Lee lock rings

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slickracer

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Just got a set of Lee dies for .223. What happened to the normal hex lock rings? I am 100% satisfied with all my Lee equipment but these new lock rings are a pain.
 
On a Lee Turret I like the new ones a lot better.The solid ones not the ones with the screw.Did they come with the little wrench?
 
They are supposed to be "finger tight" - https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1011199541

wild willy said:
Did they come with the little wrench?
Click to expand...
Little lock ring wrench for $2.50 - https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1021759797?pid=101497

slickracer said:
Just got a set of Lee dies for .223. What happened to the normal hex lock rings? I am 100% satisfied with all my Lee equipment but these new lock rings are a pain.
Click to expand...
That's what we get for complaining about their "finger tight" hex lock rings with O-ring ... John Lee went, "I will show you guys once and for all" and comes up with Ultimate lock rings :rofl: - https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1021760132?pid=575065

575065.jpg
 
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It would be better if Lee would spend the time on making their dies more consistent instead of reinventing the proverbial "locknut wheel".
 
Everyone likely has a tool that could tighten a normal nut, so what could you sell them?
 
There are always people that want the latest and greatest. The progressives with very tight die arrangements are the purpose they came out with the new design. You can trade them to someone for the old style or pay it forward to someone who likes them.
 
Like LiveLife says (and what I've been doing for 40 years with Lee dies) is finger tight is all that is needed. Don't have an opinion on the new style rings, but I never had any problems on my turret and never had a lock nut loosen up with the old style hex nuts. Hmmm. I wonder how they would work in a Co-Ax? Too thin?
 
The Lee pistol die set I recently purchased came with the spline drive lock rings. I don't have experience with the older nut style, but I would think these new ones have more grip, at least they do for me when finger tighten and loosen. I was actually expecting the old rings to come with my dies and was pleasantly surprised when I received the newer rings. I like them.
 
I always wonder when someone changes their whatzit that has worked satisfactorily for decades, are you trying to tell me I’ve been using a deficient whatzit for the past umpteen years? I’m old. I don’t like change. I especially don’t like change for the sake of change. :cuss: ymmv
 
my new 44mag dies came with the little gear pattern rings, but there is not spline or screw on them. I cannt say I'm a huge fan of them, but they are kind of set it and forget it items in a turret. I tightened mine with a flat head screwdriver.
 
My issue with the old, o-ring hex Lee lock rings is that they do not have a positive way to lock the rings to the die so that once adjusted, they do not move. For a turret press or a progressive press where the dies are not removed from the die plate, they would be fine.

I like the new split rings rings with the clamping screw and would like to try them. But they have been out of stock at times that I thought about buying some. Maybe some day, I'll hit pay dirt when the vendors have them in stock.
 
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The new rings are in two configurations, one with and one without set screw. The new rings are especially helpful on a Lee turret, where the set screws aren't needed when the dies are dedicated to that turret and left alone. My latest Lee die purchase was new production of the 9mm Makarov and it came with the new lock nut, no set screw. I ordered a set of the set screw lock nuts and have the little wrench. I like them all. The old nuts were a pain for a turret user, and I had to order a special wrench to get any purchase on a die that would not come loose with fingers.
 
RealGun said:
The new rings are in two configurations, one with and one without set screw. The new rings are especially helpful on a Lee turret, where the set screws aren't needed when the dies are dedicated to that turret and left alone. My latest Lee die purchase was new production of the 9mm Makarov and it came with the new lock nut, no set screw. I ordered a set of the set screw lock nuts and have the little wrench. I like them all. The old nuts were a pain for a turret user, and I had to order a special wrench to get any purchase on a die that would not come loose with fingers.
Click to expand...

The old lock rings work fine on a turret. I have had some dies in a turret for years with the old lock rings and they haven't moved.
 
I have all my dies that I use in the LNL adaptors. I only mess with a lock ring once for each die. So I do not much care what kind of ring it is.
 
Well I got a pile of those "wonderful" new lee lockrings :) I would gladly trade them for those old nasty hex lock rings everyone else uses, or maybe gift some unsuspecting reloader with a bag of them.............
 
slickracer said:
No little wrench came with the dies but I added one to my Midsouth order this morning.
Click to expand...
Pretty sure that's because a wrench isn't needed to make something finger tight.
The 45 colt die set I recently purchased has the new rings. I like them.
 
I am using the "Lock Ring Eliminators" and the "Spline Drive Breech Lock Bushings." Both these combine the die lock ring with the breech lock bushing.
The discontinued Lock Ring Eliminators were machined from steel. They really only had one flaw: the pinch bolt was an internal hex-head (Allen) capscrew with a head that stuck out too far. The pinch bolt heads would interfere against adjacent lock rings in the Auto Breech Lock Pro's tight (turret) die holder top. If they had just swapped those capscrews out for some button-head internal hexalobular (Torx) screws, they would be golden. That's what I will do with mine. Instead, Lee replaced them with the "Spline Drive Breech Lock Bushings." They're machined from aluminum. I believe early versions came with a slot head capscrew (!). They had switched to a smaller diameter Allen bolt by the time mine were produced (I bought twelve). At first I thought they were good to go. I liked the four different colors for color coding although I could also use paint, colored sharpies, or colored electrical tape just as well.

Then I found that one of the bushings started to bind in the press head. That was really annoying. I had to order the spline drive wrench. The wrench is complete crap because it won't fit over the pinch bolt unless it's aligned just right which can sometimes be impossible with other dies in the way. With the breech lock bushings, I only ever use finger-tightness, so screwing around with a wrench to dislodged an aluminum bushing that's binding is very annoying. Not surprisingly, the bushing started to gall. Next it will probably jack up the press head. I'll probably be using anti-seize which will inevitably make a mess.

This is the kind of thing people who use Lee should already expect. If you want to be pampered, buy blue. If you don't mind working around someone else's shortcuts and poor choices, you'll figure something out.
 
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