Recently ordered a set of Lee Dies from Midway for my new 460 S&W. When I rcvd them a couple of days later, I noticed the carbide sizing ring was broken. Immediately shipped the die off to Lee. Lee's customer support was great. I had a new sizing die in the mail within 5 days. I'll buy more Lee dies based upon this experience.

There are a lot of guys out there that do not speak highly of Lee products. I've never had a problem with any of their stuff.

You'll find all the major reloading equip. manuf. back their stuff w/ equally good customer service. The problem I have w/ Lee is their quality control is pretty poor & a lot of their stuff has defects that require a replacement, but they are serviceable & I do use some die sets for calibers I do not load often. For high volumn, I do use other brands.

I have Lee,RCBS, Lyman, and Redding. The only complaint I have with Lee is their "lock ring". It doesn't LOCK! I solve that problem using RCBS lock rings and everything works great.

I don't like cheapo Lee FL dies, their poor lock rings and their cylindrical box. Since I buy a die set once every 3-4 years (or more) I don't hesitate to spend a few € more and buy RCBS or Redding.
Living in the old continent, it's quite difficult and costly to me to have recourse to any US customer service; lately, I've had some problems with 270WSM Lee dies and, finally, I replaced them with RCBS's, with great relief.

P.S. Nevertheless, I really like Lee collet and Factory crimp dies.

I have a few Lee dies, never had a problem, other than the previously mentioned locking rings.
One Lee die I won't do without is the Lee Factory Crimp die. I use the crimp die for every caliber I reload.

Lee dies are a good buy for the money and their collet dies and factory crimp are innovative and they work, they have good customer service, RCBS and Redding have excellent customer servive, then we have LYMAN, their dies are ok but they have SHIT for customer service. I have one set of Lyman dies left, but they will be replaced with green soon, then it's e-bay time again, just like the rest of their dies.

quote:

Originally posted by the jigger:
The only complaint I have with Lee is their "lock ring". It doesn't LOCK!

Have you jokers tried the right way to use these lock rings?? To move a die you initialy turn ONLY the lock ring.
When loose, you THEN unscrew the die. These are the best thing Lee has made.

The much vaunted collet and factory crimp does absolutly NOTHING for improving my accuracy.

Hello JAL,
Noted that you believe the crimp die does nothing for accuracy and I have found that the use of same does seem to aide in developing more concistant velocity or less deviation of same. I am not a bench shooter striving for that magic ".1" group, but long range/prone/sling shooter and primary goal is to stay in the X or at least the 10 ring from 600 yards on out to 1000. Can say that the runout on dial indicator is better, less if you will, than loads not using the crimp die. Now, does that equate to accuracy of the load, I do not know for have not shot such loads in a match yet, but will within few weeks and afterwards will post findings. You may well be right in your thought about the die, but as always, chasing that extra ounce of improvment and figured that the little money spent to find out was worth it and compared to the other dumb things I have spent money on trying to improve, it was worth it.

I use the factory crimp dies and like them. I have heard one complaint from a reloader who recently bought a Hornady LNL AP press. He says the Lee dies aren't long enough, precluding the use of any lock ring.

quote:

Originally posted by JAL:

quote:

Originally posted by the jigger:
The only complaint I have with Lee is their "lock ring". It doesn't LOCK!

Have you jokers tried the right way to use these lock rings??....These are the best thing Lee has made.....

JAL, who is the joker here? There are many POLITE ways to express desagreement; I don't like Lee lock rings at all and I'm not a joker.

quote:

Originally posted by Pancho:
I'll buy more Lee dies based upon this experience.

You prefer to buy broken dies?

There's a fella in South America who can fix you up with one of their presses.

quote:

Originally posted by zoeper on LongRangeHunting:
I am using the Classic Cast press and hope to replace it soon. The tolerance on the ram is poor to say the least, and you can wiggle it from side to side. Also, the shellholder does not sit flat on top of the ram.
It served me well to get started, but it's time to get a real press!

Saw one recently, the guy said he was watching the press frame bend while sizing 223 cases using small-base dies. Is that why Lee doesn't sell small-base dies?

Someone else bent the press handle while decapping.

It's not the service, and it's not the piece. It's the price.

quote:

Originally posted by JAL:
To move a die you initialy turn ONLY the lock ring.
When loose, you THEN unscrew the die.

