Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
Articles
Latest reviews
Author list
Classifieds
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles and first posts only
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Reloading
Lee Collet Dies vs Redding S bushing dies
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Trickymissfit" data-source="post: 475946" data-attributes="member: 25383"><p>I was wondering when this subject was comming up! About 10 feet away is a near virgin Lee 22-250 set, and down stairs is the samething in .223. I had the lines on the neck as well, but I saw other issues. Nothing was round! This typical for a Hardingh Brothers collet setup (by the way the Lee Collet is really a Hardingh collet). Why? Because their intent is for usage with steel, and low tool pressure. Nature of the beast, and I've made a few hundred of them over the years. But in the case of the Lee body, the outter shell becomes the guide tube (or alignment tube). Where as the normal use of the collet is off an expanding arbor. When you build the collet you must grind the O.D. off an arbor to completely true it up after wireing out all the slots. The body has a pretty good finish, but have no idea to how round it is (this will bring in the next issue). The collet itself looks like it was run thru a nitride or a vacume furnace after finishing out. No big deal here as it won't shrink or grow enough for anybody here to care about. But did the qualify it after all the work? They did not on the two dies I have! Just the I.D. of the body. Collets are normally made from A2, and full hardened with no draw back (per the Hardingh Brothers patent by the way). That 62-64RC! Some folks (mainly Japanese) are trying to build collets out of D2 with a full heat treat, I might add. They shatter like glass. I suppose you could do them in O6 or even O1, but you'd loose strength and probably crack. I think if I had a lathe at the house, I could do some minor tuning and make the thing work for me, but think the lines are only going to get worse. The stem is a joke! And that would be gone instantly. First it dosn't follow the bore, but actually creates it's own bore due to rigidity. The nut would have to go as well. </p><p> </p><p> The Lee design is not flawed, but I think they left out steps to save money on the retail price. Also the compression (or expansion) of the design is somewhat limited. Where with a bushing you simply swap the bushing or visit the local Sunnen hone (I suppose you could also hone the bore in the collet as well with the correct fixture). As most folks here already know, I've never been in love with Redding anything. I'd simply love to see a Lee anything make a Redding anything look bad. But like most everybody else out there, I depend on a Wilson die for neck sizing (or a custom reamed die of similar design). I do lube my neck dies, but with dry graphite. Takes about two seconds to dip the case mouth in the jar (been doing that for about fifteen years now). If you happen to own carbide bushings, you don't need to (I ain't buying into that, but that's what they claim)</p><p> </p><p>My great bitch about the Lee die is the lack of adjustability, and that they needed another step in finishing them out. I've never saw a bench rest shooter using them, but seen more than a few using Redding and Forster dies (along with Jones and JLC's). I too will be running a test with .223 and 22-250 cases (I don't own the Redding bushing dies so keep that in mind.). If I get good results from the Lee dies, you'll all know about it, and bad as well. I'd like to try the cases from my 700 in .223, but it has a .246 neck (chamber), and the same in my Savage.</p><p> glt</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Trickymissfit, post: 475946, member: 25383"] I was wondering when this subject was comming up! About 10 feet away is a near virgin Lee 22-250 set, and down stairs is the samething in .223. I had the lines on the neck as well, but I saw other issues. Nothing was round! This typical for a Hardingh Brothers collet setup (by the way the Lee Collet is really a Hardingh collet). Why? Because their intent is for usage with steel, and low tool pressure. Nature of the beast, and I've made a few hundred of them over the years. But in the case of the Lee body, the outter shell becomes the guide tube (or alignment tube). Where as the normal use of the collet is off an expanding arbor. When you build the collet you must grind the O.D. off an arbor to completely true it up after wireing out all the slots. The body has a pretty good finish, but have no idea to how round it is (this will bring in the next issue). The collet itself looks like it was run thru a nitride or a vacume furnace after finishing out. No big deal here as it won't shrink or grow enough for anybody here to care about. But did the qualify it after all the work? They did not on the two dies I have! Just the I.D. of the body. Collets are normally made from A2, and full hardened with no draw back (per the Hardingh Brothers patent by the way). That 62-64RC! Some folks (mainly Japanese) are trying to build collets out of D2 with a full heat treat, I might add. They shatter like glass. I suppose you could do them in O6 or even O1, but you'd loose strength and probably crack. I think if I had a lathe at the house, I could do some minor tuning and make the thing work for me, but think the lines are only going to get worse. The stem is a joke! And that would be gone instantly. First it dosn't follow the bore, but actually creates it's own bore due to rigidity. The nut would have to go as well. The Lee design is not flawed, but I think they left out steps to save money on the retail price. Also the compression (or expansion) of the design is somewhat limited. Where with a bushing you simply swap the bushing or visit the local Sunnen hone (I suppose you could also hone the bore in the collet as well with the correct fixture). As most folks here already know, I've never been in love with Redding anything. I'd simply love to see a Lee anything make a Redding anything look bad. But like most everybody else out there, I depend on a Wilson die for neck sizing (or a custom reamed die of similar design). I do lube my neck dies, but with dry graphite. Takes about two seconds to dip the case mouth in the jar (been doing that for about fifteen years now). If you happen to own carbide bushings, you don't need to (I ain't buying into that, but that's what they claim) My great bitch about the Lee die is the lack of adjustability, and that they needed another step in finishing them out. I've never saw a bench rest shooter using them, but seen more than a few using Redding and Forster dies (along with Jones and JLC's). I too will be running a test with .223 and 22-250 cases (I don't own the Redding bushing dies so keep that in mind.). If I get good results from the Lee dies, you'll all know about it, and bad as well. I'd like to try the cases from my 700 in .223, but it has a .246 neck (chamber), and the same in my Savage. glt [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Reloading
Lee Collet Dies vs Redding S bushing dies
Top