Lee dies... I must be doing something wrong.

[VanGoghComplex]

So I just got my Lee four-die carbide set. I wanted a second set so I could leave one adjusted for .38 and one adjusted for .357.

I loaded 50 rounds with them, and my first impression is... mixed.

The resize/decap die was great; far better than the RCBS I was using. It resized the case farther down than the RCBS, and the primers weren't getting skewered and sticking to the pin every three rounds like the RCBS does.

The powder through flare die was... interesting. Having a moving part in it weirds me out a bit, but it wasn't too hard to set up or use. I'll be complimenting it with a Pro Auto Disc soon.

The seating die was problematic. For starters, although I had only put what I thought was a little flare on the case mouths, almost every single shell got "caught" at the point where it enters the die. The OD of the flare was slightly larger than the ID of the die, so the seating die had to smush it a bit. That hitch of resistance was annoying enough, but add to that the fact that it also meant my semi-wadcutters had to be seated almost perfectly vertical, or the die would catch the shoulder of the bullet before the cone and yank it sideways. Finally, unlike the RCBS, the Lee only has a round-nose seater plug. My bullets are hard enough that it didn't deform any, by it also didn't force them "true" in the process of seating them, like my flat-noise RCBS plug used to. I have a couple rounds in the batch where the bullet looks a tad cockeyed if you look at it just right. O_O

The crimp die was uneventful, other than using it is a jerky lever action; it "re-resizes" the case post bullet-seating, which... I guess I understand, but it's never been a problem for me before.

Any tricks or tips from other Lee users?

 

[Joespapa]

Sounds like too much flare. Should be enough to just catch the base of the bullet and hold it still while you run it up .

 

[VanGoghComplex]

That's gotta be it. I flared them the same amount as I used to, which was only just barely visible. I guess the RCBS dies were more forgiving.

 

[gonoles_1980]

Like the other poster, I'm guessing too much flare, my bullets can barely standup on the case.

Another possibility, make sure you don't have the crimping part of the seating case too low, if you know what you're doing you can seat and crimp in the same step. I am not that smart, so I just use the die to crimp,and have the top screw (whatever you call it) out pretty far, use the bottom screw to set the depth. If you have the crimp screw all the way down, it will be also crimping the bullet.

If you care crimping with the 3rd die (seat and crimp die), then the FCP die would be useless.

 

[Reefinmike]

I agree, the seater die is a little tight and you must have minimal case belling to have the case mouth not hang up on the mouth on the seater die. That being said, I can load .358 bullets without a hitch, you just have to have your flair adjusted just right.

 

[Mauser69]

Personally I love my Lee dies, and I also have RCBS and Lyman dies that work just fine. But I need the Lee dies for my Lee Pro 1000 press and the Lee powder measure. Being as they work just as good as my other dies, and they cost at least 1/3 less, Lee is all I buy for pistol now. If you have a press with a turret system where you can leave them set up, the Lee dies are the only way to go in my opinion.

I have never had any issue at all with the size of the seating dies; never seemed any smaller than any other to me. If there was anything close or touchy about it, I'm sure I would have encountered at least an occasional problem when cranking out one finished shell on every pull of the handle in the progressive press; but no, nothing has EVER hung up in that die for me. Make sure you do not have a piece of crud or something stuck in your shell holder that is not letting the shell slide all the way in to center it. And I generally do not think the amount of bell should even be really visible - just enough for the base of the bullet to slip in and get stuck a little.

I am not a big fan of Lee not including different shaped plugs for different bullet designs, but the floating plug does work differently than the more common fixed plugs in other brands. Just make sure you do not let any bullet lube get stuck up in that plug or you will have issues with crooked bullets. And if you really want a plug shaped properly for your favorite bullet, just send one to Lee along with $8, and they will send you a new custom plug for it.

Finally, I do not use the carbide seating die hardly at all. In fact, I do not even buy the four die set for anything but Autoloader calibers because I see no value in it for revolvers. And even for my .40 S&W I never use that die unless I am having feeding problems with some new range brass.

I prefer to seat and crimp all in one stroke using the seating die - works just fine for me in either the taper-crimped auto cases or roll-crimped revolver cases.

 

[moxie]

Re your RCBS sizer die. If you are "skewering" and having sticking issues, your decap pin is likely set too far out. It should only protrude about 3/16".

 

[Mauser69]

Re your RCBS sizer die. If you are "skewering" and having sticking issues, your decap pin is likely set too far out. It should only protrude about 3/16".

Can't see how that could be any issue - once the primer is pushed free of the case it will just fall due to gravity - you could have a 2 foot long decapper pin and it couldn't push on the primer any more than it already has to just push out the primer.

I have never seen a "skewered" primer with any of my dies, RCBS included. The only things that I can imagine that might cause it are a sharpened decapper pin (no idea why anyone would do that) or possibly crimped primers on military brass. But maybe if his shells are not centered in the case holder the primers might be hanging up on the way out?

 

[Lost Sheep]

Seating plug

I believe Lee will send you a seating plug for semi-wadcutters for a reasonable price. Or the will make a custom plug if you send them a couple of bullets.

I think most die makers will do the same.

Many people who do not like the post-sizing function of the Lee FCD (Factory Crimp Die) knock the sizing ring out.

Lost Sheep

 

[VanGoghComplex]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I'll readjust my flaring die for the next run.

I've noticed that the seating die's floating "plug" has a flat side on top. Can you all think of any detriment to just turning the plug upside down?

 

[baseball2013]

My Hornady seating die was doing something similar. Too much belling would cause the case to get stuck on the Alignment Sleeve. The problem could be avoided by turning the case a bit when abnormal resistance was felt.

A drastic reduction in belling eliminated the problem completely.

 

[higgite]

I've noticed that the seating die's floating "plug" has a flat side on top. Can you all think of any detriment to just turning the plug upside down?

I believe that's how it is intended to be used.

As for spent primers sticking to the decapping pin, i've had that happen twice with my RCBS 9mm sizing die. In my case, the end of the pin wore down to where it was just blunt enough to get wedged in the primer anvil so it wouldn't drop free. I sandpapered the tip until it worked properly again. Doesn't take much when you mount the pin in a drill. Just a couple of seconds at a time until it doesn't hold a spent primer anymore.

 

[Walkalong]

Can't see how that could be any issue - once the primer is pushed free of the case it will just fall due to gravity - you could have a 2 foot long decapper pin and it couldn't push on the primer any more than it already has to just push out the primer.

The pin will, but the decap rod won't. It can hit the bottom of the case and cause problems.

 

[GLOOB]

Sounds like too much flare.

Not necessarily. I have over half a dozen Lee seater dies, and two of them do this. When loading cast or plated, if the brass is too thick, the rounds will wedge in the die body and scratch up the outside of the case necks. And my 380 seater die will catch on case mouths sometimes with a pretty minimal flare.

In 40SW, I find this useful, because my 40SW Glock won't chamber those thicker cases (well, actually they WILL chamber just fine, but there's no room for the taper crimp to open, and the cast bullet fouls the bore). So when a round wedges in the die, I set it aside and take note of the headstamp.

Some of the features of Lee dies suggest to me that Lee's tolerances don't account for oversized plated/cast bullets.

 

[Blue68f100]

If the decapping rod spring loaded, the spring may be collasped. Some mfg have gone to a spring to help the primer clear. If these springs are flatten so there is no spring primers can stick to the pin. If it is spring loaded, the depth needs to be set deeper than a std, to allow for the spring to compress.