i purchased these dies and the lee pro powder hopper and riser from midway yesterday and i was curious if any of you have used these for reloading for an ar 15, mainly, im more curious about the collet neck sizing die, isnt that the same thing as a expanding die? also curious about how accurate the powder hopper drops a charge of powder. are there any other nuances you have found with these dies. thanks eveyone
anyone using the lee ultimate 4 die set?
- Thread starter rem700308
- Start date
No...a collet neck sizer is not an expander. And an expander is not needed for these loads. They have a collet that squeezes the brass neck against a mandrel. This is how it squishes them to the correct size.
No comments on their pro powder hopper. Never used one.
I find Lee dies minimal at best. They will get the job done, but there are better products, IME. Just make sure you break all the dies down, clean and inspect them. The few sets I have had required finish polishing to remove tool marks.
No comments on their pro powder hopper. Never used one.
I find Lee dies minimal at best. They will get the job done, but there are better products, IME. Just make sure you break all the dies down, clean and inspect them. The few sets I have had required finish polishing to remove tool marks.
Hooked
New member
These Lee die Sets work fine for me, but loading for your AR I don`t think you will want to use the collet neck size die, so they will chamber reliably. I never tried it though...
I find the powder throw to work very well with certain powders; any ball powder or shorter extruded like Benchmark or some of the different SSC varieties.
Nuances..? Hmm, well the instruction sheet (on some anyway) state that the decapper rod should be flush or slightly above the `decapper clamp` but some of my dies require that rod to stick up .055" or a little more (I just checked one that is in the press right now).
Another thing and probably an oddity was that on one particular die set, it was leaving a little dimple in the brass near (in) the shoulder; upon taking the die apart I found a small metal shaving that was plugging the vent hole.
Probably a good idea to take any new die set apart and give it a good cleaning anyway.
I find the powder throw to work very well with certain powders; any ball powder or shorter extruded like Benchmark or some of the different SSC varieties.
Nuances..? Hmm, well the instruction sheet (on some anyway) state that the decapper rod should be flush or slightly above the `decapper clamp` but some of my dies require that rod to stick up .055" or a little more (I just checked one that is in the press right now).
Another thing and probably an oddity was that on one particular die set, it was leaving a little dimple in the brass near (in) the shoulder; upon taking the die apart I found a small metal shaving that was plugging the vent hole.
Probably a good idea to take any new die set apart and give it a good cleaning anyway.
Hooked
New member
Oh yeah..not so much a nuance, but rather learning the hard way..Read the set up instructions for any new die set. I had used/set up several die sets and then basically set up a seating die for a .204 Ruger and slightly buckled the first two cases upon seating the bullet (built in crimp).
pahntr, thanks for clarifying that for me [im a newb when it comes to reloading for a rifle if you cant tell].
hooked, what die would you recommend i use? i wasnt sure if the fl resizing die would be enough to bell the case mouth to fit the bullet[which is why i thought the neck sizing die was an expanding die]. i still have so much to learn about reloading
hooked, what die would you recommend i use? i wasnt sure if the fl resizing die would be enough to bell the case mouth to fit the bullet[which is why i thought the neck sizing die was an expanding die]. i still have so much to learn about reloading
Hooked
New member
Originally Posted By: pahntr760There is no bell needed for the rifle cases, especially when using boat tail bullets. Just use their FL sizer.
YES this ^^, however, after trimming the cases I deburr the outside and then the inside of the case mouth.
I could post pictures of the tools and what I`m talking about if you feel it would be helpful to you. ?
YES this ^^, however, after trimming the cases I deburr the outside and then the inside of the case mouth.
I could post pictures of the tools and what I`m talking about if you feel it would be helpful to you. ?
Originally Posted By: HookedOriginally Posted By: pahntr760There is no bell needed for the rifle cases, especially when using boat tail bullets. Just use their FL sizer.
YES this ^^, however, after trimming the cases I deburr the outside and then the inside of the case mouth.
I could post pictures of the tools and what I`m talking about if you feel it would be helpful to you. ?
would you mind? im still gathering reloading components and i still need brass prepping components and i could use all the help i could get. thanks again
YES this ^^, however, after trimming the cases I deburr the outside and then the inside of the case mouth.
I could post pictures of the tools and what I`m talking about if you feel it would be helpful to you. ?
would you mind? im still gathering reloading components and i still need brass prepping components and i could use all the help i could get. thanks again
Hooked
New member
These are some of the most basic, cheap, and time consuming tools for prepping brass.
I was able to fully prep 250 pcs of 308 Win. in spare time over the last several days though.
Small cone shaped tool(Lee) will chamfer both outside and inside of case mouth. The two tool upper right are store bought and home fabricated (carbide burr bit for inside chamfer).
The tool the case is in..I forget what Lee calls it, but it can be spun in a cordless drill with the cutter (also pictured)installed and apply pressure to trim the case.(trim before the chamfer process of course).
believe me, I will be the first to say there are MUCH better and more efficient tools for trimming and chamfer (RCBS makes a trimmer cutter that does it all at the same time).
