LEE 45 ACP Dies

[David Bachelder]

I don't normally buy LEE Dies. However I was in a pinch and needed a set of 45 ACP dies. Since I do own a set of LEE dies and I never had any problem with them I decided, what the hey, I'll give it a spin. LEE was the only brand I could find, so ..... LEE it is.

Here is the problem.
The de-capping/resizing die works great.
The bullet seating die works great.

My problem is with the flaring die. I have never seen one set up the way LEE does it. There is this floating piece inside the die that actually applies the flare. If you shake the die you can hear it rattling around. I reload with a Hornady LNL. When the brass goes up into the die all works as any other die would. Its the down stroke that gives me a fit, pulling the brass back out of the die. It hangs up and it takes a little force to pull the now flared shell back out.

The flare is perfect, I have adjusted and cleaned the die several times. It continues to hang up.

Is this common? Am I doing something wrong?

 

[MEATSAW]

That is how it is designed to work. I believe that little bump is for when it is being used with the auto-disk powder measure it jars any stuck powder into the case.

 

[jaguarxk120]

From the drawing on the lee web site, the case mouth expanding die will work the brass case two times.

Once to expand the case and a second time when the case is withdrawn from the die. The Lyman "M" die will expand a case just enough for the bullet and provide clearance to start he bullet seating.

 

[jag2]

Thats just the way the Lee die works. It's hollow so you can drop the powder thru it, right? I don't like it either. I will replace it as soon as the craziness settles down, probably get a Redding. I think I bought it (38 special) because that was the only brand available at a gun show and I was anxious to get started. You can give the brass a shot of spray lube if you use it, make sure to get the inside. Helps a little but then you need to retumble the brass to get rid of the lube. I guess you don't have to, but I do.

 

[Mike38]

I may be wrong here, and no offence intended, but did you get the carbide die or steel? The carbide does not require lube, I think the steel does. I have the carbide Lee .45 acp die and it works great.

 

[Gster]

MEATSAW nailed it.

 

[Real Gun]

I think you are feeling the expansion plug withdrawing from the case. Be sure to clean all the parts. You can also polish the plug but the one I checked here is very smooth. It has never been used in that caliber set so it's still a little sticky. Use a degreaser and then spray with one shot.

 

[steve4102]

Yes, Meatsaw nailed it.

 

[alageezer]

Another thread concerning the same subject, ie sticking flair die.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=533580

 

[David Bachelder]

These are carbide. 3 Piece die set. 45 ACP

I took a piece of 1200 sandpaper and gave the expander a quick shine. I also used just a smidge of RCBS lube inside the neck. Problem gone. No more sticking.

When the market turns around I'll e-bay these and get a set of RCBS. Until that time I'll survive.

When things get stiff on a LNL it usually means something is broken or is about to break. Difficulty in operating the press throws a red flag up. It's usually pretty smooth.

 

[Jim243]

Is this common? Am I doing something wrong?

Yes it is the powder through die not the flairing die. It will flair the case as the powder is dropped. There is a universal flaring die that they make.

If you are not using it as intended then don't blame the equipment, it activates the Auto Disk powder measure. If you are unhappy with the Lee dies then knock yourself out and spend 2 times the money for less quality. And I have 13 sets that have no problem. I also have RCBS that I very seldom use.

Jim

 

[WhyteP38]

I took a piece of 1200 sandpaper and gave the expander a quick shine. I also used just a smidge of RCBS lube inside the neck. Problem gone. No more sticking.

When the market turns around I'll e-bay these and get a set of RCBS.

When you do, please note that you have altered how the die is supposed to work. I think it would be very unfair for someone to buy it without knowing it won't work as designed.

 

[David Bachelder]

This is not a LEE bashing thread and I am using them as designed. Unless they are designed to operate only on LEE equipment.

Boy ..... you LEE fans sure are sensitive. FYI, RCBS and almost all others make a better die. There are no aluminum or plastic parts, and yes I have a set of LEE dies with plastic parts. I'd venture to guess that steel will outlast and out perform aluminum and plastic any day of the week.

