How many don't find Lee's dies to be 'defective'?

[1hole]

Since there's a thread here asking how many have found Lee's dies to be defective I think it would be interesting to ask the reverse; who beside myself have found Lee's dies to work quite well if they are used properly? (Recognising only that nothing works very well if it's used incorrectly.)
:bigsmyl2:

[Wally]

I have many and I only had one that was not acceptable right out of the box. One member commented that he finds it remarkable that they can make a mold with handles to be sold for $10.00 to a retailer....i have to agree....

[Junior1942]

I'd buy Lee dies if they were more expensive than the rest. Let's look at their sizing die. Stick a case, just loosen the top lock nut and hit the expander plug end with a hammer. Out comes the case. Want to make a custom expander? Buy one for maybe $2 and which is a little larger than the diameter you want and chuck it in your drill press. Touch a file to the spinning plug and make it the diameter you want. That works particularly well for seating cast bullets. You can easily and cheaply make a case neck whatever ID you want. Thanks, Dick Lee!

[dragon813gt]

I don't find them to be defective. They are what I prefer to buy. And cost has a lot to do with it. They work as advertised and don't cost much. I'm not a bench rest shooter so extreme accuracy is not my goal.


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[Del-Ray]

I bought their 50 cal setup. For less then half of the next setup I had everything needed. And the dies work great. I think I paid a bit over 200 hundred for everything, heck, Dillon's DIES are about $1000.

[PS Paul]

Currently have/use and have owned several die sets and the neck-sizer collet dies (three sets) plus three different LEE presses. Every item has functioned perfectly and as advertised.

I can't really be the only user who has had these good experiences, can I??

[2ndAmendmentNut]

I like Lee dies, save for their powder through expander.

[jcwit]

Yet to find a defective Lee die, they all work for me, whoever I do not "like" the pistol caliber FCD, it still does what its made to do.

[joec]

I load 4 different calibers and 4 die sets for all. I also have their Universal Decapping Die and have never had a problem with any of them. I have one RCBS bullet puller die that doesn't work on cast bullets but good on jacketed.

[zuke]

I've never had a problem wiyh them

[Moondawg]

I cannot say if they are, or are not good. I have never used them, except for a crimper die, that I did not like. I have used other Lee reloading equipment and found it lacking. For my benchrest I use Harrell dies, for everything else I find either Redding or RCBS Cowboy dies to work quite well, so I have not need to try Lee dies.

[WILCO]

I've never had a problem wiyh them

Same here.

[skeet1]

Junior1942 and I don't often agree on things but on Lee dies we are in perfect accord. Not only are Lee dies the most innovative with things like powder through the die and their decaping pins but they are the best value for the money. Many years ago I purchased mainly RCBS dies but the cost of their dies and other brands have gotten out of hand.

Other say that the RCBS warranty is so great they will send you free parts if you break something, well they should at the cost you initially pay for them.

Ken

[zuke]

"Other say that the RCBS warranty is so great they will send you free parts if you break something, well they should at the cost you initially pay for them."

If they were so great they'd be harder to break.

[BattleRife]

I have broken a couple of their "unbreakable" decapping pins and I have had to polish the expander on most of my Lee pistol die sets. Ones purchased in the last 2-3 years have been fine but the decade leading up to that the expanders had coarse lathe marks on them that shaved brass out of the mouth of every case like a good quality bastard file.

Most of my dies are Lee or Hornady. I have never owned Lyman anything, and won't buy RCBS unless I can't get it in Lee or Hornady. The Hornady dies, by the way, have a far higher defective rate than the Lee.

[tchepone]

I have 11 sets, in handgun calibers. All work perfectly well for me. I have never received a defective one.

[spec234]

I have a few sets of Lee pistol dies and they have done what they were supposed to so far.

[daniel lawecki]

I,v used mostly Lee dies with no problem for the last 12yrs. In my hornady press

[FergusonTO35]

I love my Lee dies, molds, press, and pro auto disk. I didn't care for the Perfect measure so I sold it. I wish Lee offered more options in molds and boolit sizers, it sucks to buy more expensive products because Lee doesn't have a very big product line.

[wrench]

I like Lee dies.
I especially like their bullet seating dies, that let you adjust seating depth without tools. I use different bullets in some calibers, with a dummy round I can adjust seating depth in 3 seconds.
I have RCBS, Hornady, and Redding dies as well, but Lee's will always have a place on the bench.

[Kraschenbirn]

Never had a 'bad' Lee Die Set but have found some of their aluminum seater plugs to be poorly designed...easily corrected with a bit of JPW and a dab of glass-bedding compound. Did manage to break one of their 'unbreakable' decapping pins once - didn't notice a Berdan-primed 7.62x51 milsurp mixed in with my .308 brass.

