problem with Lee dies

[jetech]

I decided to give Lee dies a try. When I took them apart to clean prior to use I was a little disappointed in the quality but gave them a try anyway.
The internal threads on the seater dies (both 9mm and .40 S&W) were galled as if no cutting fluid was used or the tooling was dull.
The problem with the seaters is they will not hold a setting. I had variation from 1.097 to 1.83 with a target of 1.090.
I could see the center adjustment moving up and down when the press lever was moved.
I tried several ways to get the adjustment to lock in place but nothing worked. I think it is a combination of poor threads and that goofy O-ring on the adjustment.
The die used to bell the case is another poor quality tooling. When the press ram is lowered the die is supposed to grab slightly to jar any powder loose that didn't fall into the case (if you dump powder through the die). This die requires quite a bit of force to lower the ram, so much that when it does release it will shake the entire bench. The inside of the cases are getting scratched up from this die.
I am sending both of these sets back and replacing them with RCBS.

Anyone else finding this? It may be possible I got a bad run of dies.

 

[PapaG]

Similar results. I avoid Lee stuff now, although I have sure used a lot of it in the past.

 

[RandyP]

I use Lee exclusively and have not had ANY negative experiences with them. Their customer service is excellent and I have no doubt they will replace any items you do not find satisfactory.

 

[ranger335v]

I use all die brands, they all work fine if I do my job correctly. If I don't, nothing works very well.

Your wiggling seater top has no effect on the OAL, it's just a mechanical stop. So long as it doesn't rotate the seated length can't be affected. Inconsistances in OAL come from inconsistant press operations, differences in the pressure required to seat and, sometimes, different bullets. There's nothing the die can do about any of that.

Any differences in difficuly withdrawing the 'powder through'/expander plug are as much due to different thicknesses of the cases as anything else.

 

[IDriveB5]

What did Lee say when you called them and asked them about your problem?
My results with Lee dies have been pretty good (.45ACP, .38/.357 & .308) and the finish work on them is clean as well. Hell, my .308 with hold better than a 1/2 minute as far as the bullet is supersonic if I stay out of the way.

 

[StandingTall]

I've got Lee dies for .223 Remington, .38SP, .45ACP, .40SW, and 9mm. Never had an issue.

That said, I will be starting to reload .308 Winchester for my new M1A soon and will be using RCBS small base dies for that.

 

[Striker Fired]

The two die sets I bought ,one was returned(due to a rough sizing die internal surface) and replaced them with RCSB. The second I still have but went through them deburing the threads(the seater was rough and tearing up the o-ring)and polished them up so they worked smoother. Now they seem to work ok,don't have any variances. They definately don't spend much time or effort in cleaning the rough spots up or polishing,thats probably a good part of why they coat less.
The sticky withdrawing ,my 9mm expander did(the Lee I kept),its how it's designed and the brass "holds on" ,my Hornady PTX did that also, so I make my own now.

 

[LiveLife]

All of my pistol/rifle dies are Lee and have experienced no problems other than a stuck .308 case and mangled decapping pin caused by me. :banghead:

Lee customer service has been very prompt and generous with warranty repair/replacements over the years even though some of the damage was caused by me (The lady I talked to insisted that she send out the replacement .308 decapping pin free of charge even though I repeatedly offered to pay for it as I caused the damage).

As others posted, I would give Lee customer service a call

 

[T Bran]

I use a lot of lee dies not exclusive but pretty close. The one problem I have had with every rifle die from lee is the seater plug. It will leave a ring on the bullet between the ogive and the tip where it cuts into the jacket.
Now as soon as I receive a new die I chuck the seater plug in my cordless and polish the edge with some emery cloth. I have had no other issues with these dies.
I only reload rifle so I cant comment on their pistol dies.

 

[jetech]

I know that it helps to be consistent on how the press lever is pulled and I watched that carefully, it didn't help.
I did not contact Lee because I have decided to return the dies to where I purchased them.
I am not bashing Lee I am sure they would take care of any problem, I just decided to go back to RCBS.

 

[jcwit]

And by not contacting Lee it doubtful the ever know of the problem if in fact it actually exists.

Remember a Dr. has no idea how to help you till you complain.

 

[nosmr2]

Lee has excellent customer service. Break them off an email.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Knock on wood, in my experience, Lee products are superb. As in any manufacturing process/endeavor, perfection might not be attained occasionally.. look around.

