Aftermarket "Lock Ring"?

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Jaywalker

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Basic question about dies - do they need lock rings? It seems reasonable that the answer would be "yes," but I'm a rookie at this. I just ordered the Lee 3-Die Deluxe to go on my new Rockchucker, and it would seem to need a way to keep the adjustment set. I've seen a couple of them in the Midwayusa.com catalog, including one made by Hornady. Does it make sense to buy some? Will they fit other die makes?

Jaywalker
 
Yes...................your dies will need lock rings in order to hold them at the correct adjustment. The good news is that the Lee Set you ordered comes with rings on each die. In fact, most any die you order will come complete with a lock ring installed.

If you end up trying several different brands of dies, you may find you prefer one manufacturer's ring over the others .............. at that point you might want to consider ordering some of those rings for the other brands of dies you own. And since most all of the standard dies on the market are cut to uniform thread standards - the different brands of rings are interchangeable.
 
I think it's a good idea--at least for the sizing die. I've never liked Lee's locking rings as you need to reset the dies every time and I've got one or two firearms (rifles) that seem to be a little sensitive about how the dies are set. Anything w/ a lockscrew is good, regardless of configuration in my opinion. Once it's set, you'll probably leave it set forever (unless you've got multiple guns in the same caliber with different preferences). The amount of crimp that is ideal for a given rifle will often vary between loads.

Ty
 
Well, I like the Lee lock rings.:D You need to spend a little time adjusting them, like any die/ring combo. Then place a witness mark on press and ring, and your setting is repeatable from then on. I use a small drop of a bright, virulent green fingernail polish. But I believe the Lee rings give a little flex to the die so it self-centers better.:D

Tom
 
The Lee dies are built down to a price, the cheap lock rings are a good example, it wouldn't hurt to use some real lock rings on them. Personally, I never bought much Lee, but I have replaced all of the Lee products with better quality items over the years.
 
I've found the O-ring setup on the Lee dies easy to use and have had no problems with settings changing.
 
I never really cared for the Lee rubber gasket lock ring. I prefer a steel ring with a set screw. It just seems more repeatable, but that is just me.
 
I like the idea of having the rings firmly set in one place, but I'm not crazy about jamming a set screw against the die threads. What drew my eye to the Hornady lock rings was the description that indicated that it didn't use a set screw. I think I will get some, but until I can, I guess fingernail polish on the threads marking a position is the best choice. I don't have "Virulent Green," but maybe other colors will work, too. :p Other dies are in the future, I'm sure, so good lock rings won't hurt.

The dies just came in last evening, and I thought for a while that I would have to admit I couldn't figure out how to open Lee's cylindrical die holder - finally did it, though, without spewing parts all over the room. I haven't read the set-up instructions yet.

Also, I think it's kinda neat that Lee sends a little powder scoop with the dies - a connection with the basics.

Now all I need is a bench to mount all this stuff on...

Jaywalker
 
lock rings

i am partial to the 1" dillon lock rings. i replaced nearly all of my lock rings with them. with them being only 1" it gives you a bit more room to work with when adjusting. dillon also sells a nifty wrench that fits the 1" rings, too. if anyone needs any lee lock rings with the o-ring, let me know and i will fix you up. free, i have no use for 'em.
 
I'm not crazy about jamming a set screw against the die threads.

Jaywalker, there are several brands of lock rings that do not have this feature you don't like.

There is the Redding with a soft lead bit, and there are two others (forgoet which ones) that use a hex bolt to tighten the diameter of a split lock ring.

Check out the MidwayUSA web site or catalog.

I agree that the Lee rubber o-ring system is not accurate -- the rubber hardens fer cripe's sake! Lee products are cheap because they make them cheap. Their designs are often very good. But they use low quality materials to keep the prices low.
 
Do what I do,

I use a lot of Lee dies, I just buy a extra lock ring ( they come in sets of 4),

I take out the rubber o ring on the new one and screw it on top of the lock ring that comes with the die.

This way their is two lock rings on the die and they never move. They lock tight against each other.
 
the ones with the steel set screw can be made to work without messing up the threads by sprinkling a few bird shot in the hole and then screwing the setscrew down on them....or at least thats what i do.....the ones that come with the brass setscrew will need to be replaced with a steel setscrew and birdshot....DICK
 
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