I have been reloading for many years but have never used Lee Dies. Any comments, pro or con, would be appreciated. I would be using full length sizing dies.

neither have I, forester, RCBS, & reddings do fine by me & since the lees are only a couple bucks less I guess i don't have any reason to look at them

I was talked into a set of Lee dies for my 6.5 X 55 and reluctantly shelled out $11 for the new dies.

Damn things are fine and work well. I was impressed.

I'll get flammed for this but, I actually like them much better than the sets of RCBS I have. Nothing like Forester or Redding but, good.

The collet dies and dead set bullet seater produce some very straight loads.

Nothing wrong w/ Lee.

Good Luck

Reloader

I agree with the guys above. I bought a set of 30-30 Lee dies and they work as well as any others I have. Also have a Lee 22 Hornet crimp die that works well. I certainly find no fault with them and recommend them based on the ones I have.

The only real fault I have with lee dies is the round container they come in. It takes up alot more room in my cabinet than rcbs dies do especially since they don't stack, I guess i could order a die storage box from midway though since I only have one set of lee dies.

I have never had a problem with Lee dies in 25 years. I have RCBS, Lyman, Redding and Pacific also.

My vote for Lee as well. Been using primarily Lee Collet dies but do have full lengh and several pistol die sets. Ok my primary use is loading match ammo for a .308.

Sarge

I recently got a bunch of lee dies, in an effort to try and save some money, I really don't like them at all, I hate the rubber washer collar because once you find a load I don't care how good you are you will have to reset the die again because the amount you tighten against that rubber will vary, not to mention the die moving too. The others have an allen screw that locks the jamb nut, snug the die into the press and no readjusting

I'm with cummins cowboy on that feature but, it's real easy to order separate lock rings from midway and replace them. I don't buy the Lee as a first choice, only when I can't get any of the others. No complaints on how they produce reloads.

SD Shooter,

I have 5 or 6 sets of Lee Collet dies. Love 'em.

My 22-250 and 223 dies load thousands of rounds a year. No problems.

Jim

I've been loading for about 25yrs. I have RCBS, Lyman, Hornady,Pacific,and Lee dies. I find that once you replace the lock ring, they are as good as the rest that I have.

All my rifle dies are Lee, so I can't compare to another brand, but the Lee dies work great for me. Onr thing I like to do with a new set of dies and periodically is dissassemble them and clean them to get the machine oil and any machine chips out of the die and after use any lube. I have polished the machine marks out of the bullet seater die, the internal surface of the "plunger" that contacts the bullet, if the bullet wants to stick ever so slightly to this "plunger".

quote:

I have polished the machine marks out of the bullet seater die, the internal surface of the "plunger" that contacts the bullet, if the bullet wants to stick ever so slightly to this "plunger".

This is my only real complaint with them. (45ACP) The powder through die is rougher than I would like on the part that bells the case. but the rounds it turns out shoot very well and are very consistent so I guess its an aesthetics thing more than anything.

The Factory crimp or post and die which ever you want to call it works really well makes smooth taper crimps. I had some 155 grain swc leadies a friend had loaded for target shooting with a set of 45colt dies. The roll crimp wanted to jam on the way in the chamber in my Springfield. i ran them all through the factory crimp die (about 50) no more problems feeding.
just my 2 cents.

I have CH, Pacific, Bair, Hollywood, Hornady, Lyman, Reading, RCBS and Lee dies. Though some brands are a bit more fancy and polished I have no complaints on the Lees and the price is right too. It wasn't too long ago dies cost twice what they do now (or maybe the memory just has it that way) and I credit Lee with bringing the prices down. They reload fine ammo in my book.

RE: The locking ring on Lee dies.

The way this locking ring is designed, repeatability is perfect AS LONG AS THE LOCKING RING IS COMPLETELY SEATED TO THE PRESS EACH TIME.

Once I get my die set (locking ring fully seated), I use a die wrench on the ring and loosen the die until the O-ring is clear of the press, then I turn the die out the rest of the way by hand. The next time I use the die, I screw the die in until the O-ring just touches the press, then I tighten it the rest of the way with the die wrench, fully seating the locking ring against the press.

The key here is to NEVER hold on to the die body to tighten or loosen the die and locking ring together. For tightening and loosening, only touch the locking ring. For me, a wrench is handiest and allows me to seat the locking ring fully each time.

I realize that the locking rings that tighten down with a screw (pinch type OR set-screw type) are more secure to the die body, but I find that the die often loosens slightly as I use it, and I don't always notice right away. My Lee dies never come loose when I use them properly.

ymmv, just my $.02, etc.

Sorry - tried to edit previous post and missed.

Love the collet and factory crimp dies.

As others above, I have had good luck with Lee Dies... I usually have purchased the combo with the neck sizing die in there also.... I use their universal decapping dies to deprime all of my cases first....

While RCBS was originally my primary dies, being available locally and reasonably priced... I have die sets for all of my calibers from RCBS...

But after ordering some Lee dies... I have purchased a set of those in many of the same calibers....Sometimes the Lee's are better to use in some situations than the RCBS.....

They make great back up dies also, if you have to send a Die Back to RCBS for something the reloader messed up at the bench and can't fix... as I am periodically guilty of...

Their $10.00 really great buy dies... Well I have a set of each one of those for all of my major caliber needs... At $10.00 a set, how cheap of backup is that? Cheaper than a box of bullets... even a cheap box of bullets these days....

The only two dies that I have some of, that I don;t care for are Hornady and Forrester.... Both are too funky for my tastes after getting taught on RCBS dies....

cheers
seafire

Have a lot of them ,but replacing a primer knockout pin or resetting the expander hight is a real pain in the butt compared to other dies. Other than that and the "O" ring nut locking feature they serve a purpose. roger

I like a lee die more than an rcbs. took me a long time to buy something other than rcbs because of availability. i am a compulsive person who is not much on mail order. have since gone the way of forster products and am a better person.

I use Lee, Hornady, and RCBS. Of the three I like Hornady the best, rcbs the least, that being said whether it's coincidence or not I don't know, the most accurate calibres I have all use the lee dies.