Lee's 1 1/4x12 threads??

[wonderwolf]

I'm looking at getting a set of dies for 577/450 soon (and a gun to go with them) it seems as the only offering of these are in 1 1/4x12 thread of which can ONLY be used in a lee press...of which I do not have nor feel the need to obtain one as I have already several Rock chuckers and a RCBS 50 BMG press that fills my needs. I DON'T WANT A LEE PRESS! An adapter to the larger RCBS threading would only be about 1/8" thick which I don't think would work very well. What have others done with this situation? adapters/ ideas? I'm just trying to avoid getting a LEE press. RCBS makes all sorts of adapters but non from the 1 1/4 to the 1 1/2

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Sounds to me like you only have one option. The hole in the top of a Lee Classic cast press is the same as the hole in the top of a RC, so I don't see a problem here. Get yourself and adapter and problem solved. If you can't buy one, find a machinist to make you one. C&H would probably be more than willing to help you.

If that option doesn't work, well, there is another option, but it involves seeing Red.....

Dave

[wonderwolf]

I can make one, I have a lathe but I'm looking at wall thickness on it. and what do you mean by "The hole in the top of a Lee Classic cast press is the same as the hole in the top of a RC"? its 1 1/4 vs 1 1/2

[1hole]

You don't say WHY you don't want a new Lee press. Too "cheap"??? Of course you must know it's totally made in the US of railroad steel and on modern CNC equipment.

And the much more expensive RCBS presses are made from good, strong (?) Chinese iron castings?

[Boz330]

Wonderwolf, are you sure about your RCBS press. Mine has the 11/4" with the adapter removed and the lee dies screw right in.

Bob

[JeffinNZ]

Do you really need a set of 450/577 dies? Most of the rifles have rather generous grooves and you may find that you never have to size a die and are better off shooting them as fire formed. Just a thought.

[dromia]

The RCBS bushing for ordinary dies just screws out and the Lee 577/450 dies just screw straight in.

It work on my Rockchucker, the Redding Ultramag is the same.

Thats the how the Hornady L-n-L bushings work as well.

So shouldn't be a problem. :-D

[wonderwolf]

1hole You don't say WHY you don't want a new Lee press. Because I already have enough reloading presses, about 4 Rockchuckers, 1 turret lyman and my RCBS 50 BMG



JeffinNZ Do you really need a set of 450/577 dies? Most of the rifles have rather generous grooves and you may find that you never have to size a die and are better off shooting them as fire formed. Just a thought. I'm going to be making my brass so yes I need a set of dies. after they are formed then I might consider just loading them as is if they are deemed ok

dromia The RCBS bushing for ordinary dies just screws out and the Lee 577/450 dies just screw straight in.

It work on my Rockchucker, the Redding Ultramag is the same.

Thats the how the Hornady L-n-L bushings work as well.

So shouldn't be a problem. I thought the base threading was 1 1/2" under the 7/8" bushing. Few here have steered me in the wrong direction so I'll go ahead and order dies and a rifle this weekend

[wonderwolf]

opps thought what I said was so good I posted it twice, sorry about that

[Buckshot]

................Yo may find the dies resizing the casenecks down too much. I had a set of dies for the 577-450 from CH-4D and they resized the necks to hold a .458" slug. I have a MkIV Martini, and that's way too much. The original slug was .470"/.472" over the Paper patch. I now have a set of Lee dies also, for the British military cartridge.

CH-4D was easy to deal with when contacted and to set the 2 dies back along with the boolit I was using, and a couple fired cases and they'd take care of it. I didn't want to mess with that (the wait and all). I bought a Lee 458 Win Mag size die and cut the base off to shortern it up. The .458 Win Mag (when shortened) will do a superb job of sizing the neck down to just what a person needs. Actually the top half of the caseneck.

...............Buckshot

[Boz330]

................Yo may find the dies resizing the casenecks down too much. I had a set of dies for the 577-450 from CH-4D and they resized the necks to hold a .458" slug. I have a MkIV Martini, and that's way too much. The original slug was .470"/.472" over the Paper patch. I now have a set of Lee dies also, for the British military cartridge.

CH-4D was easy to deal with when contacted and to set the 2 dies back along with the boolit I was using, and a couple fired cases and they'd take care of it. I didn't want to mess with that (the wait and all). I bought a Lee 458 Win Mag size die and cut the base off to shortern it up. The .458 Win Mag (when shortened) will do a superb job of sizing the neck down to just what a person needs. Actually the top half of the caseneck.

