Modifed Lee collet FCD

[megasupermagnum]

This is not about the carbide FCD, which I have a number of. All work very well once you pop the carbide sizing ring out.


I am referring to the collet FCD, which I have come to like very much. The strength of the crimp, the uniformity, and the fact that brass length has little effect on it is huge. I hate trimming brass. I have been using it in rifles for years, however I don't crimp rifle cartridges anymore. I've really been into it with 44 magnum though. I have read DougGuy's posts on how he modifies his. I took mine apart to see just how it works. The big one for me, is Lee's minimum limit of 1.285" for a crimp die. This put's the 327 Federal at 1.200" just out of reach. I could never get a straight answer from Lee on why this is the minimum. I don't own one, but the pictures of the 357 magnum crimp die shows the collet sticking out a long ways from the body of the die. Maybe it is just a tooling limit? Here is my thinking anway. I can buy a 32-20 collet FCD, as 32-20 takes the same size bullets. It appears 32-20 case length is listed at 1.315". At that point I am thinking I can pop the collet out of the die, chuck it in the lathe, and trim .115" off the bottom of the collet. Worst case, I also have to trim some of the die body as well. Has anyone ever attempted a similar mod to these dies?

[Messy bear]

Yes I have. I shortened a 500 Smith fcd to use with 500 JRH and more for 500 Linebaugh. Have modified the 45 Colt ones as well . Usually they crimp in wrong place and the crimp area is too long.

[DougGuy]

That's how I do mine, chuck each piece in the lathe and machine as necessary.

[megasupermagnum]

I can't imagine why they wouldn't cut fine, assuming I can get it in the chuck with enough sticking out to machine. I guess the ultimate question is why has Lee put a hard 1.285" as the minimum for their customs. A tooling limit, or are the slots cut that far down, or something I haven't even thought of?

[mdi]

The collet I modified was pretty hard, too hard for regular HS cutting tools. I liked the position of the top of the crimp, but I wanted a narrower crimp, so I used a round carbide burr on the inside of the collet to shorten, from the bottom, the width of the crimp.