| Tech Tips |
LEE LOADING EQUIPMENT OVERVIEW AND MODIFICATIONSby SingleShotLoverI have noted with some interest the increasing number of comments and
inquiries concerning Lee Reloading equipment. Since my own opinion is that they
offer a good line of inexpensive and reliable products and have used many of
them, I thought a few tips and modifications that I have used successfully
through the years might be in order. I will discuss only those products
with which I have had direct experience, since to do otherwise would be
speculation and unfair to the manufacturer.
As with most of my posts, this one got a little out of hand as to length.
Hopefully it contains some information that may help someone.
Dies
Lee Loading dies are adequate for most uses when confined to the average
handgun calibers. Of particular interest and value are the Factory Crimp Die
series they offer for applying the crimp to these cartridges as a last step.
These dies have a unique feature in that they actually perform a final, overall,
sizing of the completed cartridge as it is removed from the die. This
is a great feature that eliminates the case "wrinkles" or bulges that occur when
a loader gets a bit too over zealous with the crimp application. (Of course the
die should be set to not cause these defects anyway, but a final "quality" check
never hurts.) These dies are correctly offered with roll crimps for revolver and
other rimmed cartridges and taper crimps for semi-auto and "rimless" cartridges
which require headspacing on the case mouth.
In the realm of rifle dies, I am a bit indifferent to Lee's offerings. For
very little more cost, I feel the Hornady Custom Grade Dimension die series is a
quite a bit better finished and machined. At around $23 a set for most rifle
calibers, they are a great buy. (My opinion only....everyone has
favorites.)
The exception to the above is Lee's Collet Die sets. These nifty dies size
the case by constricting collet arms around the exterior of the case neck and
"ironing" the neck to a minimum dimension mandrel located inside. These do a
remarkable job of turning out accurate and dimensionally correct cases. The
downfall of this system is that, since the body and shoulder of the case is left
untouched, eventually case shoulders "grow" to the point that they will no
longer chamber in the rifle. At this point, a full-length sizing with another
die is required. (Do remember that unless a cartridge is full-length
resized-regardless of the die type-it is best used in the rifle in which it was
originally fired due to chamber dimension differences.)
The method that I use for bottle-neck rifle cartridges utilizes a standard
full-length sizing die adjusted to just barely "kiss" the shoulder of a fired
case. This method sizes the majority of the neck and "trues" the case body while
bumping the shoulder just enough to make sure it doesn't advance enough
to interfere with chambering. This allows me to have the best fit in my chamber
through-out the life of the cases without having to lose that fit to occasional
full-length sizing.
On the subject of dies, no matter what press you use,
there is one step any accuracy buff should take. Once you have adjusted your
dies (sizing, de-priming, seating) and before locking the
rings, using enough flat washers to fit between the shell holder and
die mouth, run the ram fully up to place strain on the die. While holding this
pressure, lock your die rings. The reason for this is that die threads are
coarse. Coarse threads don't allow for perfect alignment unless forced into
position. The pressure from the ram/washer/die combination forces all parts to
be aligned as closely as possible for much more concentric loaded rounds. I
usually keep a handful of "fender" washers, available at any hardware store, on
hand just for this purpose.
Case Trimmers
Lee Case Trimmers are a bit more labor intensive than bench-mounted types,
but are fully up to the task. The biggest benefit is that you do not need to
haul out the calipers to determine the optimal case length. The dedicated cutter
guides are designed for minimum length for a wide variety of cases. Insert a
case in the holder, make a pass with the appropriate guide and cutter and you
are done. If it cuts brass, it's too long; if it doesn't cut, your case is fine.
Simple, and a nice engineering job.
Priming Tools
It would be hard to beat Lee's Auto Primer. This handheld tool stores a
quantity of primers in a tray for automatic feeding and can be changed with the
addition of the optional Shell Holder Set to work with virtually any cartridge
and primer size. In use, a case is inserted into the holder and the primer is
seated with hand pressure only. This method is far superior to priming
on a press since it allows you to feel the primer "seat" without flattening it
due to over pressure. It also allows you to instantly feel if a primer pocket is
enlarged and is the perfect moment to hand inspect each case for safety. I never
use the priming system incorporated into the presses anymore since it is just
too imprecise.
Powder Measures
Lee Powder measures fall into two categories; the "Perfect" Powder Measure
and the Auto-Disk Measure.
The Perfect Powder Measure is very nearly just that; perfect. Its wiper
action levels IMR or other extruded powders and eliminates the drag and
friction of cutting through any protruding grains; a major inconvenience with
the "drum" type measures. It is accurate, easily adjustable and stays adjusted.
The only downfall is that it can allow ball or spherical powders to
leak around the various openings causing a mess on the bench. For these powders,
I use an old Ohaus drum type measure.