 

[GT1]

I have used the Lee dies exclusively so far, they have worked perfectly in my turret and XL 650.
One is pushing against a solid stop, that stop can't change, unless, unless something is not assembled right in the press or die.

 

[hogrdr]

i just got back in to re loading last december, bought a lee turret kit and dies for 10mm/40, 38/357/, 45acp, and 9mm, the dies have been fine, i did have the primer arm break off the piece that keeps it from falling out when you raise the ram , called and they sent me a new one. the disc measure spilled powder everywhere between the disc and hopper so i got the upgrade kit. the hopper with the seal works great but the adjustable powder bar is total crap, so i im mostly satisfied but they do have some issues.

 

[GT1]

...but the adjustable powder bar is total crap....

Mine work great, both of them. I ran graphite through the measure when new, and always end up throwing a dozen or more charges checking my scale and measure before I start loading. No issues, minimal leaking with AA#7 which is fairly fine powder.

I like them better than the disks.

 

[hogrdr]

i was trying to throw 4.6 grains of ww 231 and it would throw anywhere from a full charge to just a few grains. i went back to the disc's with the new hopper.

 

[Clark]

I have ~ 100 die sets and that includes most brands.

I use a Lee set for handguns and I am very happy with them.


For rifles, I can get sub moa results with any brand by taking out the expander ball, but for each new cartridge I try to buy:
1) Lee collet neck die.
..I polish the:
..a) collet
..b) collar
..c) mandrel/ decapping pin
2) Forster sizing die
.. I send it back to Forster and have the neck honed out to .002" smaller than my loaded necks.
3) Forster sliding sleeve seating die
... I de burr the de burring they do on the seating stem where it touches the bullet.
4) Lee de capping die.
.. I modify some for some weird little flash holes.

 

[ranger335v]

"I am not bashing Lee I am sure they would take care of any problem,"

Sooo...the whole point of your post, including the title and comments about "bad tooling", and being sure they would fix it is what?

 

[kingmt]

You don't have the dies set right. If you have the dead seating die that doesn't crimp then it should contact the shell holder. If it crimps then it needs adjusted to set the correct crimp. The dead seater is for rifle so you need the second. If you are seating & crimping in one step you will get some variance even my RCBS dies do. The powder through die needs adjusted so you just do get enough bell to start the bullet. To much causes the jerking as the die irons the bell back out & you end up with less bell then you would have had if it was adjusted right.

I have only used RCBS & Lee dies but I prefer Lee.

 

[RustyFN]

I have Lee dies in four calibers and have never had a problem with them coming out of adjustment, OAL or the lockrings.

 

[jetech]

Ranger335v
Mainly curious if others have had a similar problem. This could happen to any manufacturer, it doesn't make them bad.

I looked closer at the threads tonight. It looks to me like the seater plug is being pushed up because the threads are not right. The crest of the major diameter is not the same all around, some are pointed and some are flat, they really look rough, if the cutter galled them then they most likely wont be the correct dimension. The vertical play seems to be as the O-ring gives under compression as the bullet is seated. I think there is to much play in the threads. I don't know why its not the same distance every time but its not.

I will probably e-mail Lee and let them know what I found.

 

[x_wrench]

i have 90% lee dies. i have noticed that trying to precision seat bullet depth is not possible with them. i am also not sure if it is the o-ring set up, or play between the seater plug, adjustment screw /threads, or what it is. since most of my pistol reloading is just for plinking, i do not get upset about it. .010" or so, when not loading to max pressure is not an issue. i have one set of rcbs dies, but they are for my brother, and he does not shoot a lot. in fact, the only reason that we reload is the cost of ammo. at $75.00 for 20 rounds, it is easy to get the cost of a set of dies back. next time i load up a box for him, i am going to check to see how close the cartridge oal is. right now, not only do i not know, i do not have any ammo to measure. i wish i could give you a better answer. but rigth now, i just can't.

 

[Cornerpost]

New or washed brass will hang in my Lee dies. I use a little Rooster case lube on a few cases, just run a lubed case in every 20 or so, keeps it from hanging up on the expander!

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I've had good luck with Lee dies.

 

[kestak]

I reload 28 calibers and I use Lee dies with 17 of those calibers.
No problem with the Lee dies except I polish very lightly the resized dies inside before using them with a cotton wheel and some rouge.