Lee dies

[daniel lawecki]

Is anyone here using Lee dies and the factory crimp die? These would be used on cast bullets in the .44 mag.

[gmiller0737]

All My Dies are Lee & all have worked perfectly,I only have The Factory Crimp Die in .45ACP it works great as well


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[Warren Sear]

Yes, I use them and like them.

[g8rb8]

I've used the Lee crimp die on .44 special and .44 magnum with good success on X-Treme copper plated bullets. I have not used it on cast bullets but there's no reason it should not work well with those too.

[daniel lawecki]

These dies are replacing early RCBS. I use the factory crimp in .22K hornet but never before on .44 mag with cast bullets. Before I got started was just wondering if this was a good move. as my reloading room is going thru major changes including new bench.

[imakmst]

Lee dies are my only dies. .38 and .45 and use the FCD on both, and only lead bullets on both. very good results.

[Mike, SC Hunter]

They are good dies and I use "em" in some calibers......BUT......The friction o-ring on the die lock nut is HORRIBLE and will change you settings every time you remove or install the die....Locktite it in place or replace with a real locking nut and you're good to go.

[mtgianni]

Originally Posted by Mike, SC Hunter

They are good dies and I use "em" in some calibers......BUT......The friction o-ring on the die lock nut is HORRIBLE and will change you settings every time you remove or install the die....Locktite it in place or replace with a real locking nut and you're good to go.

If you leave the dies on the turret and swap turrets that problem is solved. I do not care for the FCD on pistol as I believe the carbide ring can reduce bullet diameter of lead bullets. If they are oversized to fit your guns chamber that is not a good thing.

[gregintenn]

I'd buy Lee dies even if they weren't cheaper than the competition. That's just a bonus.

[Mike in Reedley]

Most Lee products are junk, except their handgun dies. The opening at the mouth of the sizing die is flared slightly more so than competitors, which makes getting the case centered and started into the die more easy.

For rifle dies I prefer Forester Bench Rest or Redding dies. I also prefer Lee shell holders (when not using the Forester Co-ax press) as Lee has more tolerance or slop. The extra, "give" allows the case to center in the die instead of the shell holder, which makes for a more concentric case.

[625-7]

Yeah big headlines, He died in 1782, after a court martial.

[mi2600]

I have replaced Lee's o-ring nuts with Hornady Locking nuts on most of my Lee's.

[cowboy4evr]

Guess I'm the guy that is different here as I have used Lee dies for many years , pistol and rifle with complete success . Everyone complained about reloading the 357sig , having much difficulty trying to get the dies set right and bullet crimp etc . I like a good challenge so I converted my Sig P320 from 9mm to 357 sig using Sig Xchange kit just for the experience of reloading 357sig using Lee equipment .
I bought the Lee dies along with the FCD . They are just steel dies instead of carbide , but so what ? We used steel dies for many years with good results . I have had complete success reloading the 357 sig uisng my Lee dies with NO difficulties either at the bench or the range . ALL of my reloading equipment is Lee . In rifles I reload 30-30 , 38-55 and soon 303 . In pistols I reload from 38spl to 45LC and all the magnums in between using cast bullets . I also reload 9mm , 40S&W , 45acp and the 357sig all with Lee . Lee equipment has served me well for all these years will continue to do so . I rest my case . Don't listen to the " naysayers " , try several brands and make up your own mind . Good luck be happy with whatever you buy .

[Qc Pistolero]

I'm lucky enough to be friend with a twice PPC canadian champion;you know,those accuracy freaks(he shoots groups of 2'' X 3'' at 50 yds).I told him about the Lee FCD.He tried it and now uses it for all his .38Spl wc reloads.
So do I and I shoot only cast bullets(.44 .41 both .45 .357 and .38).I know Lee brand is often associated with second rate equipment.But they do make some very good items.
Qc

[Dobie406]

The only Lee die set I have is for 32 S&W Long, no problem with sizing die or seating die, but that clickity clackity powder through expanding die with the floating expander had to go.

[BC38]

I have Lee 4 die sets (including FCD) in 380, 9mm, 38sp, 357mag, 44sp, & 44mag. Each in its own turret plate for quick caliber swaps. My press is a Lee Classic. I just started using their AutoDrum instead of the AutoDisk powder measure. Love it.

Their equipment has all worked extremely well for me.

[kbm6893]

Originally Posted by Mike, SC Hunter

They are good dies and I use "em" in some calibers......BUT......The friction o-ring on the die lock nut is HORRIBLE and will change you settings every time you remove or install the die....Locktite it in place or replace with a real locking nut and you're good to go.

