Problem with Lee auto drum and .44 die

[vanfunk]

Hi Guys:

So I just got a new Lee Six Pack Pro and was setting it up today. When it came to the powder-through expander die and the powder auto drum, I ran into a big problem. The stem of the auto drum will not fit properly into the case expander insert in the .44 special/mag die, so I can’t thread the auto drum onto the top of the die. I tried the .38/.357 and it fit, no problem. Is this a known problem with the Lee dies, or just a one-off with mine? I’ll call Lee in the morning but thought I’d check in here unless there’s something I am missing.

Thanks!

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

So, what did Lee say?

 

[sparkyv]

Silly question: is the case expander insert inserted into the die body in the proper orientation?

 

[vanfunk]

Hi all:

Lee got back to me and asked for more information; I’m not sure what else I could tell them other than what I already said, that the expander insert’s inner diameter is too narrow for the stem of the auto drum to fit into. The .38/.357 is fine so it’s definitely a problem with the .44 die. No silly questions! The insert is inserted correctly. In other news, I love the press; I abandoned .44 reloading due to the die issue and switched to .357 and all went swimmingly.

Thanks!

 

[kmw1954]

So Lee did not ask for you to return it? Seems odd. I use the drum on 6 different die sets w/o issue. I would contact them again about a return.

 

[vanfunk]

Lee replaced it; the new one works. The old one was clearly undersized but they didn’t want it back.

 

[sparkyv]

Glad you got it going.