Lee press not giving consistent OAL.

[noylj]

I "like" it when they blame the press because the powder measure isn't as consistent as they would like--and, usually, it is a Lee press being blamed not matter what measure is being used.

[country gent]

I would look at the linkage for wear and spring before going to far. Worn links pins and or other parts can also cause inconsistancies. I have used the Lee seaters with the aluminum adjusting stems with good results the plastic stems not so much. I believe its a standard thread so a bolt and lock nut could replace it if you believe that's the problem. Bench top flexing may play a part also. If you have a magnetic base and finger Indicator set it up so at the top of the stroke under pressure it reads on the top of the shell holder or ram ( a stop collar can be set on the ram to give a surface also) and seat some bullets or size some cases and see what the indicator reads under force. Then set it up on the top of the press just outside the lock ring and see if the frame is springing or flexing. Then on top of the die body and last is on top of the seating stem.

[kmw1954]

The seater likely touches the ogive of the bullet when it pushes it into the case. There is going to be variations in the ogive, ogive to tip, tip dimensions etc of the bullet. A few thousandths either way is not going to mean anything.

Looks as there are many that can't grasp this concept.

I've been loading a lot of 3 different types of 9mm Berry's plated bullets as of late. It's not the press, it's not the dies, it's the bullets.

Try pulling the seating stem from the die and then with it out of the die take a handful of bullets and one at a time check them in the stem and see how well the fit. Then if you really want to get anal while doing that also measure the over-all length. I think you'll be surprised.

[bkbville]

Aristotle: "It is the mark of an instructed mind to rest satisfied with the degree of precision to witch the nature of the subject admits, and to seek exactness where only an approximation of the truth is possible"

Verify you aren't collecting lube, especially alox snot, on the mouth of the seater plug. That will definitely cause abnormal variations in base to ogive, and trickle to COAL.

Also - if powder coated - you have the variation in the coating thickness impacting the seating.

But, you may be looking for more exactness than you can even be sure of, or need, especially for pistol

[6bg6ga]

This is the time when I would like to jump in and say well you get what you paid for but I will refrain. Cleanliness is next to Godliness when it comes to reloading. I'll make it simple....keep the dies neat and clean as it effects overall length. Having said that .001-.005 in length is nothing to sweat. When loading 40 cal you want to be sure the bullet is crimped tight enough so you don't get push back.

[psweigle]

Check the oring on the seater stem, if it isn't torn or flat spotted, then lift the stem up and down to see if it flexes. If not, and I suspect it won't, try measuring a hand full of those hornady bullets, I'm sure you will see the problem. I've noticed as of late that their bullets are undersized. The ogive is all over the place. Hope this helped.

[kmw1954]

This is the time when I would like to jump in and say well you get what you paid for but I will refrain. .

Sounds more like you didn't.... refrain!

[NoAngel]

Not like any other press will give any better results when the variance is undoubtedly in the nose shape of the bullet. A flat seating plug on a wide meplat bullet is about the only way to get exact OAL results every time. It's all meaningless anyway. +/- five thousandths or so will never show up on paper unless it's a very accurate rifle. Pistols? No.


Not to sound like a jerk but I have never understood the obsession with having a die return to the exact same spot every time you screw it in. It doesn't take more than 60 seconds to dial it in. I screw the seating plug out a couple turns every time I take a seater out of the press and start over every time. Lee dies are some of the easiest to adjust any way. If I am in that big of a hurry, I shouldn't be reloading any way.

[NoAngel]

This is also good advice. If your OAL starts to get screwy it might just be time to clean your dies.

That is the truth. Some people NEVER clean their dies and wonder why they get shifty results. You'd clean your gun but not your dies? Madness!!

[bedbugbilly]

I don't load 40 but I do load 9mm with a set of Lee dies - I seat and crimp in two operations and all I load is lead. I get a variation in over all length but not enough to worry about. They all fit in the cartridge gauge when I randomly check them as they come off my 4 hole turret and they all chamber and shoot just fine. I can't believe other calibers - i.e. 380, 40, 45 wouldn't be the same.

I use a variety of brands of die sets for what I load - RCBS, Lyman, Herters, CH, etc. as well as Lee. While some seem to have an issue with Lee - the sets I have load just fine. And as far as COAL - I think we all try to load within specs and it's good to be a little "finicky" and not get sloppy . . . but there are times that the COAL is going to be determined by your chamber and then "adjustments" need to be made.

[Char-Gar]

I do not think it is overly picky to expect exact uniformity in the overall length of the cartridge. I expect all of my rounds to be dead nuts on in this regard. The only time inconsistency is a problem with my ammo is when bullet lube builds up in the seating die or the die lock ring is not tight against the press.

