Lee neck sizing collet die

[TackDriver284]

I have only used Redding dies in the last 25 years and heard good things about the Lee collet die which squeezes the neck onto a precision mandrel. It's something I would like to try but I have a couple of questions,,,can I fully size ( Redding Type S ) the fired brass without a bushing and then use a Lee neck sizing die afterwards?

Would the mandrel perfect the necks better than just a bushing? Since the bushing perfects the outside of the necks, but not the inside, but the Lee mandrel would do both sides, right? The inside is what matters most because it is what holds the bullet straight to the bore axis.

Is this the die?
http://leeprecision.com/reloading-dies/ ... -die-only/

 

[RL338]

I do alot of my standard calibers with the Lee collect and Redding's body die. Your type S full length die is basically the same as the body die so it will work the same. The Lee will give you your perfect inside but the outside will be based on how even your brass thickness is. My experience with the Lee collets is that you need to anneal your brass more often and the need for the undersize mandrel. I now have the undersize mandrel for all my collet dies and they work great. I wish they would offer more collet dies alone instead of 2 dies sets.

 

[bob_dobalina]

Tackdriver - that's the die I bought, I'm still playing with it. Before I really understood this die, I ordered a .002" undersized mandrel, now I'm thinking I should have ordered a .001" undersize. They come .001 smaller than your bullet, but you can get some springback. I'm going to try crimping too so I won't be worried about any bullet movement for bullets in the magazine while hunting. So I think the standard mandrel will work just fine for my purposes with a crimp die. I did break the cap trying to turn it down too far so I'm waiting on a new cap for it anyways.

 

[adccoyote428]

I have heard good and bad about the Lee collet dies, if the necks are too thick then you get torn up case mouths? So,neck turning is really recommended just as a Redding type / if your not going to,use the expander . I have Redding type s and I use the expander and seems to work well for me.

anyt thoughts on these issues? Also I have thought about turning necks , but too much a PITA ago set up and do for my uses, not a 600 or 1,000 bench rest comp guy like to shoot long range and hunt and so far what I have been doing as worked well.

So some are buying under sized manderels and others using the Redding type s just switch out bushing for neck tension? Is one really any better than the other in real world uses?

 

[TackDriver284]

I have heard good and bad about the Lee collet dies, if the necks are too thick then you get torn up case mouths? So,neck turning is really recommended just as a Redding type / if your not going to,use the expander . I have Redding type s and I use the expander and seems to work well for me.

anyt thoughts on these issues? Also I have thought about turning necks , but too much a PITA ago set up and do for my uses, not a 600 or 1,000 bench rest comp guy like to shoot long range and hunt and so far what I have been doing as worked well.

So some are buying under sized manderels and others using the Redding type s just switch out bushing for neck tension? Is one really any better than the other in real world uses?

I just don't like the expanders much on the full sizing dies with the bushing. I just use the bushing and rarely neck turn unless I am in benchrest which I don't do much of anymore. Just trying to smooth out little wrinkles on the inside of the necks, and I hear that squeezing the necks on a mandrel is better than an expander for a perfect neck. I mostly use the expander on virgin brass mostly.

 

[adccoyote428]

That is why I bought this for my expanding

 

[Nimrod84]

TackDriver284,

I can't comment much on the Redding bushing dies, but it seems fairly common to use a Redding Body die for correcting external dimensions and the Lee Collet for adjusting the internal neck dimension.

The Lee Collet die is known to leave marks on the external case neck. There are work-arounds such as polishing the collet fingers and turning the case about 1/8th of a turn and re-running the case through the collet.

I generally recommend people try a Lee Collet die due to their low price compared to neck bushing dies. If you do try a Lee Collet die I highly recommend using cheap / old or scrap-heap brass while setting up and getting used to the die.

adccoyote428,

Most of the issues I've heard with brass needing neck turning when used in a Lee Collet die is when the brass has had a lot work performed on them - AKA wildcats and or converted brass that doesn't fit the die very well. Or, it is to remove the marks that are often left on the brass when used in an unpolished die. Brass fired in a custom tight necked chamber need neck turning by definition and the Lee Dies wouldn't change that.