Custom order Lee sizing dies & custom order Lee molds group buy idea

As I mentioned in another topic in another catagory - I have the Lee custom mold diagrams for the old Ranch Dog Molds forum.

While I failed to get the sizing die info, it is not hard to figure by looking at the mold diagrams.

I have been grinding my teeth for several years as the only one of these I managed to keep is the Lee .460 sizing die and the .45 cal mold designed for the .45-70 and the .450 Marlin.

All the molds and sizing dies were group buys done by Lee. If Lee still has the cherries from the molds, the tooling and set up fees may be reduced.

All the boolits cast from these molds were designed for lever action Marlin and other rifles but work well in any close range application. All cast boolits were designed to be tumbled lubed by the Lee method and resized in Lee sizing dies with gas checks from which ever manufacturer you chose but Hornady was the choice for us.

The idea was to keep costs down while still providing a custom bullet from a custom mold without requiring more expensive tools like a lubrisizer. I have shot thousands of these boolits in various hardness ratings and found all to very accurate.

My hope is to get enough interest here to order some of these sizing dies and molds again. I might consider loaning my .45 mold and sizing die, but am leery as I am afraid it might disappear with no way of me ever getting another. Now maybe if someone loaned me their 6.5 Grendel for collateral ....

Now as soon as I figure how to post files here I will post the PDFs of the mold diagrams. If anyone can point me in the right direction on how to post files here I will get the PDFs on this topic post haste.
Steve

Ranch Dog is still in business, and still offers the molds and some sizing dies: http://www.ranchdogoutdoors.com/ His website says that other sizing dies will be in stock soon.

I'm not certain a group buy would be practical under these circumstances.

Steve,
I think a group buy on molds sounds ok to me but after looking at the website link from nicholst55 not one mold there would do me any good..... I do not have one of those calibers....

but still sounds good....

seems like to me we should maybe get one of the talented guys on this forum to make us some custom molds.... I would rather give my hard earned money to one of the people on this forum then to lee????

just a thought....

I was not aware RD was back in business again. It has been many years. Looks like they just started up again on the 11th of last month.

I still have all the old mold diagrams, maybe I will get some cut as I would love the .313 for my .32-20 and the .35 of course.

Disregard then ...

If you want to post files, I will see if I can figure out the file posting. The pdf's might be helpful as we do have a couple here with milling machines that might be able to crank out a mould. Not saying their names as they might not be interested. I know of one that makes sizer dies for lubrisizers. I have a top punch for a lyman 4500 turned for me. Won't mention his name either. He may be able to produce a sizer die. AS a matter of fact, hmmmm a sizer die has a section in the body that is the diameter with no taper.......

I could probably turn out some sizer dies....

Thanks DW I was trying to figure out how to post the PDFs as I figure there might someone wanting to take a shot at making their own.

Now that I see RD is back in business, maybe the members can order molds from their site.

I do not have problem so much giving my money to Lee as they have certainly got a lot of mine over the years.

I suppose due to trademark or some other thing we could not order the molds ourselves but it does appear Lee kept the cherries so start up tooling was probably less.

If we get a way to post PDFs I have several shotgun loads too from Ballistic Products that I will post as well.

For those of you don't live in lead paranoid areas like some of us on this coast, these bullets were great in lever action rifles.

I used to cast the .45-70 out of straight Lynotype and they would punch through just about anything.

I was reading one of my favorite hunting mags this evening and in there it mentioned that most lead shot (and I am assuming by extension all lead bullets) is made with recycled lead from car batteries.

The article writer was already preaching doom & gloom that the end of lead is upon us and we might as well get ready to to go non-tox in everything, not due to politicians and junk science, but due to economics.

It seems that what ever the People's Republic of Kalifornia does the rest of the west coast has to follow suit like a bunch of lemurs.

The Condor Preservation Area in Kalifornia to preserve that stupid bird from eating lead-infested gut piles left by the ignorant hunters that dare use such a toxic substance is an interesting idea that I am sure is going to spread to the other states like cancer.

DDT & PCBs probably did more to eradicate that bird than all the hunter's carelessly left lead-infested gut piles. It is far easier to blame the hunters, and regulate them, than actually try to do something about the DDT & PCBs.

unfortunatly, I won't be able to activate the function to upload files to here. However, one of the other members pointed me to an offsite that will allow me to upload downloadable files to it. I can then point a link to that file for others to click and download. If this seems like a good route, and you could email me the files, I will be glad to upload it and link the files in the oppropriate area of the forum...

Example, you can start a thread in the casting section for moulds. I can add the link to your post for that area. Any files associate for shotgun, same deal...

Let me know what you think...

I have an account set up for the forum. If you like you can email me the files at allthingsguns@comcast.net

When I see you have posted in the area, I will edit your post by inserting the "DownLoad Here" text. A window will open up and members will be able to download the file.

scorge30 wrote:Thanks DW I was trying to figure out how to post the PDFs as I figure there might someone wanting to take a shot at making their own.

Now that I see RD is back in business, maybe the members can order molds from their site.

I do not have problem so much giving my money to Lee as they have certainly got a lot of mine over the years.

I suppose due to trademark or some other thing we could not order the molds ourselves but it does appear Lee kept the cherries so start up tooling was probably less.

If we get a way to post PDFs I have several shotgun loads too from Ballistic Products that I will post as well.

For those of you don't live in lead paranoid areas like some of us on this coast, these bullets were great in lever action rifles.

I used to cast the .45-70 out of straight Lynotype and they would punch through just about anything.

I was reading one of my favorite hunting mags this evening and in there it mentioned that most lead shot (and I am assuming by extension all lead bullets) is made with recycled lead from car batteries.

The article writer was already preaching doom & gloom that the end of lead is upon us and we might as well get ready to to go non-tox in everything, not due to politicians and junk science, but due to economics.

It seems that what ever the People's Republic of Kalifornia does the rest of the west coast has to follow suit like a bunch of lemurs.

The Condor Preservation Area in Kalifornia to preserve that stupid bird from eating lead-infested gut piles left by the ignorant hunters that dare use such a toxic substance is an interesting idea that I am sure is going to spread to the other states like cancer.

DDT & PCBs probably did more to eradicate that bird than all the hunter's carelessly left lead-infested gut piles. It is far easier to blame the hunters, and regulate them, than actually try to do something about the DDT & PCBs.

Yes please give me what ya got on steel i have not loaded any yet i have a couple bars and a bag of shot but havent done it yet. I hunt pheasants in South Dakota not all the places but many are requiring non toxic shot. real pain and i personally think a lot of BS but such is life.