lee die problem...

[Spawn-Inc]

It has gotten me into reloading, but the more you reload, the more you expect, and are willing to pay for quality products.

I dont see the problem
Honda has gotten alot of people into driving, and at some point, you might want a bmw.

Same thing with lee.

wasn't directed at you, well not completely.

so there is no reason to bad mouth honda if you want or drive a bmw.

 

[Kryogen]

I have had a few issues with lee products that pissed me off.

1- the aluminum breech lock system stripping on a press.
2- the priming system on the loadmaster failing all the time.

As for the rest, it works fine so far.

 

[enefgee]

(THE PIECE THAT HOLDS ALL THE PRESSURE FROM THE RAM PUSHING UP AND CRIPMING THE BRASS!!!) ...

Um, if there was a lot of force involved in neck sizing 308 brass, you're doing it wrong. Neck sizing is simply setting the neck diameter back to spec, no real force needed and there should be none applied. You're only reshaping the neck by a couple of thousandths, not applying a crimp. To give you an idea, I can neck size 303 (fired in what I'll politely call a very generous chamber) using 2 fingers on the handle. If the die is correctly set up there's really no need for compound leverage - bench rest guys use arbour presses and hand dies to neck size.

 

[257Roberts]

I am sure it has happened to lots of collet die user. When it happened to me it was a set of 243 dies. Lee replaced it and after re-reading the instructions It has never happened again and I use 6 different sets of collet dies.
Get a new cap and clean out the threads and start again.
David

 

[supernova]

Lee collet die or a traditional die? The Lee collet dies require more force due to the way they operate. More than FL sizing. There is quite a bit of pressure on those threads. The OP may have misadjusted it or like he says it may have had bunk threads. The cap is aluminum to make it an inexpensive sacrificial part in the event something goes wrong like setting the die down too far or sizing the wrong brass. Better to have a cheap $2 part fail than strip the threads on the die body for a more expensive repair.

Um, if there was a lot of force involved in neck sizing 308 brass, you're doing it wrong. Neck sizing is simply setting the neck diameter back to spec, no real force needed and there should be none applied. You're only reshaping the neck by a couple of thousandths, not applying a crimp. To give you an idea, I can neck size 303 (fired in what I'll politely call a very generous chamber) using 2 fingers on the handle. If the die is correctly set up there's really no need for compound leverage - bench rest guys use arbour presses and hand dies to neck size.

 

[tokguy]

The cap is aluminum to make it an inexpensive sacrificial part in the event something goes wrong like setting the die down too far or sizing the wrong brass. Better to have a cheap $2 part fail than strip the threads on the die body for a more expensive repair.

Good point. I've seen big oilpatch trucks with driveline bolts that shear under extreme load. Easier to crawl under and change 6 bolts than a twisted driveshaft.
Nice observation (not being snide either), you brought something constructive to the table as opposed to the 'Let's bash on Lee products'

 

[stubblejumper]

Good point. I've seen big oilpatch trucks with driveline bolts that shear under extreme load. Easier to crawl under and change 6 bolts than a twisted driveshaft.
Nice observation (not being snide either), you brought something constructive to the table as opposed to the 'Let's bash on Lee products'

Then again, I have never damaged any of my steel Redding or RCBS dies, or my Rockchucker press. LEE can keep their idiot proof ideas, I will stick with Redding and RCBS.