lee collet body die broke

[SD669]

I was using a lee Collet body die to size some winchester .308 brass the other day and I somehow popped the cap off the die, stripping the threads off the cap in the process. This happened on brass piece 49 out of 50.. and I used the same action and force as I did with every other piece before it, fortunately I had a spare and was able to finish.
I set it correctly via lee's instructions and it worked really well up to point of failure.

is this a common issue with lee dies?
and what should I do in future to ensure this doesn't happen?

 

[MontanaMarine]

Re: lee collet body die broke

It's happened to me too. That aluminum cap plug thing isn't threaded to very close tolerance and the threads just sheared after a while.

I called Lee and they sent a free replacement. Now i make sure it is screwed in tight, to get as much thread engagement as possible.

That part really should be steel, but it is a Lee product.....

 

[SD669]

Re: lee collet body die broke

I know a lathe operator and he's making me a few replacement caps with a tighter thread tolerance, apparently these aren't the first one's he's made for a lee die as he said the same thing happened to him, I'll try that before I contact lee as it'll probably be a superior part..

 

[sobrbiker883]

Re: lee collet body die broke

I've replaced mine on my collet neck sizing die......

 

[918v]

Re: lee collet body die broke

Lee does not make a collet body die.

Lee makes a collet neck die, which requires careful adjustment if you set it to cam over. I adjust it so the press does not cam over by screwing the die way past the cam over point. That way I can feel the collet pressing the neck walls against the decapping rod/mandrel.

 

[polish handgunner]

Re: lee collet body die broke

It may be worth while trying a RCBS or Redding die set.

 

[918v]

Re: lee collet body die broke

or reading the instructions that came with the die.

 

[SD669]

Re: lee collet body die broke

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 918v</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Lee does not make a collet body die.

Lee makes a collet neck die, which requires careful adjustment if you set it to cam over. I adjust it so the press does not cam over by screwing the die way past the cam over point. That way I can feel the collet pressing the neck walls against the decapping rod/mandrel. </div></div>

it was the neck die, my mistake. I adjusted it in properly and it worked fine for the first 48 pieces of brass.. I can't explain why it did what it did.

 

[918v]

Re: lee collet body die broke

When setting up this die to cam over, you should only feel a slight hint of the camming action. Is that how you set it?

 

[MontanaMarine]

Re: lee collet body die broke

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 918v</div><div class="ubbcode-body">...I adjust it so the press does not cam over by screwing the die way past the cam over point. That way I can feel the collet pressing the neck walls against the decapping rod/mandrel. </div></div>


That's how I do it too.

When the cap threads sheared, it was easy to see on inspection that only the very tips of the threads were engaged, and had sheared off. It was way undersized. The replacement cap was reasonably close fitting and the threads get good engagement.

 

[HotIce]

Re: lee collet body die broke

Unfortunately though, if you adjust the dies like Lee suggests, you get very non-uniform (and typically low) neck tension.
I never broke a Lee Collet die, but yeah, the cap looks pretty weak/soft metal.

 

[gau17]

Re: lee collet body die broke

call them up. I got mine replaced twice for free. User error on my end. tooooo much tension on mine caused it to pop off.

 

[Fuzzball]

Re: lee collet body die broke

"I somehow popped the cap off the die, stripping the threads off the cap in the process."

That Lee neck die "causes" more problems than any other of its type, it has a moving part!

Dick Lee deliberately made that top cap of aluminum with fine threads specifically so it COULD strip out if we apply too much pressure. That prevents damage to the die body or press when we stand on the lever. Lee's directions give us a clue, "use no more than about 20# of lever pressure", or something like that.

We can't possibly get the necks smaller than the mandrel no matter how hard we push so we may as well stop at 20#. And that won't destroy anything.

Lee's collet dies are the very best neck dies on the market for factory rifles and un-neck turned cases, at any cost, IMHO. I love 'em.

 

[Clark]

Re: lee collet body die broke

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 918v</div><div class="ubbcode-body">or reading the instructions that came with the die. </div></div>

I did not read the instructions, and I broke an RCBS Rockchucker press with an 8x57mm Lee Collet Die.

The leverage at top dead center [in a over toggle mechanism like the Rockchucker] is infinite, making infinite force, minus friction.

RCBS sent me a new press with accessories, and a year later, changed their design.

 

[former naval person]

Re: lee collet body die broke

And the 20 lb of lever pressure may be enough or too much depending upon the mechanical advantage built into the press. Twenty pounds on a coax handle isn't the same as 20 lbs on a simple C press. JMHO

 

[918v]

Re: lee collet body die broke

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Clark</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The leverage at top dead center [in a over toggle mechanism like the Rockchucker] is infinite, making infinite force, minus friction.
</div></div>

But can it compress carbon fouling into a diamond?

 

[Clark]

Re: lee collet body die broke

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 918v</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Clark</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The leverage at top dead center [in a over toggle mechanism like the Rockchucker] is infinite, making infinite force, minus friction.
</div></div>

But can it compress carbon fouling into a diamond? </div></div>

When I make diamonds on brass at 1,000,000 psi and 2000 °C, I always wear my safety glasses

 

[5R Milspec]

Re: lee collet body die broke

fwiw I always polish the to mateing parts of the die,and then put a little grease on them.this will help to keep them from sticking together.that will sometimes happen.but to answer or help out with the main subject keep in mind of the 20# of pressure that someone else has stated.if you would like for the neck to be a little tighter just chuck the mandrel up in a drill and run some 320 over it and that will tighten up the neck.and if you have a rock chucker like me you will have to give the die a second full turn,so the it want cam over like someone else has stated.I love the Lee collet die.they have given me great groups with the 4 different cases that I load for.just keep a good eye on the collet part to make sure its not stuck.because if it is and you run a case in not knowing its stuck it will push the neck into the shoulder and mess up the case.it will look like its a headless horseman.trust me I've been there and it hurts to loose a lapua case.

 

[SD669]

Re: lee collet body die broke

ah... so the problem is I was using it in a rockchucker press?

I'm not knocking the quality of the die or the results it gives, since I've been using this die my ammunition quality has improved, this was never intended as an attack on lee products I was just asking what could possibly cause it or if it happens more often than I'd heard of. I'm aware all mechanical things fail eventually but I used the same pressure for the case it failed on as I did the first piece that day, and I wasn't really pushing as hard as some people seem to suggest. FWIW, I had a replacement cap made with a tighter thread tolerance and now it's working like a charm..

 

[Fuzzball]

Re: lee collet body die broke

"...I broke an RCBS Rockchucker press..."

And there are those who presume that can't be done!

Former Naval: "And the 20 lb of lever pressure may be enough or too much depending upon the mechanical advantage built into the press. Twenty pounds on a coax handle isn't the same as 20 lbs on a simple C press. JMHO"

Absolutely correct. Seems folks forget the great variabity in presses but no one set of directions can possibly address them all. Meaning WE often have to figger those things out for our own situations! Reloading is all RESULTS oriented, it's not simply a 1-2-3 lock-step thing.


SD669: "ah... so the problem is I was using it in a rockchucker press?"

Not exactly, collet dies work fine in Rock Chuckers. The "problem" is you were using a different press from what the directions were written for and presses do differ. They all do that, RCBS doesn't write their die set-up instructions for Lee presses, etc. As mentioned above, we have to work toward the desired results instead of doing things by the numbers.