Those Nasty Lee Dies.

Muir

Well-Known Member
I loaded 50 rounds of 308 and 50 rounds of .223 yesterday using Lee Collet Dies. When I was done I ran the loaded rounds through my Hornady Concentricity Tool. I was really taken aback! Some of the loaded rounds had as much as .0015" runout! As soon as I can find a hole deep enough, I'm going to toss those dies into it and get some decent equipment.~Muir.
 
I loaded 50 rounds of 308 and 50 rounds of .223 yesterday using Lee Collet Dies. When I was done I ran the loaded rounds through my Hornady Concentricity Tool. I was really taken aback! Some of the loaded rounds had as much as .0015" runout! As soon as I can find a hole deep enough, I'm going to toss those dies into it and get some decent equipment.~Muir.

Yeah, what total junk eh?
 
I'm going to just fire off those rounds I loaded into the dirt bank and come home. It's too darned cold out to waste my time trying to put such crooked ammunition on paper.~Muir
 
I'm going to just fire off those rounds I loaded into the dirt bank and come home. It's too darned cold out to waste my time trying to put such crooked ammunition on paper.~Muir

Yep launch them into the refuse you bad boy...
 
I have no choice.

I hope others can take away a valuable lesson from this:
:Spend as much money on reloading equipment as you can.

:There is no degree of refinement of technique that will surpass the excellence of expensive tools.

: If there isn't a micrometer scale on your seating die you'd be better off just driving the bullets in with a claw hammer.

I feel so.... dirty.~Muir
 
I have no choice.

I hope others can take away a valuable lesson from this:
:Spend as much money on reloading equipment as you can.

:There is no degree of refinement of technique that will surpass the excellence of expensive tools.

: If there isn't a micrometer scale on your seating die you'd be better off just driving the bullets in with a claw hammer.

I feel so.... dirty.~Muir

I hope you are suitably chastised, now stand in the corner and recite 'the bench rest guys must be believed' until told to stop...
 
I loaded 50 rounds of 308 and 50 rounds of .223 yesterday using Lee Collet Dies. When I was done I ran the loaded rounds through my Hornady Concentricity Tool. I was really taken aback! Some of the loaded rounds had as much as .0015" runout! As soon as I can find a hole deep enough, I'm going to toss those dies into it and get some decent equipment.~Muir.
How does your ammunition perform? I wouldn't know how to use a concentricty tool but look instead at my grouping, here is an example that I shot at the weekend reloaded using the Lee Collet Die (apologies to those who have seen this picture before) atb Tim

12-E54DC450-1391966-1280-100.jpg100m 3 shot group .243 other boring details available on request
 
:Spend as much money on reloading equipment as you can.

:There is no degree of refinement of technique that will surpass the excellence of expensive tools.

Just printed off your reply to show my wife!
 
How does your ammunition perform? I wouldn't know how to use a concentricty tool but look instead at my grouping, here is an example that I shot at the weekend reloaded using the Lee Collet Die (apologies to those who have seen this picture before) atb Tim

View attachment 23752100m 3 shot group .243 other boring details available on request

Thats terrible

I used my Lee 6.8SPC dies & was getting .277" 1-shot groups
 
How does your ammunition perform? I wouldn't know how to use a concentricty tool but look instead at my grouping, here is an example that I shot at the weekend reloaded using the Lee Collet Die (apologies to those who have seen this picture before) atb Tim

View attachment 23752100m 3 shot group .243 other boring details available on request

I'm sorry you have to deal with such abysmal grouping. It's those damned Lee Dies!! The Concentricity Tool will accurately predict the accuracy level of any handload at only $129 US a unit. No handloader can shoot accurate groups without first certifying them with Hornady's tool.~Muir
 
How does your ammunition perform? I wouldn't know how to use a concentricty tool but look instead at my grouping, here is an example that I shot at the weekend reloaded using the Lee Collet Die (apologies to those who have seen this picture before) atb Tim

View attachment 23752100m 3 shot group .243 other boring details available on request

I'm assuming as you used Lee dies that's a 10" circle - you did well to hit it, it's probably 1 hole as the bullets went in sideways cos of those awful lee dies. It's truly amazing you hit anything!

I have lee dies - going to scrap them and sell some rifles and heirlooms to finance some more expensive ones as I can't possibly make accurate loads otherwise.
 
I'm assuming as you used Lee dies that's a 10" circle - you did well to hit it, it's probably 1 hole as the bullets went in sideways cos of those awful lee dies. It's truly amazing you hit anything!

I have lee dies - going to scrap them and sell some rifles and heirlooms to finance some more expensive ones as I can't possibly make accurate loads otherwise.
Ok I didn't make it clear before but I used a spare fun shoot target which printed out at around 24mm diameter, as for bullets going sideways I have never experienced that problem, I can only speak as I find, the Lee dies appear to be adequate for the purpose, however given your comments & Muir's I can only presume that Lee's have quality control issues with turning out a consistent product.atb Tim
 
How does your ammunition perform? I wouldn't know how to use a concentricty tool but look instead at my grouping, here is an example that I shot at the weekend reloaded using the Lee Collet Die (apologies to those who have seen this picture before) atb Tim

View attachment 23752100m 3 shot group .243 other boring details available on request

Did you cheat and shoot that group with a Blaser?

tis the only explanation..
 
Many years ago I started reloading using exclusively RCBS dies but over the years when switching calibres moved onto Redding dies. I have never knocked Lee dies as I have never used them but have noticed that theads started by people with a die or equipement problem seem to use the word Lee in their thread. Yes I know that Mr X (record holder) uses them but it still does not give me the confidence to buy anything from them - Oh tell a lie, I do have their chamfer tool (thimble lookalike) and to me it is the best chamfer tool going - especially on the small cases - not so severe as the usual Forster torpedo thingy
 
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