Hope this Helps..oh yeah, kind of angled the case so you could see the inside chamfer of case mouth.
I was able to fully prep 250 pcs of 308 Win. in spare time over the last several days though.
Small cone shaped tool(Lee) will chamfer both outside and inside of case mouth. The two tool upper right are store bought and home fabricated (carbide burr bit for inside chamfer).
The tool the case is in..I forget what Lee calls it, but it can be spun in a cordless drill with the cutter (also pictured)installed and apply pressure to trim the case.(trim before the chamfer process of course).
believe me, I will be the first to say there are MUCH better and more efficient tools for trimming and chamfer (RCBS makes a trimmer cutter that does it all at the same time).
Hope this Helps..oh yeah, kind of angled the case so you could see the inside chamfer of case mouth.
Originally Posted By: HookedThese are some of the most basic, cheap, and time consuming tools for prepping brass.
I was able to fully prep 250 pcs of 308 Win. in spare time over the last several days though.
Small cone shaped tool(Lee) will chamfer both outside and inside of case mouth. The two tool upper right are store bought and home fabricated (carbide burr bit for inside chamfer).
The tool the case is in..I forget what Lee calls it, but it can be spun in a cordless drill with the cutter (also pictured)installed and apply pressure to trim the case.(trim before the chamfer process of course).
believe me, I will be the first to say there are MUCH better and more efficient tools for trimming and chamfer (RCBS makes a trimmer cutter that does it all at the same time).
Hope this Helps..oh yeah, kind of angled the case so you could see the inside chamfer of case mouth.
i sure do appreciate it, im still in the process of reading and researching all the parts im going to need to get set up. i just ordered this http://www.midwayusa.com/product/792057/...cm_vc=ProductFi for dropping powder,hopefully it will work. ishould have my reloading bench setup by this weekend too
I was able to fully prep 250 pcs of 308 Win. in spare time over the last several days though.
Small cone shaped tool(Lee) will chamfer both outside and inside of case mouth. The two tool upper right are store bought and home fabricated (carbide burr bit for inside chamfer).
The tool the case is in..I forget what Lee calls it, but it can be spun in a cordless drill with the cutter (also pictured)installed and apply pressure to trim the case.(trim before the chamfer process of course).
believe me, I will be the first to say there are MUCH better and more efficient tools for trimming and chamfer (RCBS makes a trimmer cutter that does it all at the same time).
Hope this Helps..oh yeah, kind of angled the case so you could see the inside chamfer of case mouth.
i sure do appreciate it, im still in the process of reading and researching all the parts im going to need to get set up. i just ordered this http://www.midwayusa.com/product/792057/...cm_vc=ProductFi for dropping powder,hopefully it will work. ishould have my reloading bench setup by this weekend too
rth1959rth
New member
I'm using the Lee dies in 30-06, 223, and 22 hornet with no complaints as well. I have, however, taken the collect neck sizer die and the factory crimp dies apart and polished the camming sections of these dies. This is where the center stem and the collet contact each other. I used 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper and mothers mag polish. Apply a slight bit of grease to the contacting surfaces and reassemble. This helps with the occasional sticking of the 2 parts of the dies. FWIW, the neck sizing collet will only size the neck down so much (the size of the mandrel inside of the case). If you apply too much pressure, you will strip out the aluminum cap on the die. (Don't ask how I know this). Read the instructions carefully as they explain how to properly set up your dies. I also like that no expanding ball is pulled back through the case after neck sizing, lessening the amount of sizing/resizing of your brass.
Personally, I really like these dies, as NO CASE LUBE is necessary when you are loading and only NECK Sizing your brass.
I bought my first set for the 22 Hornet expecting not to like them as I had used RCBS for 30+ years on all of my bottle neck cartridges. However, after polishing them, I actuall prefer them to the RCBS standard dies that require case lube for neck sizing.
I will add that all of my guns are bolt actions and the only time that I Full Length size, is when my brass has grown and the bolt becomes harder to close. They are also production guns with factory barrels as opposed to custom/benchrest quality guns with match chambers and barrels. With my setup, I am the weakest link, not the dies. My guns are hunting guns and if I can get .75" at 100 yds, my accuracy needs are met. I am able to get this with the Lee dies in the above calibers.
rth1959rth
Personally, I really like these dies, as NO CASE LUBE is necessary when you are loading and only NECK Sizing your brass.
I bought my first set for the 22 Hornet expecting not to like them as I had used RCBS for 30+ years on all of my bottle neck cartridges. However, after polishing them, I actuall prefer them to the RCBS standard dies that require case lube for neck sizing.
I will add that all of my guns are bolt actions and the only time that I Full Length size, is when my brass has grown and the bolt becomes harder to close. They are also production guns with factory barrels as opposed to custom/benchrest quality guns with match chambers and barrels. With my setup, I am the weakest link, not the dies. My guns are hunting guns and if I can get .75" at 100 yds, my accuracy needs are met. I am able to get this with the Lee dies in the above calibers.
rth1959rth