Bill

[Freightman]

LEE dies are what I have most of never found a defective one, broke a couple of pins and they replaced them ASAP.

[dragon813gt]

So I tried a new Lee sizing die today. Should I consider it defective because it sizes to .3555 instead of .356? I think I'll just hone it myself instead of sending it back. Even the .359 sizing die I recently bought sizes to .3588. That one seem fine ;)


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[nes4ever69]

all die sets i have are lee. the only one i broke was the 223 decapping pin. case stuck and hammering it out made i break. for the money, well worth it.

[Ed Barrett]

They say one picture is worth a thousand words. I reload about 50 different calibers Most of my dies are Lee. The other makes have come with guns or in trades. Any dies I buy new are Lees.

[texassako]

I have not had a problem with Lee dies, really never had a problem with any dies. I really like their collet dies, wish they made more standard calibers. They may not be made to absolute exact tolerances, but they make ammo for me that always chambers and fires. Will they make the absolute best target ammo for my M28-76 with a very tight 7.62x53r chamber? No, but who else will make a custom neck die for it's exact case and bullet combo for $60?

[rmatchell]

I like lee dies for the most part. The only thing i do is polish up the expander on the powder through die. It helps keep thw case from hanging up. Other than that I love them, I only own one set by a different brand.

[Guesser]

Never had a problem that I didn't cause. Follow Lee instructions and they work well, try another manufacturers instructions and it is your own fault.

[timbuck]

The only time I buy another mfg. is when Lee doesn't make it. I did polish one expander.

[1Shirt]

They work for me!
1Shirt!:coffee:

[Wal']

Have most brands, use them all as needed & never noticed any difference between Lee & the others.

They all work for me. :castmine:

[John Guedry]

No problems with any of my Lee dies. Also none with the RCBS,Lyman or Hornady dies either.

[Catshooter]

Mine all work fine.


Cat

[500MAG]

When I first started reloading, I purchased Lee products because it's all I could afford. Over 25 years later, I purchase them because they are good.

[jethunter]

I like LEE dies. I'm not as partial to some of their other stuff, but their dies are as good as any.

[olaf455]

I have been 100% Lee for well over 20 years. 0 problems.

[largom]

After 60 yrs. of handloading I have dies made by most all companies. I have never got a bad die from anyone. Most of my jacketed bullet dies are Redding. For cast boolits I use a combination of different suppliers. I really like the Lee collet neck sizing dies although I make my own spindle's for cast boolits. I do not like the Lee seating dies, too much room for error in alignment. Redding competition seating dies are one of the best, but very expensive and difficult to modify for fat cast boolits. Hornady seating dies are the best buy for cast boolits, easy to modify and seats with less boolit run-out. I consider all loading dies good for what they are designed to do. We the loader have to decide if that design is what we want the die to do.

Larry

[kmag]

Have used dies from all the major, and not so major manufactures. But have more Lee dies than any other brand. They work good for me and I have had no problems with them. In fact, I replaced a Dillon seating die with a Lee in my 650 press. Its really a chore to adjust the boolit length with a Dillon head in the progressive press. The Lee seating die, that can be adjusted with only your fingers, and a sample cartridge of the correct loaded length makes it a quick process.

[OBIII]

Mostly Lee's here. No complaints to this point.

[catmandu]

Lee Dies about three to one on my bench. Pistol carbide Deluxe are great.
Collett Die is the best for bolt action and Encore. Universal Decapper, and Universal expander are great for CB. Have a 3 hole turrent since 81 thats never going to leave my bench. Also the hand primer is a must have. Many casting pots and moulds too. About the only thing I didn't like is the Load Master press. Shell plate would bind. Lee has stood behind several mistakes I've made and best of all they are "American Made"

Paul in WNY

[jimga]

I have used lee for over 25 years, you will not find anything else on my bench. I at one time shot over a thousand rds a week in 9mm.. My lee load master keeps me supplied. As for accuracy, I can still put 15 rds in a 2" circle at 25 yds...I also use the lee 3 hole turret press for rifle loads when I am real picky about accuracy..
I load all the following with lee dies... 9mm, 38 special, 357 mag, 45acp, 380 for the wife... I load the following for rifles... 223 bolt x2, 223 mini 14 target rifle.. 30/06, 308, 7.62x54r, 7.62x39, 6.5x52 carcano...also just started using the load master for 223... turns out a lot of quality ammo...

so for me; you can buy more expensive dies than lee, but you can't buy better for the money...I also think the lee molds are the best and easiest to use on the market... just follow instructions, and no problems...
jimga

[1hole]

"...you can't buy better for the money......"

I doubt we can buy better performing dies for twice the money.

