I have purchased the first and last LEE DIES ever. First they come in a round container. You have to screw in and screw out each die to use/store. Put them on he shelf with your square ones ! Now, pull your Snap On tool chest in the reloading room, you'll need most of your tools to make any adjustments. If you want to neck'm out, you are limited. Band Aids, lots of band aids when the wrench slips to adjust. LEE DIES are a piece of crap in my book, never again !
Posts: 105 | Location: PA | Registered: 30 December 2002
I have found just the opposite. Yeah the things you described like the round container, and having to screw the dies back into the base part of the container are different. However, adjustments are not really anything different than other dies I have used.
Maybe just check into Lee's RGB dies. They come in a clear plastic box instead and the cost is only $10.00 for Midway last time I bought one. They are just as good as the regular dies. You don't get the neck collet dies.
If you hate it that much, what caliber do you have it in? I will consider taking off it your hands then, and give it a good appreciative home.
The only thing that Lee makes that I like is their hand priming tool, but it isn't available (at least not that I know of) in the .404/.416 shell holder size. It's Ford or Chevy, what ever you like. For me, RCBS & Redding get the nod.
Posts: 7752 | Location: kalif.,usa | Registered: 08 March 2001
Have to say I've used lee dies for years & found them to be excellent!, My rifles will shoot sub 1" groups with ammo loaded on lee dies.(how much better do you need?) And they are very reasonbly priced. They have done every thing that I ask of them. Regards Mike
Posts: 308 | Location: Central Texas | Registered: 12 September 2003
i reload .38 spl .357mag and 9 mm and use lee carbide speed dies exclusively. i love the easy finger tightening feature. i use a custom bullet seater that was made by lee and a factory crimp die. i don't think you can find a better product to reload with and the low price is a bonus.
I consider any amount of time that I spend at the loading bench as time well spent. No matter how many times I screw 'em in and screw 'em out. Make mine Lees, too. Rojelio
Posts: 495 | Location: South Texas | Registered: 13 November 2003
There are two things about Lee dies you should Know before you use them.One any collet to work must be free of oil,( that's what holds the expander stem)two, the o-ringed nut does moves too easly,better to use two and back them together.The o-ring is a trick to allow dies to self-aliagn.
When I failed to follow Rule One,I stripped the threads on the collet.When the die went back for warranty,I bought a RCBS F/L.The odd time I need a bullet seating dummy,I have just resized,there's enough lube left in the die.That works with Lee dies but not the RCBS.
The collet method of holding the stem by design center the stem much better than any threaded stem.Redding gets around this by having a self-alaigning stem.
Posts: 480 | Location: B.C.,Canada | Registered: 20 January 2002
lyman is worst, rcbs almost as bad (decapping pins made out of tissue paper or something weaker). hornady is next on up the list. lee is on top, silly round box and all, unless you use he lee loader, which comes in an actual squarish box. i tell you, those loaders are slap accurate - but slow.
Some Lee dies perform the same function as others but require a slightly different setup, therefore you must read their instructions. You only have to finger tighten their lock rings. They have nuts and machined flats for the proper sized wrenches so you don't strip the knurling off. I have dies by RCBS, C-H, Pacific, Hornady, Herters, Lyman, Lacmiller and Ponsness-Warren and have come to prefer Lee due to their finer interior finish and innovation. Their elliptical expander, unbreakable decapper, collet die and factory crimp dies have no competition. Why do you think everybody else's dies came down in price?
Posts: 231 | Location: Republic of Texas | Registered: 19 June 2003
Have twenty sets of Lee dies, six Hornady, five RCBS, one Lyman, and one Herters in 44 special....all function and load accurate "hunting" ammunition...One of the BEST dies that Lee ever put out is the "LEE FACTORY CRIMP". Use it on all rifle calibers and have ran extensive testing with 6mm, 7mm, 308 bullets in R-P, Nosler, Hornady, CT-BST, Speer, WW and Sierra.......The factory crimp in all cases tightened up the groups, even on bullets without the cannalure..IMHO of course......SB
Tacksmacker-Used PROPERLY, Lee dies will serve you well and enable you to load ammo as accurate -- oft-times moreso -- than other standard dies. They're an excellent value for the money, and I especially like the collet dies.
