Lee collet neck sizing dies?

[Wayne Smith]

I don't know much about these, only have one - 30-06. I'm having an Encore barrel made in .25 Krag AI. My pastor informed me the other day that what he thought was a Model 70 in 30-06 that he had in his attic for 30 years(!) was in fact a 25-06.

So, the question is, if I get a collet 25-06 die from Lee can I neck size my 25 Krag brass in it??

[Bzcraig]

My guess would be, and purely a guess, is if the length of the neck is very close then it would probably be a matter of fiddling around with die adjustment. I've found using mine I wished there was more 'feel' when they are properly adjusted. For the price of admission give it a try.

[john.k]

Try it and see,you can lose one case.The lee collet works by the shellholder pushing on the base of the collet.if the case grabs before the shellholder contact,the case is generally wrecked....I was surprised at how soft the lee collet was,i was expecting hardened steel.....but this is Lee...Anyhoo,to use a 25/06 die with a shorter case,you would need to rework the collet and die body shorter.So it wouldnt work with 25/06 anymore.......Incidentally.I was initially a big fan of the lee collets,but they have shortcomings in that cases are marked ,but you can set the sizing dia to suit oversize cast bullets without buying/making special dies.

[55fairlane]

I do if the Lee die will work, but I can tell you RCBS neck sized dies work way better....

[243winxb]

http://leeprecision.net/support/index.php?/Knowledgebase/List/Index/13/product-support

Info here.

[Wayne Smith]

http://leeprecision.net/support/index.php?/Knowledgebase/List/Index/13/product-support

Info here.

Unfortunately nothing that answers my question, probably because it won't work to use one for both calibers. Hard to write a FAQ about all the things you CAN'T do!

[kbstenberg]

Wayne Ya gots to go to the people who know this stuff are. An here I is.
First off YES you can if the 2 cases fall within certain peramiters. First case that the die is not made for has to be the same dia. Or small for its full length. Second the second case has to be longer than the case the die is made for. Naturally the second case must need the neck of the same dia. as the collet die is made for.
My example. This is what I have and use. I bought a Lee Collet sizing die for the 308. I can also neck size 3006 and 30/30 cases in the same die. If you compare the second 2 cases they are both smaller in dia. and longer (the30/30 is only a tich so)
The lee Collet die is activated by the top of the shell holder pushing up on the bottom rim of the sizing die. The important measurement is how long the cartridge is from base to the bottom of the neck where it flairs to form the shoulder. The 30/30 and the 308 are so close that a spacer is not needed when sizing the 30/30 case.
In the case of the 06 the case is much longer/taller than the 308. So to neck size the 06. You first have to open a loading manual find the length of the 06 case from the base to the bottom of the neck (same as the top of the shoulder). Use the loading manual and find the same for the 308. Subtract the length of the 308 (base to bottom of neck) from the length of the 06 (base to bottom of neck) That measurement is the thickness of a washer you will have to make. I made a washer out of wood. The inner hole is just large enough for a loose slip fit of the outer dia. of the 06 case just above the shell holder. The outer dia of the washer is whatever is most convenient for you. The thickness of the washer is the difference between the measurements you just made. Fortunately you only have to make 1 washer. Unless you loose it somewhere on your very clean bench.
How to use the washer. You have the Lee Collet die in the press, and the correct shell holder in the ram. You place the 06 case in the shell holder like usual. NOW you slip the washer over the mouth of the case and let it fall so it rests on the upper surface of the shell holder. This makes the 06 case (above the washer) the same length as a normal 308 case sitting in the proper shell holder. Just run the 06 case up into the Collet sizing die to neck size the case.
I just happen to think. For any case the Collet sizing die has to be adjusted properly to get the neck to whatever dia. you need for YOUR firearm.
I hope you can follow my instructions. I am not a wordsmith. And tend to wander. Kevin

[Wayne Smith]

Thanks, that makes perfect sense. My problem obviously is that the shorter case is the 25 Krag and that would be a custom die. I don't know that the 25-60 would be standard but I'd guess it is. Since I already have a Hornaday 25 Cal Neck size die I'll probably use that for both.

It was a thought experiment though.

[john.k]

It seems to me that the longer die will resize about 1/4" of the Krag neck.As its a Ackley case,the neck is going to be pretty short anyway,so this may be enough for your purposes.....However ,the fingers of the collet may be bent inwards due to lack of support over half its length...Try it and see.

[jcren]

As mentioned above, the length from shell holder to crimp is a fixed, non-adjustable value on Lee dies. The bigger problem may be that a break action does not have the closing force of a bolt. I would be surprised if brass for that encore didn't need a bit of full length/shoulder set back after a firing or two in order for the action to close.