27 September 2010, 20:54
StonecreekI've shortened a .222 Lee Collet (not the die, just the collet!) to resize .221 Fireball. I accomplish this by simply using a bench grinder to remove the proper amount of metal. (Hold the collet in your bare hands while grinding and this will prevent your getting it hot enough to damage the heat treatment of the steel
.) By the same token, you can place a washer of the right thickness on top of the shellholder to effectively lengthen the collet. For example, I resize .222 Magnum (for which no Lee Collet die is avaialble) with a .223 Collet die by simply placing a washer over the shell before running it into the die.
You can also resize only the forward portion of the neck, leaving the rear portion unsized to center the round in the chamber (promotes accuracy in some guns) by placing a thin washer atop the shellholder when using the Lee Collet die.
One other trick with the Lee Collet die: You can resize cartridges for an improved chamber by simply drilling out the shoulder area of the collet with a drill bit of the proper size. For example, I did a little such surgery on a Collet die for a .22 Hornet to allow it to work properly with my .22 K-Hornet.
You can buy the replacement collets directly from Lee for a lot less than the cost of a new die, so you don't have to "ruin" the die for use with its original caliber if you simply buy the extra collet to use for for the adaptive caliber.
Oh yes, one more note: If adapting to a significantly shorter caliber you may need to shorten the decapper/mandrel. Alternatively, you can drill a recess in the aluminum die cap to allow the mandrel to recede the proper amount for a shorter cartridge. Additional mandrels are also avaialbe from Lee for a reasonable charge. Just go to their website to order.