Posts: 9458 | Location: Shiner TX USA | Registered: 19 March 2002
Tacksmacker, agreed. I had a set of 416 Rem. Lee dies, and accuracy was so-so. I got a nice set of Hornady dies, and with the same loads, accuracy was much improved for me. Get what you pay for, I guess
Posts: 504 | Location: New Hampshire | Registered: 09 December 2001
I had Lee dies before, but didn't like 'em all that much. Just had a cheap feel to it, maybe? It's personal preference in my case. RCBS I do like, but my "precision" loading is done with Redding dies. Absolutely love those. RCBS dies are my workhorse, though.
BTW, cannot stand the Factory Crimp Dies. Neat concept, but I found it decreased accuracy in a couple of guns.
Posts: 9130 | Location: US of A | Registered: 07 January 2004
I'll have a slightly different take. I like Dillon dies best for the calibers they offer. I have a Dillon RL550B and it just works best and the ammo comes out great with their dies. After that I would use Reddings. I had a set of RCBS and have used these dies a lot, but the decapping rod kept falling out so I bought the Dillons and sold the RCBS to a friend cheap. I have Lees for my 45-70 and am surpised at how good they are, but they were not my first choice, Redding was but they wqere outof stock everywhere and I have to have dies. I LOVE the Factory Crimp Die from Lee and it is $10 well spent.
Posts: 257 | Location: Long Beach | Registered: 25 June 2002
Tack I am glad to hear you use Snap-on Tools to set those Lee dies in place. I work for Snap-on as a metallurgist. I think you have a great set-up with the Lee dies and Snap-on tools. I think you buy only the best. I wish our tools were as inexpensive as the Lee dies.
I don't have any experience with dies other than Lee. I have Lee dies and am very happy with them. I load from .257 Roberts to .458 Win Mag. using the Lee's. When I get a new set of Lee dies I disassemble them and wash them with soap and water to remove any oil and machining chips. Then dry them. I'm not sure if this would helps, but I have had no problem. I like the Lee dies and the ammo I produce with them. More importantly, I sure hope you LOVE the Snap-on tools you have.
Posts: 45 | Location: Wisconsin, USA | Registered: 26 December 2003
Tack, I have three sets of .45 dies, (Lee, RCBS,and Dillon) I just dont see that much difference in the adjustments. I had to chuckle, the part with all the tools and band-aids, I have a friend like that, I say he is mechanicly DEclined. He has trouble changing a spark plug, he would be cussing and cut up changing them. Some people just have problems with mechanial things, and I dont intend any offence. My preferance on the single stage machine is RCBS X dies, and the Lee factory crimp. I have many sets of Lee dies, and I like them a lot. The X dies for rifle eliminate the trimming process, except for the first time.
Obviously, there are more LEE lovers responding to the original post than any other, 'cause there is no way LEE dies are better than RCBS or Redding. Only thing they have going for them is price and what I've found in life & reloading, is, "...if you buy cheap, you get cheap!"
LEE dies are crap. I'll qualify my statement. Of the five sets I've owned, I've had to either return/exchange them or simply throw them away because they were unuseable. I do applaud LEE for making die sets available in all those old Military rounds, but I'd only buy a set, if I couldn't find the caliber in RCBS, Redding or Lyman.
Big difference in Lee's product guarantee vs. RCBS, as well. I had one set of dies that I picked up used. They had been abused by a previous owner. Called RCBS to check on parts and they ended up sending me a brand new set completely free. Because I was located in Canada, they simply requested that I destroy the old set, since shipping would've been a little steep. Have had the same experience with other RCBS tools that I bought used and RCBS stood behind every single one.
LEE...totally different story. I had one of their presses completely break in two on me. Called them about it, asked me when I had bought it (had it for 5 years, after a friend bought it new but decided he'd rather have me reload for him, than bother with it himself. I hadn't bothered using it until a few weeks prior to the incident) and told me that they wouldn't replace the press, but offered to sell me one just like it for half price, plus shipping on the old press to LEE and shipping on the new press, as well. What a deal!...Not!
To my mind, why buy an Edsel when you can drive a Porsche for a couple of bucks more??
