Lee Powder Through Expander Die Question

[Sledgehammer]

Hello All,

Newbie here...been reading manuals and some forums for a few months now but never had anything to post until now.

I have a question for anyone using the Lee Powder Through Expander Die...

My setup is the Lee 4 Hole Deluxe Turret Press, with Lee Carbide die set (all 4 dies). I am loading .45 ACP and using the Lee Charge Bar in conjunction with the Lee Auto Disk for my loads.

My turret seems to hang up on the up stroke (lever going up, ram coming down) when the case is coming out of the Powder Through Expander Die. The case goes into the die fine, accepts the drop of powder from the Auto Disk, but on the way out it hangs up (I am not sure if this is when the case mouth is flared or not) and the lever requires added force to get the case out of the die. It is not alot of force, but in the videos I have watched on Youtube of this press/die setup, no one seems to have this little hitch in their lever action.

I tried dialing back the flare a bit to see if that fixed the hanging issue...it seemed to exit the die smoother for a case or two, then it began hanging up again. I know that Lee says no lubrication is required for these dies since they are carbide but maybe I need to work some in to this die to help with this?

I have shot 60+ rounds so far off this press with no issue. My OAL is 1.26x and factory crimp is at .470. Gun is a Glock 21.

I checked the case mouth after the powder drops and it is flared, it is measuring at .474. Not sure if this is flared too much or not...

As I said, I have shot these rounds and not had any FTE or any other issues, so this is merely a question regarding the loading process.

Anyways, any advice from you guys would be appreciated. I already have learned so much from reading posts from folks on this forum so thanks for that help as well!

Jason

 

[Walkalong]

My turret seems to hang up on the up stroke (lever going up, ram coming down) when the case is coming out of the Powder Through Expander Die.

The Lee expanders are generally very roughly machined and grab the case coming back out. A little polishing will help immensely.

I am not bashing Lee. I recommend them often, as well as use some of their products.

Is is what it is though.

 

[RustyFN]

I agree with Walkalong. I have heard that Lee does that on purpose to make things shake a little to make sure all of the powder dropped, don't know how true that is. If you are flairing too much it will make it hang up more than usual, check the amount of flair.
Rusty

 

[1SOW]

If your not lubing, as the guys above have mentioned on other threads, diluting the Lee case lube with a little alchohol and spraying the cases lightly can make everything smoother.

 

[JDGray]

No lube needed on 45 cases, although I do lube 9mm(tapered case) As the others have stated, polish the expander plug. Adjust your expander die so a bullet will just balance on top of the case.

Welcome to THR

 

[fourdollarbill]

The die is working correctly. Lee has designed that die to do just that. The jarring action will clear the powder tube and keep the powder from bridging. This is a little added safety for the progressive press it was made for. If you use a maroon beartex pad and pollish the taper you will see the fine lathe marks that cause this. I will polish mine about 1/2 way smooth to lessen the jar action a little.

As far as the taper goes. Just taper enough to get the bullet in the brass and no more. This will help the brass life span.

 

[Walkalong]

If you need to jar the heck out of your measure/drop tube to keep it clear, there is another problem.

 

[paradox998]

The Lee through die does hangup a bit at the last part of the stroke to shake out any gunpowder. I don't know if you have a manual, but it does mention this. It does seem to work in this regard.

 

[editingfx]

I found a BIG decrease in the "hang up" after using NuFinish during tumbling. Call it "lazy lube".

 

[sniper5]

I also found with mine that crud tends to collect. Cleaning it out either by disassembly and wiping or with brake cleaner helps as well.

 

[Sledgehammer]

Thanks to all for your feedback. I went ahead based on suggestions here and other readings regarding tumbling solutions and added two capfulls of NuFinish to my tumbling media (previously I was tumbling with the media and some cut up dryer sheets only).

I ran some brass through for a few hours, and then took that newly cleaned brass and ran it through my Lee Turret. The "hang up" that I noted in my earlier post has been greatly reduced. Powder is still being throw at the same weight as it was when the action was more jarring.

The reduced friction in the die leads to a much smoother press operation.

Thanks again to all for your input.

Jason