Excellent Quality
This morning I unpacked the new mold, hosed it down with solvent & wiped off the manufacturing oil and residue. I lubed the sprue with beeswax, and smoked the mold block cavities. I preheated the mold on an electric burner while my lead pot was heating to casting temperature. Preheating the aluminum blocks is the secret to casting good bullets the first time.
Some folks regard Lee aluminum blocks as cheap and lacking durability. I'll wager these are the people walking around in scuffed shoes with laces untied, driving a dirty and beat up 3 year old car and wearing a new shirt that already has stains and tears in it. These are the people who won't be able to properly take care of anything to make it last.
I bought my first Lee mold in 1977. It is the .54 cal hollow-base improved minie. I still use it today. It takes minimal care to maintain in s-new condition, and casts as well today as it did 40 years ago. It has cast thousands of accurate bullets used in several muzzleloading rifles.
Once I'm done with my new mold, and it has cooled, I'll put it back into the box, and place it in the carton containing several other Lee molds of various vintage, for various rifles and pistols, as well as roundball molds in 6 sizes.
I also have iron-block molds made by other companies that also work to my expectations, however they required separate purchase of handles. They were purchased decades ago when prices were much lower. Today, I don't need to spend over $100 for mold blocks and handles, when I can buy excellent quality Lee molds, complete with handles, at a fraction of the price.
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