Lee Collet Die Problem

Reloading equipment, methods, load data, powder and projectile information.

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by Sergeant Hartman » 19 Oct 2019, 7:45 pm

This is my understanding... could be wrong... probably am wrong.

So neck tension achieved is mainly through the mandrel (and how thick the brass is) but small change to the tension can be made by how much the die is screwed in. But it is very fine window of adjustment for that part.
Sergeant Hartman
Sergeant Major
Sergeant Major
 
Posts: 1722
Victoria

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by Stix » 19 Oct 2019, 8:20 pm

Ziad wrote:This is my understanding... could be wrong... probably am wrong.

So neck tension achieved is mainly through the mandrel (and how thick the brass is) but small change to the tension can be made by how much the die is screwed in. But it is very fine window of adjustment for that part.


And that part is the part im at--& yes it is VERY fine...!!
The man who knows everything, doesnt really know everything...he's just stopped learning...
Stix
Colonel
Colonel
 
Posts: 3675
South Australia

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by in2anity » 19 Oct 2019, 8:38 pm

Just screw it to the shell holder, then add more until the collet takes up, plus a fraction more overcam. I don’t squish the rubber washer much - just firm. That’s my starting point anyway. Then you gotta polish the mandrel to get to your desired neck tension. You can do it in a drill, but a press makes it a little easier. Alternatively you can just buy undersized mandrels from the bay - I picked up a -0.002 undersized 308 mandrel from there, and it’s perfect for my taste.
At what point does lack of maintenance become patina?
User avatar
in2anity
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel
 
Posts: 3048
New South Wales

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by sungazer » 19 Oct 2019, 9:03 pm

If you were to not push down on the press arm to close the jaws of the collet tight on the case against the mandrel to size the case consistently. This is the way it should be done.

However if you were to not move the press arm enough to close the jaws on the brass to actually come into a consistent pressure on the mandrel or perhaps not even touch the mandrel. Well this would give you less tech tension but the round to round consistency I think would be very bad.

Only way to increase NT is polish the mandrel.
sungazer
Sergeant Major
Sergeant Major
 
Posts: 1525
Other

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by marksman » 20 Oct 2019, 9:59 am

the way I set up the collet dies is to only tighten the die down enough so that you cant pull the bullet when seated with your fingers
so start with a case being sized with the collet skirt only just touching the shell holder and adjust the die in till it grips the bullet and you cant move it with your fingers, I believe this is light neck tension, works for me :drinks:
“If you do not read the newspapers you are uninformed. If you do read the newspapers you are misinformed”. Mark Twain
User avatar
marksman
Colonel
Colonel
 
Posts: 3660
Victoria

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by Stix » 20 Oct 2019, 3:06 pm

Thanks guys... :drinks:

marksman wrote:the way I set up the collet dies is to only tighten the die down enough so that you cant pull the bullet when seated with your fingers
so start with a case being sized with the collet skirt only just touching the shell holder and adjust the die in till it grips the bullet and you cant move it with your fingers, I believe this is light neck tension, works for me :drinks:

Marksman--does this go for pushing one in by hand as well as pulling one out....?...(I can set the die such that there is enough to push one in, but not pull one out, or turned a fraction more into the press & cant either push or pull one in or out)...

-------------------

I shot some yesterday that i sized such that i just couldn't push or pull the bullet in or out by hand...

Interestingly, they shot ok, but not as good as loaded with wobble die... im guessing they have less tension than when sized with my wobble die, because they appear to like more powder...i only loaded .6 of a grain above the proven load but the groups look as if they are just starting to come together & could take more powder...(they might take up to a full grain more powder than the proven load)...
(the proven load shoots .25"...these shot .42" to .55"...)...

So a curiosity question....which direction would you guys take now...___...
Either further testing with powder charge until the groups come together,...?
Or...
Muck around with the mandrel to match the neck tension given by the wobble die...?

I hope you get what i mean... :)
:drinks:
The man who knows everything, doesnt really know everything...he's just stopped learning...
Stix
Colonel
Colonel
 
Posts: 3675
South Australia

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by in2anity » 20 Oct 2019, 6:11 pm

marksman wrote:the way I set up the collet dies is to only tighten the die down enough so that you cant pull the bullet when seated with your fingers


Stix wrote:I shot some yesterday that i sized such that i just couldn't push or pull the bullet in or out by hand...


