LEE Collet Die..............

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BCboy

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Heres for the lee collet die ,Mine went :mad:POP:mad: today on the 3rd 223 case ,and they were a brand new set of dies:confused:. I wasent pressing very hard and the aluminum threads let go , WTF why dont they make that top cap out of steel? makes no sence ................. guess I will be giving them a call tommorow .

Anyone know if you have to send the whole die back or ,just the top plug?

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They will probably just send you the parts you need with nothing to do on your part but tell them what happened. When the linkage on my press broke, all I did was email a pic and they sent me the parts, no charge.
 
Mil Brass

The brass you were sizing was not military brass was it? Lee does not recommend using either the full length sizer or neck sizer on military brass. They actually suggest you use an RCBS or similar die for resizing military brass.

My buddy just had a similar problem sizing his military brass for his AR. He had Lee replace the parts and then borrowed my RCBS die to complete the remaining 400-500.

Derek
 
notenough said:
The brass you were sizing was not military brass was it? Lee does not recommend using either the full length sizer or neck sizer on military brass. They actually suggest you use an RCBS or similar die for resizing military brass.

My buddy just had a similar problem sizing his military brass for his AR. He had Lee replace the parts and then borrowed my RCBS die to complete the remaining 400-500.

Derek
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just plain old winchester brass
 
Just phone them and they will send you the parts.

Phoned RCBS this morning as my lubricator needed parts replaced. In the mail to me today, no questions asked.

Take Care

Bob
 
How hard were you pushing on that collet die? If you have to torque the #### out of it to size the neck then you may want to turn the mandrel down .001 with some fine sandpaper and a drill. I did it to mine and it takes alot less pressure now to get the neck to size down.
 
My .308 Lee collet die did the same thing and I've read others commenting on the same problem. I did polish down the mandrel but it was still not sizing properly. After it failed I took it apart and found that the mating surfaces of the collet section and the top section that squeezes it were galled from rubbing together and that seems to by why the die was binding. If I replace this die I think I will immediately take it apart and lube these surfaces then clean and re-lube them occasionally.
 
762shooter said:
My .308 Lee collet die did the same thing and I've read others commenting on the same problem. I did polish down the mandrel but it was still not sizing properly. After it failed I took it apart and found that the mating surfaces of the collet section and the top section that squeezes it were galled from rubbing together and that seems to by why the die was binding. If I replace this die I think I will immediately take it apart and lube these surfaces then clean and re-lube them occasionally.
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I did find that a drop of oil rubbed on the outside of the collet stopped the collet from sticking to the inside of the die.
 
I have to strip mine down every 20 or so sizings and re-lube to keep it from sticking. I have also had the problem where the sleve that presses against the shellholder started to roll under like the metal was not hardened?

Why is no one else making a collet style neck die?
 
has never happened to me..I actually broke the pin on some military primed brass OOPS.... they seem really well built to me. I don't even use the decaper pin any more. it works great without it in. Ypu must have got a dud or something.
 
I have a custom Lee Factory Crimp die for my 270 Wby. Broke it the same way on about the 20th sizing. Called Lee and told them what happened.

They asked me if I had read the instructions, and sent me a new top.

When it arrived, I read the instructions :redface:, installed the new part, and never had it happen again.

Ted
 
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I had it happen to one of mine (I have a dozen or so collet dies.) Though, it was my own fault - the cap had worked loose, so there were fewer threads holding it in, and I WAS using excessive pressure.

Fortunately, only the cap was damaged; it's easily replaceable. It's made of softer metal than the die body, probably by design for this very reason
 
Why not? said:
I have a custom Lee Factory Crimp die for my 270 Wby. Broke it the same way on about the 20th sizing. Called Lee and told them what happened.

They asked me if I had read the instructions, and sent me a new top.

When it arrived, I read the instructions :redface:, installed the new part, and never had it happen again.

Ted
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I suspect that's the number one problem Lee support gets with this die. The procedure is different than with other dies, and too many people don't read the instructions. If you try and bottom out or cam over your press with one, you'll wreck the die. A friend of mine (who I won't mention) :p just did the same thing.

You screw the die down until it touches the press at the top of a stroke, and then back off the press and turn the die down two more full turns. At this point you won't be able to get a full stroke on your press without busting the die, but you don't want to. 25 pounds of down pressure, and that's it -you're done. It makes great, no runout necks, is easy on the brass, and doesn't require lube.

I've made literally thousands of rounds of sub-moa ammo with mine, and I'm still on my first die.
 
Why not? said:
I have a custom Lee Factory Crimp die for my 270 Wby. Broke it the same way on about the 20th sizing. Called Lee and told them what happened.

They asked me if I had read the instructions, and sent me a new top.

When it arrived, I read the instructions :redface:, installed the new part, and never had it happen again.

Ted
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Ditto!
 
Real men only read the instructions after we either break it or find out we have parts left over and the thing won't go. Common guys get with the program. Kind of like looking at a map when you are lost in a strange city. The very LAST thing we do.:D

Take Care

Bob
 
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