Lee Bullet Sizer - My Regret - Should have gotten NOE

I have a number of Lee Bullet Sizing dies and I'm at the end of my rope using them. I have wrecked more perfect gas checks with these dies and I believe it's because Lee's quality control is terrible. The pushers are all machined out or round on about half of all my dies. I never knew NOE made a push through sizer until I surfed here after buying my Lee sizers. My Dad is a huge Lee fan, but I just can't buy another Lee product after this and other epic fails from them. What is the opinion here of these push through sizing dies? I'm on the cusp of retiring these and getting the NOE setup.

I use them all the time. First, I check the size with a pin gauge. I usually end up opening them a little, and polishing them. I don’t use many gas checks, but I haven’t had any problems. I think some guys run their bullets through upside down to crimp the check better. I use alot of Lee products, but they do have some duds.

I have both Lee push tru sizers abd a Lyman 450. With plain base I am happy using the Lee's. When using gas checks I use the Lyman. I PC most all my boolits so the Lee is quicker for sizing Plain base. If I would have know about NOE's sizer earlier on I would have went that route.

I use them all the time as Wheelguns 1961 does, I also polish and open them as needed and polish a lead into them which helps them crimp and feed better. I used to feed them in base first but found this damaged the tips and sized them a little one sided, so I now just make certain the die is correct size and well polished and all is well. I would try polishing them before you give up on them. Regards Stephen

I seat GCs using a Lyman 450 and Lyman's 'Gas Check Seater' which allows me to seat and crimp as a separate step before PC and final sizing.

Bill

I also never knew of the NOE product.

But I haven't had any problems with my LEE push thru. Im not a LEE fan boy!! BUT, they make some workable products. I saw that LEE said one could install a gas check with them... I chuckled to myself and said. Ahh no.
Like other mentioned. I use the Lyman 450 to properly seat my gas checks. Sometimes while sizing sometimes stand along gc seater then lee sizer. Depends on volume and boolet.

Actually, I just ordered a 459 sizer from track of the wolf and a 375 LEE mold.

CW

I used lee push through for a long time. I finally got tired of tumble lubing or pan lubing. And broke down and got a rcbs lam2.

Why do people have issues with gas checks in lee sizing dies? Its all I use anymore, they work a lot better than the Lyman 450.

The Lee sizers have been working just fine for long time applying gas checks.
I have Lee and NOE sizers
They both work

The Lee die is designed to push thru nose first. Gas checks are designed to be seated and crimped base first. I have had issues with gas checks not holding well when crimped nose first. I think the problem comes in when the check is not squeezed starting at the base and working up. The only problems have come from rounds with the checks below the neck. Most notably the 22TCM. I have gathered the required parts to seat checks base first and hope to test them this weekend. I like the simplicity of the Lee with plain based bullets and PC, but that being said... I did order my first set of NOE push thru sizers this past week. I feel that the precision will be better and I like the idea of 1 die and many sizers. I do not have pin gauges, so I have to resort to measuring sized bullets and I am not sure that is an accurate proposition since the bullets may spring back just a little.

I also size with a Star and a pair of 450's. I love the start, but again the lack of various nose punches and the lack of funds forces me to process most of my checked bullets on the 450's. I think the star would be a fine machine for seating checks, but I do believe that the bullets should pass thru nose first which can and does cause damage to the nose of the bullet with a flat top punch. Also I have not figured out how to deal with spire point bullets in the star since the last bullet in pushes the first out.

With my pistol rounds with no checks I don't have as many issues. But looking at the pusher on half my dies, I see that they are not machined perfectly round, but oval shaped. I'm thinking that has a lot to do with it. The pusher on my .314 sizer was machined round so i have no issues with that. The only thing stopping me from getting the NOE was that I invested in so many Lee dies.

There are several boolits that I prefer to tumble lube and size with Lee push through dies. The Lee 38-148 wadcutter and the TL314-90 SWC are a two of them, but those aren't a gas check design. Another one is the Noe 311407, which is a gas check design and I have had zero problems seating checks with it. I suggest making sure they are started squarely before attempting to seat them, as this is the only way I can see that the check can be damaged? Anyway, I don't have the problems described.

I would have to say probably user error. I have been using Lee push through dies for 30 years. Many with gas checks (on three different 44 cal. bullets) with no problems. The ram's only use is to push a bullet through the die and I'm sure I've used 38 cal. rams on my 45 cal bullets, and it could be square and still do good job. Of my first 3, I think one was under the stated diameter (356" vs. 357") and I've opened up a couple .002". The system is mud fence simple and even if made to NASA standards, some won't be able to use them...

