223 lee loader die body problem

[10x]

I purchase a used Lee loader in 223, the kit was complete except for the decapping pin.
On attempting to load with it I discovered it was buckling the shoulder of the case.
The reason for this seems to be that the neck sizing section is threaded into the die body and has come loose and turned in about 1/3 of a turn.
I called lee and they do not supply the die body as a separate part - everything esle though. They suggested I buy a new set.

The cost to return it to Lee from Canada is about 1/2 the cost of a new set.
Canadian distributors don't seem to have this set in stock either.

Is there a way to repair this? I thought Locktite™ Red might be a solution.
Or should i simply get another lock nut to lock the thread to the die body?

[orbitalair]

Yes, I would try the permanent thread locker first. You will have to determine the correct setting first!
A touch of silver solder might work too.

For 223 the generic 22 decapper set should be fine, if you can find one of those.

[mdi]

Are you talking about a Lee Loader (whack-a-mole tool) or regular Lee dies used in some sort of a press?

[joesig]

You must have an old set. It struck me they used some kind of adhesive or glue. Kind of an light brown and brittle. The new ones are swaged in place. As far as I know, they always bottomed out. (I've bought a few to take apart and convert into other calibers.)

Loctite will work fine. Maybe add a witness mark so you can tell if it ever moved again? If I wanted something more permanent, I'd drill a blind hole and use a roll pin.

[nitro-express]

I've had a few LEE Loaders, used them a bit, and there was something about your problem that puzzled me. None of the pieces in my LEE Loader surplus coffee tin had a loose neck sizer threaded bushing. I examined one closely and it appeared to be "sealed" in place with a clear (aged yellow) "thread Locker" substance. So out came the heat gun and I unscrewed the threaded neck sizer bushing. Heat makes the sealant turn to coarse white dirt and the bushing turned out easily. While apart, I couldn't resist check out the threads, 5/8-32, a true 5/8 and not the undersized .606-30 Lyman 310 size. All the LEE sleeves in my meager collection are the same length, the body varies by caliber. (Let the mix and match game begin)





As you can see from the pictures, the bushing is threaded into the body until it is seated against the shoulder recessed in the die body.

I am curious, if you haven't "fixed" your die yet, could you take it apart and measure the distance from the mouth of the body to the shoulder recess on the threaded end. Of course I'm assuming that your LEE body is of similar design to my 308 W one, and it may not be similar.

Now that my 308 Win die was dis-assembled, and needed to be put back together, I contacted LEE, so I could do so properly.

Accordingly, as per their instructions, "...... the sizing die is screwed into contact with the shoulder in the silver die body ....................... Loctite is a good choice for a thread lock."

Unlike 10X, I did not have to do any adjusting of the sizing die, as my die did not crumple the shoulder, only sized the neck as it was designed to do. I had only taken my die apart to get a better grasp of the problem, and I followed LEE's instructions to restore my die.

According to the answer I got back from customer support, for currently produced LEE loaders; " The neck sizing die in the Lee Classic Loader is installed using a special machine and this installation is pretty much the next best thing to permanent. No thread lock is used. .............."

[EDG]

Because the neck sizing feature of the Lee die is tapered the distance it is screwed in changes how much the neck is squeezed down.