I use a Hornady single stage press with Lee dies. I like the FCD option. And I use the Hornady lock and load bushings so I never unscrew the dies from the press.

[Walter Rego]

I'm with the others that dislike the Lee locking rings. I replaced them with Hornady locking rings and by the time I added that cost I might as well have bought Hornady or RCBS dies in the first place. Other than that issue the dies work fine, I wish Lee would go back to conventional locking rings for those of us who don't use turrets or similar semi-fixed set ups.

[Duckford]

I've had nothing but RCBS dies because that's what I've always used, and they always worked great. However, I started with the Lee FCD when I started with my cast rifle projects for 6.5mm Swede, 8mm Mauser and 375 H&H. I was very impressed, especially for the price, and they did a good job of getting the belling to come to a true crimp. Ill definitely consider them for non lead bullet loads for rifle in the future. I will, however, have to say that the Lee universal flaring die is, well, less than desirable, and has been since replaced with rifle belling dies from RCBS.

Now that I've got my ProChucker 7 working finally, I use the carbide factory crimp dies from Lee in my last station, and they work great. So far they've only been used for light 45 ACP and 38 Special loads for my modern built S&W revolvers, so maybe the potential swaging problem hasn't affected me if its a real threat. As far as I can testify, I've been satisfied with their performance so far.

As far as Lee goes, I think they are a fine company that fits a good niche. Some of their products are real bargains, and others are cheap for a reason. Even after my threat I posted on this forum about my rage against RCBS for their ProChucker 7 problems, I once again bought their dies and a lead casting furnace from them, because after one problem, everything I pay high prices for works well. As for Lee, their good products are often times shadowed by the products that aren't so good; as stated, I found the universal flaring die to be a poor choice, and I'm in the long process of replacing my Lee molds with Lyman.

All in all, the Lee FCD i think are almost a steal.

[gregintenn]

I've had no issue with Lee's locking rings. I don't have to go dig out an allen wrench to make an adjustment.

[Skeet 028]

Not happy with most Lee dies. The Collet rifle dies work pretty well. Have a set of 22-250s that work just fine. Those Lock Rings really suck. I have had 2 carbide dies have the carbide rings come loose and one broke in half. Looking at the RCBS carbide sizes... they have really reduced the amount of carbide these days. The only dies I have ever had trouble with both started with L...Lyman and Lee.

[Moe Mentum]

I reload for 5 different calibers, and all my dies are Lee. Yes, I use the factory crimp dies.

[daniel lawecki]

Well I will load some .44 mag with my 250 grain SWC and a heavy dose of H110. And some IMR 4227 and plink on the 100 yard range really like shooting that yardage for groups.

[joeintexas]

I really like their factory crimp die, works well on 45acp, 38 special and .357 mag. Other than that I tend to use more rcbs, more out of habit than anything else. They both make good ammo.

[DWalt]

Never had a problem with any of my Lee die sets, even though I have only four of them. I've never seen a reason why I need to use a factory crimp die. I don't know what I'd do with one if I had it.

[MyDads38]

All of my dies are LEE, I have the 4 die sets in 9mm, 40 S&W and 45 acp. I use the 3 die sets in 38 special, 44 spec/mag and 45 long colt. My rifle dies consist of 223/5.56 and 308 win and I have the FCD for them. Been using Lee dies since I started using Lee presses and have never been disappointed.

[Clovishound]

I've had more trouble with the locking nuts loosening up than I have the Lee O ring loosening. I use the FCD in two calibers, 9mm and .357. Not sure it makes a difference in 9mm. Seems to help in .357 used in a lever gun. The sizing ring does iron out a minor bulge near the mouth in a few of my loads. I seemed to have a few less feeding issues after adding the FCD for the lever rifle.

[BLUEDOT37]

Originally Posted by mtgianni

I do not care for the FCD on pistol as I believe the carbide ring can reduce bullet diameter of lead bullets. If they are oversized to fit your guns chamber that is not a good thing.

This has been a common criticism of the FCD for pistols. I have Lee Deluxe sets for many of the cartridges I load for & a few of them have FCD's that are too tight to be used with soft bullets as it's carbide sizer ring is of unnecessarily small diameter.

On those FCD's (40 S&W and 41 Magnum) I reluctantly decided it best to remove their carbide rings as they squeezed a perfectly normal sized bullet down & caused undo effort when trying to crimp in it. All the others are fine & their FCD's cause little to no resistance when crimping with them.

.

