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Thread: Disapointment

  1. #1
    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    Default Disapointment

    Over the years I have purchased a whole lot of products from the Lee folks. I have a dozen sets of their reloading dies, about 100 assorted powder dippers floating around, powder measures, three presses and at least one 50 year old "bop-a-mole" reloader.

    And I have about 20 Lee mold blocks from .22 caliber to .69 in bullet, round ball and shotgun slug types.

    They usually give good value for the money and I can count the number of disappointments from the Lee products on one hand, but I had one this week.

    I bought a 6 cavity block for 158gn .357swc tumble lube. I did a short casting session to get 100 slugs for testing and went through the usual process and nearly had a fit after the first check, which is always miking bullet diameter.

    Each of the 6 cavities threw a different sized bullet and they ranged from .356 to .370 !!!

    The grossly oversized bullets wiped out the tumble lube grooves when I ran them through the sizing die.

    Now the tumble lube process is supposed to give exact .357 sized slugs that do not require a trip through the sizing die. You just cast them, smear lube on the outside and load them. It cuts way down on prep time, that's why you use them.

    I think this may be the first product I send back to Lee asking for replacement.
    If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?


  2. #2
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    I think I'd send it back also. Give the folk's at Lee a chance to correct a product that might have slipped past QA. If the next one they send you has the same problem??????????

  3. #3
    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    First problem was a broken part on the press handle...one of the two haves hold the handle on....
    Lady said, "How old is the press...?"
    Said, "It an anniversary model, what year was that?"
    She said, "OH....OK parts on their way..."

    Keep us posted....but I have always found they had a quality product....that worked well,.... for 1/3 the price.
    Geezer Squad....Charter Member #1
    Evoking the 50 year old rule...
    First 50 years...worried about the small stuff...second 50 years....Not so much
    Member Wahoo Killer knives club....#27

  4. #4
    Senior Member randyt's Avatar
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    that's not bad odds
    so the definition of a criminal is someone who breaks the law and you want me to believe that somehow more laws make less criminals?

  5. #5
    Tool & Die Maker
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    Since I'm a machinist, I'm amazed at the Lee tooling for the price. Impossible for me to make a set of reloading dies that I can buy for roughly
    $30. I made some spare shell holders that I could have purchased for under $10 each, my shop time cost was $50 each.

    I would be curious why the mold performed the way it did. If the mold cavities were oversized, why, because each cavity was made by the same tool and the same CNC program. However, they make them very fast to sell for the low price.

  6. #6
    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    I was wondering why the problems too. Most Lee blocks have identical cavities and the tumble lube blocks are usually dead on for bullet size when they fall from the cavities.

    I must have gotten the first set of blocks the technician ever made with a brand new set of cutters.
    If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?

  7. #7
    Tool & Die Maker
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    Quote Originally Posted by kyratshooter View Post
    I was wondering why the problems too. Most Lee blocks have identical cavities and the tumble lube blocks are usually dead on for bullet size when they fall from the cavities.

    I must have gotten the first set of blocks the technician ever made with a brand new set of cutters.
    My only hunch would be the cutting tool got dull and chips got ahead of the tool point and caused the tool to wobble at times and this would cause an oversized hole/cavity. This is a rare phenomena but it does happen. Just a guess on my part.

    It is best to simply return the mold so Lee Precision is aware there is a problem and resolve it. No future in making junk molds.

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