We do it differently in the northern hemisphere.

quote:

Originally posted by wildboar:
JAL, who is the joker here? There are many POLITE ways to express desagreement; I don't like Lee lock rings at all and I'm not a joker.

Keep ya shirt on fella, I'm talking Aussie English here, so we just have a cultural problem. In the local dialict, all wogs are bastards, especially our close mates. Especially
old Slaviero, Calderio, Canale, Spagnolo and the rest of the Aussie/Italy boys. Heap of the blighters grow bananas over here.

Besides, I'm not disagreeing with any one, I'm just telling the dorks too silly to read the directions on how the lock rings work.

And of course with the collet and Lee crimp, I'm just stating that in three trials I've done in MY rifle with MY loads, the first two were worse and the third gave exactly the same group as my Hornady dies & no crimp.
Take it or leave it matey,dude, or Sir, whatever your called over there. Senior???

I'm simply accustomed to the good level of mutual respect we luckily have in "our" European forum and to the plain and (sometimes) ungrammatical English we use.

I like the Lee dies for the money. Like a previous poster mentioned, I replaced the locking rings with Hornady lockrings. I like the Hornady lockrings because they squeeze the dies instead of having the set screw pushing against the threads like the RCBS lockrings do... Just a question of taste. Let me just tell you what products I recommend from Lee.

Lee Classic Cast Press. I have one, and I love it. Best of both worlds!!!

Lee Factory crimp die. A must have.

Lee Trimmer with the wood ball handle.

Lee Hand prime. Maybe cheap, but works like a charm.

Lee Dies, if you are on a budget. They work, load great ammo, just not Redding quality. For the money, Redding dies!

I like the Lee furnaces for casting lead...

The rest is pretty much junk. My two cents worth.

Maurice

Funny how people see things.

I can't see any (particular)use for the Lee Cast press and didn't know there were two worlds involved.

Factory crimp die? Managed 50 years without one, now have two and don't know what to do with them.

Trimmer? Great little gadget, but I was gyped, didn't get a wooden knob.

Hand prime. Sure, works a treat. . . as long as you shake it every third squeeze, or it log jams up. Maybe it's like his collet mandrel and you have to work on it your self? And then half the primer brands in the world are "lible to explode in bulk".

Lee dies; Well they look good, and have a teriffic lock ring design.

Furnaces, yes mine heats up, as advertised.

Junk or not I like the hand press, which takes all the accrutments to load in the field or the range. Supply your own battery scale thou.

And the two shell holder kits are handy. The kit of scoops look impressive up the back of the bench.

People seem to hate the beam scale for some reason. I've never used one. maybe they'd work in the field with the hand press?? Windy, whack a plastic cover from the kitchen over it. I wonder if you can loose those little ball-bearings??

Anyway the lock rings have got to be better than those with the damn brass allen head screws that strip as you get them out of the box. And the steel ones are always facing the wrong way, too tight or too loose. There was a line on AR once, "send me all your unwanted Lee gear". Well, I'll take all the unloved lock rings.

quote:

Originally posted by JAL:
The kit of scoops look impressive up the back of the bench.

They work much better than other Lee products, although I suspect there's a lot of variation among(st?) sets.

quote:

People seem to hate the beam scale for some reason.

Check out MidWay's reviews, especially those lower down. It's explained really well.

quote:

I'll take all the unloved lock rings.

Lee has plenty, and, like all Lee products, they're cheap.

My only complaint with the limited amount of Lee dies that I have owned was with the carbide sizer in 45 acp. The carbide didn't size TZZ brass small enough to hold a 230 grain ball projectile. I tried a standard steel RCBS die and it worked like a charm. When I called Lee and told them the problem I was told that I needed an UNDERSIZE die for $25 (in 1983). I tried a friends Lee carbide sizer and it worked fine...it was .0014 smaller ID than mine. I called Lee and told them their quality control was crap. They asked for the bad die so they could replace it. I told them to send a UPS call tag for it because I wasn't spending my money to return a defective product. Finally after some constructive arguing they sent a call tag and three days later I had a new die that was the same size as my friends.

quote:

Originally posted by Winchester 69:
Check out MidWay's reviews, especially those lower down. It's explained really well.

Yes, I thought Midway was half way to Japan.
Have you got an address or link?
Thanks.
John L.