[muddocktor]

I use Lee FCD dies in 38/357, 9MM and 44 Mag. I notice a little drag going in on the 9MM and 38/357 with coated lead and certain brass makes. None are significant and I haven't noticed any degradation in accuracy.

With 44 mag and coated, cast bullets however, I feel significant increases in pressure as the case goes in and you can actually feel the grooves in the cast bullet when it's going through the carbide ring. It is most noticeable with my old WW brass and a bit noticeable with Federal and Starline brass and don't feel any drag with RP brass. Again, I've not noticed any accuracy degradation or leading issues in 44 Mag with properly Hy Tek coated cast bullets though, even with the WW brass that gives the most resistance.

[Wise_A]

I've had great success with Lee dies in .44 Magnum with a cast bullet. Excellent accuracy--shoots to call at 50 feet and 25 yards, excellent groups--and absolutely zero bullet pull, even on fairly stout loads.

[Wee Hooker]

Originally Posted by daniel lawecki

Is anyone here using Lee dies and the factory crimp die? These would be used on cast bullets in the .44 mag.

I use Lee Carbide Pistol dies for 380acp, 9mm,357sig, 38 spl, 357 mag, 44mag, 40S&W and 45acp. I use the factory crimp die whenever they are available for a caliber. These dies have seen 10's of thousands of cast bullets over many years.
I'm not so sold on the crimp style as I am on the final size check of the finished round.
I can't imagine better performing dies at any price.

[Cdog]

Cost doesn't factor in to my use of Lee dies, I like them.

The only time I've had any need for a factory crimp die was years ago when I loaded extremely heavy loads for use in Ruger revolvers. I had issues with projectiles shooting loose and locking the cylinder. Lee's FCD was the solution.

As for clickity clack of the powder through expansion die, it's a non issue when using a Pro Auto Disk powder measure. The sound it makes is like music to my ears.

To each his own, my results with Lee dies are very satisfactory.

[daniel lawecki]

I was more interested in the factory crimp die as cost isn't a factor.

[crankyoldlady]

I have Lee, RCBS, and Redding. I load six different calibers.

The Lee dies perform just as well as the RCBS and Redding with one exception...I do prefer the Redding .45 ACP taper crimp die to the Lee FCD.

[Vulcan Bob]

I use the FCD on most of my calibers with both jacketed and lead bullets with very good results. What I really like about the FCD is the ability to easily repeat crimp settings. I put a index mark on the top of the crimp spindle and after adjusting to seat on the case note the position of the index mark. For a light crimp 1/4 turn, for medium 1/2 turn and such. I then mark the ammo box data card with the crimp turn number. If satisfactory performance is achieved I can duplicate it next time.

[carpriver]

All I own are Lee Dies and turret press, I use the crimp die on all my loads. I load 380, 9mm, 40cal. 38, 375, 45 acp, 44spl, 45 colt, 5.56, m1 carbine, 308 win. The locking ring can be a problem , I found a thumb nut at Titan Reloading, they make it with a 3D printer.

[Doubless]

I do not see a single thing the LEE FCD does that cannot be done with a standard set of RCBS dies. If you are shooting cast, use the mouth die from Lyman or the RCBS expander die, load the cast projectile, use the crimp shoulder in the seater die, and go shoot.

Several years ago there was an on-going fight in print between Speer and Lee regarding the Lee FCD. Speer claimed it deformed projectiles, Lee said it did no such thing.

I just never saw a need for it. And I won't use Lee dies. I have a set that was given to me several months ago, but to this point the cancer has pretty well kept me from the casting bench. I will try the Lee dies when time allows. Maybe I will change my mind.

But I can say without a second thought that I will never purchase a Lee FCD. IME it is a waste of money no matter how small the outlay is.

[mikld]

I'm a Lee fan except for the FCD for handguns. I'm the kind of reloader that if I find a problem, I fix it. If a cartridge doesn't chamber properly, I'll find out why and fix it, not cover it up. I got a Lee FCD out of curiosity and it ruined my perfectly sized .44 Mag. cast bullets. It swaged them down and I got leading for the first time in years. I knocked the carbide ring out, but the resulting crimp was uneven and "raggedly", so I went back to my Redding Profile Crimp die. My Lee FCD for handguns now resides in a landfill somewhere in So. Oregon.

My advise it to learn to adjust your dies correctly, use good components, and toss the FCD. If you have a problem, troubleshoot it and fix it. Don't hide your mistakes with a fix-it die...

