Lee collet die fail

[moe africa]

Hi all
I recently got myself a lee collet die and I set it up exactly as per the instruction
Yet as i push the handle of my downward the decaping mandrel pops the end cap off and no sizing takes place

 

[Rocketvapor]

The end cap is threaded aluminum.
Push down HARD on the press and the die strips out the threads.
The cone pieces contact the shell plate. Push them up and the top pops off.
Just think what would happen if the cap was threaded STEEL.
Lee might send you another cap for free if it won't thread back on.

It actually takes very little force to size down the neck. Go slow and you can feel when to stop.
It's like finger pressure to compress the cone. Maybe two fingers to compress the cone and size a neck.

Pressing tooo hard is a common fault when using the collet die. Set if up so you feel the cone fingers compress.

 

[Rocketvapor]

With my modified LCD (mentioned in one of your other threads) I did have to grind off the decapping pin and shorten the mandrel when I shortened the cone base to size 22 Nosler in a .223 die.
Lee wanted $$$ to custom make a 22N die.
So many folks use the die incorrectly. A shell case should go inside without drag, fit in the space inside the die, and the cone fingers push the neck down to size. Use it over and over with too much force and the cone grooves, sticks and cases don't slip in freely. When you try and size a case with a stuck cone it crushes the shoulder. If you feel drag, going in or out the cone is stuck and it's polishing time.

 

[Rocketvapor]

Here's mine.


I use the undersize mandrel, sanded down just a little more. When sanding down remember to reduce the diameter of the mandrel below the sizing area even more so it doesn't undo the sizing when pulling out.
I use a battery drill and the mandrel flange extends in the chuck past the jaws to reduce the bottom diameter. Be careful not to sand off the flange.
The discoloration of the die parts is cold blue so I don't mix up parts with an unmodified die.

If you think your mandrel is bottoming out check it with a dab of peanut butter (or modeling clay) on the bottom and LIGHTLY size a case.

My modification was only to fit 22N cases in a .223 die (because I am Cheap).

 

[DLT]

Hi all
I recently got myself a lee collet die and I set it up exactly as per the instruction
Yet as i push the handle of my downward the decaping mandrel pops the end cap off and no sizing takes place

Search on here how to properly set up the collet die. Go easy and slow, Raise the ram and screw the die in until it touches the shell holder. Lower the ram and measure the neck diameter of a fired piece of brass and write it down. Place the brass in the shell holder and raise the brass into the die measure the neck each time, if no decrease in neck diameter screw the die in 1/4 turn and repeat. Keep repeating this process until the neck diameter stops getting smaller and leave the die set there. . You will not gain anything going further other than marked up necks.

 

[Eraser]

Search on here how to properly set up the collet die. Go easy and slow, Raise the ram and screw the die in until it touches the shell holder. Lower the ram and measure the neck diameter of a fired piece of brass and write it down. Place the brass in the shell holder and raise the brass into the die measure the neck each time, if no decrease in neck diameter screw the die in 1/4 turn and repeat. Keep repeating this process until the neck diameter stops getting smaller and leave the die set there. . You will not gain anything going further other than marked up necks.

I agree! the neck will never be smaller than the mandrel, no matter how hard you squeeze it.

 

[CharlieNC]

Look up old threads for Valentine setup for the Lee Collet die. As mentioned it takes very little force to size, and it's easy to overdo it and jamb the components.

 

[22BRGUY]

Also remember. the press handle should never reach the bottom of the stroke and
cam over like other style dies.
To partial neck resize you can place a fender washer with the inside hole diameter slightly
larger than the case diameter, down over the case to rest on the shell holder.

 

[Hohn]

I polished my collet nose where it slides to make it smoother and enhance feel.

All my LCDs have the decapping pin removed.

 

[jcm800]

Annealed necks size much easier with a LCD.

 

[Eraser]

In the beginning, I smoked the necks with a candle to see the marks left by the collet. It wasn't a whole lot of info, but it let me see what was going on.