Lee collet or redding S

[GSP7]

There is a bunch of guys that like the Lee collet neck dies. Im just getting into the bushing or lee collet die thing.

Most my dies are redding

I have not touched a lee collet, but what i have heard, to me its starting to sound like junk. Dont know ... Im leaning toward Reddings S Die. The collet is cheaper but I hear ya got to rig it with washers etc.

 

[bgjohn]

I love the LEE collett dies.
JM

 

[bgjohn]

The collet is cheaper but I hear ya got to rig it with washers etc.



[/QUOTE]

Wrong! I have multiple sets of these dies. You must keep the tapered piece lubed but otherwise with common sense they are fine.
JM

 

[JamesnTN]

if the most accuracy is what you seek then go with the type S dies. Folks use the Lee's as they are cheap but they are also not consistent with neck tension either. I have heard of some reports of some scratching the necks due to burrs on the collet where it's slit.

 

[memilanuk]

Most of the dies I have are Redding Type 'S' F/L bushing dies, so I can knock out two steps at once and not have to worry about whether I need to bump the shoulder back *this* time.

That said... I have a Lee Collet die in .308 Win. Actually, I have two. First one... POS. After a few,25 or so) rds it'd start feeling 'sticky' as the collet first started to close down around the mandrel. About two rounds later... it'd grab and shove the neck inside the shoulder, ruining the case. Since tearing the die apart and cleaning every 25 rounds or so didn't appeal to me, I set it aside. Tried all manner of suggestions... run it dry, lube it. Polish this, polish that. Do one thing or another. Nothing worked reliably. Figger it was a $15 lemon. Got another one... works like a champ, running dry/unscrewed with... neck tension appears to be extremely consistent, and the ammo seems to perform on target,non-BR) so far. One area the Collet die seems to excel at is handling Winchester .308 brass. Most .308 chambers are a little... loose, even most 'match' ones. Couple that w/ Winchester .308 brass,tends to be very thin), and you end up sizing down a whole bunch all in one whack w/ a bushing die. For me, that frequently results in unacceptable runout at the neck; Redding's solution is to use two or even three bushings... lemmeseehere... NFW. The Lee die does it in one pass... but you have to bump the shoulder occasionally as a separate step. Slightly less PITA factor. YMMV.

The Lee Collet die is another one of those things that Lee makes that is really a pretty neat idea... I just wish they didn't make it out of such chintzy materials.

 

[DanConzo]

Jim
I use the Lee Collet and Redding S dies in several calibers, and I get better neck tension with the collet dies--you can polish the fingers, buy oversized mandrels turn them down and polish to whatever dia you need, the mandrels are like the bushings on the S dies. Also all cases are neck turned. I put a different lock ring on the die with a setscrew. If someone doesn't neck turn- the collet die will usually beat other sizers for consistent neck tension. Just my experiences anyhow.
Dan

 

[ReedG]

GSP7:

I have six Lee Collet Dies, two Redding S FL, three Redding S NS, and a custom-made bushing die cut with the same reamer as my chamber in 30BR. I have never seen a die that will resize brass with better concentricity in neck run-out than the Lee Collet Die.

The thing I like about the collet dies is that the INSIDE of the neck is sized true to the stem; all cases have exactly the same inside diameter. Does this matter? Darned if I know, but it sounds good to me.

The other strong point of collet dies is no lube is required. I really like that.

The connection of washers with collet dies is if you only want to resize part of the neck. I went through a stage where I believed that you should only resize the part of the neck that actually holds the bullet, so I had a couple of different thickness washers to use between the shellholder and the base of the die. I no longer believe in that old wive's tale and now resize the entire neck of all my brass.

I have heard the stories about the "cheap" Lee dies, but have never had a problem with my own. I am planning to have Lee make me a custom set for my 30BR.

