What happens to thes things after while? Do the collets lose their spring or something. I now have 2 sets out of 4 that used to work good that now grab the case mouths on the way in and the way out. I don't use them a heck of alot but over the course of a couple years of sitting something sure has happened to them. I took my .243 die apart and can't find any rust or corrosion. I love the principal on how they work....I'd spend more money on one if it did stay working. PS...I did spread the fingers slightly on the collet and put it back together but got the same damn result. I guess I'll get ahold of lee and see what advice they have.

I think the problem is the soft alloy they use in many of their parts. It just doesn't hold up over the long run. I have a set in .260 that I am on 600rds now, still seems to be working fine but time will tell.

Kraky,

When I use the collet die, I always loosen the knurled cap on the top and readjust it to give me the proper neck sizing. After I am done, I loosen the cap to take the pressure off the collet during storage.

I don't how you set the die up in relation to the ram travel on your press. I set mine to resize at the top of the cycle, although the instructions recommend setting it before the ram is at the top of it's cycle.

I have taken my collet dies apart, cleaned the interior parts thoroughly, lightly lubed them with a very light coating of lithium grease. This seems to make them really work smoothly.

There may be a few more causes for the problem, as in increasing neck thickness on the cases.

I hope you can find the answer.

I just bought a collet die in 6.5X55 and the problem I have is that the collet sleeve appears to be TOO TIGHT. It won't slide up and down on its own, like the other two sets I own. I did polish the outer sleeve which improved the problem a little, but am reluctant to do any more until I contact Lee. My old set in .270 and 757 had loose sleeves and worked great. Haven't had much time to study the problem though and would like feedback as well because I have the same problem that Kraky has--cases don't go in or come out on their own.

I solved the problem of the collet grabbing and not releasing by lubing the tapered back side of the collet with MolySlide.

Like M Elmer, I find it best just to "bump" the case as my press cams over. However, I see no need to back off the retaining cap...the collet just floats in the die body for me?

Kraky,

It would surprise me that the "fingers" have lost their tension. I have a 22-250 collet die that has easily 10,000 cyles (likely around 15,000) It has had so much use I have had to take the forcing collar and "clean" in up twice so far on my lathe as it peans over from contact with the shell holder. Each casing neck gets a resize and then I turn the case about 45 degrees and resize again.

I have half a dozen other Lee collet dies and can't recall having any problems like you mention.

I do lube them very well with resizing lube often. Especially the cone where the fingers contact.

Let us know what you find out.

Jim

Well, after some tinkering last night and this morning I got one die going. It may have been my fault as the collet was extremely squeazed together on the 243 die. I took out the spindle and kept lubing the outside of the necks and running them up into the collet and it seemed to spread itself back out and accept the brass easily. Then I set the die (still with the spindle out) to squeaze down the case neck for .003 grip. Then I marked where the die sits in my press for future reference and put the spindle back in and it worked great again.
I tried the same with the 300 weatherby (this one has the galled cup) and didn't have the same luck. I think the galling is causing the collet to grip the neck before and after the travel up into the die is complete. I'll see if Lee can supply a new "cup" reasonable....or I'll say the hell with the whole thing and go back to my forester dies which really really make good ammo for me anyhow.

quote:

I'll see if Lee can supply a new "cup" reasonable....

I'm not sure what Lee will or won't do in regard to parts and service. But one of the attractive things about Lee tools is their price. While they are engineered cleverly, they are made cheaply. So they don't last (relatively) very long, but they are cheap enough that you can buy two or three of them for what one of a similar product costs you from most other manufacturers. I've worn out a couple of Lee hand priming tools and at least one of my heavily used collet dies will have to be replaced sooner or later, but who cares? Compared to other makes, I'm still money ahead.

All that said, I'd be willing to pay half-again or double the price for a collet die that was made from high-quality steel and would give trouble-free service for a lifetime -- but only for calibers that I load in volume. For my elk hunting guns that I shoot a half-dozen times a year, the cheap Lee dies are a bargain.

quote:

I see no need to back off the retaining cap...the collet just floats in the die body for me?

10at6,

You are correct... it is one of my odd habits to loosen the cap before storing it. I looked at the dies yesterday, especially looking at the collet, and they do lay in there freely, until pressure is applied in the press with a case in place.

Sorry about the misinformation.

quote:

I'm not sure what Lee will or won't do in regard to parts and service.

I have called Lee and ordered a regular seating die with a roll crimp, and they sent it to me within a few days. They were very helpful and quick in responding.

If you go on Lee's site and click on "Products," then on "Dies," etc. till you get to the one you're using, you will see a link to click for "Service Parts." You can get any part for reasonable prices.

quote:

Originally posted by Ricochet:
If you go on Lee's site and click on "Products," then on "Dies," etc. till you get to the one you're using, you will see a link to click for "Service Parts." You can get any part for reasonable prices.

Whatever you do, DON'T buy from Factory Sales (They carry only Lee Products), especially if you have a small/lightweight order. Their minimum shipping/handling is something close to $18, even if all you need is a plastic primer slider for a LoadMaster - $2.00 part (or something like that), $18 to ship.

The last time I ordered from them (which, btw, is the last time I WILL order from them), their website gave a $8.95 flat rate shipping/handling. I balanced that against my order and decided to place the order.

When I received the invoice, they had billed me more than double the shipping. When I emailed them about this, I was told, "I will check our website, as our shipping charges changed several years ago. The reason the shipping is so costly is to keep the cost of the products down." Several years had passed without a website update? Sorry - They just lost a customer. They DID refund the difference so that I only paid $8.95, I must say.

I like a lot of the Lee Products and the only trouble I ever had with their dies was a .444 Marlin Factory Crimp Die that crimped unevenly on one side compared to the other. The crimp was at an angle to the axis of the bullet. They sent me a new insert after I called them and described the problem. Great customer service and I will continue to purchase their products.

You have to lube the outside of the collet fingers and the inside of the cap that pushes on the fingers with a light coat of grease.

Ialso polished the inside of the cap and the outside of the collet fingers.

I have to give them an A+ for service.

I e-mailed them and told them I thought the problem probably was with the cup that the fingers ride up into. They said they'd send me a new part.....NO CHARGE.....I'm impressed.