actually your problem is not typical, usually the sprue plate screw will either break trying to tighten/loosen or will strip the threads, mainly due to use of aluminum that is way too soft. If you try to change the tension on the sprue plate you're usually done for, throw the mold out. In this case, even if they send you a straight sprue plate, it prolly won't have a happy ending.
A good mold will be made of iron, brass, or a harder aluminum, it will have a set screw in the side which tightens down on the screw holding the sprue plate, thus locking it, undue the setscrew and the sprue plate screw will adjust for you.
 
Monday morning give LEE a call and see what they say.
Chance's are pertty good they'll replace it for free.
I had one that did the same thing.
Have you followed ALL the instruction's on proper lubrication?
Bullet lube or Bullshop sprue plate lube are the one's to use.
Does it feel like it want's to close then get's stiff the suddenly snap's shut? If yes you have to relube it.
 
I re lubed it and it helped a bit, but the blocks are still gouged on the top. If i don't have an email reply by the time i get home monday, i'll give the a call.
 
Please reduce the size of your pictures.
"...Got a lemon Lee mould(SIC)..." You bought a damaged mold while giving money to the people who think you shouldn't be allowed to own firearms.
 
I've got many lee molds and never experienced any problems like you have with that one. Looks like you just got a lemon. I suspect lee will replace it for you.

BTW, I've got the same mold and use it to cast bullets for my XCR. I'm really happy with the results. Two inch groups at 100 yards and reliable function from a semi-auto. Makes for a very inexpensive round to shoot. Don't listen to people who tell you good bullets can't be produced with these molds.
 
I have several Lee molds and though they are not perfect, I have managed to make a lot of good bullets for my kind of use anyway. I did have a similar problem with the first one that I bought and found that it was caused by not lubing the sprue cutter plate properly. I replaced that mold myself as it was my error. Besides, I like Lee molds because I can have 4 or 5 different bullets for the price of one of the Other molds, so I can play around with different guns and different weights of bullets on my modest budget, and that I believe is Lee's market niche.
 
I own and use several Lee moulds. I also have at least a dozen Lyman and several RCBS. My Lee moulds have cast hundreds of bullets without problems. I just follow the directions provided. Last Lee purchase was .329 205 gr. for my 8x56R. This mould casts at .330-.331 and my bore slugs at .329. I may have got lucky but the old carbine is shooting again with Lee products including mould, dies and bullet sizer die opened up to .331. All for less than $100.00
 
A used, damaged Lee mold would have to be really cheap! That said, with innovation and skill you can usually diagnose problem and make useful most molds. Gouges on mold top are usually from hard tool damage to sprue holes, or hammer to edge of sprue plate. Use a file or stone to remove gouges to underside of plate. Damage to locating pins or mating surfaces of mold can sometimes be fixed with needle files and dental picks. Loosening a bent sprue plate sometimes helps. good luck
 
It was definitely not a used, dmaged mould. It was brand new, unused in the box. Just wanted to clear that up :)
 
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