Using the Lee Collet Die & Dead Length Bullet Seater for .303 British QUESTION

[Winchester-1897]

I am starting to prepare cases used in my .303 Lee Enfield and may not be doing it right so I thought I'd ask hear before I screw up.

I Have a Lee Breech Lock Challenger press and just aquired the Lee Collet Die & dead length Bullet Seater as I heard they were very good.

I set set the collet sizer as per instructions which says to screw the sizing die in until it contacts the shell holder , plus one turn more and then run a case into the die. I felt the primer pop very easily as the instructions said it should and then stop.

I then applied the necessary force I felt was the required 25 lbs min. To test how it went I put a bullet into the mouth with my fingers and it pushed into it with some ease which was disappointing. I then added a quarter turn and this improved the seating better but still not terribly tight.

My question is this, do I add more than a quarter turn and risk damaging the die or press to get a possible tighter fit or am I just being too particular?

 

[doc25]

Are you sure the bullets are for 303 and not just 30 cal like for 308? Use a caliper on case neck to check measurement. You can try to turn the case 180 degree and size again. I can usually feel the collet close when pushing case up into the die. I don't think you will damage the die by cranking it in deeper and would personally not worry about damaging anything other than the case. If you take your die out and shake it can you hear movement inside? I've had the collet get stuck before but don't remember the outcome. Good luck.

 

[Winchester-1897]

I can hear it rattle when I shake it. I did what you suggested and did an extra 180 turn on it and it seems much better.

 

[doc25]

Case size will also dictate how much force is needed. I have them for 223 and had them for 303 Brit. They require less force on the 223. Push down really, really hard on the lever. You'll probably rip your press off the bench before damaging anything. I think they have some info (in the instructions) about removing some material from the mandrel as well but I've never done it. I have one on the way for my 243 as well, I really like those dies.

 

[Winchester-1897]

thanks for your help Doc.

 

[boltonscouter]

I use Lee collet dies for 303B, 223 & 308 and with all of them I put the empty case in the press and crank the lever at just normal weight of pull, retract, turn the case slightly, repeat then retract turn & repeat again. You don't need to use as much force on the second & third stroke and makes for a much nicer fit when seating the bullets. Sounds like allot of extra work but actually once the case is in the shell holder it really doesn't take much more time to quickly rotate and work the handle again. You don't need to be exact in how many degrees you rotate the case..... just want to be sure you change the orientation of the case in the die and all is good. Makes for excellent fire formed cases!

 

[45ACPKING]

I've been googling .303B loading procedures for the past few days as I'm setting up my bench as well.

is there any good pics online of fired brass showing what to look for as far as head space problems, pressures, fatigue ect?
my no 1 mk3 won't go anywhere near closing on the forster .303 field but it's the only gauge I have right now for these rifles.

 

[Winchester-1897]

I'll give that a go, thanks.

 

[bigedp51]

If you Google the die setup for the collet die you will find a second method where the press is allowed to reach its full travel and die adjustment are made at the top of the ram stroke or press cam over. The point of this type adjustment method is the press reaches a mechanical stop and leaves the guesswork out of how hard to pull the handle of the press. I use a magnifying glass to examine the case neck checking for vertical lines on the outside of the case neck. The brass will have these marks on the neck from the gaps in the collet as it squeezes the brass down on the mandrel. If these vertical raised marks are excessive you are applying too much force and the brass is flowing into the gaps in the collet. This depends on if you did any cleanup and polishing on the collet before use, if the collet sections have rough edges they will "grab" the brass and pinch it between the gaps in the collet.

The truth of the matter is if you have a runout gauge, a standard neck sizing die can be tweaked to produce minimum runout equivalent to the Lee collet die.

Below is a link to Google images and " lee collet die marks on the neck of the case", you will also see photos on how to polish the Lee collet die, die adjustments, etc. Just click on the photos to the forum where the information is posted.

https://www.google.com/search?q=lee+collet+die+marks+on+the+neck+of+the+case&tbm=isch&imgil=RtfTkeV2P71OjM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcSyQDq_V0fLDzkq6bVLykbTbRwMgksLYyYHxiHylfHLFnmiG8tAqA%253B473%253B377%253BFV71ZboeelUhcM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.longrangehunting.com%25252Fforums%25252Ff28%25252Flee-collet-die-questions-55987%25252Findex2.html&source=iu&usg=__QSuiVtsU0tcS8bF_ILH-AZ8Siug%3D&sa=X&ei=mwWzU5CJHIu3yATBr4DoCw&ved=0CDQQ9QEwAg&biw=1920&bih=955#imgdii=_

Pay close attention to these photos with the marks on the neck, because the squeezing action of the collet can even be transferred to the inside of the neck and effect neck tension. To be truthful I just use my full length resizing die backed off 3/4 of a turn and partially full length resize the case without touching the shoulder.