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Old February 26, 2007, 03:13 AM   #1
dirty habit
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First time using Lee dies

Hi, just got my first set of Lee dies, deluxe rifle for 22 hornet. Ive only ever used Hornady dies before so am new to the lock ring on the Lees. Whats the best way to make sure they stay locked to the same spot each time?
The hornadys have a lock ring with screw to tighten up but the lees only have an O-ring, are these effective or am i better off to swap em out for locking lock rings??
Cheers
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Old February 26, 2007, 05:44 AM   #2
Dogjaw
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I threw the o-rings out and turned the nut upside down. I use a Dillon and the dies stay on individual heads, so I don't have to worry about this issue. Double nut or put a locking ring on is best in my opinion.
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Old February 26, 2007, 07:49 AM   #3
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I replaced all the LEE nuts on my dies with Hornady's. They rule!
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Old February 26, 2007, 11:02 AM   #4
Marlin.357
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I just hand tighten, never had one move.
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Old February 26, 2007, 11:27 AM   #5
mtnbkr
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I either hand tighten or use a crescent wrench. No problems either way. I rarely move the dies though, preferring to have multiple heads with dies set for a particular cartridge. Heads for the Lee Turret press are cheap.

Chris
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Old February 26, 2007, 05:16 PM   #6
DaveInGA
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When I first got my Lee dies, I, like you, was suspicious of the o-ring setup, but because a buddy of mine who'd never owned anything but Lee encouraged me to give it a shot, I tried out the o-ring setup and was suprised to learn they do the job fine and keep things where they're supposed to be. If you want them tighter, just use a wrench and tighten them.

If I need the dies a little longer, I ditch the o-ring and turn them upside down. To date, I haven't had to bother with replacing the o-ring lock rings for any other. They work fine. I encourage you to give them a shot and see how it goes, then make a decision to change them out if you wish.

Regards,

Dave
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Old February 26, 2007, 07:52 PM   #7
wicker
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I too wondered about the o-ring, when I opened my first Lee dies. The other dies I'd seen had a set screw, for what looked to be a sturdy set up. I couldn't see the o-ring doing the job. Boy was I wrong. Cinch that nut down tight with your fingers and she will stay put.
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Old February 26, 2007, 09:34 PM   #8
Dogjaw
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Quote:
Whats the best way to make sure they stay locked to the same spot each time?
I think dirty habit is talking about removing and re-installing a die in the same place each time, not just securing it...
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Old February 26, 2007, 09:55 PM   #9
wicker
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Dogjaw said
"I think dirty habit is talking about removing and re-installing a die in the same place each time, not just securing it..."

If that's the case, I would trust no system. I'd readjust and check with calipers (where aplicable) every time. Not doing so isn't worth the risk and it's what note taking is for.
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Old February 26, 2007, 09:55 PM   #10
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I order Hornady lock rings for all my Lee dies.
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Old February 26, 2007, 10:35 PM   #11
BigJakeJ1s
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No matter what brand the die is, all mine wear Hornady lock rings. The only ones with clamping action instead of a set screw AND wrench flats.

Andy
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Old February 26, 2007, 10:40 PM   #12
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Yep, set it and...... forget it. LOL
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Old February 27, 2007, 02:55 AM   #13
dirty habit
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Hey cheers boys. Youre right Dogjaw, im using a challenger singlestage press at the moment and loading for 4 diff calibres so im thinking i might get some hornady locking rings to be sure...i hate not being 100% confident i spose...
Thanks again for the input guys, appreciate it!
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Old February 27, 2007, 07:21 AM   #14
rogn
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indexing

Ive put a witness mark on the press and all the dies have a scribe mark to indicate indexing when installed. Dies dont move when ring is finger tight, and I can adjust in a second. I use magic marker for secondary indx marks, do the same on the bullet seating stem.
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Old February 27, 2007, 08:00 AM   #15
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I have a single-stage press and load for four different calibers. I found that using the Hornady lockrings on the Lee dies is the way to go... I very carefully set them up, lock the ring, and I'm set thereafter.

And, yes... I've very carefully checked to make sure they're still right after removing the die and reinstalling it at a later time. No problems.. they're right every time.
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Old February 27, 2007, 10:47 AM   #16
jdmick
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Quote:
Ive put a witness mark on the press and all the dies have a scribe mark to indicate indexing when installed. Dies dont move when ring is finger tight, and I can adjust in a second. I use magic marker for secondary indx marks, do the same on the bullet seating stem.
I do the same thing with Lee dies. I'm not sure which is worse, the rubber washers on Lee or the stripinasecond brass set screws on RCBS.
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Old February 27, 2007, 07:07 PM   #17
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Quote:
I do the same thing with Lee dies. I'm not sure which is worse, the rubber washers on Lee or the stripinasecond brass set screws on RCBS.
LOL! That's an easy one... the Lee ones at least don't move when adjusted properly... The RCBS ones all come loose after 10-20 rounds.

I still have my RCBS dies that I started with, but I have bought all new dies from Lee in the last year and have been very happy. I use Hornady lock rings on them... I buy 1-2 with every Midway order I put in... about half my dies at this point are sporting the lock rings, and the rest will get them sooner or later.

I actually leave the rubber washer on dies that I adjust frequently... It is very secure once adjusted properly, and faster to adjust than the Hornady ring. My 44mag bullet seater, for instance. But ones that don't get adjusted, like the decap/resize dies, they are locked in with Hornady rings after being adjusted once.
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Old February 27, 2007, 07:32 PM   #18
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Quote:
I replaced all the LEE nuts on my dies with Hornady's. They rule!
Yep, same here. The Lee carbide dies are fine, but the Hornady locking nuts are better than the Lee nuts. I think I only paid about $3 for each of them.
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