TasunkaWitko
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Die set explanations
Pacesetter die set
Includes a full length sizing die, bullet seating die, factory crimp die, shell holder, powder dipper and load data.
This set is recommended for assembling ammunition for hunting purposes as the finished rounds chamber easily and can withstand rough handling of the firearm action.
Limited Production Pacesetter die set
This set consists of a two die set which includes a full length steel sizing die(requires case lubrication), bullet seating die, shell holder, powder dipper and load data.
Collet die set
Includes the Collet neck sizing die, dead length bullet seating die, shell holder, powder dipper and load data.
This set is designed for assembling the most accurate ammunition but is not recommended for hunting rounds as the case is neck sized only and the bullet is not crimped in the case.
Deluxe die set
Includes both the full length(requires case lubrication) and Collet neck sizing dies, dead length bullet seating die, shell holder, powder dipper and load data.
This is essentially a Collet die set with the addition of the steel full length sizing die so that one can prepare newly acquired cases for the first firing in the rifle.
RGB (Really Great Buy)
Comes as a standard two die rifle set that contains a full length sizing die and a crimper / seater die. This set is designed to meet a tight budget and contains only the dies.
Carbide die set
Carbide handgun dies contain the carbide sizer, the powder through expanding die, the seater/crimping die, a powder dipper, shell holder and load data. The seater/crimper die applies a modified taper crimp and eventually a roll crimp negating the need for a separate taper crimp die.
Lee Deluxe Pistol Die Set
Includes our popular three die carbide handgun die set explained above plus the addition of our Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die. This additional die has a carbide ring that post sizes your case ensuring that your loaded cartridge will fit into the chamber of your gun. Additionally, the degree of crimp is determined by the finger adjustable crimp knob on top of the die. This die is meant to work in conjuction with your bullet seating die as it has no provision for seating the bullet itself.
Locking ring explanation
The o-ring in the lock ring provides a friction fit between the lock ring and the die. Once you have the die adjusted to your satisfaction, hold the die with one hand and turn the lock ring down against the press frame (turret, tool head, etc.) finger tight. This will be enough to hold the adjustment during the reloading process. If you have to remove the die, loosen it by the lock ring. When re-installing the die, tighten in down by the lock ring finger tight, and it will be in the same place as when it was removed.
Full Length vs Neck Sizing
Full length sizing dies such as our Pacesetter dies, return the entire spent cartridge to a degree that will chamber in any rifle for that caliber. Lee Dies size cases as minimally as possible while still ensuring proper chambering so that your brass isn't "overworked" by the die. It is necessary to lubricate the case prior to full length sizing.
We recommend full length sizing when shooting fired brass for the first time in any rifle. It is also the preferred technique for rifles intended to be used for hunting so that rough handling of the ammunition through the magazine and chambering does not become a factor for error.
Neck sizing with our Collet Dies generally provides increased accuracy because the spent cartridge becomes "fire formed" to your specific chamber. No case lube is necessary because the die is only pressing the neck against the mandrel in the middle of the die. Neck sizing is only preferable when reloading cases that have been fired out of your rifle. They are primarily designed for accuracy when using a bolt action rifle for target use. Collet neck sizing results in cases lasting up to ten times longer without the need for trimming near as often, as when full length sizing.
The Dead Length Bullet Seater that comes with our neck sizing dies is designed for accuracy and does not crimp the case as does the seater/crimper in our Pacesetter dies. Crimping is seldom necessary for target work.
Our Deluxe Rifle Die set includes our Neck Sizing kit along with a full length sizing die. This is because you may obtain brass that has not been fired in your rifle and it allows you to prepare the case for it's first firing in your rifle. Remember, it is necessary to lubricate the case for the full length sizing die only. After your first firing only the collet sizing die is required.
Proper case lubrication
When full length sizing cases in non-carbide dies, it is necessary to properly lubricate the case and the inside of the case neck so that it will not get stuck during resizing into the steel die. With a properly lubed case, our "Reloader" press or Hand Press will easily accomplish proper resizing of even the largest of magnum cases.
Using some Lee resizing lubricant, spread a small amount around the case below the shoulder so that there is a thin film. With the small amount of film that remains on your finger, "scrape" some into the inside of the case neck. Even though it's only on one side of the inside case neck, resize the case. Additional cases that have had the same procedure ensures that the decapper / expander inside the sizing die is properly lubricated. This method is far easier and faster than using the many utensils meant to completely coat the inside of the case neck.
