dies

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sako2

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Do you have to set up lee dies everytime you use them? I don't have any but am looking at a set. Does the nut have a set screw in it to keep it from moving?
 
I've replaced practically every Lee die with a Redding. You get what you pay for, I'll leave it at that.
 
No setscrew on the nut, there is a rubber o ring under the nut.
I use them for pistol in my turret. You can use other nuts with setscrews or clamps though.
 
The Lee dies have a rubber O ring that suffices as a set screw on the aluminum ring. Best to replace every die with a standard lock ring. One inch lock rings and wrench, if clearance is tight on a progressive, can be obtained from Dillon.
 
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Don't be too quick to dismiss Lee die sets, their .50 BMG and .577/450 Martini dies are the best bargain on the planet. Set 'em up in a pair of Classic loaders and you've got a very nice dedicated loading platform.
 
Well OK but for now we're just talking about dismissing the lock rings for a better replacement, one that is more solid and secure. Right now most of us are not in the market for the Lee die set for our .50 BMGs, even though they may be the best bargain. But we'll keep your tip in mind for later. ;)
 
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There's no set screw but it's not that hard to remove and install with only tweaking them slightly
You can buy RCBS the die rings seperately for a reasonable price.
 
I use all Lee Dies in 14 different calibers. In 30+ years I have never had a problem with dies changing positions.

I load hundreds of rounds a month, every month. I don't know what guys are doing to cause them to come loose.

You can spend a boat load of money on competition dies if it makes you feel better. But I would be willing to bet a large chunk of my next paycheck that no one on this board shoots well enough to tell the difference. Especially at 7-15 yards on a pistol range.
 
My experience with Lee dies and their rubber o-ring is that the o-ring does just fine at holding the die setting as long as you set it and leave it alone, for instance, on a press with interchangeable die heads such as the Lee turret, etc. But, I have never been able to remove a Lee die with the o-ring from its station and get it to return to the same setting without some tweaking. ymmv
 
I bought a set of Dillon dies for 44 Mag and replaced the sizing die with a Lee die it works better . The Dillon dies are nice looking and you pay for that but the Lee sizing die works better on my press .
 
A secondary reason, or maybe even the primary, for replacing the Lee lock rings with the one inch steel rings available from Dillon is to provide greater clearance within the Dillon 550's toolhead. This of course makes it easier and more convenient to work with die adjustments on the toolhead. The smaller steel ring has a certain positive appeal to it.
 
My experience with Lee dies and their rubber o-ring is that the o-ring does just fine at holding the die setting as long as you set it and leave it alone, for instance, on a press with interchangeable die heads such as the Lee turret, etc. But, I have never been able to remove a Lee die with the o-ring from its station and get it to return to the same setting without some tweaking. ymmv
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I'm pretty much in agreement with this - Lee dies will NEVER move on their own once installed - that is what the locking ring is for on any die. The O-ring in the Lee locking ring causes the lock to mostly stay in the same position on the die when it is not installed and locked down, but the resistance to movement is only moderate. If you remove a Lee die, you are supposed to loosen it ONLY by the lock ring; never use the die body to try and remove it. Once the die is loose, then you would spin it only by the die body and avoid touching the lock ring.

For dies that stay installed in a press or turret, the Lee locking system is just perfect. I think it is better than all other dies since adjustment is easier. This is especially true about the bullet seating adjustment (which also uses an o-ring). But if you are going to be constantly spinning Lee dies in and out of a single stage press, I do suggest you buy real clamping lock rings (NOT the RCBS junk rings with the set screw). You can buy either Lyman or Hornady lock rings at a reasonable price, and both are split rings that clamp securely to the die and make regular removal without changing the settings just as easy as any other die. Even with the addition of the new lock rings, you will still be saving money and getting excellent dies that also have the capability of charging powder through the expander if you chose to do that.
 
I am the only reloader that adjust reloading dies every time they are used. I am not afraid of loosing my place.

I am also the only reloader that use cases that have the ability to acquire a resistance to sizing, meaning as the case gets tuffer to size I have to toughen up the press to overcome the case's ability to resist sizing.

I have Lee dies, I do not use them but I have them JIC. I do not secure the lock ring to the die, I secure the die to the press with the lock ring. My favorite lock ring has 6 sides, most of my lock rings are knurled, when securing a die to a press with a knurled lock ring I use a strip of leather to protect the knurls.

F. Guffey
 
Yes, in their stock form you have to set up Lee dies every time. It isn't hard and if you use a reloading press with interchangeable plates (Lee turret for example) you won't have to worry about setting the dies up, just changing plates.

