lee collet

[mjbgalt]

i would love to set my collet die up so i can neck size my .22-250 brass. however it's apparently beyond my intelligence level.

before it goes flying out my loading room window, can someone explain what it is that i am doing wrong? i am getting NO neck tension whatsoever no matter how i adjust it.

-Matt

[billy_56081]

HMMM should be super simple. crank it down till it touches the shell holder with the press all the way up, then lower your ram and turn the die 5 or 6 turns lower. Noe here comes your problem, I am thinking you need to use more pressure, it takes ALOT, then turn the case about 180 degreees and do it again. I also polish the mandrel on my collets dies as described in the instructions. The collet dies take ALOT od pressure to work. I said it twice and emphasized it so you get the idea how much pressure it takes.

[stimpylu32]

Matt

Have you watched the Video on the Lee web site yet , sounds like your not putting enough pressure on the case for the die to work properly .

http://www.leeprecision.com/html/HelpVideos/video.html

Richard

[gary0529]

Don't pitch it out the window just yet.
Do as Billy and Stimpy suggested- give that die a good 4 or 5 turns AFTER she touches the shellholder and then LAY into it.
I actually beefed up the reloading bench just to insure that the pressure exerted when I use the collet dies I don't break the 2x4 the press is bolted to.
Also rotate the case like Stimpy says - it seems to iron out the run-out to a minimum.

Remember, just push down as hard as you can and then a little more to get it then you can adjust your technique.

Gary

[Catfish]

The guys are all right, and that`s 1 reason I don`t like them.

[mjbgalt]

i hear ya on that one. my bench is makeshift for now and it probably won't take much of that shoving and pushing.

i am just going to back out my full size die and neck size that way for now.

thanks, guys, for not making me think i was nuts.

-Matt

[OR-E-Gun Bill]

What kind of press are you guys using?

I've used the LEE collet die for 5 different rifles calibers in my old style LEE Challenger press and have never experienced the problems described here. One turn after contacting the shell holder, just as the instructions indicate, has always worked for me.


Bill

[LaOtto222]

This has been my experience - Evidently I can put more pressure on mine than some of you other guys. I tore the treads completely off of the aluminum cap that holds the collet in, by putting too much pressure on the press. I decided they made it out of aluminum to prevent someone like me from tearing up their press with too much pressure. I have found that the mandrel is not always sized correctly. When it is down to the size needed, it does not take much pressure at all to squeeze it down, I can feel the neck give. My 223 does just fine. My 22 Hornet would barely hold a bullet. Some bullets would hold a little and some I could pull out with my fingers - until I turned down the mandrel.

[jgalar]

I use them for quite a few calibers and never had a problem or had to use excessive force either?

[351 power]

my .223 rem collet works fine. my 6mm rem should be an olympic event. and i'm getting no sizing at all tonite. measured the mandrel to .241. is that ok? the case necks are .244 inside. how do you use the full length die to neck size?

[LaOtto222]

To use a full length size die to neck size - Depends on the cartridge. If it has quite a bit of body taper, like a 30-30 or a 22 Hornet, then you just need to back off a full turn. Run your press ram up all the way, then screw down the sizing die until it touches the case holder. Back off 1 full turn and set the die. You will not push the shoulder back (or shouldn't unless there is excess head space) and barely touch the case body. If you have a chamber that is really big, you could back off two full turns. For a case with less body taper to it like an AI. There is very little body taper to it. You will squeeze the body down some, even if you back off 2 or 3 turns, but it will not bump back the shoulder.

When I use this method to size necks with, I try to have the expander ball "float" (with some dies you can do this with and some you can't). I do not tighten it up in the die and let it find the neck center when extracting it back out. Then it will expand with out pulling the neck out of center, keeping the neck as concentric as possible. Good Shooting and Good Luck.