 

[bgjohn]

But what I like BEST about the LEE collett dies is that I don't need to lube the cases.
JM

 

[bgjohn]

Jim
I use the Lee Collet and Redding S dies in several calibers, and I get better neck tension with the collet dies--you can polish the fingers, buy oversized mandrels turn them down and polish to whatever dia you need, the mandrels are like the bushings on the S dies. Also all cases are neck turned. I put a different lock ring on the die with a setscrew. If someone doesn't neck turn- the collet die will usually beat other sizers for consistent neck tension. Just my experiences anyhow.
Dan

I agree!:thumb:
JM

 

[bgjohn]

I have 4 sets of the LEE collett dies. Two of them custom made in calibers 6mm & 6.5mm TCU. Cost? Only $50 a set. They make my life easier since I never need to lube my cases. My original collett dies are 22 Hornet and 223 Rem. I'm happy as a clam!
JM:comp:

 

[rasp65]

I have 3 sets and although marks on the neck can be seen I have found improved accuracy over conventional dies. IMHO The fact that it sizes the entire inside of the neck means that the dreaded doughnut is not a problem.

 

[jwv2001]

I've found that most problems with Lee Collet dies are that folks have not read or don't understand the directions. If you are getting scratches on the neck, at sometime or other you have raised up the ram without a cartridge in the shellholder. This causes the collet to close down too much. Just take the die apart and use a round shanked screwdriver to spread the fingers of the collet open just a small amount.
I like the collet dies for all of the reasons stated but the no lube part is the best.

 

[Alaskaman]

I've found that most problems with Lee Collet dies are that folks have not read or don't understand the directions.

Hi,
I agree ! 100%.
I´m a fan now !

Regards

Alaskaman

 

[Linefinder]

I own several sets of Lee collet dies in various chamberings. After I bought my first Redding S-Bushing neck sizing die, I quickly replaced all my Lees with the Redding dies.

Mike

 

[GSP7]

Now, How about the new Forster neck bushing-bump die??

 

[bgjohn]

I own several sets of Lee collet dies in various chamberings. After I bought my first Redding S-Bushing neck sizing die, I quickly replaced all my Lees with the Redding dies.

Mike

Why?
JM

 

[Linefinder]

I mostly shoot pdogs, so when I'm at the reloading bench I'm usually loading 300+ rounds at a time. It turned out that instances of the collet "sticking" weren't always immediately obvious. About the third time I'd found that the neck tension was loose enough that I could spin the bullet by hand in the neck was enough. Especially since I usually discovered this after I'd loaded a block of 50 or so.

While this didn't happen to large batches of ammo very often, it wasn't uncommon for me to find the occasional round in my ammo box with insufficienct neck tension.. I've not had this problem since switching to the bushing dies.

Mike

 

[bgjohn]

That only happened to me on one of my die sets,22 Hornet). I just pulled the mandrel, put it in my drill press and polished it down about 1/2 a thousand. That tightened the neck tension for me.
JM

 

[Linefinder]

Truth is, it only happened to me on my .223 Rem die. I had no such troubles with the 6mm Rem and .270 Win Lee dies. But, after I got the Redding bushing die for my .223, I liked it so much I went ahead and got them for the others. I also got the Redding Competition Bullet Seater for all three chamberings, but the Lee Dead Length Bullet seater that comes with the collet die is a good one, too.

Mike

 

[Tozguy]

I'm with Dan and others who look positively on collett dies. Collett dies rock for neck sizing because it bypasses neck turning and case lubbing. Clean cases keep the die working well for over 300 rounds so far and counting. I took it apart just for a look and everything looked clean as a whistle. The moly grease I use was still where it should be and not where it shouldn't be. When properly set up, the feel when closing the press is very good. To minimize ridges on the outside of the neck, just rotate the case slightly before a second run into the die. Neck tension is very uniform across the two brands of brass that I use.
Case stretch is virtually ZERO after 5 reloadings and still no difficulty in chambering rounds. Case necks seal to the chamber on firing every bit as well as with conventional sizing dies.
The concept makes a lot of sense because it works the brass as little as possible. Ditto about reading and understanding the instructions.

Jim
I use the Lee Collet and Redding S dies in several calibers, and I get better neck tension with the collet dies--you can polish the fingers, buy oversized mandrels turn them down and polish to whatever dia you need, the mandrels are like the bushings on the S dies. Also all cases are neck turned. I put a different lock ring on the die with a setscrew. If someone doesn't neck turn- the collet die will usually beat other sizers for consistent neck tension. Just my experiences anyhow.
Dan