There are other factors involved for one that cannot get the gas checks on straight when using Lee dies; bullet base, bullet alloy, bullet "gas check shank" either too big, too small, out of round, and user methods...

I have Lee sizers and also a full set of NOE bushings for my NOE sizing set. I like both, but if I hadn't already gotten the Lee's over the years, I would only go with the NOE. It'd be cheaper. You also don't have to have every size pusher with the NOE's, about 3 of them will do most boolits. And IF you have good LEE pushers, they work perfectly with the NOE bushings.

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I have wrecked more perfect gas checks with these dies and I believe it's because Lee's quality control is terrible.

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Eddie, I have 19 Lee Lube/Sizers, old and new. Using any of them to seat GC's - Zero Issues and every seated bullet is Perfect
Like seating any GC, if it is not snapped on tight to the bullet heel - your going to have an AFU

Lee is the industry leader in providing a means to make oval bullets, it also markets sizing dies to adapt cases for the oval bullets. The company continues to be a trendsetter and leads the industry in the uses of scintered metal products in place of steel where material strength is critical.

Plus one on run the bullets through base first to seat the gas checks. A small amount of Lee case sizing lube on about every 3rd or 4th bullet can also be helpful. By small amount I mean a thin trace amount not a "smear". For those doing PC after gascheck (like myself) the Lee sizing lube is water soluble. I wash it off with a drop of dish soap in a bread loaf pan or plastic bin of water, then rinse with really hot water and allow to dry, sometimes I speed it along with a blow dryer. Can PC later that day. Between the heat from the wash and rinse water making the bullets all toasty and the blow drier adding even more heat they dry pretty fast.

I don't have problems, other than softer alloy pointed bullets will get a small flat spot on the point from being pushed through. Nothing that seems to matter in shooting them. Since most of mine are RNFP, SWC or similar bullet profiles the base first sizing seldom has any impact. On those profiles it does flatten a bit it doesn't seem to matter. This applies to .223 to 8mm and some revolver calibers.

Lee Philosophy: cheapest is best.

Now I have some Lee products. Used 3 2cav bullet molds for 30yrs.
I bought a Lee 2cav 40cal die about 15odd yrs ago. It went missing in the mail, GRAF & SONS replaced the missing order. It showed up a month later.
When I went to cast they seemed ok. When I sized them on my Lyman 450 it was a different story. About half only sized on 2 sides. Called Lee, they gave my a ration of ****, but said send the mold back, at my cost.
They sent me a new mold.

When I started to Powder Coat 6 months ago, I foolishly bought all the Lee Bullet sizing dies I would need.
Before I sized a single PC'd bullet.

I already had a .430 die, bought for a N.O.E. TL432-240-RF Mold. My first tumble lube mold bullet. Lee die worked fine.

I cast & PC'd the same bullet. Started sizing; every bullet popped out with the PC scraped off.

Great. I tried .452, .358 PC'd bullets. All scrapped off the PC. I started polishing the inside of the dies with 400 grit & Flitz. Then moved on to 600 grit & Flitz. Got to the point so far of only about 10% of the PC with the .430 die. Bullets measure .434 as PC'd, .431 as they come out of the Lee die.

I wish I'd known about N.O.E. Sizers, before buying the Lee. The N.O.E. would have been cheaper in the long run and a whole lot better made.

And yes my PC was good, every bullet passed the sledge hammer test, 2 good blows.

And YEP, I still have a dozen Lee molds, one set of dies and 3-4 taper crimp dies.
The FCD is garbage. I bought one in .44-40. It was mislabeled. It was a .44MAG. Had to buy another one. Got the right die, finally. It actually squeezed the bullet down and I got leading.
Went back to my 50+yrs old Lyman seat/crimp die. It's still the best working .44-40 die set out of the 2 RCBS, Hornady, Redding sets I own, 5 sets in all.

And I sent GRAF & SONS payment for the 2nd order.

The best money I ever spent was on a Lyman 450 lube-sizer.
Set a gas check in the die, boolit on top of check , lower nose punch onto boolit , pull down handle , then tweak lube supply handle , raise handle...boolit is lubricated , sized , gas check is crimped on (if needed) and the boolit is ready to be loaded....fast , easy and clean.... No Regrets.

You might consider saving up for one...they is sweet !
Gary

I have never gotten good results seating checks with a Lee die. Like a lot of others I use a 450 to seat the GC then either size and lube with the 450 or PC and size with the Lee. And yes, all of my Lee sizers are polished.