Why so many complaints about Lee reloading dies?

I reload for two reasons
1) to save money
2) to get a superior product
My equipment reflects these needs and as such I use different brands for the benchmark I'm trying to attain, as such about 60% of my reloading gear is LEE
The cheapest product that attains the goal is the best product to use, anything more simply excessive.
I use a lot of Lee dies (not exclusively) and have only seen one resizing die that slipped through QA, and they replaced it no problem.
I have used their aluminum presses and to be honest I've never had an issue with the press body but the aluminum link bars are pure crap.
The nice part is steel link bars are cheap and easy to get and install.
I like most Lee products, overall they save me a ton of cash.
Items I like from LEE:
-The bulge buster kit
-The hand held Auto Prime kit
-The perfect powder measure
-The case length/prep tools
-Carbide pistol dies
-Factory crimp dies
-Neck sizing dies
and the controvial PRO1000 (it works for me- in lots of calibers)
 
How the hell does a seating die cause an offset bulge? The case would have to be held completely rigid as you seat the bullet for that to happen. I have used very brand & see no real difference between dies. For those that inspect every case with a microscope & make sure its square to the world, please remember some of use are loading 2000+ rnds per year in calibers that have not seen the light of day since 1930. Lapua does not make 8mm lebel brass. They do make 7.62x54r brass but to replace my current stash with such would run somewhere north of $1000.
 
I have 60 sets of dies here in my reloading den.
I have no Lee dies, but will not condemn them.
If they are working for you...have at it.
I prefer Redding, Forster and RCBS.
I have had great success with CH-4D and of course
the inline dies from L.E. Wilson are above reproach. [I use them for my BR rifles.]
Like Stubble, I find the sliding decapper a nuisance.
However, I like the Lee Case trimmer system, as good as it gets.
Consistent lengths and quick.
My press is a Co-Ax, no comment needed.
Regards, Eagleye.
 
I load about 30 calibers. About half my dies are Lee. They have worked very well. In fact, the only dies I have had problems with are Hornady.

I suspect the complaints are because there are more Lee dies purchased than the other brands and newbies prefer Lee (price). Newbies are always going to have problems. It is called learning by experience.
 
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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That is of course unless you put 9mm and 40mm cases in the tumbler at the same time and a 9 gets stuck in the 40 and you don't notice! Thats the only time I've broken a pin. TC
 
That is of course unless you put 9mm and 40mm cases in the tumbler at the same time and a 9 gets stuck in the 40 and you don't notice! Thats the only time I've broken a pin. TC
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If you don't notice that, what else don't you notice when you are reloading?
 
I was thinking about this thread today when the subject of Savage rifles came up at work. "You get what you pay for" an oft used refrain from the non-LEE fans. People used to say that about Savage rifles on this forum and many others. "Get a Sako or Remington etc" those of us shooting circles around gun snobs with our cheap and nasties were laughing all the way to the bank. Some folks don't like a decapping pin that slips before it breaks, some don't like a floating bolt head. Some see the wisdom in both. It is nice to have choice thoough.
 
#1bcshooter said:
LOL
Try ramming your threaded decapper though several berdan cases accidentally mixed in with 1000 5.56 cases that were supposed to be all boxer
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That happened to me with .308 win using a lee decapping die. The decamping rod broke in half. I just threw the die out.
 
H4831 said:
That decapping pin that slips, whether it is a safety measure or not, is probably my biggest beef against Lee dies. It is a vey agravating thing when, just pushing out a primer that is a bit tighter, and it slips.
I too, have never broken the rod on any other die and didn't have the frustration of trying to squeeze the shaft so tight that it won't slip with normal use.
Any handloader should be able to centre the pin. (Just have an empty in the holder, run the pin through the flash hole and tighten, after adjusting for proper depth to clear the shell base.)
The Lee shell holders are also very sloppy.
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Their hand priming tool is also a very sloppy POS.
 
I have tried Lee dies and I don't like them. Their seating dies are inconsistent while the sizing dies are very rough to use. I no longer have any lee dies and changed over to redding dies with no complaints.
 
I have Redding, Dillon, RCBS, Hornady and Lee on my bench and reload for about 35 different cartridges. I like them in the order I have posted. Off the top of my head, the only other Lee product I've tried and still use is the auto-prime. For everything else I prefer other brands.
 
Lee has made some incredibly innovative tools! If they had better QC, and spent a little more time on "fit and finish", I would pay the extra it would cost. I think they have some great designs, just need to pay a LOT more attention to the quality, durability and finish of their products.
 
dunno, I bought the basic lee loaders for three calibers, had two de priming pins break in under 150 rounds for .45, under 25 for 30 06 !

bought dillon and never looked back
 
easysauce said:
dunno, I bought the basic lee loaders for three calibers, had two de priming pins break in under 150 rounds for .45, under 25 for 30 06 !

bought dillon and never looked back
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I didn't know Dillon made anything similar to the Lee Loader?
p_100100505_1.jpg

I have 2 Lee Loaders which are between 40 and 50 years old and work perfectly.
This leads me to believe that it's user error causing your problems.

Now that you switched to Dillon are you reloading 30-06 on a progressive?
 
sorry, bought a dillon progressive, as opposed to buying a lee progressive, i dont htink anyone else has a basic kit like lee, but i just figured if that kit broke so easily their progressive might be of similar quality(mind you they did replace parts at no cost to me so good service at least)
 
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