Another "attaboy" for Lee Precision!

Seems like this testimonial would fit in several sub-forums, but since it involves a reloading die....well here goes:

Once again, Lee has come through for me. This is kind of a long story, but I'll try to condense it to the bare essentials. I purchased an antique Remington Rolling Block carbine from a fellow forum member. It was known to be in .43 Spanish, but no ammo accompanied the rifle. This put me on a search for brass and reloading components and tools.

I did a little research and found that Track of the Wolf sells brass for about $3.35 a case. Apparently they have had this case re-created to specs that they derived from making lots of measurements of original cases. Their website contains a very nice essay on the cartridge and what conclusions they have drawn about reloading it. It is well worth visiting and reading if interested. They recommended purchasing a custom set of Lee dies as slightly modified with a couple of other items made by RCBS to make the job easier. I made the purchases, including 20 cases.

When I began the loading process I first discovered that the sizing die wouldn't quite size the necks of the new brass enough to retain the bullet (.440), and that the bullet could be easily moved back and forth in the neck with two fingers. It appears that the original Spanish brass may have had thicker walls. The next disappointment was that the seating die could not be made to crimp the cases, possibly having been made for the longer rifle version of the case rather than the shorter carbine version. After a lot of thinking I decided that a Lee Factory Crimp Die was needed, but it is a special order item. It requires the customer to send in one piece of brass and $27 plus postage. The brass is not returnable.

Over the course of this learning process I contacted the Customer Service Dept. at Lee via e-mail several times, and always received prompt, courteous, and informative answers. I sent in the piece of brass and the cost of the die, and then was asked to also send in the die set. There are two Lee employees that I dealt with, Peter and Jim.

Yesterday I picked up a package from Lee at the post office. Enclosed were my die set, my brass (I guess when I told them what it costs they relented on sending it back! I had sent two pieces.), and the new .43 Spanish Factory Crimp Die. Very nice workmanship, and they had crimped a bullet in one of the cases to show that it works. The mystery to me is how they can turn out a custom crimp die for $27 as the machinist's wages must be more than that.

So, kudos to Lee Precision, and a special thanks to Peter and Jim for taking the time to get it right and make it happen. :D
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Love em' or hate em'. I don't know one reloader who hasn't owned at least one Lee product. They make tools that work that everyone can afford.

Very nice to hear.
It's great to be able to find what you need to load an unusual cartridge like that good for you !

Petter is a good guy!!!! don't know Jim.

Always had good luck with lee .

Thanks for sharing this. It seems like Lee went above and beyond on this one. My experiences with them over the years have varied somewhat, but overall I've been pleased with the majority of my Lee products. I'm glad to hear that at least these two guys care, it DOES make a huge difference. Customer service is everything, no matter what business you're in.

Good for Lee; they have helped me so many time I can't count.
I shoot a RB in 43, I use an old set of Lyman dies, RCBS shell holder and I neck size using my carbide 44 magnum sizing die, just enough to hold the bullet and then I don't have to crimp. I use Black Powder or American Pioneer Powder, it is a very good BP substitute that measures grain for grain with BP FFg. I cast Lyman 439186 , soft and loob with SPG. Mine is an Infantry Rifle and has a slightly oversize chamber but once the cases are fire formed, neck sizing works really well. Bertram Brass from Midway has served me well.

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Originally Posted by Der Gebirgsjager

The mystery to me is how they can turn out a custom crimp die for $27 as the machinist's wages must be more than that.

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I'm sure they make more than that and I have no insider info on how they do it. But I do have a guess!

I know Lee has a lot of digital driven machinery that is operated by computers and that includes a lot of lathes. Many of today's machine operators are more like computer geeks than old line machinists and knocking out something as simple as a custom high precision loading die in a CNC lathe today is probably as quick and easy as it gets.

What I like is that Lee was willing to solve your one-off problem!

I have also dealt with Peter at Lee Precision, and have nothing but good things to say about my interactions with him.

Having said that about Peter, I can say that about everyone at Lee with whom I have had dealings. They are always professional and courteous. More importantly, when the person to whom I'm speaking doesn't have the answer, they find someone that does.

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Originally Posted by Jniedbalski

Always had good luck with lee .

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Ditto that.

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Originally Posted by Bookworm

I have also dealt with Peter at Lee Precision, and have nothing but good things to say about my interactions with him.

Having said that about Peter, I can say that about everyone at Lee with whom I have had dealings. They are always professional and courteous. More importantly, when the person to whom I'm speaking doesn't have the answer, they find someone that does.

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And while I do not know Peter, for the latter part about the folks there, Ditto for this one as well..

Der Gebirgsjager, Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
:)

This post must be from a Russian troll farm.

Everyone here knows that Lee is a corporation that pushes cut rate junk on unsuspecting snowflakes with a short term goal of maximizing profits to fund Antifa and a long term goal of pushing fluoridation of drinking water to drain our precious bodily fluids.


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I think someone forgot to take their medication.:lol:

Well, my experiences with Lee customer service have been mixed, ranging from didn't want to know about me to being helpful. Seems to depend on who you get to deal with.

i know some folks look down their nose at Lee products, but personally, I think they give the most bang for the buck!

I like Lee. I like RCBS (what I started with), however I often think if I had to do it all over again I would've probably gone with all Lee. They make good gear for reasonable prices and it turns out really good ammo. I know if it weren't for Lee molds I probably wouldn't be casting (I like my Ideal, SAECO, RCBS, OHAUS and Lyman molds too)

The one time I've ever used LEE Customer Service, I was very satisfied with them. They're a good outfit and I'm thankful for them. A lot of my molds are LEE. I also have other molds and each serve their purpose for my needs. Truth be told, I've hand cast more bullets using my LEE mold over the decades than any other.

Keep up the good work LEE Precision.


Murphy

Nice to hear about good customer service

They have always treated me well. Cracked a press frame so I mailed them a pic. They shipped a new one out no charge. Thanks Lee.

The pin holding the blades in my Quick Trim Case Trimmer broke and the blades came out. They are sending me a complete new cutting assembly. Kudos!