Opinions on Lee dies

[Mike W1]

Have always used Lyman dies but at about $30 difference am thinking of trying Lee 4 die set for 9mm (LC9 on order).

Any reason to think I might regret this idea before I order them?

[drklynoon]

I use a combination of different dies some Lee some Lyman and some RCBS. The Lee dies "can" be a little rougher internally and the M dies epander isn't always deep enough for a cast boolit. I have been told about issues with Lee dies vent marring cases. That being said they are a good value to me and I actually prefer their O ring lock ring. I'd say give em a try and see what you think.

[EMC45]

Lee dies are great! I have a few sets. For the money they are worth every penny!

[DanWalker]

I use LEE dies and have no complaints. I also prefer their O-ring design. Once you get your dies set, just brush a bit of momma's nail polish into the threads just above the Lock ring, and let it flow down into the lock ring. This will keep you from losing your setting, without being permanent like locktite.

[Reg]

Lee dies will work and make safe ammo but there is a reason RCBS , Lyman and a few others sell tons of dies each year. Its all in what you are looking for.

[462]

My experience with Lee handgun and rifle dies has been such that, with the exception of neck sizing and a .30-30 crimp die, they have all been replaced with Lyman, RCBS and Hornady.

[nes4ever69]

lee dies are all i can afford. one big difference is the warrenty between companies. lee has a pay later warrenty while the others collect the money up front.

i can make ammo that fits my guns, goes bang, and hits the target were i aim or close enuff.

i have the carbide 9mm, loaded alot of ammo with them. for the price, i am happy with them.

[Colorado4wheel]

Lee makes great dies, I actually prefer them to some of the more expensive ones. I don't use their FCD but their taper crimp die is cheap.

[jcwit]

I have no complaints regarding Lee Dies or most of their products for that matter. I do replace their lock rings usually with Hornady brand, and I really dislike their scale, only because its so light weight for someone with shakey hands, it weighs accuratly but doesn't stay put.

FCD, OK for rifle calibers, handgun calibers? waste of time and material. Its a solution for a problem that doesn't exist for those that know what they're doing.

Consensus--Lee dies are excellant value for $$ spent.

My opinion- take it or leave it.

[thegreatdane]

Lee dies are great! I have a few sets. For the money they are worth every penny!

agree. They're a fine product. Combined with the price, they're awesome.

[shagg]

I was given rcbs dies for my 30/30 and 8x57 and have replaced them with lee. I have no complaints with any of my lee dies, and i too buy them because they are affordable.

[1hole]

"Any reason to think I might regret this idea before I order them? "

Not at all. I own and use dies from every maker (but Dillon), none of them make better ammo than any others.

[buck1]

The old Lee dies I didnt like , But the new ones seem to be fine. Not as nice of a finish but fully useable and not junk.

[rmcc]

I like their sizing dies, love their taper crimp, hate their seaters!

Rich

[cavalrymedic]

The seater dies leave a little ring on the meplat of cast bullets which I'm starting to think affects my accuracy somewhat. I like the dies anyway, but not the lock ring so much. I like having locking lock rings. Otherwise, good value for the money and I will almost certainly be buying more.

[troyboy]

Boy that question might bring the hatfield and mccoy fued back. I like the lee dies better than the rcbs. Had them both and kept the lee dies. If it costs less and works just as good it is a value.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I have many sets of lee dies, in fact all of my pistol ammo is loaded with the Lees. I have never had a problem with them; they make good ammo. In the rifle department I have some RCBS dies that were given to me and they are duplicates of some of the Lees that I already had. Comparing loads at the range made by both showed no difference at all. The Lee rings happen to suit me ok. One feayure that is especially appealing to me is the Lee decapping pin setup; you usually don't/can't break one. LLS

[richhodg66]

I have several sets and prefer the RCBS or older Pacific dies I have, however, I fairly recently got a Lee Deluxe set for .45 ACP, which is a four die set with that special crimping die and love it. I'm loading much better ammo for the 1911 that I ever did before and much better reliability.

I'm not too wild about their rifle dies. The FCD things do work well for .30-30 and .35 Remington, but I don't see much point in it for rounds to shoot in bolt actions.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I have several sets of Lee dies.. I am a machinist and the machine work on Lee dies is just as good as anyone elses and better than some.

As a machinist for 30 years I can tell if sombody else knows what they are doing with regards to Machine work, It's what I do for a living. I have to evaluate other peoples work everyday because I use other shops to produce work for me, that I have to sell to my customers. If it ain't right it goes back and gets made right. Luckily I don't have to work with fools, and I have several shops that do nice work that I can rely on to do it right.

There are 2 things I don't like about Lee dies,

1. I like clamping lock rings, but the Lee oring lock rings work fine for most stuff.
I'm probably going to make a run of about 100 rings for my own use someday, then I will replace all of my Lee die sets with clamping rings, until then I'll just suffer.

And 2. I like knurling on dies as this is what separates the good machinists from the mediocre ones, and Lee dies are not knurled. Better no knurling than bad knurling. Good knurling looks like perfect Pyramids, period. Nothing else is "good knurling" it is either right or you shouldn't do it.

Neither of these points even remotely offsets the price differences of Lee Dies to other brands.

Everybody makes something good. You have to find what is best and use those tools whether they are from only one company or not. I stopped trying to own just Snap On Brand tools along time ago. My tool boxes have what I consider to be either best value or best quality and whatever gets the job done. I have Snap On Sockets and I have Craftsman sockets, and Proto, and Plumb, and even some stuff from Harbor Freight. It is hard to justify spending $600 on a 3/4" drive socket set you are going to use twice, when a $39.95 set from HF will do the job. This is value?

Where I take exception is when I pay $35 for a Redding bulge remover die only to find it doesn't have a carbide sizing ring and I find out the one with the carbide ring is $65 and then I get it and and it looks like poo, bad knurling and finish etc. The only thing it has going for it, is it is plated so it don't rust.

I then send it back to" them that's incapible of mistakes" with a snotty letter indicating my displeasure. I have no Redding dies now because I don't think they are worth what they want for them, pure and simple. When the cheapest outfit in the business is producing a better looking product than the most expensive outfit in the business, then it sounds like the "Kings new clothes". I call BS! The value is NOT there. My .02

I then replace the die with a Lee die that costs me $10 and is not only better looking but works better too.

For the price you just can't complain about "most " Lee products. Period. They are good value. And value matters to me.

Randy

[skeet1]

I have a lot of RCBS and Hornady/Pacific dies but have started buying Lee in the last few years. At first I didn't like the lock ring but I think it was because it was so different. Now it seem it is all I buy. I guess that means I like them.

Ken