...............Buckshot

That works pretty well unless you are useing CBC and Bertam. Different case thickness.

Bob

[wonderwolf]

hmmm some interesting points. This seems as if it will have some trial and error when I get to it.

[dromia]

What ever you do, don't waste your money on Jamison brass, they are a totally, 100% unreliable and disreputable company. :twisted:

[wonderwolf]

nope, I was gonna try forming cases from 24ga magtech brass to start with and go from there.

[dromia]

nope, I was gonna try forming cases from 24ga magtech brass to start with and go from there.

Good choice.

I have Bertram, NDFS and Kynoch brass with Kynoch being the bees knees.

However I'm keeping them for a rainy day. My go to brass is converted Magtech, great shooting brass even although the case capacity is generous.

[Boz330]

Generous is an understatement, you could throw a dead cat in there and still get the LOC 85gr load.

Bob

[dromia]

Generous is an understatement, you could throw a dead cat in there and still get the LOC 85gr load.

Bob

OK how about cavernous then, mind you I wouldn't recommend dead cats for taking up air space. :-D

Carded wool works for me for taking up the air space, or if I can be bothered I do like the elegance of nitrated blotting paper as a capacity reducer.

[Boz330]

I've used Kapok, but get my best groups from active filler, but that has a tendency to dome the case head after awhile on the CBC brass. There isn't much support down there. Got my absolute best groups with cannon grade all the way to the boolit, but it is only good for 4 or 5 rounds and it is fouled so bad you can't hardly get a cleaning rod through it.

Bob

[wonderwolf]

Dromia, whats this carded wool you speak of is it like a wad that has been punched from something like a felt hat? I've been getting rather good at case forming the 577/450 will be a good test of how much I've learned though. Thanks for all your help guys!

Also if the bore is really oversized on the MH I plan to just paper patch boolits up to that size using some heavier paper I've collected while cleaning out offices here. What kind of boolit designs do you guys use for your MH's? I've seen some very very round nose versions that almost look like its just half of a round ball stuck on top of the case.

[dromia]

Carded wool is just washed and teased wool that is ready for spinning.

There are a couple of pictures of the carded wool I use in this Snider thread.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=31451

Its traditional as it was used in the original Snider rounds to keep the powder and boolit separated.

[floodgate]

dromia:

Now why didn't that occur to me; we must have a hundred or so pounds of carded wool from our flock of Shetlands in the attic - I'm 'WAAY behind on my spinning! (See my photo on the CASTPICS "Rogues' Gallery").

Floodgate

[Buckshot]

............So Dromia, clue me in on the deal with Jamison brass. I have a bunch of it for the Snidy :-).

...............Buckshot

[wonderwolf]

Oh carded wool as in after its been pulled apart by those little steel brush CARDS?...my uncle runs a sheep operation in Maine....maybe I'll ask for some cleaned wool to mess around with for my birthday lol :Fire:

[dromia]

............So Dromia, clue me in on the deal with Jamison brass. I have a bunch of it for the Snidy :-).

...............Buckshot


Ah Rick make me not repick that sore.:sad:

But as enquiring minds must know I shall precis the story, which I'm sure you are aware of.

I was in on the BMF group buy for 200 .577" Snider and 200 .577"/.450" Martini brass, not an insubstantial investment.

It was a complete disaster, the Martini brass was unfinished at the base, had burrs, and was over size none of it would fit in any of my Martinis.

The Snider brass has off centre primer pockets and eliptical bases/rims so the wouldn't fit or sit straight in the shellholder press.

We were dumped with a bunch of seconds and rejects.

OK so mistakes happen and if they are put right then there is no problem, but this where Jamison became an untrustworthy and disreputable company, they refused to acknowledge or do anything to put the "mistake"right.

Most people had the same problems, some guys managed to fix it by filing and turning and some had rifles with generous chambers and the Martini brass fitted.

Me I weighed my brass in for scrap as I thought if the stuff was that much out of specification I was not going to trust in it loaded even if I could the crap to reload/chamber.

As a footnote Jamison appear now to be trying to make some ammends, however over a year down the line this is just not good enough.

I will never trust or buy from Jamison again and I look forward to their bankrupcy.