I've used a Lee setup for years, a cheap aluminum press and several Lee dies. Can't say that I have ever had any problems with the equipment. I also have dies from others RCBS, Redding, Hornady, and Lyman. All seem to work just fine. I really can't say that one set of dies loads ammo any better than the others. Never had the need to use customer service so can't really say. Also have an old Herters cast iron press. My Lee 45acp has no trouble with the TZZ brass I must have at least 2000 of those. If anything the dies don't open the brass up enough I have had some trouble seating bullets (crushed case) if I am not carefull. I love the neck size dies for the 300 H&H I get much longer case life with these over a RCBS FL dies set. Can't say that I am a died in the wool Lee fan but if it works I see no reason to change.

I started on Lee Dies and switched to Redding and RCBS just a few years back. I see a marked difference in the accuracy wiht the higher quality dies. I also now see that Lee dies work poorly on the multi station presses.

This is just my take on Lee products.
The Classic cast press is great. Not perfect but now my most used single stage press. My old faithful RCBS Rockchucker sits quietly in the corner and still gets used for old times sake. Lee lock rings are the only rings that in my experience will not loosen in a progressive press. I have had all other brands even when tightened with a spanner eventually work themselves loose, especially if something like a powder measure is attached. The Lee rings need to be snugged up with a spanner and are ideal for turrets or LNL type bushings. They also have a "small footprint". The Lee lock rings are also useful for dies that are swapped between different presses and don't have critical headspace settings (such as straight walled pistol cases) or crimp settings. On the other hand Lee rings cannot be relied on to maintain precise settings if removed from a press. IMHO the Hornady lock ring is the best in this situation. Yes they can be a fiddle getting the setting right but once set they stay that way. Forster is similar but I don't like the fact that they are aluminium, no wrench flats and have a funny bolt head. All the others like RCBS etc have a set screw on one side which I believe can tilt dies.
The Lee classic Turret cast press makes surprisingly good ammunition. I use it for smaller lots compared to my LNL's but the quality of reloads is at least equal and certainly easier to maintain quality control compared to a true progressive. Lee dies do the job more than adequately. I reload dozens of calibres and have multiple die sets in each calibre the original idea being to have separate die settings for each brand for different types of reload such as practice or serious target/hunting ammo. The reality is that the quality of my ammunition depends more on case prep and components and care taken with die setup than on the dies themselves. I have preferences of course but all the major brands can make good ammunition and similarly all the brands will have the odd dud die or more likely just one that is incompatible with a particular firearms chamber. The Lee carbide dies do need to be lubricated more so than any of the other so called lube free TC/TiN sizing dies.(Don't believe me, read Lee's book) I use the FCD on most of my hunting reloads. I don't think they are neccessarily more accurate but it makes a nice crimp without much regard to case length and yes I do trim. I am still undecided on the pistol carbide crimp die. I use the collet neck sizing die in every calibre I reload if they are available. I note the comments regarding the Lee dies on progressive presses. I have had some difficulty with my old die sets because of inadequate thread length meaning that there is not enough thread to use a lock die. This is not a problem restricted to Lee. Many older die sets were made before progressives like the Hornady Projector / LNL were born and are therefore unsuitable. The latest Lee catalog states that their new dies have a longer die body with more threaded length for progressive presses. And finally despite being an Ozzie myself I wouldn't appreciate being called a joker either in the context it was used.

quote:

Originally posted by Ozzie:
And finally despite being an Ozzie myself I wouldn't appreciate being called a joker either in the context it was used.

The context it was used, (and I am the one that knows) was in the usual aussie sense, as I wanted a variation on my calling everyone "fellas".

As an Aussie you should know better.
And I don't appreciate people telling me what I am thinking and pretending to take offence when the term was also generic and not to anyone specificially. Hell, how would I know there was an aristocrate in Venice that dislikes Lee rings?

A little Aussie english lesson. I have three dictionarys only.

The Macquarie; Joker,1. One who Jokes. (Boy,what an insult) 3. A FELLOW OR BLOKE.

Collins;3. A FELLOW, PERSON, CHAP.

The Oxford; 2.(slang)A FELLOW.

Really, some jokers ought to get a life. Now that does mean YOU.

quote:

Originally posted by the jigger:
I have Lee,RCBS, Lyman, and Redding. The only complaint I have with Lee is their "lock ring". It doesn't LOCK! I solve that problem using RCBS lock rings and everything works great.

