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I bought a Lee collet neck sizer die to use for my brother's 7mm Rem Mag. I have a bunch of once-fired brass from his rifle. I've always just FL sized cases and called it good but I want to get the best accuracy possible out of his rifle.
So, any advice on setup and operation? I have his rifle in the safe.
P
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~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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Thank you, very helpful. Anyone else? P
Obey lawful commands. Video interactions. Hold bad cops accountable. Problem solved.
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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The first thing I recommend is to ignore the instructions supplied with the die.
The second thing I recommend is to ignore whether or not the press you're using cams over at the top of its stroke.
The die squeezes the neck onto a mandrel, so for a given neck thickness there is a finite limit to how much sizing you can achieve. This die will need adjustment to suit different thicknesses of brass.
Raise the press ram to the top of its stroke. Thread the die into the press until the bottom of the sizing collet (not the die body) just touches the shell holder. Measure the neck OD of a piece of brass.
Run the brass through the die using a full press stroke. It should take no effort since if you're set up as described the die has done no sizing. Turn the die into the press about 1/4 turn. Run the brass in again. You probably won't feel much sizing going on, but give the neck a measurement just to see. If it's still nothing, screw the die in another 1/4th and try again. You'll may start feeling a bit going on as you work the press handle, and if so you'll be able to measure a little sizing taking place.
Rinse and repeat using 1/16th turn in increments for the die. You'll feel increases in the force required for the sizing stroke. Since you're measuring the neck after each pass you'll eventually find two increments where the neck didn't get any smaller. NOW STOP TURNING THE DIE INTO THE PRESS. Remember you're squeezing the brass against a solid steel mandrel which isn't going to give, so even if the press stroke didn't feel like it took very much force the neck is as small as it's going to get.
There's a learning curve to the die, but it isn't hard.
I like to run cases through the die twice, spinning the case about 1/3 turn (rather than the 1/2 turn in the instructions) between passes. This means the parts of the neck that were under the splits in the collet fingers on the first pass will get hit on the second.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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I steer people away from the instructions.
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Dipstick . . . The first thing I recommend is to ignore the instructions supplied with the die.
Bingo! The instruction say to screw in until it contacts the shell holder THEN 1 FULL ADDITIONAL TURN. This is garbage. You do this and you can collapse shoulders as a number of folks here have attested to. 2/3 to 3/4 of a turn will be your sweet spot.
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Once adjusted, the neck sizer lets you work very quickly since there is no need to lube the case. They are designed to produce less neck tension than a F/L die. Check to make sure the bullets are snug enough to remain in place. I once had a case where I could remove seated bullets with my fingers.
I don't have any belted magnums, but understand that after about 6 firings they will need to be F/L sized or discarded.
Be not weary in well doing.
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Good advice from mathman.
If you need more neck tension than the stock mandrel will allow, you can order an undersized mandrel from Lee. Option 2 - spin the stock mandrel in a drill and carefully polish it down with a stone or emery cloth.
Let's Go Brandon! FJB
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They are designed to produce less neck tension than a F/L die. Wonder WTF they were thinking on this? I run -0.002 mandrels on mine. I have a couple of -0.001 mandrels that will work with either a .308 Win or '06 LCD. Available for the cost of shipping in a small padded envelope.
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The first thing I recommend is to ignore the instructions supplied with the die.
The second thing I recommend is to ignore whether or not the press you're using cams over at the top of its stroke.
The die squeezes the neck onto a mandrel, so for a given neck thickness there is a finite limit to how much sizing you can achieve. This die will need adjustment to suit different thicknesses of brass.
Raise the press ram to the top of its stroke. Thread the die into the press until the bottom of the sizing collet (not the die body) just touches the shell holder. Measure the neck OD of a piece of brass.
Run the brass through the die using a full press stroke. It should take no effort since if you're set up as described the die has done no sizing. Turn the die into the press about 1/4 turn. Run the brass in again. You probably won't feel much sizing going on, but give the neck a measurement just to see. If it's still nothing, screw the die in another 1/4th and try again. You'll may start feeling a bit going on as you work the press handle, and if so you'll be able to measure a little sizing taking place.
Rinse and repeat using 1/16th turn in increments for the die. You'll feel increases in the force required for the sizing stroke. Since you're measuring the neck after each pass you'll eventually find two increments where the neck didn't get any smaller. NOW STOP TURNING THE DIE INTO THE PRESS. Remember you're squeezing the brass against a solid steel mandrel which isn't going to give, so even if the press stroke didn't feel like it took very much force the neck is as small as it's going to get.
There's a learning curve to the die, but it isn't hard.
I like to run cases through the die twice, spinning the case about 1/3 turn (rather than the 1/2 turn in the instructions) between passes. This means the parts of the neck that were under the splits in the collet fingers on the first pass will get hit on the second. Exactly what I was looking for, thanks. So all I'm doing to the brass is bumping the shoulder back and reforming the neck, correct? Do I measure for length and trim if necessary, or does this process eliminate the need for trimming? P
Obey lawful commands. Video interactions. Hold bad cops accountable. Problem solved.
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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Join date 3/09/2001
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No, the neck sizer does not bump the shoulder back. The collet sizer simply squeezes the neck back down. If you want to bump the shoulder you will need to use the F/L die or a body die.
Let's Go Brandon! FJB
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Campfire 'Bwana
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It doesn't eliminate trimming, but it does reduce the need.
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Mathman's instructions are on the money. He kindly provided them to me a few weeks ago, and my neck sizing has gone swimmingly, after first using the instructions with poor results.
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If you have not done so already, take the top cap off and check to see if the collet splits are free from debris and inspect the collet further for burrs and polish if necessary. Then apply a film of grease on the tapered surface of the collet. I use the grease that is applied to a chainsaw bar sprocket tip.
When properly set up it takes very little ram pressure to size the case, if you feel a lot of resistance....STOP and figure out the problem.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Mathman's instructions are on the money. He kindly provided them to me a few weeks ago, and my neck sizing has gone swimmingly, after first using the instructions with poor results. I'm glad I was able to help.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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If you have not done so already, take the top cap off and check to see if the collet splits are free from debris and inspect the collet further for burrs and polish if necessary. Then apply a film of grease on the tapered surface of the collet. I use the grease that is applied to a chainsaw bar sprocket tip.
When properly set up it takes very little ram pressure to size the case, if you feel a lot of resistance....STOP and figure out the problem. Solid advice.
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No, the neck sizer does not bump the shoulder back. The collet sizer simply squeezes the neck back down. If you want to bump the shoulder you will need to use the F/L die or a body die. Since I'm using brass fired from this particular rifle will I need to size the case except for the neck, or is the brass already in the proper size since it's been fired from that particular chamber? P
Obey lawful commands. Video interactions. Hold bad cops accountable. Problem solved.
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
Member #547
Join date 3/09/2001
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Campfire 'Bwana
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No, the neck sizer does not bump the shoulder back. The collet sizer simply squeezes the neck back down. If you want to bump the shoulder you will need to use the F/L die or a body die. Since I'm using brass fired from this particular rifle will I need to size the case except for the neck? P Let the rifle tell you. Size a few, make sure they're not overly long, then try them in the chamber.
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timely thread,
try them in the chamber you say, I should feel a 'crush' fit? if I do feel the crush we're good?
If the bolt won't close, what did I do wrong?
What are the advantages, and disadvantages with neck sizing?
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Neck sizing may be accomplished by several methods. Do you mean neck sizing by the Lee collet die in particular?
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