Lee carbide sizing die problem

[kreuzlover]

I bought a set of Lee carbide dies for a .480 Ruger Super Redhawk, 9.5" barrel. Problem with the sizing die is that it squeezes the case down too far at the web of the case. It does not take a genius to figure out that this is not good. I emailed Lee Precision at their address, and got a reply from a guy named "Peter". He told me to send the die to them, me taking care of the postage there, and if in their opinion there was nothing wrong, to pay the postage BACK to get my defective die back! I told him I would buy another set of dies from RCBS, or Hornady. He replied "fine." When you size a case it actually creates a ledge about the web of the case. No way is this normal. You can see it, and feel it. I hear of all the great things that Lee does for folks, but I am totally turned off by their reply on this. I won't be buying anymore products from Lee Precision.

 

[ken158]

Sounds normal but if you post a pic you will get a solid answer from the many experienced reloaders here.

 

[andy52]

Sounds normal but if you post a pic you will get a solid answer from the many experienced reloaders here.

^^^^^^^^
X2

 

[kreuzlover]

No, it's not normal. I have a set of their dies for .44 magnum, and after sizing they do not look like that! It actually has a wasp waist right above the web. If you bought a box of factory loads and they looked like that, you would take them right back. I've been doing this for 55 years and no, that picture doesn't look right to me. Thanks for the replie, though. I have no way to post pictures anyway.

 

[6string]

This is a big problem with A LOT of carbide sizing dies. They use one size carbide insert for entire groups of chamberings of a particular class of calibers.
For years, LEE has used the same insert for 45 ACP, 45 Long Colt, 455 Webley, etc. All that differs is the stamping on the die body.

Just look up the SAAMI specs on these cartridges. Not only do the case dimensions differ, but none of them are technically straight sided....they all taper.

 

[Rule3]

Ever think that you may have the die adjusted incorrectly.? I have Lee dies in about every caliber. Never had a issue with any of them

Post some pictures before and after (you have no phone or a camera??

Especially on a sizing die. May be possible if it is defective they will correct it, you don;t pay for return shipping.


Write a Email rather than calling, that way you have a "ticket number"



or just let it turn to a Lee bash thread,

 

[oysterer]

Don't bother and waste more time, I made a mistake buying a set once and that was all but junk especially that flimsy ill fitted seating stem, impossible. RCBS sizers, crimp dies, the gold medal sets and especially the Hornady seaters are all way better. Your loading does not improve by saving $20 on a subpar die set.

 

[kreuzlover]

Fellows, I'm not bashing Lee. I have a bunch of their dies and mostly have had good luck with them. Heck, I started out on one of their "pound em in, pound em out" Lee loaders. Guess a lot of folks on here did. When I first started out using their dies, they were really cheap, and that suited my pocket book at the time. But it seemed as time went on, their reloading dies actually got better in quality. But this sizing die really looks cheaply made on the inside. There is a liner, for want of a better word, right above the carbide ring, and it looks like its smaller in diameter than the ring. I think that is the culprit. I might try honing that down a little. Got nothing to lose at this point. But, thanks for all the replies. I figured there were a bunch of good guys on this forum. Thanks again!

 

[oldiegoldie]

Fellows, I'm not bashing Lee. I have a bunch of their dies and mostly have had good luck with them. Heck, I started out on one of their "pound em in, pound em out" Lee loaders. Guess a lot of folks on here did. When I first started out using their dies, they were really cheap, and that suited my pocket book at the time. But it seemed as time went on, their reloading dies actually got better in quality. But this sizing die really looks cheaply made on the inside. There is a liner, for want of a better word, right above the carbide ring, and it looks like its smaller in diameter than the ring. I think that is the culprit. I might try honing that down a little. Got nothing to lose at this point. But, thanks for all the replies. I figured there were a bunch of good guys on this forum. Thanks again!

just a comment on your "handle", kreuzlover. made many trips there when they were in the original building. getting hungry thinking about it.

 

[oberon]

I still like to low-roll stuff, and I have dug through the used junk/reject bin for dies that could be put in service.
It is entirely possible that you can find a serviceable carbide sizer somewhere for cheap money.