Although you are not required to lube cases for use in carbide dies, we have found that if you just briefly roll the cases around in a cloth that has a light amount of oil on it, the increased ease of case sizing is very noticeable.
Full Length die adjustment
When using our full length sizing dies for rifle cartridges, the die should be turned in to touch the shell holder and then enough more that there is no daylight between the top of the shell holder and the bottom of the die during the sizing process. This is the preferred method because the act of sizing sometimes results in flex that prevents the shell holder from touching the bottom of the die.
Lee dies are designed so that the shoulder of the case is not sized until the very top of the die has been reached. This is done for two reasons; first, we don't want the die to overwork your brass and second and more importantly, we do not want to invite headspace problems. Pushing the shoulder back too soon can create a situation that can eventually cause case separation and a dangerous situation.
If you note that your Lee Die don't appear to push the shoulder of your case back, ensure that you are adjusting the die so that there is no daylight between the top of the shell holder and the bottom of the die during the sizing process. If you see daylight at the top of the stroke, readjust the die downward and repeat sizing until it disappears. If your case is still difficult to chamber, you can send the die back to us with a sized case and we can modify the die to minimum SAAMI specifications.
Lee Precision, Inc.
4275 Highway U
Hartford, WI 53027
Stuck Cases
We will remove a stuck case for $4; Return the die to the factory with an explanation. Our address is:
Lee Precision Inc,
4275 Hwy. U,
Hartford, WI 53027.
You can easily remove the case yourself, loosen but do not remove the decapper clamp with a 3/4 and 1/2 wrench. Then pound on the end of the decapper rod with a 3/16 drift punch, and use a heavy hammer for best results. You can leave the die in the press for this operation.
Neck Sizing with full length dies
We do not recommend neck sizing with the full length sizing die because the head space dimension of the case may be adversely affected. When you back the full length sizing die out from contact with the shell holder, the die will still reduce the body diameter of the case, which in turn causes the base to shoulder dimension to increase. This can make it difficult or impossible to close the bolt, because of insufficient headspace.
Collet Die explanation
The Collet neck sizing die is superior to the competition's neck sizing die design because it squeezes the neck against a mandrel. This results in very uniform case mouth inner diameter, regardless of case wall thickness.
With bushing-type neck sizing dies, one has to select (and usually purchase) the appropriate bushing to get the desired case mouth inner diameter. Uniform case mouth inner diameter gives uniform bullet pull, and as you know, uniformity is what accurate ammunition is all about.
The Collet die set also includes what we call the "dead length" bullet seating die. This die is set up like a full length sizing die, in that one adjusts the die down so that the shell holder presses against the bottom of the die when the ram is at the top of its stroke. This pressure removes any clearance between the shell holder and ram, lever linkage, die threads and press frame, etc. and results in a more uniform bullet seating depth. Note that there is no provision for crimping in this die.
Collet Die adjustment
If you are using the Collet die in an RCBS Rockchucker press, or a similar design that toggles over center at the top of the (ram) stroke, this applies far greater force than is necessary to resize just the neck of the case, and can damage the die or collapse the case. To correct this situation, adjust the die two full turns into the press after the die contacts the shell holder with the ram at the top of its stroke, rather than one as in the instructions. This will stop the press before it gets to the toggle over point. With a press without having an over center feature, apply about 25 lbs. of pressure to the handle once it bottoms out to resize the case. On most presses, this translates to over 600 lbs of pressure on the ram.
The collet might be stuck in the closed position from closing the die without a case inside. Remove the cap from the top of the Collet die and push the mandrel, collet sleeve and collet out through the top of the die. Open the collet back up with a tapered punch or Phillips screwdriver.
If this occurs with a full length sizing die, the decapper/expander is out of adjustment. The decapper/expander should be flush with the top of the decapper clamp. If it protrudes more than 1/4 inch, the die will be resizing the inside and outside diameter of the case neck at the same time, resulting in a collapsed case shoulder.
Bullet Runout explanation
Through testing, we have found that Collet sizing a neck to .001 inch under the intended bullet diameter gives the optimum amount of bullet pull with the least amount of runout.