I'll be honest, I've not head of reloaders deliberately targeting very negligible NT. The way I understood things (and perhaps I've been living under a rock :wtf: ); the tighter the NT, the more consistent your ignition will basically be (and potentially lower your SD). This is especially true for faster powders,where crimping can sometimes also help. Very tight necks does come at the cost of overworking your brass however - that's the catch - case life can be shortened. So you aim for the middle ground; as tight as you can afford to turnover your brass...

There's also the risk of set-back when you chamber your round if your NTs are very mild - I've had that happen, and it can really mess with your line of investigation...

Now if your jump-to-the lands is really small, your ignition will aided by this natural resistance. And some cartridges/guns are just inherently accurate, so you can afford to "lose a little" with so-so NT (but with a small jump to the lands).

Dunno, I could be completely off here boys - I'm basing this stuff on hearsay and personal experience... correct me if I'm wrong almighty gurus. :drinks:

Stix getting back to your question of "powder vs NT angle" - personally, at this stage I'd be focusing more on NT and less on powder choice. In my experience NT is a far bigger contributor to accuracy than powder choice. That and bullet choice. Many guns will shoot a variety of powders pretty much equally as well, so long as your NTs are tight and consistent, and the barrel favors a particular bullet. :drinks:
At what point does lack of maintenance become patina?
User avatar
in2anity
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel
 
Posts: 3048
New South Wales

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by cirles » 20 Oct 2019, 6:46 pm

Currently looking at this die as an alternative to a bushing die.

In answer to ‘Stix’ question of how do you know if you have the right neck tension, would you not measure the OD (outside diameter) of the case neck after it was pressed?

Bullet Diameter + Case Neck thickness (x2 [sides] = X, minus Tension Number desired (say 0.002). [& try pressing a bullet into the neck mouth just to confirm you have at least reached tension].

But the above would only be viable if the neck walls (neck thickness) remains the same. So does the Lee Collet die squeeze/thin out neck walls (do they grow in length? - have heard they even out neck thickness irregularities, so a potential alternative to ‘neck turning’ case necks).

Not trying to hijack the thread here guys, genuinely trying to get an answer for this neck tension issue with this die (hopefully something that can have a measurement attached, so repeatable reference point – if possible).
cirles
Private
Private
 
Posts: 56
Western Australia

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by marksman » 20 Oct 2019, 7:04 pm

Marksman--does this go for pushing one in by hand as well as pulling one out....?...(I can set the die such that there is enough to push one in, but not pull one out, or turned a fraction more into the press & cant either push or pull one in or out)...

yes this does go for pushing one in by hand as well as pulling one out
this is usually done before I start testing loads and what I am trying to do is make everything exactly the same so I have a scribe mark on the die and press so it is repeatable the next time, this is a part of my setting things up so it can be repeatable and consistent from the get go, being micro (anal or ocd) :lol:
TBH l usually find that when a good load is found anything I try after detunes the load, your proven load needs less powder because having more neck tension gives higher pressure, as l have stated plenty of times I like a smooth entry and release when reloading for precision so l always try for less neck tension even if l am using a light crimp to get a more even start pressure because I am jumping the bullet

:drinks:
“If you do not read the newspapers you are uninformed. If you do read the newspapers you are misinformed”. Mark Twain
User avatar
marksman
Colonel
Colonel
 
Posts: 3660
Victoria

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by marksman » 20 Oct 2019, 7:13 pm

So does the Lee Collet die squeeze/thin out neck walls (do they grow in length? - have heard they even out neck thickness irregularities, so a potential alternative to ‘neck turning’ case necks).

I have found these dies do thin out the edge of the neck and cause irregularities where the collet squeezes the neck
l dont see it a problem as the edge of the neck being thinner is IMHO beneficial for seating a bullet straight and the marks left from the collet are uniformly in 4 places around the neck and are more cosmetic than anything
“If you do not read the newspapers you are uninformed. If you do read the newspapers you are misinformed”. Mark Twain
User avatar
marksman
Colonel
Colonel
 
Posts: 3660
Victoria

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by Stix » 20 Oct 2019, 7:28 pm

Thanks Marksman.. :drinks:

So another question for you collet die users...

