Just purchased my first set of Lee collet dies in 338 Winchester and installed it my Rock Chucker press according the instructions. The direction state I should be able to feel the collet close after applying a min of 25 pounds pressure. I cannot feel this closing nor can I see any movement of the collet. Also I cannot see any sizing marks or other evidence that the neck was actually resized. Is it normal not to feel the collet closing? Measuring before and after shows the necks to be resized .005 therefore i'm going to load the cases and shoot to see the results. Lee users please advise on your experiences. Thanks!

Hi Chief. The proof is in the pudding: if the necks move, they are being sized. If the brass is soft at the neck, or doesn't get sized much, I usually don't feel the collet move the brass. At .005 movement, I can usually feel it, but it is very (VERY) subtle. HTH, Dutch.

I believe the collet instructions say to screw the die down one full revolution after the base of the die touches the shellholder. However, this is for use in Lee presses. The die should be screwed down two revolutions in a press that cams over like the Rock Chucker. You can verify this on the Lee website under their FAQ on dies.

If a bullet won't fit in the neck, then it was sized. If it will, then disassemble the die and look for any burrs on the collet's fingers. File them off. Tiny dab of grease on them, then reassemble and try again.

Martindog

I use mine on a rock chucker and I scew the die down 2 turns below the ram.I get marks on the necks in the spaces between the collets so I double size by rotating the case and resizing. Works great and beats lubing the necks or cases.

Be careful about screwing the Collet die too deep into the press. The Lee design is ingeneous, but Lee materials are, shall we say, "price-efficient", ie. the metal which contacts the shell holder head is softer than the shell holder head and will deform if too much pressure is applied.

Like uper, I rotate the case 1/8 turn and squeeze it a second time. This helps assure concentricity and consistent neck tension, and takes only a fraction of a second to do.

If, after properly adjusting your die, cleaning any burrs from the collet petals, lubing the collet judiciously, and "double clutching" the sizing process as described, your neck tension is insufficient, then your mandrel diameter is too large for your cases/chamber. I'm told that Lee will sell you a mandrel of .001" smaller diameter, but it is a simple matter to chuck your existing mandrel in a drill and hone it down slightly with emory cloth and polishing compound. You can make your necks as tight as you want just by reducing the mandrel diameter appropriately.

I have several that I use regularly and pleased with the results. Early on I had one in '06 that locked up tighter that a red bug's ass stretched over a rain barrel (that's water tight in case you're wondering). I threw it out, next day retrieved it and mailed it back to Lee. I asked them to inspect it and dispose of it that I did not want it back. Well, the 'repaired' and returned it with a letter that indicated that I didn't know what I was doing. I been handloading for thirty years, but I accepted that because I know that I learn something new every day. It froze up again, but this time I got it apart and 'Lee-mented' it. Polished all the touching parts and put a thin layer of Sta-Lub on it so everything would move. No more problems. Clean and relube every so often. Done the same with several other. All work very well, now. sundog

I use a collet die for every cartridge. In any FL sizing die, I remove the expander button and replace it with a smaller size, I.E., .264 for 7mm. I buy my collet dies with two mandrels. One I grind the pin off and both I shape like Hornady elliptical expanders. Decap or no decap.

Now, all sizeing is done in compression and case stretch is a thing of the past. One extra operation: stage one - size the body and neck. stage two: expand the neck (in the collet die). Stage three: seat the bullet (Forster Ultra seater).