One can order undersized mandrel for a tighter fit on the bullet , but we have found that runout increases as bullet pull increases. There is a fixed amount of spring-back in the case mouth after sizing occurs. If you were to size a case to .005 under bullet diameter, then seat a bullet, then immediately pull that bullet, you would probably find that the case mouth would measure .001 under bullet diameter.
The explanation is that the bullet essentially resized the case mouth as it was seated. Because cases are never perfectly uniform in neck wall thickness or hardness, when a bullet is seated in an undersized case mouth, it will push out more on the thin/soft side, resulting in bullet runout.
Collet die pressure exertion
All of the sizing in the Collet die takes place at the very end of the stroke, when the ram/shell holder appears to bottom out against the base of the die. If you lean into the handle at this point, you will force the collet up into the die body, and cause the collet to squeeze the case neck down against the mandrel (the very end of which pops out the spent primer). About 25 lbs. of force is sufficient to resize most cases. If you are sitting in front of your press, just leaning your upper body weight into the lever is about right.
A good way to determine how much is necessary is to start the case into the die and feel the die remove the primer. Start using pressure and work up to what you think is about 25 lbs. Remove the case from the die and attempt to place the intended bullet in the case neck. If there is little or no resistance, repeat the process with slightly more pressure. When you have reached a point where there are vertical striation marks on the outside of the case neck or the intended bullet does not fit easily into the case neck, the correct amount of pressure has been achieved.
Partial neck sizing with collet die
If you want to resize just a part of the neck, find a washer at your local hardware store the has an inner diameter large enough to fit over the case, and an outer diameter large enough so that it contact the collet sleeve that protrudes from the bottom of the die. Slide this washer over the case after the case has been inserted into the shell plate. Now when the ram is raised, you can still close the collet by applying force at the top of the stroke, but the case will not go up as far into the collet, and the neck will be sized less an amount equal to the thickness of the washer.
Broken decapper
If you return the broken decapper to the factory, it will be replaced at no charge. Be sure and include the type of die and what the caliber is.
Our address is:
Lee Precision, Inc.
4275 Highway "U"
Hartford, WI 53027
Otherwise, You can order replacement parts via our web site, at http://www.leeprecision.com; Click on the bullet labeled "/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?NULL=/html/catalog/Quick Search", find the product that you need parts for, and then click on the blue words "service parts" next to the product number. This should bring up a listing of replacement parts for the item selected.
The trick to adjusting the decapper is to just tighten the decapper clamp enough so that the decapper will push out 90% of the primers, but the very stubborn ones will cause the decapper to slide up through the clamp. Start with the decapper clamp just tight enough to keep the decapper from falling out the bottom of the die. Try to resize a case. The decapper will probably slide up through the decapper clamp. Tap the decapper back down flush with the top of the decapping clamp, tighten the clamp another 1/8 turn, and try again. Repeat until you successfully deprime the case
C.O.L. explanation
The overall length (o.a.l.) listed on the drawing is the SAAMI (Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturers Institute) specification. Most of the load data in Modern Reloading was supplied to us by the powder manufactures.
One can exceed the recommended maximum o.a.l. as long as it doesn't interfere with the function of the rifle. If your rifle will not accept ammunition loaded to a longer o.a.l. choose a different bullet/powder combination.
Bullet Seating Adjustment
The trick is to set the bullet seating depth first, then the crimp. This is done as follows; With an empty, sized case in the shell holder, hold the ram at the top of its stroke. Turn the bullet seating die body down over the case until you feel it come to a stop. This will be when the case mouth contacts the crimp shoulder inside the die. Mark this position by turning the lock ring down against the turret or press frame. Now adjust your bullet seating depth. Once you have the bullet seated to the desired depth, back the bullet seater adjuster out about 1 turn. Now turn the bullet seating die body in to apply the desired crimp. Once this is established, hold the ram at the top of its stroke and spin the bullet seater adjuster down until it stops.
It is a good idea to carry this out with an empty case, so that after you have seated the bullet, you have a perfectly safe "dummy" cartridge (or gauge) to repetitively set seating depth and crimp on future occasions.