Is it worth trying to crimp theese bullets/204 cases to get that pressure back to the other loads... :unknown: ...or just re-adjust the charge for this setting...?
(I should first check if this seater die it came with can crimp i spose... :? )



Thanks Ciries--measuring these cases like that doesnt work for the fine tolerances im at with brass not turned for some reason..well no discernable difference anyway...ill try it again tho...

And ask away... :thumbsup: ...on the same subject is not a hijack--you might ask a question that gets answered & helps many out... :thumbsup: ...like silly ol' me... :)
The man who knows everything, doesnt really know everything...he's just stopped learning...
Stix
Colonel
Colonel
 
Posts: 3675
South Australia

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by Apollo » 20 Oct 2019, 7:35 pm

marksman wrote:the way I set up the collet dies is to only tighten the die down enough so that you cant pull the bullet when seated with your fingers
so start with a case being sized with the collet skirt only just touching the shell holder and adjust the die in till it grips the bullet and you cant move it with your fingers, I believe this is light neck tension, works for me :drinks:


So, what are you using these rounds for, target shooting.. ??

What happens when you push the loaded round against something like your reloading table, can you push the bullet into the case by hand..??

The reason I ask is that I have a target rifle (6.5x47 Lapua) which is very accurate but it's also a very tight neck chamber, .286 compared to say a "No Turn" neck of .294/5 so with 0.010" neck walls it has very little grip on the bullet. So much so that if rounds are loaded long the simple task of closing the bolt pushes the bullet back into the case so the bullet cannot be jammed into the bore. That's where it's most accurate rather than any jump to the lands. The problem I found is that in transport, rounds sitting up in cartridge boxes they can vibrate enough to cause the bullets to be shorter than ideal. Solution I used was to seat everything long and final seating before a competition shoot.

I would never load rounds for hunting/varminting like this as in my view they will change over time being transported so you will end up with rounds where the bullet seating varies. Now, using bushing dies I can increase the neck tension quite a bit but I loose accuracy. It's still not a lot of tension given the neck walls are so thin.
Apollo
Warrant Officer C1
Warrant Officer C1
 
Posts: 1327
New South Wales

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by cirles » 20 Oct 2019, 7:36 pm

marksman wrote:So does the Lee Collet die squeeze/thin out neck walls (do they grow in length? - have heard they even out neck thickness irregularities, so a potential alternative to ‘neck turning’ case necks).

I have found these dies do thin out the edge of the neck and cause irregularities where the collet squeezes the neck
l dont see it a problem as the edge of the neck being thinner is IMHO beneficial for seating a bullet straight and the marks left from the collet are uniformly in 4 places around the neck and are more cosmetic than anything


Thanks for explaining your experience regarding this marksman :thumbsup:
cirles
Private
Private
 
Posts: 56
Western Australia

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by Apollo » 20 Oct 2019, 7:46 pm

Stix wrote:Thanks Marksman.. :drinks:

So another question for you collet die users...

Is it worth trying to crimp theese bullets/204 cases to get that pressure back to the other loads... :unknown: ...or just re-adjust the charge for this setting...?
(I should first check if this seater die it came with can crimp i spose... :? )



Thanks Ciries--measuring these cases like that doesnt work for the fine tolerances im at with brass not turned for some reason..well no discernable difference anyway...ill try it again tho...

And ask away... :thumbsup: ...on the same subject is not a hijack--you might ask a question that gets answered & helps many out... :thumbsup: ...like silly ol' me... :)


Stix, if you remember way back when you first asked me for some help with a .22 Hornet I was using a Lee Collet Die and my procedure was to get the best accuracy out of the initial case form using the best neck tension I could get from the Collet Die to find the best powder load, then I went to adjusting seating depth from on the lands backwards for best accuracy then I went to using a Lee Factory Crimp Die on some of those more accurate loads and I reduced the shot group sizes by heaps with the crimp....that was with the Hornet which has very thin walled cases.

I tried the same trick with a .223R with not much success but I wasn't using a Lee Collet Die, those cases had heaps of neck tension. The most accurate rounds I can make for a .223R now come from using In-Line Dies with an Arbor Press and varying neck tension with different size bushings.
Apollo
Warrant Officer C1
Warrant Officer C1
 
Posts: 1327
New South Wales

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by cirles » 20 Oct 2019, 7:51 pm

Stix wrote:Thanks Marksman.. :drinks:

So another question for you collet die users...

