Lee loading dies

1

1Longbow

New member
Just looking for opinions on Lee dies. They seem cheaper in price than the other brands. customer service after the purchase? Thanks for all opinions
 
I have Lee dies for a dozen or more handgun calibers and they are OK to pretty good. Bought them due to their lower price. Like others will probably report, the aluminum lock rings are not ideal and I have replaced all with steel rings. Dillon has one inch steel rings that are excellent, especially when tool head space is crowded. One problem I did have was with the plastic seating stem which eventually resulted in stripped threads. Lee replaced with an aluminum seating stem. This was some time back, I have not purchased a Lee die for quite a while, so perhaps the seating stems now are all aluminum rather than plastic, but could still be better if steel.
 
I have at least three sets that I use. All were purchased at the same time. Their main selling point is that they cost less than other dies. They are usable, but there are a few things I don't like about them and I doubt I will buy any more of them. In fact, I've purposely avoided Lee dies for my more recent die purchases. For me, the lower cost doesn't sufficiently offset the negatives and lesser warranty.
 
Last edited:
I have 3 sets and all are very usable. Lee dies are a bit more plain than other brands and you need to keep wrenches in your reloading area to pull the decapper rod so you can clean the sizing die.

I tend to buy Lee when the same caliber set in RCBS is over priced. Like with the 7.5 Swiss...

Tony
 
Oh yes, as biker mentioned, that collett/friction mounted decapping stem system can become a pita now and then. But this system is intended to prevent problems but just seems to create problems you don't have with standard decapping systems so why not use the standard system with threads. Now I will admit that the last sentence makes no sense without an explanation. Sometimes the friction mounted stem will give away and it then requires recentering the stem at the proper depth in the die body, and then using two hefty wrenches to tighten the retaining nuts enough to again hold the stem in place for a while.

But the bottom line is these dies will get you through.
 
Last edited:
I've got Lee & RCBS for the 2 rifle calibers I load, like them fine, but I seem to have trouble with the bullet seating die for 204R not being consistent with seating depth. I use the Lee Collet die for neck sizing the 204R cases, once you get it figured out it works good.

One guy from the local range told me to use the Lee locking nut/rings with the O ring to help center the die in the press while another told me to get rid of them and use Hornady locking ring, so it I guess it's a matter of preference & experience & results you are after.
 
I have all Lee dies (loading 6 different calibers) and no problems with any of them. Lee Customer Service is second to none; really top notch.

I guess it's all in the user. Plus, yes, there seems to be no plastic used today in any of the dies I've seen. And the decapper friction system is designed to keep us from breaking decapping pins. And Lee's decappers are stronger than most.
 
I own and use numerous LEE dies and consider the brand as good enough. Customer service has been quite good. I literally wore out two .223 sizer dies processing "range brass" and both were replaced w/o question.
 
A mentioned, Lee kit is serviceable, but low end. Warrantee is only good for 2 years. Must be of current manufacture and it'll cost you half the retail price to have 'em serviced after that. Doesn't apply to any kit you buy used.
RCBS will just fix or replace anything, even if you buy used kit. Or you caused it. Mind you, you pay for that with higher prices.
 
I have two sets of Lee dies, .32 H&R and .45 Colt, and they work fine. The lock ring does suck, I wish they would put some knurling on them.

I think for pistol, Lee dies are great, but I get the feeling that for bottleneck rifle cartridges, they will be clearly inferior to other dies. This is just projection/speculation on my part, but I can't see how a Lee 4 die set is higher quality or better than a 3 die set that costs almost double.
 
Just looking for opinions on Lee dies. They seem cheaper in price than the other brands. customer service after the purchase? Thanks for all opinions
 
Click to expand...

this is another case of ya get what ya pay for...the least expensive dies do not last a lifetime....

RCBS in 357/38s...44m/44s...45acp....45lc...9mm...380...223...308....some are decades old....have countless reloads that still mike out to specs..
 
Last edited:
Re beretta:
I'm curious though if trying to decap a Berdan primer with the Lee, would the decapping pin punch right through the primer pocket rather than collapsing the stem as intended or breaking the pin? Punching through the primer pocket of course would be OK if nothing is broken. But so far I've had more stems collapsing due to becoming loose rather than encountering a Berdan primer.
 
Last edited:
OP, what cartridges are you thinking about reloading and how often do you think you'll be using the dies? If you plan to load hundreds of rounds a week for the next few years, I think you'd be better off going with Hornady or RCBS, but if you're likely only going to do a few hundred rounds a year, you can't go wrong with Lee.
 
I started with Lee, but now just buy any dies I need off eBay. A good condition set of RCBS dies will be cheaper and better.
 
I'm curious though if trying to decap a Berdan primer with the Lee, would the decapping pin punch right through the primer pocket rather than collapsing the stem as intended or breaking the pin?
Click to expand...

Been there a small handful of times, and the pin always slipped and saved itself. Returning it to its functional position, as said, requires two wrenches and a little bit of grunting. Foul language has so far been avoided, but past performance does not guarantee future results.
 
I have loaded many thousands of rounds of .45 ACP and lesser numbers of 9mm, .38 Super, .45 Colt, and .380 ACP -- all with Lee dies. I have had no problems with any of them. I don't know if that qualifies as a recommendation for them, but my experience certainly has not provided me any reason to recommend against them.
 
^ I agree with Mr. Blanca. This mirrors my experience loading *many* thousands of rounds.

The aluminum parts do feel junky (bullet seating and lock rings) but I have not found the need to upgrade- probably because I lock them down tight in turret systems rather than relying on the o-ring to maintain depth- which incidentally, I have *zero* faith in.

I will break ranks with other posters regarding the Lee friction system though. I find it to be an *immensely* superior system when applied correctly. They have to be snugged pretty tight.

I lathe modified my station1 RCBS lube decap to accept the Lee system to eliminate constant pin breakages. Why routine breakage? Well mostly from partial auto insertion causing the pin to miss the hole- but also from the occasional berdan sneaking in.
 
Last edited:
I for one like the rings and have used up my backlog of them I got 35 years ago. I have a bit wrench I use with them, when I put them back in they are very close if not spot on to where they were before (I do some adjusting on mine so not for all)

Most of my pistol dies are Lee.


I tend to buy Lee when the same caliber set in RCBS is over priced. Like with the 7.5 Swiss...
Click to expand...

I went with RCBS as they were bench rest seater type and I thought it was worth it. With groups down in the sub 1/4 MOA area I think that's proved true (custom Savage I built in 7.5)
 
What Tailgatir said regarding Berdan primed. I snug them pretty good but the forces of the press and strength of the case force them out anyway.

But what do I know? I even like the Lee o-rings. Just never had a die problem. None. And I guess I'm not a 100K a year reloader, but in my short reloading life, I'm over 20K.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top