As far as the quality goes... Lee dies work fine. Hornady dies work fine. RCBS dies work fine. That isn't to say that they all work in the same way or are equally easy to use.

I only use Lee for full length resizing, because it is easiest to set up that way. I leave the neck sizing to other dies.

If you replace the Lee o-ring with a locking collar, they are easy to set up to "bump size" or partially full length size rifle brass.

I've found that people who aren't satisfied with 7/8th's MOA groups are generally not satisfied with Lee dies. Folks who are happy to make quality ammo without breaking the bank are generally more than happy with Lee dies.
 
I use all Lee Dies in 14 different calibers. In 30+ years I have never had a problem with dies changing positions.

I load hundreds of rounds a month, every month. I don't know what guys are doing to cause them to come loose.

You can spend a boat load of money on competition dies if it makes you feel better. But I would be willing to bet a large chunk of my next paycheck that no one on this board shoots well enough to tell the difference. Especially at 7-15 yards on a pistol range.
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I agree with this 100%, and from my angle... I've been using Lee dies since 1988 and I'm loading between 15 and 20 thousand rounds each calendar year. I do also have a couple Hornady dies, a couple Pacific, a couple RCBS, one Redding die and I think I have a Lyman die or two floating around and I can make them work as well and I do make them work -- having many dies allows me to make small changes rather than large adjustments. However, my point is that even if the price tag is SAME SAME SAME, if we are talking pistol/revolver die sets, I am absolutely choosing Lee every single time.

With that said, I will not be betting sghart3578's pay check, but I can tell you that I would happily put my ammo in my guns up against anything another handloader is building, and I would put it up against factory ammo, and I would whip the snot out of any factory re-man on the market.

Aside from all of that...
Sometimes it just seems to me like I have the world's simplest idea, been practicing it since 1988 when I started and either nobody else has ever had the same idea or nobody else ever seems to speak about it. It's so simple that it's ridiculous.

Take a Sharpie pen, like a medium point, and draw an index line on the top of your press.

When you HAVE your die in the press and fully adjusted for perfection, take the same Sharpie and draw a vertical line on the body of your die, no matter who made the die, and obviously... have this vertical line -- line up with the index line on your press.

Every time you screw that die in place, line up the line with the line. No line on the lock ring, line on the DIE BODY, and if you line up the lines with each other, your die is in the same place as it was last week or 5 years ago.

I am not a particularly creative thinker, but I cannot understand why EVERYONE doesn't do this. It is so simple that it's ridiculous, and it works -100%- of the time.

And when I happen to be running brass that's a wee-bit different, I can add a wee-bit more flare or crimp (or a wee-bit less of either) by simply screwing down or unscrewing that die with REFERENCE to my index lines. I have a clear visual on just how much off "normal" I have it adjusted, and returning it to "normal" is a two second procedure.

And for this whole project (wait for it!), there exist no better die lock rings on the planet than the Lee rubber O-ring, no set screw die lock rings. No rings with locking nuts or any manner of "securing" work better with the index line system than the Lee lock rings. I know... because I've used them. I swap them out for Lee lock rings constantly.

Try it.
 
I will add this caveat to my previous post.

If I were a bench rest/Fclass/Palma type shooter I may be more inclined to spend tons of money on dies and case prep equipment.

But I started reloading years ago for hunting. My first experience was 30-30's on a Lee Loader and an RCBS rockchucker that is still in the family.

Every deer, hog, rabbit, pheasant, squirrel, etc. is just as dead.

I now shoot for fun with my S&W revolvers and my milsurp rifles. All shoot my home cast lead loaded with Lee dies.

I couldn't be happier.

I shoot regularly with the same group of old f**ts. Occasionally we see new guys with $2000 in their rigs that couldn't hit the ground if their rifles were standing on it's nose. I agree that quality has it's place but it won't make up for being a lousy shot.

To the OP: Buy some Lee dies and learn to use them. If you are not happy you can always sell them for something else.
 
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I've never had a problem adjusting my die sets every time I use them. I have about a 50/50 mix of RCBS and Lee dies. It only takes a couple minutes and doesn't bother me a bit...

I have one set of Hornady because they were the only ones making dies for the .17 Hornet. On Many of their sizing dies, Hornady leaves out the shoulder vent hole and for that reason alone, I will no longer buy them.

Back to the shoulder vent hole, I prefer to clean it before loading and it seems the vent hole is always where the locking ring is...

Tony
 
On my turret press I've never needed to adjust the dies once their set. On my single stage press I just draw a line on top of the press with a sharpie and another line on the die body. Been working fine that way for as long as I can remember.
 
I only load rifle I will be using them in a rcbs rockchucker. So I take it I will have to set them up everytime I put them in the press.
 
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