[UNIQUEDOT]

All of the reloading die manufacturers will let a defective die slip through on occasion and Lee is no exception. I do prefer Lee dies for most of my loading.

[bbqncigars]

I've never had a problem with any of my Lee dies. I found that the Lee .50BMG dies were better machined than the much higher cost RCBS version I started with. Lee is the best value for anywhere near the money!

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I have a Lee die set for every caliber I load for. I've added other sets of other brands I bought used for specific applications, but if I'm buying for a new caliber, I always start with Lee's nicest set in that caliber. Gets me loading that caliber the fastest with the least investment. If later on I feel a need to tweak, I get a specific die of another brand for that special situation.

I've had zero defects, though some have been a little rough on the outside.

[kd185]

i have many sets of lee dies and never once did i find a problem die

[evan price]

I sold off my non-Lee dies. The carbide pistol dies resize further down than any other brand. I have had exactly ONE defective Lee Die; it was a 32 acp powder-through-expander die which had the hole drilled off center and it would pinch the cases and ruin the case. Lee replaced it.
I think I own about 30 Lee die sets but I don't know for sure. I have dies for calibers I don't reload.

[brghp]

Lee dies have been great for me.

[FLDad]

I've never had a defective Lee die of any sort. I'm not married to them, but they work as expected and a few of their ideas, like the powder-through dies, are real innovations.

[longbow]

I have Lee dies in .44, .308 and .303. I like them. In fact the Lee collet die in .303 works great ~ I just want to neck size those.

I have had a Lee Challenger press for about 20 years and just picked up a 4 hole turret press which I really like. I recently bought a Lee Universal case mouth expander die and have a charge through rifle die on order. I plan to fill all four holes!

Never had a problem or complaint about my Lee dies.

Longbow

[DODGEM250]

All of my dies and majority of my reloading equipment is Lee. I have NEVER found any of the Lee products to be defective. Most of the defect lies in the user (me).

[Romeo 33 Delta]

Same here. Half my dies are LEE. Because of them, I'm into reloading and wildcatting and I'm broke ... but happy! Seriously, any problems I have ever had with their dies (or any others') have been OPERATOR induced. I don't doubt that others may have had wierd stuff happen ... off-center this, over/undersized that, whatever ... but NOT in my experience. CH4D makes up the next biggest number (because Dave's my go-to-guy for odd-ball calibers and wildcats), with Hornady, Lyman, RCBS accounting for less than 40 calibers.

[Walkalong]

Lee dies work, plain and simple. Not my first choice, but they will load quality ammo for sure.

[keyhole]

Of probably about 30 sets of dies, 6 are Lee. They work just fine, no defects or problems. The only defective die I ever had was a .222 Rem neck sizing die made by Redding. It was purchased new but left a deep score in the neck. It was returned to Redding and they corrected it fine.
I have been happy with all Lee equipment, except for their low end C-press.

[spfd1903]

Have Lee dies for nine calibers, plus various neck sizing dies, FCD, Universal expander, Universal de-priming die. Never a problem.

[oldreloader]

Lee works as well for me as any other brand. I own dies by most manufacturers but all of my last several die purcases have been Lee. My future purchases will be too.

[mxjunky78]

Other than small little gripes like the useless lock rings I haven't had any problems with my Lee 9mm dies.

[50calguy]

Lee got me started in 1963. Wish to God they'd bring back their Target Model hand tools.

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

I love them and have never had a problem, they are the only brand that offers a set of dies that seat and crimp separately, which is very nice when loading cast boolits.

[r1kk1]

I love them and have never had a problem, they are the only brand that offers a set of dies that seat and crimp separately, which is very nice when loading cast boolits.

No there are others that do seat and crimp separate.

Take care

r1kk1

[Tazman1602]

Never had an issue with Lee dies or products. I just love the FCD's unless I'm loading .45 ACP in which case I use Dillons taper crimp setup.

Matter of fact the ONLY die I've ever had that was defective was an RCBS in 30-06 and they made that right ASAP.

Also use a lot of Lees bullet molds. I know a lot of guys don't like them but for the price and a little bit of Lee-menting I find them extremely practical and affordable.

The collet dies Lee makes for competitive rifle shooting are awesome also.

What really makes Lee for me? It's still a family owned, American company and even if their stuff cost 3X more I'd probably buy it. Same reason I like Ruger, OLD Marlins, Henry Rifles, etc. Also of worthy note is not all American made products are more expensive than their overseas counterparts.......................

Just my .002 cents worth..........

Art

[trixter]

I have 30 cal dies for 300 savage, and 30-06, 45 cal for 45ACP, and 223 dies for my AR15. I am totally happy with them and would recommend them to all of my friends, and do.

Thanks Richard Lee!