Is it worth trying to crimp theese bullets/204 cases to get that pressure back to the other loads... :unknown: ...or just re-adjust the charge for this setting...?
(I should first check if this seater die it came with can crimp i spose... :? )



Thanks Ciries--measuring these cases like that doesnt work for the fine tolerances im at with brass not turned for some reason..well no discernable difference anyway...ill try it again tho...

And ask away... :thumbsup: ...on the same subject is not a hijack--you might ask a question that gets answered & helps many out... :thumbsup: ...like silly ol' me... :)


Sorry Stix, just some clarification. Are you saying if the brass has not been neck turned, measuring the necks OD does not seem to give a consistent enough measured result to indicate a usable reference point?
cirles
Private
Private
 
Posts: 56
Western Australia

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by Apollo » 20 Oct 2019, 8:07 pm

Stix doesn't have a special Neck Ball Micrometer so he can't accurately measure neck thickness, from memory I don't think he has a high end Micrometer to measure neck diameter (sorry Stix if my memory is wrong) so using Calipres the measurements are only just so so at best.
Apollo
Warrant Officer C1
Warrant Officer C1
 
Posts: 1327
New South Wales

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by in2anity » 21 Oct 2019, 11:45 am

FWIW I reckon you should really be chronoing when messing around with these sort of variables...
At what point does lack of maintenance become patina?
User avatar
in2anity
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel
 
Posts: 3048
New South Wales

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by Stix » 21 Oct 2019, 12:05 pm

cirles wrote:
Stix wrote:Thanks Marksman.. :drinks:

So another question for you collet die users...

Is it worth trying to crimp theese bullets/204 cases to get that pressure back to the other loads... :unknown: ...or just re-adjust the charge for this setting...?
(I should first check if this seater die it came with can crimp i spose... :? )



Thanks Ciries--measuring these cases like that doesnt work for the fine tolerances im at with brass not turned for some reason..well no discernable difference anyway...ill try it again tho...

And ask away... :thumbsup: ...on the same subject is not a hijack--you might ask a question that gets answered & helps many out... :thumbsup: ...like silly ol' me... :)


Sorry Stix, just some clarification. Are you saying if the brass has not been neck turned, measuring the necks OD does not seem to give a consistent enough measured result to indicate a usable reference point?

No...im saying the difference in measurements between loaded rounds, & collet sized case that i can just push a bullet in with, or just csnt push a bullet in is not discernable...atleast not eith my every day digitsl calipers...
The man who knows everything, doesnt really know everything...he's just stopped learning...
Stix
Colonel
Colonel
 
Posts: 3675
South Australia

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by Stix » 21 Oct 2019, 12:07 pm

in2anity wrote:FWIW I reckon you should really be chronoing when messing around with these sort of variables...

I have learnt the long hard & expensivd way with my magneto....

Chrono once ive got something that prints on paper...or i just chase velocity & never kill anything...
:drinks:
The man who knows everything, doesnt really know everything...he's just stopped learning...
Stix
Colonel
Colonel
 
Posts: 3675
South Australia

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by in2anity » 21 Oct 2019, 1:15 pm

Stix wrote:
in2anity wrote:FWIW I reckon you should really be chronoing when messing around with these sort of variables...

I have learnt the long hard & expensivd way with my magneto....

Chrono once ive got something that prints on paper...or i just chase velocity & never kill anything...
:drinks:


Yeah but it's already printing acceptably isn't it? I mean you seem to be at the pointy end; I just reckon chronoing in conjunction with accuracy measurement will give you more insight into what is potentially going on. Dunno just thinking out loud I guess - perhaps you're already doing this :drinks:
At what point does lack of maintenance become patina?
User avatar
in2anity
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel
 
Posts: 3048
New South Wales

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by marksman » 21 Oct 2019, 1:20 pm

Apollo wrote:
marksman wrote:the way I set up the collet dies is to only tighten the die down enough so that you cant pull the bullet when seated with your fingers
so start with a case being sized with the collet skirt only just touching the shell holder and adjust the die in till it grips the bullet and you cant move it with your fingers, I believe this is light neck tension, works for me :drinks:


So, what are you using these rounds for, target shooting.. ??