Me too. I use a Hornady lock ring though. Lee stuff is servicable, and will make decent ammo. Most of the calibers I reload for started with a Lee die, and then went to the more expensive stuff.

Well, how would two lee rings go togeather, like one as a lock nut to the other. Would that aleviate a lot of anguish and still be cheaper than one hornady fiddly allen key model???

quote:

Originally posted by JAL:
Well, how would two Lee rings go together???

It's kind of hard to explain. We have to invert the rings because north of the equator all of the threads are left-handed, as is a majority of the citizenry. Most of us just make do with the fiddly Hornady things.

Yep, I've found that when I buy Hornady dies they come with Hornady rings. Couple days ago I packed up all the Lee stuff and stashed it. My brain can't handle two different systems. Only thing I left on a press was a Lee factory crimp for 458WM, and if it gives me any agro it's off also.

They tell me you guys even have the stearing wheels on your cars on the passenger side. Now that's weird.

quote:

Originally posted by JAL:
They tell me you guys even have the steering wheels on your cars on the passenger side. Now that's weird.

The passengers, being mostly left-handed, are the better drivers.

Have you seen our before and after Smilies?

I reload with Lee, RCBS, Redding and Hornady. They all seem to get the job done good enough to kill moose, bears, deer, etc. Maybe it might make a difference if you're trying to put everything into one hole, but the dead animals don't know the difference.

quote:

Originally posted by JAL:
Coupla' days ago I packed up all the Lee stuff and stashed it.

PROGRESS!!

The is has been too easy, though. I'm worried.

How about this depiction of the North American kangaroo?

quote:

Originally posted by Winchester 69:
The is has been too easy, though. I'm worried.

How about this depiction of the North American kangaroo?

Yeah, worried about what? I've written quite often in the past of my problems with Lee stuff, it's just I keep trying longer than I should. The final amusement was with this insessant talk about how good the collet and crimper is. Well, I double neck sized some .223 cases and tried to adjust for a longer seating depth. The bloody bullets were so loose a fit in the neck they were flopping in and out like a piston.

Talk is to spin down the spindal. Well I should never be let loose on fine tolerances. I'm sure to get it down about 10thou first go. Why should I do lee's work.

I fixed his trimmer that was cutting 20thou under max case length, the collet and crimp gave me no improvement, the seating cap on the .458WM die was crap, and too short, the scoops are always wrong for the powder/weight I want, the case mouth chamfer tool is a pain etc etc, and aparently the lock rings are also crap. Troll is it? No I'm just barking mad.

quote:

Originally posted by JAL:
Troll is it? No, I'm just barking mad.

Troll? That thing looks exactly like our kangaroos.
One of the hides is going for big bucks on e-bay.

It's been a rough one has it? Apparently the exorcism has been successful, though. Lee dependence can be a tough conversion.

I just wanted to report good service from Lee reloading products. I also have RCBS, Redding, and Hornady (which have also all been excellent).

I've had dramatic improvement with some calibers once I neck sized with the collet dies. I like the factory crimp die, too.

I had one collet die which left the bullets loose in the necks with one brand of brass. Lee offered to polish it down.

Steve

FWIW, I quite like Lee dies, as well as their trimmers..

I load for 218Bee, 223, 243, 6.5 Swede, 270, 303Brit and for all bar the 270, I use Lee.

For the 270, I use Hornady, but I'd happily replace that set with Lee. I find them easier to use, and although I was initially leery of the lock system, I've grown to be comfortable with it.

The case trimmers, I reckon, are the best thing since sliced bread... I have a Hornady trimmer, but it's a PITA to set up, and needs to be 're-set' each time the cal is changed.

Another happy Lee customer.

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:
You'll find all the major reloading equip. manuf. back their stuff w/ equally good customer service. The problem I have w/ Lee is their quality control is pretty poor & a lot of their stuff has defects that require a replacement, but they are serviceable & I do use some die sets for calibers I do not load often. For high volumn, I do use other brands.

I sure wish the rest of the world, backed their products half as well as most companies do in the shooting and hunting industry...

We hunters and shooters can become a spoiled bunch, with the kind of support we get from companies who cater to our sport...

I have always had good luck with Lee products. I wish they had true locking rings like RCBS