Mandrel die vs Lee Collet Neck die

[DLT]

My review of the collet die in 6.5 Creedmoor.

Not worth it if you must do 100 cases where there is a chance that the neck will be torn off.​

Arrived this afternoon. Clean, sized and deprimed and annealed Lapua brass ($3.00 each). Tried the collet die on 6 brass but the 7th the neck was torn off. It's being returned.

Never had that happen yet

 

[DShortt]

Add to that, when I measured the neck of the 6 successful ones, they were larger in diameter than the ones going through the RCBS die.

I'm not there to see what you're doing so it's hard to guess. Either you are sizing the neck excessively in the RCBS die, you aren't applying enough pressure when using the collet die or the collet die is sticking/not floating freely.
Given that you had a neck torn off, I'd guess it's door #3.
Many Lee products require a bit of finesse or minor tweaking to work correctly. I suspect this is the source of most of the complaints regarding Lee.

 

[Chris Edmondson]

I've been fiddling around with the Lee collet die, turning it into an expander die. The design already performs roughly the same operation as a bushing die, reducing the neck diameter to a value suitable for bullet seating. This mandrel goes a bit further, it reduces the neck diameter to a value suitable for subsequent expansion. At the end of the mandrel is a stock Redding carbide expander button.

On sizing, the expander slips through the fired case mouth into the body cavity, the neck is sized down onto the mandrel by the collet, the expander is pulled out of the neck on the upstroke.

This is a proof-of-concept prototype which I've verified works as intended, and produces ammo safe to shoot. Whether or not the concept has merit is still uncertain, I need to make a few changes before further testing. If nothing else it'll keep me out of the strip clubs for a while .

 

[DShortt]

So.....

The thing I like about a bushing die or mandrel die is, there's no need to pull an expander button back up through the neck and potentially introduce a crooked neck.

What exactly are you out to achieve here? As I must be missing something.

If you're out to increase the inside neck diameter, why not make a mandrel that's larger in diameter?

 

[Mark611]

MY 2ct, I only use a Redding Body Die and a LEE Collet die! I have shot the best groups of my life with my rifles; I do not hi volume load maybe 60rnds at a time, my built 308win rifles barrels usually .5'' groups at 200m that's a half inch, and 1 hole at 100m 5 shot groups, but I also turn my necks and have the jump to the lands my barrels like, this is the best combo as far as dies for me and I see no need to change!

 

[Leo_B]

Not much love for the Lee Collet Neck die around here. It's funny though, that I see a lot of folks using mandrel dies as their final step to set their neck diameter. The Lee Collet Neck die IS a mandel die that also centers the neck and reduces run-out.
Let the beatings begin or help me understand what I'm missing.
Using these cheap Lee dies are working for me...

The word you're looking for is inexpensive. Which they are. But they aren't cheap. I'm team Lee also.

 

[old_heli_logger]

The word you're looking for is inexpensive. Which they are. But they aren't cheap. I'm team Lee also.

You are absolutely correct, inexpensive is a much better word to use here for this great Lee product.
Thank you

 

[Mark W]

I’ve loaded some great loads for .223 and .243 using a Redding body only die and a Lee LCD. I got away from it and went to bushing dies to eliminate the extra step more than anything.

 

[a1712]

Collet sticking. Unfortunately many times some of the die parts need deburring and polishing. I do that to each collet die I use. They work perfectly once that is done. Lee should really fix that issue because sticky collets isn’t uncommon.

Ran into that on my first .223 Collet Die. Polished, deburred, and resizing perfect ammo for the last 30+ years. Brian.

 

[Chris Edmondson]

So.....

The thing I like about a bushing die or mandrel die is, there's no need to pull an expander button back up through the neck and potentially introduce a crooked neck.

What exactly are you out to achieve here? As I must be missing something.

If you're out to increase the inside neck diameter, why not make a mandrel that's larger in diameter?

The mandrel floats, the expander button floats, in theory the neck is being coerced into expanding only. The Lee collet die doesn't require lube, not does the carbide button.

The $6M question is does overworking the brass by compressing it enough to expand it yield dividends on the target? Only one way to learn the answer.