What happens when you push the loaded round against something like your reloading table, can you push the bullet into the case by hand..??

The reason I ask is that I have a target rifle (6.5x47 Lapua) which is very accurate but it's also a very tight neck chamber, .286 compared to say a "No Turn" neck of .294/5 so with 0.010" neck walls it has very little grip on the bullet. So much so that if rounds are loaded long the simple task of closing the bolt pushes the bullet back into the case so the bullet cannot be jammed into the bore. That's where it's most accurate rather than any jump to the lands. The problem I found is that in transport, rounds sitting up in cartridge boxes they can vibrate enough to cause the bullets to be shorter than ideal. Solution I used was to seat everything long and final seating before a competition shoot.

I would never load rounds for hunting/varminting like this as in my view they will change over time being transported so you will end up with rounds where the bullet seating varies. Now, using bushing dies I can increase the neck tension quite a bit but I loose accuracy. It's still not a lot of tension given the neck walls are so thin.


I will answer you talking about my 22-250 that is used by my young daughter and is only loaded using lee collet dies setup as I have stated Apollo

"So, what are you using these rounds for, target shooting.. ??"

no these rounds are not used for target shooting, I dont shoot comp, but l did shoot this rifle one day sighting in at ssaa little river next to the benchrest crew who watched my target then wanted to have a conversation about who chambered my rifle and what barrel l used, the conversation was cut short when l told them it was a factory $1000 ruger vt that l had tweaked and worked up loads for, apart from one of these guys who is still a great friend to me today the others just disappeared because l think there is no comparison for them between a ruger vs a custom action

"What happens when you push the loaded round against something like your reloading table, can you push the bullet into the case by hand..?? "

l really dont know, l would not push the loaded round against something like your reloading table and my kids are taught to look after their gear
and no as I wrote to Stix earlier you size till you cant push or pull the bullet in or out

"The reason I ask is that I have a target rifle (6.5x47 Lapua) which is very accurate but it's also a very tight neck chamber, .286 compared to say a "No Turn" neck of .294/5 so with 0.010" neck walls it has very little grip on the bullet. So much so that if rounds are loaded long the simple task of closing the bolt pushes the bullet back into the case so the bullet cannot be jammed into the bore. That's where it's most accurate rather than any jump to the lands. The problem I found is that in transport, rounds sitting up in cartridge boxes they can vibrate enough to cause the bullets to be shorter than ideal. Solution I used was to seat everything long and final seating before a competition shoot. "

I think you have answered that question yourself, you need to be having a good look at why when you close the bolt the bullet pushes back into the case ?
IMHO if you bullet is hitting on something that pushes it back into the case it can also make the round crooked especially with 10 thou neck wall thickness that l believe would be thoroughly annealed
l'm sure you already know about this but usually benchrest shooters size long so they can resize to the oal they want is because of bullet weld another alternative is to fix the reason your bullets are being pushed back when closing the bolt and load them long so that when you close the bolt it seats your projectile into the case and into the lands
l have only found a problem with rounds not holding there original oal (and that is with a tight neck at 0.010" neck wall) when l have used less than 1 thou neck tension with bushing dies :unknown:

the 22-250 l am talking about shoots 50gr nosler shots @ 3800fps, 1 hole at 200, it has a 4mm jump to the lands and a very light crimp

Image

my 22 dasher is a fitted neck @ .242" so my necks are turned to 0.010", it's a varmint rifle and loaded with bushing dies to the same neck tension
so that l cant push or pull the bullet with my fingers, same same
l do not believe in the opinion some have that it is just a hunting rig not a comp gun so it does not need the micro,
it's up to you :drinks:
“If you do not read the newspapers you are uninformed. If you do read the newspapers you are misinformed”. Mark Twain
User avatar
marksman
Colonel
Colonel
 
Posts: 3660
Victoria

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by Stix » 21 Oct 2019, 2:57 pm

I agree marksman...i dont know why some people feel such a superior level of acumen so as to dictate what level of accuracy i want out of my own rifles...

