lee collet die. PROBLEM ?

[cjmac]

So i have a lee collet neck sizing die for 223 rem . But the decapping rod has a little bit wobble ... is this normal ? I was worried that maby it would not hit the flash hole, dent case neck from not being properly aligned, ...

 

[cjmac]

Well i guess you cant upload videos . I had one on my phone . Its pretty loose

 

[Medic505]

I don't use mine to decap because of that. I use a Sinclair decapper, clean and then size. The pin is easy to snip off with a pair of diagonal cutters and then file smooth.

 

[Hector]

I use 3 Lee Collet Dies, and they all seem to have a little play. Does not seem to cause a problem. Have sized at least 10,000 cases without a mishap. The decap rod seems to be rounded slightly to let it slip in the case mouth.

 

[stool]

lee decapping pin/rods have always been an issue with small cases.
very easy to hit and ding a case mouth.
simple fix is to spend some time with a file(lathe) and shape the rod to a round/tapered shape with little to no flat to catch the case on.

 

[37Lincoln1]

I don't use mine to decap because of that. I use a Sinclair decapper, clean and then size. The pin is easy to snip off with a pair of diagonal cutters and then file smooth.

You don't need to snip them off, you can pull them out and put them back in, if and when you wish.

 

[cjmac]

Well i mean it moves A LOT ! like 1/8 th inch play or better ,now that i really look at it. Its new from midwayusa . If they replaced the die thay want me to ship it back, then ill be paid 2 times .shipping cost more than the damn die. This is why i dont buy stuff online . This $hit happens every time .

 

[bigedp51]

Well i mean it moves A LOT ! like 1/8 th inch play or better ,now that i really look at it. Its new from midwayusa .

My collet dies move this much and its normal.

The Lee collet die mandrel by design floats and can move freely, also the case should be able to move freely in the shell holder. If the mandrel was ridged you would induce neck runout, and the same applies to the shell holder. If the case has no freedom of movement in the shell holder it will not self center with the die mandrel, meaning you need wiggle room. If your cases were fired in a AR15 the rims may have dings inside the extractor groove that can cause misalignment and binding in the shell holder.

Also if you uniform the flash holes it will be easier for the decaping rod to enter the flash holes.

The Lee collet die has less runout because the case rests flat on its base and the mandrel floats and self centers. If the mandrel doesn't float and self center it can become tilted and off center with the flash hole.

Study the problem, are you inserting the case fully into the shell holder, is there a bur or debri on the top of the mandrel causing it to tilt, are there dings in the extractor grooves of the cases.

Do not curse the darkness, just put some light on the subject and find the problem..........and if you have chronologically gifted eyesight magnifiers help.

 

[normmatzen]

bigedp51 Thank you!

I was going to say the same thing, but I wouldn't have been able to say it so completely and succinctly!

 

[cjmac]

That makes it clearer now, it was just that the decapping rod / pin didnt move around as much as the one for my 308. It had me thinking the rod was undersized causing it to wobble. I guess if it works dont fix it right ?

 

[bigedp51]

bigedp51 Thank you!

I was going to say the same thing, but I wouldn't have been able to say it so completely and succinctly!

Actually my two dyslexic fingers struggle with the written word and I envy postings like Boyd Allen's who is very gifted with the English language and his postings are very clear and concise. I paused and reread my posting three times making corrections. (I have a peachinspediment caused by drain bamage) ;D

My high school English teacher always said "think about what you are writing and do not write what you are thinking. It also helps to have a spell checker that understands Greek and Sanskrit. It also helps if you constantly ask yourself "how do it work".

 

[bigedp51]

That makes it clearer now, it was just that the decapping rod / pin didnt move around as much as the one for my 308. It had me thinking the rod was undersized causing it to wobble. I guess if it works dont fix it right ?

The top of the mandrel is stamped and is mushroom shaped, I lightly file or stone these edges to remove any burs that could cause the mandrel to tilt. All the Lee collet dies I have require removing burs and sharp edges, followed buy a little polishing to tune them up. You also need to make sure the collet fingers are not dragging on the mandrel and pushing the mandrel off center. You may need to spring the collet fingers open wider and make sure the collet and mandrel have freedom of movement.

 

[cjmac]

Well its not in a bind, with the doe assembled i can take my finger and wobble the decapping around a lot . I have video of it but cant post it on here

 

[Medic505]

I don't use mine to decap because of that. I use a Sinclair decapper, clean and then size. The pin is easy to snip off with a pair of diagonal cutters and then file smooth.

You don't need to snip them off, you can pull them out and put them back in, if and when you wish.

Thanks! I learned something .

 

[bigedp51]

I don't use mine to decap because of that. I use a Sinclair decapper, clean and then size. The pin is easy to snip off with a pair of diagonal cutters and then file smooth.

You don't need to snip them off, you can pull them out and put them back in, if and when you wish.

Thanks! I learned something .

Cutting the decapping pin off doesn't fix the misalignment problem, it just lets you "THINK" you fixed the problem. What you should be doing is asking yourself "WHY" is the decapping pin off center and what do you have to do to center it in the die.

For all you know the shell holder or brass could be causing the misalignment problem and you are blaming the die. If it was a standard resizing die and the pin was off center you would recenter the decaping rod and not just cut it off.

Headspace is also the distance between your ears and how you use it.

 

[amamnn]

--OR FOR ALL YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE USING A "c" or an "o" press the holes for the die in the top and the ram on the bottom might have been drilled off center or the mandrel of the die might be out of round or out of true and 97% of all this does not matter in a standard factory chamber/barrel anyway------because the tolerances of the rifle are WAY looser than the die--even a Lee die...........factory rifles are WAY better than they used to be when I started shooting, but they are not improved to the point where any of this really matters yet unless you have a blueprinted accurized semi-custom rifle and why would you spend that kind of money when you could get a built from scratch custom rifle for about the same money?


BTW--try spell checking accurized and see what you get--gunsmiths take note!!

 

[Medic505]

I use a Bonanza press so my brass floats.

Stick that in your headspace.