lee 300sm die problem

[mjcurry]

hey their

this is my second problem with lee die sets for the 300 wsm. all my other lee dies are fine but i think im cursed with the 300 wsm. the first problem was the sizing die wasnt even close to the right size so i got it sent back and a new dies set came but without the crimp. so for the first time in a while i had some brass i could deprime and resize. so i lube up the case put it on the shell holder and put it in the die. goes in fine like usual but it brings the decaping rod with it and it WONT come out.

so i figured i will put the case back in the die and tighten the top nut that holds the decaper in and the downstroke would pull the decapper out.(the problem i guess is that the decapper wasnt set right and it wasnt tightened)

then the case gets stuck. so now my dies got brass stuck in it and even my 3 pound stone masons sledge wont get the brass out.

so i guess i have to send it back to lee for getting the brass out.id like to also send them a note on where to insert the die!

rant is done
matt

 

[Boomer]

I wouldn't send the die back because of a stuck case. Pick up a stuck case remover, or make your own. Case will slip out in short order.

 

[Lefty Dick]

You gets what you pay for.
I had the same problem with a set of Lee 30'06 dies.
I now have owned just about ever other brand of die other than Lee, and gee whiz, have never had the greif the Lee dies can pose.
As for their "Factory Crimp Die" Well I only crimp my handgun loads, and stuff for a lever gunn with a tube magazine. It is not necessary in a bolt rilfe or anything short of a tube magazine feeder. And I seriously doubt it helps with accuracy, because if it did some sort of wonders for accuracy then why are'nt all the competative shooters crimping their loads.

 

[Boomer]

You gets what you pay for.
As for their "Factory Crimp Die" Well I only crimp my handgun loads, and stuff for a lever gunn with a tube magazine. It is not necessary in a bolt rilfe or anything short of a tube magazine feeder. And I seriously doubt it helps with accuracy, because if it did some sort of wonders for accuracy then why are'nt all the competative shooters crimping their loads.

I must disagree with you concerning crimped bullets. In powerful rifles a crimp helps prevent a heavy bullet from being driven down into the case in recoil. I believe that crimping a bullet (if it has a crimping groove) helps accuracy because it uniforms the pull weight of the bullet, particularly if the round must be loaded short enough to function through a magazine, resulting in significant bullet jump to contact the rifling. Competitive shooters do not need to crimp because most load their bullets to contacting the rifling, which produces a very uniform pull weight.

 

[Lefty Dick]

I dunno I've loaded all the way up to 338 and 375 cal in some pretty heavy kickers, and never had any issues with bullets moving under recoil.
You are actually introducing yet another variable into the equation with a crimp.
If you have insufficent neck tension to hold a bullet in a case while under recoil, you might want to look at some other issues with your reloads.
After all he's talking a 300WSM here, and there is no way on earth a 300WSM even in a sub 8 lb. rifle is gonna produce enough recoil to start moving bullets out of the casings. If it does I'd say something else is a miss.

 

[Boomer]

I dunno I've loaded all the way up to 338 and 375 cal in some pretty heavy kickers, and never had any issues with bullets moving under recoil.
You are actually introducing yet another variable into the equation with a crimp.
If you have insufficent neck tension to hold a bullet in a case while under recoil, you might want to look at some other issues with your reloads.
After all he's talking a 300WSM here, and there is no way on earth a 300WSM even in a sub 8 lb. rifle is gonna produce enough recoil to start moving bullets out of the casings. If it does I'd say something else is a miss.

When speaking as an aid to accuracy, it is not a matter of enough crimp, it is a matter of creating round to round consistency which is not possible in any other way. For this reason I crimp all my ammunition which is loaded with a canullered bullet.

With respect to the crimp holding the bullet under recoil I was referring to powerful rifles, not to .30 calibers. Once we get into bullet weights approaching 400 grs or more, neck tension from a resized case is not enough to prevent the bullet from being driven back into the case. This is particularly true for a bottle necked round at the bottom of a magazine which may have more rounds pushed down and fired above it before it's turn comes to be chambered.

 

[Lefty Dick]

Well it looks like you have me beat on the large end of things, and hell if it's working for you no reason to doubt your results.
But you know what's weird here.
We are the only two Blokes from CGN to add our 2 bits to this.
2 guys and their findings albeit different certainly is'nt a resounding yea or neah to this whole crimping issue.
I guess if you have more experience with the great big stuff, I have not a leg to stand on or much for which to argue aginst your idea.
Lets just leave it as we agree to disagree since we are on either end of the equation.
Good luck to you.

 

['Boo]

I will chime in on crimping .................

I was worried about bullet set-back in the magazine of my 300 wsm

To test for setback I loaded 20 180 grain Accubonds and went to the "range". I dropped one cartridge in the magazine and proceeded to shoot the remaining 19 cartridges loaded one at a time over the "victim" in the mag. At the end of the test the plastic tip was actually "mashed" off the Accubond and the bullet nose was starting to flatten. Measuring to the bullet ogive revealed the bullet had not set back even .002"



As for the stuck case ................ get or make a stuck case remover.

If you have a drill and a 1/4" tap you can fabricate your own puller.
Drill and tap the case through the primer hole. Screw the die into the press upside down from below. Stop when the base of the stuck case is about 3/8" below the top of the press. Get a short piece of flat bar that will span over the press and drill a 5/16 hole in the center. Thread a 1/4" bolt down through the bar and into the tapped hole in the case. Ensure the bolt enters the case and passes just through the threaded portion you tapped. (You may have to stack washers between the flat bar and bolt head to fine-tune for length.) Carefully tighten in the bolt and the case should be withdrawn from the die.

 

[savagefan]

Lee customer service is excellent, call them, they will probably just send you a new set. As for the Factory Crimp die, I use it on all calibers. According to Lee, it will not improve a "pet load" because that load is perfect but it will improve all others by uniforming the starting pressure.