[BigBill]

I was purchasing all the RCBS reloading equipment in the mid 70's. I got away from reloading n shooting to raise a family. When I returned to reloading the cost for dies has changed. I purchased the LEE RGB 308win dies for $9. We ran about 6k rounds thru them without a problem. I purchased all LEE dies for all my calibers now. I use the cheap open sided LEE press for decapping. I purchased the LEE pro 1000 presses for all my handgun calibers. They are awesome. I purchased the LEE master reloaded for my 308win & 30-06. The LEE turret press I purchased for my other rifle calibers. I originally purchased a RCBS ROCKCHUCKER press for reloading. It's for resizing my rifle calibers. I have a plan and it works.

[Mike, SC Hunter]

Originally Posted by gregintenn

I've had no issue with Lee's locking rings. I don't have to go dig out an allen wrench to make an adjustment.

Unlike the o-ring nut.........Once you adjust a regular die nut with an allen wrench it will NEVER-EVER change......The lee nut will change your settings a little every time you install or take it out of the press....I know this because I use Lee dies in some calibers.

[2152hq]

I use a number of LEE die sets. IIRC they were all but one set purchased used at shows and shops.

Usually the purchase was because they were in a less than popular caliber I wanted to load a few rounds a year and the dies were priced right.
The one set I mentioned above that was bought new was in 303B. That set is the 'deluxe" or whatever they call it set with the collet sizer, ect.
I don't know what they are actually, but a FL sized 303 in it won't chamber in any 303 rifle I have. An old paper box set of RCBS dies gets the call for that caliber.

Other than the 303dies, I've had no problems with them. I'm kind of OK with the locking rings once I figured out how to handle them. I'd rather a locking ring though and may just D&T the rings as I use them for a 6x32 setscrew.
I've never used the FCD on any of my loadings. Either a roll crimp or just straighten out the mouth flare. All good.
RCBS, Lyman, Redding, Pacific, Herters, Hollywood, CH, ect,, all kinds of dies on my shelves. They all give good service as far as I'm concerned.

[mikld]

If one likes to set their dies to within .001"-.002", even a tightly locked in place lock ring can give varying measurements when removed and replaced. I prefer to adjust my dies every time one leaves the press or turret. No big time consumer, just a minute or two...

[patrickd]

I've been using the same Lee dies for 3 decades with zero problems. That said, I've found that they Lee pistol dies do not work well with the Hornady press with the bushing system. It seems that the threaded portion of the die is too short to screw in far enough to be adjusted properly and also have room left for the lock down ring.

[daniel lawecki]

Thanks for all the replies when I get to the reloading room mid month. And then the range I will report my finding back here.

[Eddie Southgate]

I have Lee, Redding, Lyman, Lyman 310 , and RCBS . I like them all and used correctly have had no problems with any of them. I only use the FCD on semi auto rifle cartridges.

Eddie

[dave1918a2]

All the Lee dies I have had were sold at gun shows and replaced by Redding. The Lee dies scratched the cases and sized pistol cases too small.

[elpac3]

For loading cast bullets in the .44, my preference is to roll crimp rather than FC.

That said, I do use the FC dies on the .45, 9mm and .38 for wadcutter loads.

Had good luck with the Le dies. Also really love their collet sizing dies for rifle.

[daniel lawecki]

Well the Lee Dies worked great on the .44 mag. Loaded some 250 grain cast bullets ahead of some H110 and all is well next load 23.3 grains.

[LAA]

Originally Posted by daniel lawecki

Well the Lee Dies worked great on the .44 mag. Loaded some 250 grain cast bullets ahead of some H110 and all is well next load 23.3 grains.

I just checked, to see if my 44's were Lee dies. I just no longer keep track of what exactly is what. Due to getting older. Anyway, they are Lee dies, and the 44's have been working just fine.

[Thomas15]

In 9mm for example I have 3 sets of dies, Lee, RCBS and Dillon. On my progressive I use the Dillon except now I use an EGW U die for sizing. On my Turret press I use a combination of Lee and RCBS. The sizing, flair and bullet seating are RCBS, the fcd is for crimp (duh).

When I do use the fcd I use just enough crimp to remove the bell. My 9mm Lee sizing die actually broke on me.

I personally rank the RCBS and Dillon better than the Lee, I find them more precise and easier to adjust and smoother in operation. I never would have tried anything but Lee if my Lee sizing die hadn't broke on me.

All together I have 4 sets of Lee dies, 9mm, 38 spl, 40 s&w and 45 acp. I have replaced all but the 40 s&w with Dillon and RCBS. They all work but more money buys a better tool.