LEE LOADING EQUIPMENT OVERVIEW AND MODIFICATIONS by SSL

LEE LOADING EQUIPMENT OVERVIEW AND MODIFICATIONS

by SingleShotLover

I 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 shoulderjust 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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