Why so many complaints about Lee reloading dies?

stubblejumper said:
I think much more highly of Lapua brass, than to put them through LEE dies.:)
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I'm also using Lee dies on Lapua brass.
I don't have an aversion to using quality tools.
I'm using an L.E. Wilson case trimmer with the Sinclair Micrometer along with some other high quality tools.
Shouldn't the end result count more than the name on the box?
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I bought a Lee Collet Die for my .308 to try. I heard guys having good results with the collet die so I wanted to try it out as the cost was fairly cheap compared to the Redding Type S Match dies I was using.. I got home with the die and the threaded cap on the top of the die was stripped and the die was useless. Never even got a chance to try it. I took it back and went back to my Redding dies which I had outstanding results. The Lee die was cheaper than the Redding but so was the quality and construction which was very obvious. Everyone handloads for different purposes and have different goals but as far as I am concerned I will not waste my money on Lee garbage. Thats my opinion but for those that have no issues with Lee equip and are happy with it, thats all that matters.
 
stubblejumper said:
I have never broken a decapping pin in over 30 years of reloading. Unless the decapping pin is out of alignment, you won't break a decapping pin. And if a person can't figure out how to adjust the decapping rod, so it doesn't bottom in the case, perhaps that person should not be reloading.
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You mean you've never run into an offset flash hole in 30 years? Wanna go halfers on some lottery tickets?;)
 
Attention to detail is what reloading is to me, I haven't ever had an issue like the ones posted most likely because I have spent countless hours sorting, inspecting, cleaning, weighing, measuring, reinspecting and polishing everything related to reloading, especially my brass. It's a part of the hobby I love! Once I have a load worked up for a specific rifle, it may not be 1000 meter BR quality, but I can guarantee you will NOT find factory ammo even close in quality. That's part of why I reload, it sure isn't for cost savings, I could buy all the ammo I could ever use with half what I put into my equipment, the room it is used in, and the range out back to play on....
 
I have been using Lee dies,neck sizers (including custom order),presses,trimmers and boolit molds.

All have been working as advertised or better and none proved useless.I had to get use to them,true,but for the price I'm not complaining.

Actually I need more molds :)
 
IMO LEE is single handedly responsible for getting more people into reloading then any other company out there and the more people reloading the better. Makes for better product availability and prices, helps promote shooting sports . How many people have started out with the LEE anniversary kit or similar then moved on to a more "robust" press. I still have a cheap lee press set up for sizing cast bullets. LEE has products I love and choose over many other brands. If I am just "getting into" a certain chambering I often buy the LEE cheap dies before moving into a more expensive set.

I use the stuff below regularly:

neck collet dies
carbide pistol dies
case trimmers
cast bullet sizing dies
alox
case sizing lube
PP measure
Lee hand primer
Bullet molds
 
juanvaldez said:
IMO LEE is single handedly responsible for getting more people into reloading then any other company out there and the more people reloading the better. Makes for better product availability and prices, helps promote shooting sports . How many people have started out with the LEE anniversary kit or similar then moved on to a more "robust" press. I still have a cheap lee press set up for sizing cast bullets. LEE has products I love and choose over many other brands. If I am just "getting into" a certain chambering I often buy the LEE cheap dies before moving into a more expensive set.
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Exactly, my plan was to start with a hornady LNL but at 500 for just the press it was going to take awhile to save. A lee pro 1000 came up on the see for 150 ready to load 45acp. I now own 3 pro 1000's and love them for the most part. Later on I may grab a LNL.
 
I bought a set of Lee 45-70 dies and they were pure crap, you could visibly see that the bullets were seated offset in the case mouth. Not just one round, all the rounds I loaded, one side of the case was smooth and the other had a bulge from the bullet protruding.
This problem was fixed with a set of Redding dies, you do get what you pay for.
The worst thing is that I started reloading by helping my father when I was younger and over 35 years of reloading later I bought my first set of pure ####e Lee dies, what was I thinking.:confused:
 
Never had a problem with LEE dies or any other brand that I own for that matter. Keep in mind it is a steel tool that is used to slightly reshape a bit of brass, not much is being asked of it. For my bolt guns I use LEE collett as there is no messy lube and clean up time involved and the brass lasts longer which is good for the environment as it keeps green in my wallet. As much as I like LEE products, I couldn't say no to the RCBS master reloading kit deal from Prophet River, so I bought it for my son for a xmas- b'day present. (Poor December kids eh?).
 
Silverback said:
I bought a set of Lee 45-70 dies and they were pure crap, you could visibly see that the bullets were seated offset in the case mouth. Not just one round, all the rounds I loaded, one side of the case was smooth and the other had a bulge from the bullet protruding.
This problem was fixed with a set of Redding dies, you do get what you pay for.
The worst thing is that I started reloading by helping my father when I was younger and over 35 years of reloading later I bought my first set of pure ####e Lee dies, what was I thinking.:confused:
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I own a set of LEE dies for each of my 3 45-70's and have never had a problem.
But when I use certain brand's of brass,then I notice the bulge. More so because I paper patch the boolit's up to .460-.462
 
I'm just setting up my lee classic (as I consider myself a slow learner) and got lee dies in 9mm, .40, .45 ready to go. After reading this entire thread, I'm confident I'll be just fine. I'll get back to this in a few hundred rounds of each.
 
Silverback said:
I bought a set of Lee 45-70 dies and they were pure crap, you could visibly see that the bullets were seated offset in the case mouth. Not just one round, all the rounds I loaded, one side of the case was smooth and the other had a bulge from the bullet protruding.
This problem was fixed with a set of Redding dies, you do get what you pay for.
The worst thing is that I started reloading by helping my father when I was younger and over 35 years of reloading later I bought my first set of pure ####e Lee dies, what was I thinking.:confused:
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did you call Lee and ask for a replacement set?
 
I've reloaded over 80,000 rounds of handgun ammo on Lee dies in 9mm, 38/357, and 45 Auto - the only issues I've had were my fault. I see people recomending lube for pistol dies, I have never lubed a pistol case and I've never had a Glock bulge cause a misfeed.
 
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