Once you have this "dummy" gauge, all you have to do is place it in the shell holder, raise the ram to the top of its stroke, turn the bullet seating body down until it stops, and then turn the bullet seating depth adjuster in until it stops. Since the crimp and the seating depth were already set, the die will return to very close to the same settings.
Seating depth variations
There are a number of possible causes for overall length variation. One is the way it is measured. If you measure overall length from the tip of the bullet to the base of the case, remember to subtract the variation due to bullet length tolerance. The bullets will vary in length due to manufacturing tolerances (bullets with exposed lead noses are the worst in this regard) and this will add to the overall cartridge length variation. Remember that the bullet seater plug does not (or shouldn't) contact the tip of the bullet when seating, but contacts farther down the ogive. For a more accurate seating depth measurement, take the seater plug out of the bullet seating die, place it on top of the cartridge and measure from the base of the case to the top of the seater plug.
Another possible cause for bullet seating depth variation is seating and crimping at the same time when trying to apply a firm crimp to untrimmed cases. Variation in case length also causes variation in the amount of crimp applied. Long cases get a heavier crimp than short ones. When seating and crimping at the same time, the crimp is formed as the bullet is seated into the case. The crimp will form sooner on a long case, and therefore the bullet will not be seated as deeply. The solution is to seat and crimp in a separate step (the Lee Factory Crimp die is good for this) and/or trim cases to a uniform length.
The amount of force required to cycle a progressive press varies with the number of cases in the shell plate. When the shell plate is full, it is harder to lower the lever than when there are one or two cases present. This can lead to variation in cartridge overall length because there are different loads placed on the working parts of the press. When the shell plate is full, seating depth will be slightly long, because the load is higher and all of the clearances are taken up. With the shell plate nearly empty, the load is not great enough to squeeze out these clearances, and the seating depth is short.
Seating die crimp style
There are two crimp shoulders in our bullet seating dies. The first shoulder applies a slight taper crimp and the second shoulder applies a full roll crimp. The closer the die is adjusted to the shell holder the heavier the crimp will be.
Dead Length Bullet Seating Explanation
The idea behind the floating bullet seater plug or "dead length bullet seating" is as follows; If you look inside the bullet seating die, you will see a restriction about 3/4 the way to the top of the die. This restriction is only .001 larger than bullet diameter, and is positioned so that when the bullet starts to seat into the case, the bearing surface will be passing through this restriction.
The bullet seater plug, being free to move axially, and due to the shape of the cavity will find the center of the nose, and a properly prepared case will find the center of the base of the bullet. The die should be turned in to touch the shell holder and is designed to be adjusted that way to eliminate clearance in the press for a more uniform bullet seating depth.
Most case/bullet alignment is determined in the resizing die. If the case neck is sized too small, the bullet will actually resize (open back up) the case neck when it is seated. If the case neck is thinner or softer on one side (and they usually are) the bullet will push out more on that side. Excessive crimp or an out of square case mouth can also cause bullet run out.
Dead Length die adjustment
Make sure that you have the bullet seating die adjusted down so that the shell holder contacts the base of the die when the ram is raised to the top of its stroke. The Deluxe die set comes with the Dead length bullet seating die, which does not crimp the case, and is designed to be adjusted that way to eliminate clearance in the press for a more uniform bullet seating depth.
Factory Crimp die advantages
The Factory crimp die can be a useful addition to your reloading process. It not only ensures that the bullet will not be pushed back into the case, but it can also duplicate the effect of seating the bullet out to nearly touch the rifling. The initial resistance to overcome the crimp is nearly the same as that which is required to start a bullet seated out close to the rifling. This die has no provision for seating the bullet.
Factory crimp die adjustment
The amount of crimp applied will be consistent if your press has mechanical stops built into the lever linkage, and you lower the lever to the stop every time. Start with the Factory Crimp die turned into the press until it stops against the shell holder with the ram raised all the way. Lower the ram, and turn the die in one full turn. Now try crimping a case, making sure that you raise the ram (lower the lever) all the way to the stop. You will feel slight resistance at the top of the stroke, as the crimp collet is forced up into the die body.
If the crimp is not firm enough, turn the die in another 1/4 turn and try again. If you turn the die in to the point where the four slits in the collet are closed when the ram is raised all the way, you have reached the limit.
Last edited on Mon Mar 9th, 2009 10:37 PM by TasunkaWitko
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