The Auto-Disk Measure is rarely seen anymore. It still exists on the older
Pro 1000 Progressive presses and many are still in use, but better measures are
around. In use, you determine the powder charge you wish to use, check the
accompanying chart to determine the correct number of the appropriate cavity in
one of several provided disks and install it in the measure. This measure isn't
bad for smaller loads and flake powders, but leaks miserably with ball powder.
In addition, weighing the charges shows that the actual weights thrown are
usually quite a bit below the stated levels on the chart.
Two things can be done to increase the accuracy and dependability of the
Auto-Disk measure:
When throwing larger quantities of powder (such as 21 grains of 2400 for
.44 Mags) I was disappointed with the consistency of the charges. Close
inspection of the action of the measure soon revealed the culprit. The travel of
the disk was insufficient to drop all of the powder into the charging chute and
often left up to 1.5 grains of powder "hanging" at the lip formed by the angle
of the chute and disk cavity. If the press was bumped just right, this powder
might fall into the case; otherwise, it just stayed in the cavity and
dropped a light charge into the case. This doesn't do a lot for accuracy. (This
is not nearly as much a problem with smaller charges typical of .45 ACPs and
equivalent)
The cure is simple. Using a Dremel tool with a small grinding head,
carefully bevel the lip of the chute closest to the center of
the measure base to a 30 to 45 degree angle. Check that the cavity is
completely over the chute mouth at full travel. Finish up with
a bit of emery cloth or a Cratex polishing head on the Dremel to polish your
ramp to a mirror finish and you are done. Now, every grain of powder in the
cavity has no choice but to drop into the chute and end up in your case.
The powder cavities themselves can be "tuned" by careful trimming to throw
the actual charge that you want. Choose the closest match to your selected
weight then throw several charges and weigh them. If the charges are too light,
carefully trim additional material from the cavity. For small adjustments, a
normal chamfering tool works great. Remove material only from the top
(non-slotted) side of the disk. Work carefully and check the thrown weight
often. The old adage of "You can always take more, but you
can't put it back" certainly applies here. Once you have reached your goal,
remember that this is correct for the powder/weight combination you chose.
If you switch to another powder, the weight can change dramatically.
The Presses
I have used the Lee Turret Press, Hand Press ( a tong-press style),
Challenger ("O" frame single stage) and Pro 1000 Progressive presses. Of these,
only the Challenger and the Pro 1000 need a few touches for efficiency and
accuracy.
The Challenger is a strong, well-made press as it comes from the box, but
many have casting marks still apparent on the frame. This is not a big deal and
is a small trade-off for the price but could present a problem. Most that I have
seen have casting ridges running through the "flat" surrounding the die opening.
Maybe I'm just picky, but that ridge worries me from the die seating standpoint.
Take a fine cut file and holding it dead-flat against the flat surface of the
press, carefully work that ridge smooth. Your dies will seat better and your
adjustments will be more repeatable.
The Pro 1000 was one of the first of the affordable progressives, and can
still be serviceable today. Two modifications can be made to make this press
even more reliable and a little more trouble free.
The first involves primer seating. The primer seating stage consists of a
floating arm that travels full stroke when contacting the base of the press at
the bottom of the "return" stoke. As a result of the tendency of any press to
scatter spent primers, they often end up trapped between the base and the shell
plate, restricting the travel of the priming arm and causing the new primer to
not be seated completely. A shim or washer glued to the base at the point where
the primer arm contacts it causes the arm to move a bit earlier without regard
for spent primers preventing the shell plate from "bottoming out". This will
dramatically cut down on your "high" primer count.
The second modification would be to the case ejector arm. This thin piece
of spring steel wire could have been designed just a little better. Its purpose
is to slide the loaded round out of its slot causing it to drop into the loaded
round chute. Unfortunately, most of the time it slides the round out a little
late in the cycle and causes it to hang-up in the chute. This can actually cause
the loaded round to be trapped between the carrier and the die plate on the next
press action, denting the case and stopping the action. Replace this wire with
one made from a good-sized stainless steel fishhook cut to size and with the
majority of the curve and point removed. Install the hook with the remainder of
the curve turning inwards so that the loaded round encounters the curvature,
gently starting it on its way out of the shell-holder as it revolves. Careful
trial and error will allow you to adjust both the amount of curvature and the
timing of the contact to enable the loaded round to drop cleanly into the chute
just a tick earlier than the original wire did, eliminating hang-ups.
You should also make sure that the laoded round chute is kept clean to
eliminate the cartridges from sticking rahther than sliding freely down. I
routinely apply silicon to the surface after cleaning to provide a good slick
surface.
Lee products are great values for the money. They have done much to
encourage newcomers to the art of handloading by offering good products at
affordable prices. As with anything there is no such thing as a free lunch,
however. In order to offer these products at their prices, a few minor problems
may need addressing. The effort is not wasted and well worth the labor.
Good loading and be safe.
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