I have three sets of LEE dies:
.38 Special - My opinion is that they are trash, I don't even use them. I listed them on e-bay and didn't even get a bid.
.38 S&W - Pretty good and I use them frequently
.45 ACP -They are working better now than they did out of the box.

I have never had to break an out of the box set of RCBS dies down to polish, sand or alter in any way. They worked as expected, no fine tuning needed. My new .45 ACP dies had trash left in the threads, I had to use a wire brush to remove the metal chips left over from machining. These are things I don't expect to be needed on a brand new piece of equipment.

 

[David Bachelder]

"When you do, please note that you have altered how the die is supposed to work. I think it would be very unfair for someone to buy it without knowing it won't work as designed"

For crying out loud ..... give me a break. Ill be sure to run the ad contents by you for approval when I decide to sell them.

 

[Real Gun]

I have never had to break an out of the box set of RCBS dies down to polish, sand or alter in any way. They worked as expected, no fine tuning needed. My new .45 ACP dies had trash left in the threads, I had to use a wire brush to remove the metal chips left over from machining. These are things I don't expect to be needed on a brand new piece of equipment.

I recall the directions calling for disassembling and cleaning dies before use. I couldn't locate that mention in the Lee documentation I found, but it was in the first paragraph of the Hornady die instructions.

I wouldn't care to pay 2-3 times more just for degreased and waxed dies that work about the same. Cleaning I can do.

 

[WhyteP38]

For crying out loud ..... give me a break. Ill be sure to run the ad contents by you for approval when I decide to sell them.

It has nothing to do with getting my approval or anyone else's approval. I'd just hate to be a newbie who buys some reloading dies that have been altered and doesn't know it.

When I buy used stuff - of any kind - I expect reasonable wear and tear. It's used, after all. But I typically don't expect alterations.

I've always thought reloaders, as a community, are considerate of each other, and especially of newbies.

 

[David Bachelder]

WhyteP38

I polished the expander with 1200 Emory paper. This would hardly qualify as a modification. The abrasive is about as rough as toothpaste, they wet sand cars with it.

I guess cleaning it would have been modifying it as well.

Lets drop this thread. Its getting annoying.

 

[jcwit]

So don't return to this thread.

Simple solution!

 

[steve4102]

There are no aluminum or plastic parts, and yes I have a set of LEE dies with plastic parts.

Just out of curiosity, what Lee dies do you own that have plastic parts and what parts are plastic?

I have never had to break an out of the box set of RCBS dies down to polish, sand or alter in any way. They worked as expected, no fine tuning needed. My new .45 ACP dies had trash left in the threads, I had to use a wire brush to remove the metal chips left over from machining. These are things I don't expect to be needed on a brand new piece of equipment.

Yupper, Lee dies come with all kinds of crap and junk left over from the machining process. A good cleaning is in order. That said, my RCBS, Redding and Forster dies come with a nice rust preventative layer of grease on them, no metal shavings, but the Same good cleaning process is in order. It's in the instructions for all my dies, Clean first, then use.

I have a lot of different dies, RCBS, Redding, Forster, Lee and even Neil Jones. At some point in my reloading career I have had to send dies back to the manufacturer for each and ever one of these brands. So, if you have never had a issue with any other die besides Lee, you are blessed.

Good Luck and Carry On.

 

[lee n. field]

Is this common? Am I doing something wrong?

Mine do that.

You might try polishing the little floating expander. Or you can live with the annoyance, like I do

I may be wrong here, and no offence intended, but did you get the carbide die or steel? The carbide does not require lube, I think the steel does. I have the carbide Lee .45 acp die and it works great.

Carbide only applies to the sizing die. For straight walled pistol cases, Lee only makes carbide sizing dies.

When the market turns around I'll e-bay these and get a set of RCBS. Until that time I'll survive.

He he. Then get used to the Lee.

BTW, noone says you can't mix and match dies from different makers. The Lee expander actuates the autodisk powder measure in the Lee progressive and turret presses. That's the only circumstance where you're stuck with using it.