Lee Collet Die

I've sized thousands upon thousands upon.....well you get the idea. I've used them for 308, 30-06 and 303 Brit. Great dies, easy to use and fast. Only problem you may have is after you fire a case 3 times or more you generally should anneal the case necks.
 
I have a Lee .308 collet die, I just followed the instructions on the book. I only neck sized for the spent cartridge used on my 10TR.
 
Qball-16 said:
That's what I thought too, based on hundreds of 223 cases sized with mine...

Just got another for a new 260 rifle, and on the first use (last of 100 cases), the top cap popped off at the end of a stroke & ripped out the threads from the die body. I didn't think I was applying THAT much force with the press...

I've heard good things about Lee's customer service / warranty. I hope they come through here!
Click to expand...

Update - I emailed Lee directly about my broken 260 die and was told "The aluminum cap is designed to fail when too much pressure is applied, leaving the rest of the die components intact". Replacement parts have been ordered, and are FREE - I just had to pay the shipping.

For less than $20, I got a couple replacement caps for my 223 and 260 dies (they're all the same size), as well as a spare mandrel for each!!!
 
Qball-16 said:
Update - I emailed Lee directly about my broken 260 die and was told "The aluminum cap is designed to fail when too much pressure is applied, leaving the rest of the die components intact". Replacement parts have been ordered, and are FREE - I just had to pay the shipping.

For less than $20, I got a couple replacement caps for my 223 and 260 dies (they're all the same size), as well as a spare mandrel for each!!!
Click to expand...

Update #2 - the parts that were ordered on Feb 7th were in my mailbox this afternoon!!! That's pretty amazing, considering the parts had to get packaged up at the Lee Warehouse in Wisconsin, shipped via USPS to the border, clear customs in Mississauga, and then all the way to the west coast by Canada Post - in basically one week...

Kudos to the great customer service at Lee Precision!!!
 
I'm not a Lee Collet die fan and just couldn't make myself like the die, with the exception of my .303 British I full length resize everything.

I just couldn't get even neck tension and the string and duct tape kept breaking. :evil:

A poster at accurateshooter.com said he adapted a torque wrench to his press and just set it to break at 25 lbs.

I posted the photo below and said I couldn't get my torque wrench to "click" at 25 lbs and asked what I was doing wrong. :stirthepot2:

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Bottom line, call me a odd ball but the Lee collet die just did not impress me and I was never too lazy to lube my cases.

I'm a big fan of the rat turd in the violin case. :d

Y3IiYL5.jpg
 
My findings using neck sizing dies are somewhat like bidedp51. I load for appx 17 rifles and the great majority of them shoot better when full length sizing dies are used. In fact only one rifle I own shoots better with neck sizing and this is only when you index the case so as to put in in the same way in the chamber every time. I suspect it could be a chamber problem. I do however own some Lee collet dies and find them work great when used with a Redding body die first to size case and bump the shoulder.I then use the collet die to reduce the neck. This way gives me the best possible case neck run out, or should I say the lack of case neck run out. Just what works for me.
 
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