 

[Fishinfool]

Could be a bad die, but I would guess there is a chance that the chambers on the revolver might be a tad oversized, creating this issue upon re-sizing the fired brass? I might try resizing a new, unfired case to see if you get the same results. If not, then it would appear the cases are expanding a bit too much upon firing (loose chamber).

Just a wild guess....

Larry

 

[kreuzlover]

The chambers are fine, nice tight lockup revolver. And yes, it doe's it on new brass. That's when I first noticed it.

 

[dbell54]

That's some great customer service Lee's got! I've never had a problem with their stuff that required I contact them. But with an attitude like that, I won't be buying any more Lee, either.

 

[Islanderflyer]

I had a problem with a Lee 308 sizer die once. On a particular rifle I have with a new barrel, the brass wasn't sized down far enough to chamber. I called Lee and they had me send the die in on my dime. They fixed it and sent it back for free. I was happy with their customer service. Something does seem like its wrong with your die though and I would not be happy with their response. Maybe try calling again, might get a different answer.

 

[stansdds]

My first two sets of dies, 357 Magnum and 45 ACP, were from Lee, as was my first press, a Lee Challenger. The press was fine, the 357 Magnum dies were good, but the 45 ACP dies had an expander that was slightly oval shaped. I never had much confidence in repeatable settings with Lee's O-ring friction system for holding dies in the press and for holding the position of the expander and seating plugs.

When I started loading 9x19mm, I bought a set of Lyman dies. What a difference. I ended up replacing my Lee dies with RCBS, due to their warranty reputation. My opinion is that you get exactly what you pay for. Lee is the cheapest and their quality reflects the price.

 

[rwsmith]

Can you try......

....not sizing them so far as to get the case bulge?

 

[CA Escapee]

I'd agree with what rwsmith said. ^^^

I've got a set of RCBS carbide dies for .45 Colt. I was setting them up in the usual fashion and found that the sizing die would swage the case down and leave an un-sized bulge down near the web. When I seated the bullets they would expand the case back up.

I checked the diameters and it turns out the die was swaging the case down well below the spec. I figured that for medium to low power loads out of a Vaquero I didn't need to work the brass that much at the web. (I might re-think that if I was hunting and using the rounds in a lever gun.)

I adjusted the die upward so the case would swage down to just below where the bullet seated, then let the bullet expand it back up. I keep checking the diameters as I keep reloading the cases over time.

I think this doesn't over-work the cases when/where they don't need to be swaged below minimum.

Bill

 

[max503]

Something ain't right here. Lee has always bent over backwards for me. I would load some rounds with the dies then check the dimensions of those rounds against the specifications given in a reloading manual. That would tell you if the dies are producing ammunition of the proper specifications.
It would help if you could do that, and also post some pictures. Even if you decide to buy new, better dies.

 

[kreuzlover]

RWSMITH, and others, Ok, I screwed the die back UP over 1/4", locked it down, and ran a NEW case into it. The ridge is still there, but up further on the case, and it doesn't look near as bad. But................if I were still making ammo for sale, like I was back in the early 70's, these would still not pass visual muster to a customer. I think its gonna be good enough for "government work" as the saying goes. But this is not how you set up a carbide die! I guess, to paraphrase Forest Gump, cheap is, as cheap does! I'm gonna leave it alone. I'm almost 75 years old now, and its gonna be good enuff for this old man! Thanks to all who contributed to this discussion.
P.S. To oldiegoldie, the bar b q at Kreuz is still as good as it ever was! Hope you get back this way sometimes, and try it out!

 

[boatbum101]

There's reasons why a set of Forester , RCBS , Lyman & Redding dies cost more than Lee . With CNC machining you'd think they'd all be pretty precise . Unfortunately revolver cylinders unless align bored aint all that precise . One has to make the ammo fit the gun & it's not unusual for FL dies to oversize cases nor expanders be over / under size . Sometimes the gun itself has problems . Some sizers go lower on the case than others also . I'd back off on the size die & see what you have to do to get good neck tension with a kicker like that . Are you shooting jacketed or lead ?