Die adjustment and set up. HELP!

[Phrog Man]

The die on the left is a seating die. Adjustment varies, but this is safe to use for most any seating die. Take ready to use sized trimmed piece of your brass and place it in the shell holder. Run your ram to the top of the stroke. Insert the die with the seating insert screwed out CCW several turns. Screw the die body in until you feel it come in contact with the brass. Once it makes contact with the brass, back it out a half turn and lock it.

Thanks so much. This is exactly what I have done with this seating die over and over and even with some twists added to it to try and find some sweet spot, or at least some method to the madness from presenting some variables.

When I follow this method exactly the correct OAL can be attained, BUT the bullet is very loose in the case and can be moved with your fingers, or in some instances it takes a little more effort but is way too loose. This has happened with bullets with and without a cannelure groove the same way.

If I try to go just a tad deeper to get more seat to hold the bullet in better the case gets crashed even when making a very minute change to the die adjustments. Thats what has me blown away. Do dies wear out?? Thats what its acting like.

I have been lubing the cases and found the sweet spot for the amount that each operation seems to prefer.

 

[rOmiLaYu]

^ what's the length of he brass? If its too long it will get dinked in a seating die....just because your OAL cartridge length is right, doesn't Mean your seating depth is and vice versa.

 

[Chuckdog]

Your sizing die isn't working if you can move the bullet by hand. Check the sizing dies adjustment. I think you have a dead length seater. It's not capable of a crimp, period.

 

[Phrog Man]

Case lengths average 2.005", I tried as little as 1.900" and as much as 2.010" with similar results.

Any ideas why the seating die has a decapping pin? I can't find any reference to that in the Lee instructions! Maybe this is a dead length seater, but I guess I'll have to call Lee to see.

In that case I suppose I need another die to supply the proper neck pressure? Recommendations?

 

[Clarke123]

I reload .308 and while it isn't as simple as reloading pistol, it also isn't that hard either.
Unless you somehow got a Universal Decapper Die in the mix (which I don't think so),
only the FL and Neck Dies should have a decapping pin in them. The Neck die isn't necessary
to load good ammunition and should be set aside until you master the situation.
After all you will use only one or the other and NOT both for a given cartridge loading.

Again, If I were you, I'd line up the .308 Lee Dies, take a picture and e-mail it to Lee
for identification and guidance.

 

[Phrog Man]

The sizing die adjustment has been altered all over the place as well. Does anyone have the OD/ ID spec that they use? The spec in the instructions from Lee is too large consistently.

It makes no sense to have a decapping pin in the seating die, which has really screwed me up. I can remove it and the seater stays in place.

 

[Chuckdog]

A seating die has a seating plug/insert. No decapping pin. That can't even be imagined. I'm beginning to smell a leg pulling here!

 

[BHJ]

Ok I think I may have found part of your problem. You adjust the Lee seating die to the press with no brass. Insert your shell holder into the press and push the handle down raising the press to the top of it's stroke. Screw in the die till it touches the shell holder (not the brass) then lower the ram and give it 1/4 more turn and lock it down. after this I usually back the seating depth screw (the top screw on the die) well out. then when I seat the first bullet I check the length and screw the seating depth screw in a little at a time and operate the ram until I have the cartridge overall length that I want.

The collet sizing die adjusts very similarly with no brass used for setup. Screw the die in until it touches the shellholder. Drop the ram and give it one more full turn. If you need a little more grip you can give it 1/4 more turn.

If you have already crushed a case with the collet die, the collet may be stuck. If this is the case just disassemble it, free up the collet and reassemble it.

Hope this explanation helps.

 

[Phrog Man]

I am NOT pulling anyone's leg! That die has had me all screwed up all day because it makes no sense.. The decapper has to be backed off so much to keep from decapping the freshly capped brass that it won't seat anything. This is whats made the biggest pain in the ass out of this whole thing! I SWEAR! This is driving me nuts!

 

[Chuckdog]

If it's a dead length seating die, the brass being in place or not will not make any difference. The dead length seater never contacts the brass. Alway back the seating insert out several turns counter clock wise.