A buddy just gave me some Lee dies for my new 22-250. I have never owned a set of Lee dies and I am curious how good these are.

Thanks for the input.

There's lots of guys out there who will tell you that Lee products are junk. They might not be top of line, but they aren't junk. I've used Lee dies off and on (and still do) for the past 35 years and have had good results. Now that I think about it, my die collection must include at least eight or ten different brands. Geez...

I DON'T LOAD ANY BOTTLE NECK CARTRAGES BUT I DO LOAD .38SPL AND .357 MAG WITH LEE CARBIDE SPEED DIES. CRAIGSTER IS ON TARGET. LEE MAKES OPERATIONAL LOADING PRODUCTS. THEY HAVE GOOD SERVICE TOO.

I used a set of lee dies for 308 for years. Never a problem with them. They may not be real fine polished on the outside but if the inside is in good shape you will find that they will serve you well. Some of the other products are real shiny on the outside so you pay more for the product. Nothing wrong with these products if the inside are ok. Check the dies and if they are clean in the inside you shouldn't have any problems. Good shooting.
farmboy9

Just bought a second set of Lee collet dies-one for my .223 and one for my .22-250.Best thing since sliced bread-no lubing of cases,very fast,easy and Im told accurate.(I bought for easy).These dies are replacing new RCBS dies - both guns are new(1year).Also really like the LEE hand primer and most especially the Lee trimmer.The rest is RCBS but these three are work savers.

I use a 45 ACP Lee Die set (only because I bought them from a friend for $10) I bought a Collet die set for my .250 Savage and then I bought an RCBS set because the collet die is junk. I won't buy any more dies from Lee but I do use their Trimmers. Sean

I use Lee dies in a number of different calibers, and they all work fine. The Lee Collet dies load the straightest (least runout) and most accurate ammo of any dies I have.

I use Lee collet dies for the 6mmPPC and their carbide dies for .38 and .45. Their hand primer is a bargain. Bob

No problem with Lee dies loading accurate and reliable ammo for 44 mag/spl. 45 LC, 45-70. Hand priming tool is great.

I've got Lee dies in .223, .243, .257, 6.5X55, and .308 and none have ever given me a problem. I sure wish the expander ball was removable like the Hornady dies though. I understand their collet dies are pretty nice, but haven't really worked with my set yet.

I have a set of Lee carbide dies for .45 ACP, but for bottleneck rounds I use only their collet dies. The collet dies are great but I don't have much use for their other die sets, just my preference.

I have Lee, RCBS and Hornady dies. While the latter sure do look "prettier" than the Lees, I like the Lee's the best. Guess I'm just ignorant! jorge

kynadog,

Ditto what farmboy said...make sure the interiors are super clean. But that goes for any brand of dies. There's bound to be crud built up inside after pumping out who-knows-how-many handloads.

If they won't make ammo at least as accurate as factory rounds, send them my way; I've got a 22-250 too. They won't go to waste.

IMO Lee's very best products are the collet neck sizer and the factory crimp die. I also like their lube-sizer for cast lead bullets. As we speak they're making me a custom one for my 416 Rem. For some reason they don't stock it in .417 diameter.

If all their products were total junk they would have been out of business a long, long time ago.
I don't know of any reloading die manufacturer who has come out recently with such innovative products as Richard Lee.

I might be wrong, but I recall there being another reloading products company years ago by the name of Lee. They had a bad reputation and to separate themselves this Lee used "Lee Precision in Hartford Wisconsin."

The design and engineering of many Lee products is excellent and innovative. Their workmanship and materials are high-volume, low-cost, so as a result you sometimes find an example of their products that requires "remedial" attention. Also, their substitution of aluminum in many places that most manufacturers use steel means that the useful life of some of their products is shorter. I solve this problem by simply purchasing a new one when necessary, since you can buy about two-for-one as compared to most other manufacturers products.

The only truly troublesome Lee product I've used was a seating die with a plastic seating stem. On loads with a slighly compressed powder charge, you could see the stem bulge upward out of the die as seating pressure was applied. I declared that set of dies "surplus" and they became the property of some once-a-year reloading neophyte who didn't understand seating depth anyway and couldn't have made a proper cartridge with a set of Reddings and a Hollywood press.

I have to agree that the collet dies are great for loading with very little run-out. I have RCBS dies that don't come close to the collet dies when they are measured.

well i have lee dies in 45acp they work great. i actually have a set of rcbs green box 22-250 dies that i havent used. i could sell them to you if you would like. send me an email.

lojack

I have redding dies, Hornady dies, weatherby dies, RCBS dies and Lee dies. I have see some of Lees reloading components and they are junk IMHO, but I love their dies. I have never had any poroblem with them; concentricity and run out are always excellent.

Better interior finish than many higher priced dies. Just learn a softer touch, use your fingers to lock dies, not a pipe wrench like others used to need. Load many calibers and they have become my first choice.

Collet dies are great. Just be sure to carefully read the setup instructions for the collet die if you have a rockchucker.

I've used Lee, RCBS, and Lyman dies, and I can't tell any differences in terms of the results. In fact, the Lees are sometimes more highly polished than the RCBS ones.

I don't like Lee presses -- I don't think they are strong enough. I use the Lee case trimming system all the time, and I think the Lee Auto Prime is one of the best priming tools ever made by anybody. I also use and highly recommend the Lee Powder Measure -- it looks and feels cheap, but it's as good and as accurate as those costing many times more.

Lee tools are less expensive than others, and sometimes appear and feel cheap. But the ones that work well are at least as good as their higher-priced competitiors.

I have Lee carbide pistol dies and am satisfied, except that I don't really care for the locknut with its O-ring. I couldn't get the seating die(and to a lesser extent the expander die) to stay put with it, so I turned it upside down and tightened it with a small adjustable wrench. That did the trick; now it stays in place.

I'VE HAD GOOD LUCK WITH THE LOCKING O RING SETUP ON MY LEE SPEED DIES. I HAVE TWO SINGLE STAGE PRESSES SET UP SIDE BY SIDE SO I GOT A HOLD OF LEE A GOT TWO DIE BODIES AND USE A CUSTOM BULLET SEATER MADE BY LEE . WORKS GOOD FOR ME........

I belive I have dies from all the majors and some not so well known ones last count was like 50 die sets. I buy Lee now if they make what I need. There RGB dies are the best bargan on the market. Complete die sets for under 10 bucks. I you factor in inflation compared to buying dies 20 years or more ago you are getting great dies for around a dollar.