Lee Collet Dies

[slickrem]

My dilemma with the LCD

Over the years adjusting the LCD has been fruitless, until recently. I read from another forum what to do about it.

Place a washer over the case on the sell holder to prevent the mandrel from making contact with the base of the case preventing the collet from closing enough on the case neck. Another guy off another forum said just put a spacer under the cap of the die. But that wouldn't work, so I thought about it and put a small washer between the mandrel, under the small lip of the mandrel and the collet sleeve. Works great. I contacted Lee and they are sending me out a new mandrel after telling them about the lip on top of the mandrel isn't thick enough to prevent the mandrel from staying away from the case head that prevents the collet to close enough, sizing enough. So all you guys who've been struggling or hung up the LCD, there is hope. For all you fraternity guys with your high end gear, disregard !

 

[RL338]

Could you describe the issue you are having?
Lack of neck tension?
I use LCD in a lot of cartridges with great results.

 

[slickrem]

Could you describe the issue you are having?
Lack of neck tension?
I use LCD in a lot of cartridges with great results.

yes lack of neck tension. .30-06 supposed to be .330 OD want .002 for fire forming. Got a .307 mandrel for .001 NT was getting .332 .331. One thing I could add to the above OP.. I marked the bottom of the mandrel so I know it's making contact with the case head preventing the collet from closing enough to size.

 

[RL338]

Lee makes an undersize mandrel for popular calibers.

Lee Collet Neck Sizer Die Undersize Mandrel 3035 Diameter

The undersized mandrel is designed to work with the Lee collet dies. When delivered from the factory, the collet die will grip the bullet with a...

www.midwayusa.com

For Lee collet dies to work you need to ANNEAL your brass. Work harden brass just springs back. When annealed you can feel the collet close and compress the neck. The worst thing to do with the die is run the press up and close the collet with no case in it. Periodically I take the collet out and open up the slots in the collet with a flat screwdriver and apply a light film of grease on the top of collet.

 

[RL338]

yes lack of neck tension. .30-06 supposed to be .330 OD want .002 for fire forming. Got a .307 mandrel for .001 NT was getting .332 .331. One thing I could add to the above OP.. I marked the bottom of the mandrel so I know it's making contact with the case head preventing the collet from closing enough to size.

For my 30-06 I use the LCD and Redding body die.
Also you don’t want the cap tight on top. Tighten it and then back of some so that everything isn’t bound up tight inside.

 

[slickrem]

Lee makes an undersize mandrel for popular calibers.

Lee Collet Neck Sizer Die Undersize Mandrel 3035 Diameter

The undersized mandrel is designed to work with the Lee collet dies. When delivered from the factory, the collet die will grip the bullet with a...

www.midwayusa.com

For Lee collet dies to work you need to ANNEAL your brass. Work harden brass just springs back. When annealed you can feel the collet close and compress the neck. The worst thing to do with the die is run the press up and close the collet with no case in it. Periodically I take the collet out and open up the slots in the collet with a flat screwdriver and apply a light film of grease on the top of collet.

I did anneal the brass along with the spacer. The spacer works but annealing finished it. I'm aware of dry sizing without a case in the die yes. I had to open up the collet recently but I use a case in a bench vice and do it gently. Works better and doesn't score the slots.

 

[slickrem]

For my 30-06 I use the LCD and Redding body die.
Also you don’t want the cap tight on top. Tighten it and then back of some so that everything isn’t bound up tight inside.

Yes I use a redding body die too. I bought a new sleeve and collet. The new collet is pretty tight. I see the cap being loose would have solved the problem, yah DUH

 

[RL338]

If you are using an 30-06 LCD you don’t need a spacer. A spacer would be used on an 30-06 case in an 308 LCD to make up for the added case length.

 

[slickrem]

If you are using an 30-06 LCD you don’t need a spacer. A spacer would be used on an 30-06 case in an 308 LCD to make up for the added case length.

I need a spacer. Lee is sending me a new mandrel. The lip on top of the mandrel isn't that protrude up enough and the reason the collet doesn't close enough.

 

[RL338]

I guess that’s a new to me. I never had any issues with LCDs. Hopefully the new mandrel works for you.

 

[slickrem]

I guess that’s a new to me. I never had any issues with LCDs. Hopefully the new mandrel works for you.

A loose cap would have solved that problem !! Lee doesn't tell you that though, thanks for the tip !

 

[slickrem]

For my 30-06 I use the LCD and Redding body die.
Also you don’t want the cap tight on top. Tighten it and then back of some so that everything isn’t bound up tight inside.

do you get better concentricity numbers with a floating mandrel ?

 

[RL338]

do you get better concentricity numbers with a floating mandrel ?

Never really checked it because the little ridges left from the die would have the needle go crazy on my concentricity gauge.

 

[slickrem]

Never really checked it because the little ridges left from the die would have the needle go crazy on my concentricity gauge.

I have to polish my collet inside, rid those collet slot marks. No marks on the brass at all.
Inside the cap there's a step for the mandrel to rise up in. Guess it's not enough. Funny things is the caps are generic. I asked the customer service rep and she told me that.

I don't think a loose cap would do me good. I cam over slightly.

Update

Drilling the recess in the aluminum cap fixes any die adjustment

 

[Alderman]

Got a LCD for 338 Win Mag.
First use crushed case. Second use crushed case. Disassembled and everything looked good to me.
Reassembled and another try, another crushed case.
It was then I discovered they sent me a 300 Win Mag die in a 338 Win Mag box.

I haven’t had any other issues with them and they seem to work fine for my application which is making hunting ammo.