So marksman...should i consider crimping with my 22-250 & 204 loads now im using (well, trying) collet dies...?
The man who knows everything, doesnt really know everything...he's just stopped learning...
Stix
Colonel
Colonel
 
Posts: 3675
South Australia

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by Stix » 21 Oct 2019, 5:56 pm

Hey by the way Apollo..upon reading that back....thats not pointed directly at you...its just a general comment on my experiences...
The man who knows everything, doesnt really know everything...he's just stopped learning...
Stix
Colonel
Colonel
 
Posts: 3675
South Australia

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by marksman » 21 Oct 2019, 6:37 pm

Stix wrote:I agree marksman...i dont know why some people feel such a superior level of acumen so as to dictate what level of accuracy i want out of my own rifles...

So marksman...should i consider crimping with my 22-250 & 204 loads now im using (well, trying) collet dies...?


what works for me is to very lightly crimp anything that is jumped Stix, l did say very lightly :thumbsup:
l do this as part of the process Stix, l have seen it improve precision so l just do it, its not something l play with now just do it on anything with a jumped bullet
that 22-250 is jumped 4mm and it is a bit of a freak really, sadly it is a one horse pony and will only shoot the nosler shots with pinpoint precision
shots stands for "shooting hunting or target shooting" anything else l feed it is still under .05 moa but it hums with the 50gr shots :drinks:
l suppose you only need one decent load though :drinks:
“If you do not read the newspapers you are uninformed. If you do read the newspapers you are misinformed”. Mark Twain
User avatar
marksman
Colonel
Colonel
 
Posts: 3660
Victoria

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by Stix » 21 Oct 2019, 7:58 pm

Thanks Marksman...

Prepare yourself...Now ill bombard you all with crimp questions... :lol:

Actually...do their seater dies do it...? (The Lee seater dies i mean...)
The man who knows everything, doesnt really know everything...he's just stopped learning...
Stix
Colonel
Colonel
 
Posts: 3675
South Australia

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by Sergeant Hartman » 21 Oct 2019, 9:30 pm

If you get the delux die set it had the bullet crimper die.

I do wonder sometimes.... won't it be easier to pm marksman your questions...hehe
Sergeant Hartman
Sergeant Major
Sergeant Major
 
Posts: 1722
Victoria

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by Stix » 21 Oct 2019, 9:47 pm

Lol...
Im asking everyone...
And it wouldnt help others who want to know if its hidden info...
The man who knows everything, doesnt really know everything...he's just stopped learning...
Stix
Colonel
Colonel
 
Posts: 3675
South Australia

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by sungazer » 22 Oct 2019, 6:59 am

Not sure why you would go to the trouble of trying to do a partial or light neck resize and then do a light crimp. They can be different depending on how you do the crimp but I would go with a harder neck size first. Not a fan of bending the mouth of the case.
sungazer
Sergeant Major
Sergeant Major
 
Posts: 1525
Other

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by in2anity » 22 Oct 2019, 7:16 am

marksman wrote:what works for me is to very lightly crimp anything that is jumped Stix, l did say very lightly


I concur! My blackout needs jumping on all but the longest of 30-cal pills. When jumping it cetainly tightens up with a light crimp. That's on bullets without a cannelure. If they have a cannelure - I'll obviously crimp heavier into the cannelure. That's in conjunction with the use of the collet die (alone), no lube. Also, FWIW when I collet NS, I index the shell 120° twice resulting in a total of 3 clamps - supposed to help with runout.

In contrast, a crimp offers nothing to my (collet) NSed 308 (which is almost on the lands).
Last edited by in2anity on 22 Oct 2019, 2:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
At what point does lack of maintenance become patina?
User avatar
in2anity
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel
 
Posts: 3048
New South Wales

Re: Lee Collet Die Problem

Post by Stix » 22 Oct 2019, 2:03 pm

Thanks guys...

Thanks sungazer...why do you lean that way...?

So some interesting points of difference here...!!!... :)

What are the pro's & con's of crimping vs tighter neck tension....?...
Both obviously increase pressure...but ehat else...?

Smoother bullet release with lighter tension with a crimp...does that allow for a smoother release--is that the theory...?

:drinks:
The man who knows everything, doesnt really know everything...he's just stopped learning...
Stix
Colonel
Colonel
 
Posts: 3675
South Australia

Next

Back to top
 
Return to Reloading ammunition