Lee flare dies

[OilyPablo]

I have a Lee Turret press and in general I love the thing. I have done 45ACP to the point of saving money and 10mm to the point of really saving some dough. I have other dies and have fun and love the science.

Question: How does everyone install, setup, use, control, etc in detail the Lee flare die? The top cap is just a cap. Not for adjustment right? It is really tough to get a tiny consistent flare. Is it all in the case length? Which I have sorted for. And head stamp. It seems almost like the die internals move. I get all set up and three cases later I have a huge bell mouth!

 

[rsrocket1]

Which die are you talking about the 45 or the 10/40? What kind of bullets are you flaring the case for?

Unless you are flaring for really fat lead bullets, you don't need to push the expander all the way down to the joint. An expanded case should be enough to allow you to start a bullet into the case to allow the seating die to do the rest. Even if the bullet needs a little guidance with your fingers as you raise the ram, you are OK.

I adjust the PTX die up or down with the main threads on the die. The internals float so that the expander plug will automatically line up with the center of the case.

 

[OilyPablo]

Mainly the 10mm. But the 45ACP has fought with me too. Plated and FMJ. Not sure what you mean by pushing the expander to the joint. I am trying to achieve an almost invisible flare.

 

[greyling22]

I assume you are using the auto disk and powder though die? I just follow the directions. The video directions are clearer than the written ones. But basically, for less flair, unscrew your die a bit.

 

[OilyPablo]

I assume you are using the auto disk and powder though die? I just follow the directions. The video directions are clearer than the written ones. But basically, for less flair, unscrew your die a bit.

I'll watch the video tonight. That might help.

 

[LiveLife]

Lee powder thru expander is actuated by upward movement of the brass. What limits the travel to finalize the flare amount is determined by the lip inside the expander that pushes on the powder measure tube.

Since case lengths vary by a few thousandths, I usually set my flare amount based on shorter cases.

I get all set up and three cases later I have a huge bell mouth!

Check the powder thru expander and see if the inside lip and tube edge are clean.

If you get inconsistent amount of flare, likely it's from different case lengths. Resize and measure the case with huge bell mouth and see if it is longer than other cases. If your resized case lengths vary too much, you may have to adjust the amount of flare based on case length average.

 

[OilyPablo]

The videos I found didn't help much.

I took it all apart, and BDS - you are correct, the thing was exceptionally filthy. I was pretty surprised. My brass is spotless and cleanly lubed, but the die was very dirty from the factory. Lesson learned - clean the dies! All of them.

Also, yes I will need to check the length of my cases, set it for the average, or closer to the tallest.

Lastly the lock nut is VERY tight. NOT free spinning, so it makes it way too tough to set and lock it without moving. Cleaning and spinning the aluminum nut on and off a few times hase helped but the aluminum threads look terrible. I'll grab a nut from another die later. I may just ask if Lee will send a new nut.

 

[OilyPablo]

I cleaned the die. Soaked in oil and buffed it out.

Used a different nut without the rubber o-ring.

Sorted, resized, and flared 100 Starline 10mm pieces of brass. Perfect everytime, just the hint of a bell, exactly what I was after. Thanks for the tips.

 

[LiveLife]

Great!

I love happy endings.

 

[OilyPablo]

Indeed. I loaded up 100 really hot Longshot loads last night. Now off to start a gripe thread about my inconsistent RCBS powder dispenser.