lee collet dies

[motoxxx_ryder]

im trying to avoid 90 bucks for a redding type S if opening up a lee FL die works just as well.

I pulled apart the lee FL die and since it uses a collet type decapping rod setup removing that leave a hole bigger then the OD of the case. There is a small band that sizes the neck down so i wont have to expand much more then a 1/4 inch band of material. I may start with some large grit lapping compound and see if that works. will take longer but insure the die body is not damaged at all if i slip.

well 20 bucks and a die body has been ordered. no collet dies yet figure ill see if this works before putting the request in.

[bj139]

With all the talk about removing the depriming pin from the Lee collet die a thought occurred to me.

Isn't the alignment of the mandrel provided by the flash hole centered in the bottom of the case at one end and the center of the die at the top end.
If you remove the pin, you may remove the major advantage of this type of die, concentric alignment of the neck.

[NugginFutz]

By the time the sizing ball is back into the shoulder area, the decapping pin has long cleared the flash hole. Any lateral disturbances will have already exerted their influence, and the sizing ball will self center in the case neck on its way out.

[bj139]

These are collet dies and don't have a sizing ball. They have a central mandrel.

[NugginFutz]

My mistake. Posting on break with brain partially engaged.

A moot point where it relates to 6.5 Grendel, nonetheless.

[SDguy]

im trying to avoid 90 bucks for a redding type S if opening up a lee FL die works just as well.

I pulled apart the lee FL die and since it uses a collet type decapping rod setup removing that leave a hole bigger then the OD of the case. There is a small band that sizes the neck down so i wont have to expand much more then a 1/4 inch band of material. I may start with some large grit lapping compound and see if that works. will take longer but insure the die body is not damaged at all if i slip.

well 20 bucks and a die body has been ordered. no collet dies yet figure ill see if this works before putting the request in.

The expence of the carbide drill for modifying your full length die will essentially offset your cost of the S die. This machinist is of the opinion you would be money ahead to just pony up and pick up the type S Die as opposed to messing with a Good carbide drill to mess with a good full length sizing die & impose on a good buddy to alter your die.

You can only go to the well so often before the well goes dry.

BTW I do like the Lee collet die. I had a custom collet die made for my 1st bolt action Grendel & a 17 Fireball. For the life of me I fail to understand why you choose to utilize the collet die as a second operation as opposed to a 1st Op?

[bj139]

My mistake. Posting on break with brain partially engaged.

A moot point where it relates to 6.5 Grendel, nonetheless.

Nuggin,
Could you explain why it is a moot point in the case of the Grendel? Is it only not important for the Grendel but is important for other cartidges?

[bj139]

I had thought about taking a Lee factory crimp die in 6.5 Grendel and getting a drill rod in drill size G, which is 0.261", fashioning a pin by drilling or grinding, and using this to align the mandrel (drill rod) with the flash hole. Further thought revealed that the factory crimp die has a taper so it only crimps the edge of the neck and not parallel to the neck. This is the power of thought experiments. I will have to wait till the popularity of the Grendel forces Lee to make a collet die in 6.5 Grendel. Nonetheless experimentation is fun.

[bj139]

This is a 2 year old thread which I replied to because I had a question about removing the decapping pin and knew some of the responders are still posting.

[NugginFutz]

Nuggin,
Could you explain why it is a moot point in the case of the Grendel? Is it only not important for the Grendel but is important for other cartidges?

It is moot only in that there are no factory collet dies from Lee (or anyone else, as far as I'm aware) for the 6.5 Grendel.

As SDGuy observed, an awful lot of labor and tooling is required to achieve what you want. Far easier to invest a modest amount in a Type-S sizing die which delivers solid, predictable results, in my opinion.

[bj139]

Nuggin,
As SD guy observed, he had a custom Lee collet die for the Grendel, so maybe it is not moot after all.

Sdguy,
approximately how much is the custom Lee collet?
I did some searching and found a custom collet die in 6.5 Grendel is $70 plus $6 shipping.

[Kswhitetails]

Linky bj?

[joedirt199]

I contacted Lee and they will make a collet die for the grendel along with the bullet seater die. You pay $70 no matter what even if you only want the collet die.

[LR1955]

Guys:

A couple of guys bought them over the years of the Forum. Never really heard a lot of feedback but I believe they are only neck sizing dies so you may want to check if you intend on shooting the ammo through a gas gun.

LR55

[bj139]

Linky bj?

I just saw the price for a custom die on the Lee website. You must send them a few fired cases and $76.

As far as I know you can not just tell them to send you a 6.5 Grendel die. They must match your brass to the chamber it was fired in.

I think I will just stick with partial neck resizing with a FL resizing die for now.

I haven't had any chambering problems in my 2 Grendels yet, but I expect to have problems at some point when I will have to FL resize.