lee pistol dies

[Link]

I did a search and didn't find info on this so -
I have 3 sets of Lee pistol dies and the brass sticks real hard on the downstroke in the die that forms the bell of the mouth. With a .005 bell. So much it shakes my whole bench. GGGrrrr. I have tried a little lube inside the neck and cleaned the dies.
Does anyone know a fix, or do I try to get a refund and buy something else? If it goes that way what is your favorite die set for pistols? I load 44 sp and 44 mag is there 1 set that will do both of these? I also do 45 acp.

thanks Link

 

[smoooth]

If they are Lee carbide dies (or any carbide dies) they should not be sticking that badly. That being said, is your bench sturdy enough to handle the forces necessary to properly resize heavier cases like .44 Mag? Are your dies properly adjusted? Does this happen with all 3 die sets or just .44 Mag?

Best of luck!

 

[jds holler]

I think I know what you're talking about, meaning that the down-stroke is the brass coming down from the expander die. (actually upstroke on the press handle?) The Lee die has the sliding expander sleeve, so it can be used as a "through the die" powder charging die. Mine are kinda sticky also, but maybe my loading table is a little more stable than yours.

In any case, if you're not using the through the die powder feature, I'd simply get the Lee universal expander die, and use it. -- Or plan B -- hit your necks with a little lube or graphite to fix the problem. With a shot of spray lube in a tray of brass, you would probably get enough of the necks to fix your problem. jd

 

[7tcu]

That is just part of what comes from using Lee dies. You just have to live with it. I have never found any solution to get that problem solved. I hope someone coms up with something rather that buying another die

 

[Catfur]

I have 3 sets of Lee pistol dies and the brass sticks real hard on the downstroke in the die that forms the bell of the mouth.

Drives me batty too, but it's a design feature. The expander bell die is designed to stick like that and shake the press on the upstroke so when you are using it in a progressive press the shaking shakes all the powder of the measure into the case.

 

[Link]

I have been reloading a little today and the thing I found most effective was flare the bell in about 3 short strokes a little at a time. [I tried lube and chamfering the id and that didn't help as much!] This makes it acceptable. And I guess it is the nature of the design. My bench has 4x4'' legs and 2x12''s for a top.
have a good night Link

 

[jonbearman]

I have never heard of this problem. Something isn't right at all. I would call lee and get one of their techs on the line. I can bell mouth my cases to the point that the flare is huge without any resistance.

 

[Catfish]

If you are going to be loading a lot of cast bullets get a set of Dillon dies. With them you can pull a snap pin on the top and drop out the everything on the inside without ever taking them out of the press, clean off the wax and reassemble. If you don`t load cast they may not be worth the price, but if you do they are the best thing since sliced bread.