I bought my one and only Lee press in 1981 and threw it in the trash when it would not produce 30-06 match ammo with consistent COAL. I know there are legions of Lee fans, but I am not one of them.

Buy RCBS, Lyman, Redding or other make of dies with traditional screw adjustments and lock rings. Put these in a cast iron press with all steel linkage, properly adjust them and these inconsistent OAL problems will go away.

IMHO, when it comes to reloading there is no such thing as "good enough" ammo or "blasting ammo". I am just funny like that.

[opos]

May have missed it but have you shot a run of the ammo with some slight variation using a chrono (anything else is just guessing) to see if you really have a problem or are "tilting at windmills"? I've read some 30 posts in this thread and don't think any of them talk about the end result of all this conversation....how the ammo shoots.....Years ago I went on a perfection kick and I'm not a "precision shooter" and worried myself sick over some slight variations...then I borrowed a chrono and shot some strings...problem solved...I needed to relax.

One more thing..Starline makes great brass but I still "work new brass" when I get it...Starline can vary some like any other mass produced cost effective product..it's no where near perfect and can cause some varitations (usually acceptable...but noticable) in the finished product...

Load a bunch...borrow a chrono...shoot some and let us know the outcome.

[mozeppa]

easiest way to set your mind at ease.....buy a box of the most expensive .40 ammo you can find....match grade if possible.

use a good 1" to 2" micrometer on the whole box.....you'll find 3 to 4 thousandths high to low on them.

more on the cheap stuff.

[mozeppa]

p.s. this is one of the reasons i use only cast boolits with a meplat on it.

all my seat dies (.30 carbine.....380 ....9mm....38....357....40....44....45 acp....45 colt.)

they all have stems in them matched to the end shape of the boolit. (basically flat nose with some ogive.)

or keith style boolits.

[EDG]

Not true. There are operator errors with all brands.

That if it's a Lee tool, it can NEVER be a user produced screw up. It's always the fault of the tool; even when it's not.

If you have green, blue, orange, or the other red, any malfunctions are operator error. Can't be the tool. With Lee, it's always the tools fault.

You'd have to be completely clueless not to notice or understand that fact.

[r1kk1]

I use a flat seating stem for any bullet with a flat nose. I use hot glue or even epoxy to make custom round nose sweaters. With that in mind, I use Dillon dies where I can as both the seat and crimp dies feature a simple clip to hold the innards in the die. Simply pull the clip and the innards fall out the die, and fall into your off hand. Clean, slide the components back into the die and place the clip back in. No readjustments needed. Very simple.

Take care

r1kk1

[EDG]

This same topic came up a few days ago on another forum devoted to benchrest and accuracy shooting.
Those guys all used match grade bullets by Sierra, Berger and Lapua. Yes they have the same questions - why does the OAL vary. The answer is the bullet ogives vary in length.

[No Blue]

Not true. There are operator errors with all brands.

True, but with Lee the first thing most forum peeps will declare is it's the cheap Lee press. No thought given to operator errors, screwed up components like messed up brass, or how the press is installed.

The other presses get that examination of other factors, and ONLY if all other possibilities have been ruled out, then call the mothership in Scottsdale, Oroville, or someplace in Nebraska?

It's almost a daily occurrence around here.

[JSnover]

I learned on one of those cheap Lee presses, still have it on my bench next to the Redding. I learned you can turn out some pretty good ammunition on it. Mine is 20-30 years old (bought used) and it was probably the best single reloading investment I ever made since it was dirt cheap to begin with.

[1hole]

I'm too old and have owned and used many excellent reloading tools from many makers. I have no emotional attachment to any brand.

When I first got a good dial indicator and magnetic base for it I measured a lot of stuff, including press spring in my RC II and two of Lee's very small and low cost "C" presses, their"Reloader", that I use for special work. Making a long story short, I used a matched box of hot once fired LC match .30-06 cases from the same Rem 700 in the same die and shell holder set to move the shoulders back the same. Measuring 6 cases lubed the same, I FL sized a group in each press. I got very close to 3 tho consistent spring on the "Chucker and not enough on either of the little Lee's to measure.

You may understand why I now laff at all the intuitively believed but unmeasured statements about how weak and springy Lee's "cheap pot metal" presses are. My "Reloaders" are NO where near as massively strong overall as the much bigger and more costly cast iron 'Chucker but, within the range of normal sane use, the Lee's are more rigid than cast iron and that's a fact.

If I had to replace my "Chucker" tomorrow I'd get Lee's iron "Classic Cast", it's an equal or better press in every respect.