Lyman M die and Lee 4 hole Turret problem

Had a problem threading a Lyman 38/357 M die into a brand new Lee 4 hole turret. I have the M dies in all my handgun set ups but this is the first this happened. The die would only screw in about half way then came to a dead stop. I didn't want to force it and ruin the Turret so I tried all the other 38spc Lee dies and they worked in all the holes. Then I tried RCBS dies and they worked fine. I new it wasn't the die because I had it in another turret set up for 357mag. After close inspection of the Turret there looked to be a thread sticking out past the rest about half way in the turret and this was in all the holes not just one. I took a utility knife and kinda shaved that high thread just a hair then run a wire pipe brush on a drill back and forth a few times then and wiped it clean. That did the job and it threaded right in. I only did one hole because the Lee dies worked fine in the rest. Just wanted to share this incase someone else has this problem.

Never had a problem with the combo, but good to know!

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Originally Posted by jules

Had a problem threading a Lyman 38/357 M die into a brand new Lee 4 hole turret. I have the M dies in all my handgun set ups but this is the first this happened. The die would only screw in about half way then came to a dead stop. I didn't want to force it and ruin the Turret so I tried all the other 38spc Lee dies and they worked in all the holes. Then I tried RCBS dies and they worked fine. I new it wasn't the die because I had it in another turret set up for 357mag. After close inspection of the Turret there looked to be a thread sticking out past the rest about half way in the turret and this was in all the holes not just one. I took a utility knife and kinda shaved that high thread just a hair then run a wire pipe brush on a drill back and forth a few times then and wiped it clean. That did the job and it threaded right in. I only did one hole because the Lee dies worked fine in the rest. Just wanted to share this incase someone else has this problem.

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Sadly, I do not believe you are the only one re this rodeo! Even with "name brand hi-$$" components I, too, have had to do some dressing. In the old days the products were often hand-tested by machines or quality-control persons. My dad had worked in quality-control, and where he worked for a while, management reckoned it be cheaper for them to just ship all out and deal with returns rather than have people ensuring quality so there'd be no returns. The way it is...
geo

I have had two "bad" turrets. They are made by Lee and cheap... need I say more?

I made a thread cutter outta a die body was able to '' repair" the turret.

CW

I keep a 7/8 X 14 tap handy to remove rust and crud from dies holes on presses and to cure tight factory die holes on presses.

I would find a good (not chinese) 7/8-14 nut and thread it on the die. Does it go on all the way? With the turret, try a good (not chinese) bolt. That will give you an idea where the problem is.

BTW; I have 12 Lee turrets and none exhibits this problem. I have a couple dies that get "tight" installing in my C-H and or Pacific single stage presses, one is a lee hardness tester die. But the other 10 Lee die sets work just fine...

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Originally Posted by Char-Gar

I keep a 7/8 X 14 tap handy to remove rust and crud from dies holes on presses and to cure tight factory die holes on presses.

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Good Idea. I may just do that.

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Originally Posted by jules

Good Idea. I may just do that.

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Take care when using a tap to clean up threads. Unless one has experience using taps and dies it is very easy to "recut" threads and either wallow out the internal threads (cut then too big, especially on aluminum) or recut the threads on an external thread. Think about "Thread Chasers" or "Thread repair files"... https://www.mcmaster.com/thread-chas...tion~internal/

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Originally Posted by mdi

Take care when using a tap to clean up threads. Unless one has experience using taps and dies it is very easy to "recut" threads and either wallow out the internal threads (cut then too big, especially on aluminum) or recut the threads on an external thread. Think about "Thread Chasers" or "Thread repair files"... https://www.mcmaster.com/thread-chas...tion~internal/

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A 7/8 X 14 is a very big tap with coarse threads. Just put some lube on it and screw it in by hand until it stops. Then use a wrench on the big base and screw it on though. No chance of boogering up threads this big and coarse.

Get a 7/8 grade 8 bolt, lube the threads and thread it through. Use a grade 8 not for the hardness but because it will be made to a closer tolerance than a lower grade bolt.

It the threads are still tight on a die then add a little non-imbedding lapping grit to the bolt to loosen the threads a little more. Standard lapping grit would imbed in the aluminum of the turret and continue to lap the dies during installation and removal.

Or call Lee. Especially if one works and another doesn’t. They know as well as anybody that some out of spec parts are slipping through the cracks with all the sick days being taken. Got a bad shellholder a couple weeks ago and they sent me a new one no questions asked, and no need to return the old one.

I wasn't sure that what I done to the turret would affect it's use in the long run so I sent Lee an email stating the problem I had. In less then 2 hours I got a reply that a new 4 hole turret was on it's way. No return necessary. This is another reason I use Lee.

Now you can work on that free turret you have in hand without worry.

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Originally Posted by ulav8r

Now you can work on that free turret you have in hand without worry.

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Yes sir!

Lee doesn't bother drilling or boring the holes in the turrets. They just run the tap through them as cast. You often get some flash on a thread or two that hits the root of the thread. Worse if the tap has wear on it.

Well Gents! Went to set up the new Turret that Lee just sent me and evidently it wasn't checked. It's even worse then the one I had problems with. I guess they don't check their product for fit. This one was even tight with the Lee dies but they did thread in. Don't do any good to have even the best customer service if they continue to send something that don't work. I'll try and find someone with a 7/8 x 14 tap.

I guess we can now put this to bed. Tolerance stacking between manufacturers is not unheard of… each one has its own corporate set of manufacturing tolerances and specifications, and you have run headlong into the Lee-Lyman interface. Although I myself have been known to frequently cross color lines between red, orange, green, etc, if it produces a clash, I usually try to retreat to using all one company if possible. BTW, the fact that chasing the threads in your Lee turret with a standard tap makes things work should give you a clue as to whose tolerances are most accurate, huh?

On a more germaine note, why is this whole thread about presses and dies place with the HAND TOOLS section instead of some place appropriate like say, RELOADING EQUIPMENT, for instance? Any comments, from the moderator??

Green Frog

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Originally Posted by jules

Well Gents! Went to set up the new Turret that Lee just sent me and evidently it wasn't checked. It's even worse then the one I had problems with. I guess they don't check their product for fit. This one was even tight with the Lee dies but they did thread in. Don't do any good to have even the best customer service if they continue to send something that don't work. I'll try and find someone with a 7/8 x 14 tap.

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"Pay cheap, get cheap" as my Grandmother used to say.

On a more germaine note, why is this whole thread about presses and dies place with the HAND TOOLS section instead of some place appropriate like say, RELOADING EQUIPMENT, for instance? Any comments, from the moderator??

Green Frog[/QUOTE]

That would be my fault for posting in the wrong forum. Thanks for the heads up. Not sure how to move it.