Lee Collet Neck Sizer Problem
- Thread starter longleader
- Start date
My press was set up with the die well into the threads so-as to NOT cam over the press handle. When I called Lee to see about a replacement part I was told , and I quote, "Lee collet dies are not to be used in a RCBS Rockchucker press as they are too strong." I guess the pot metal linkage on the pre-cast Lee press is the "safey" that Lee depends on to prevent damage to their aluminum and plastic die parts.
My press was set up with the die well into the threads so-as to NOT cam over the press handle. When I called Lee to see about a replacement part I was told , and I quote, "Lee collet dies are not to be used in a RCBS Rockchucker press as they are too strong." I guess the pot metal linkage on the pre-cast Lee press is the "safey" that Lee depends on to prevent damage to their aluminum and plastic die parts.
X2
I do not use my rockchucker either for this nor my Hornady 007, I can see what you are saying.
With that hard locking press you could blow her up! I suppose
I use one with a rockchucker for a 25-06,but have noticed more neck splitting much sooner than full length resizing,may be a coincidence or a more brittle lot of brass I guess.Sure speeds things up however.Very rarely have I seen small cracks after a couple reloads with the lube dies.
If you have the die screwed it 2+ turns so that it will not cam over and you have your press set on a sturdy bench in such a way as to be standing when you are operating you can lean on the handle and get a pretty good feel of how much lean it takes to get a good clamp on the case neck. Work up to it to avoid the poping off of the cap. As an aside it is a good idea to put some lube on the collet where the fingers slipe in the wedge (the collet will eventually gall otherwise).
HobbyShooter
Regular
- Location
- Eastern Québec (Matapédia valley)
When sizing wiyh my collet die I size one stroke,
then lower the ram, turn the case 3/8 of a turn
and size a second time...
Maybe I'm wasting my time...
Jocelyn.
then lower the ram, turn the case 3/8 of a turn
and size a second time...
Maybe I'm wasting my time...
Jocelyn.
The second sizing is to supposedly improve the accuracy of the load. But it's also useful as a backup in case you fail to press hard enough one of the two times.
Anyway I recently did a batch of neck sizing with the die turned in 2 full turns, and it worked fine. I checked the first five and after that every tenth one, and I found it didn't take too much force to get the .223 size.
Anyway I recently did a batch of neck sizing with the die turned in 2 full turns, and it worked fine. I checked the first five and after that every tenth one, and I found it didn't take too much force to get the .223 size.
I use my collet dies by camming over in my rockchucker. I just am carefull setting it up. Put a case in, cam over,remove case,check case mouth,lower as required,insert case,cam over etc .Works fine for me and i havent blown the crappy aluminum cap off yet.
I use my collet dies by camming over in my rockchucker. I just am carefull setting it up. Put a case in, cam over,remove case,check case mouth,lower as required,insert case,cam over etc .Works fine for me and i havent blown the crappy aluminum cap off yet.
The potential pitfall in doing this is that when caming over the ram is subjected to a slight front to back movement as opposed to up & down this happens when the collet fingers are under force in the slip bushing, unlubed the collet fingers will tend to gall reducing the usefull life of the die. What happens when the die is sufficiently unlubed or galled is it will stick when that happens you will wreck cases.
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
Contact the Higginson boyz at
(613) 632 9300.
They have them in stock.
Send the old one in, they are waranty items, IIRC.
Cat
- Location
- North Thompson, B.C.
"I use one with a rockchucker for a 25-06,but have noticed more neck splitting much sooner than full length resizing,may be a coincidence or a more brittle lot of brass I guess.Sure speeds things up however.Very rarely have I seen small cracks after a couple reloads with the lube dies."
I’m neither a metallurgist nor an engineer. But I had some thoughts, probably off base, anyway - It doesn’t seem to take that much pressure to initially close the collet and squeeze the neck onto contacting the mandrel. Of course the brass is springy, so the neck will open up slightly as the case is withdrawn from the die. I just wonder if the additional effort we’re talking about to get a good bullet fit results from some slight structural change to the neck brass under extreme pressure. Such as making it a bit more brittle, so it doesn’t spring back as far? If so, then wouldn’t it be more susceptible to cracking and splitting? After all, once the inside of the neck contacts the mandrel, it can’t get any smaller, so something else must be happening with more push. It seems to me that it might be just as well to have the mandrel slightly smaller, so that when the brass springs back after a gentler squeeze it will be the right size.
Dunno.
And I might try the standing position today, I think there may be something to that, for better feel and uniformity.
I would also think that the larger the caliber, the more push needed on the press handle.
I suppose I also can go back to partial sizing with the regular RCBS full length die.
Anyways thanks for the great replies and tips.
Bill.
I’m neither a metallurgist nor an engineer. But I had some thoughts, probably off base, anyway - It doesn’t seem to take that much pressure to initially close the collet and squeeze the neck onto contacting the mandrel. Of course the brass is springy, so the neck will open up slightly as the case is withdrawn from the die. I just wonder if the additional effort we’re talking about to get a good bullet fit results from some slight structural change to the neck brass under extreme pressure. Such as making it a bit more brittle, so it doesn’t spring back as far? If so, then wouldn’t it be more susceptible to cracking and splitting? After all, once the inside of the neck contacts the mandrel, it can’t get any smaller, so something else must be happening with more push. It seems to me that it might be just as well to have the mandrel slightly smaller, so that when the brass springs back after a gentler squeeze it will be the right size.
Dunno.
And I might try the standing position today, I think there may be something to that, for better feel and uniformity.
I would also think that the larger the caliber, the more push needed on the press handle.
I suppose I also can go back to partial sizing with the regular RCBS full length die.
Anyways thanks for the great replies and tips.
Bill.
Yup. I agree with you. When i get my collet dies new, i pull them apart and chuck the fingers in my drill press and polish them to a mirror shine. I do the same with the mandrel. Lube em up and they are slicker than whale sh1t on an iceberg.
blacksmithden
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Polish the center mandrel. Had to do it with both my 300 win mag and my 30-30 win collet dies. You've got to give your brass a good squeeze, but if you've got to practially stand on the press arm to get the bullets to grab a little, the mandrel needs to be taken down a bit. Take out the center mandrel, put it in a drill and give it a spin and lightly sand it, moving the sandpaper up and down the shaft as it spins. That'll keep things round and even. Don't go overboard. You've only got to take of a thousandth or two. Polish and try it. Still not tight? Polish a bit more.
