Lee 38 S&W dies, Imagine my surprise

[HeavyMetal]

Went to Bass Pro's this afternoon and bought myself a set of Lee 38 S&W dies.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the red container and found two dies, the seater and the expander, marked 38 S&W while the sizer die was marked:38 AUTO ????

Anybody want to make book on the excuse I'll get from them when I call?

By the way is contacting them some huge secret or what!

The instructions don't have a phone number or an e mail address.

No web address either!

Glad I have a catalog with the number hand written on the inside cover!

I think Pat id the go to person here?

I'll keep you posted on what they say.

[9.3X62AL]

HM--

A few days ago, our own 45-2.1 made mention in a 38 S&W-related thread that the 38 Super/38 Auto sizer die could be used for sizing the 38 S&W. Maybe Lee meant to do this intentionally. Maybe it's one of those epiphany things. Maybe--it's as you expect, a complete foul-up, and some poor racegunner in Nebraska is opening his Lee die box this very moment and finding a 38 S&W Sizer die, and saying ungentle things about this unkind twist of fate.

It needs to warm up and stop snowing. I'm getting bored, and over-writing.

[GSM]

Probably a "meant to be" thing. My 455 Webley dies came with a 45 Colt seater (can't remember what sizer they sent).

[anachronism]

It doesn't make sense for them to claim the Super die will work for the 38 S&W. They're two different bullet diameters.

[Yance]

.384" for 38 Super vs. 3855" for the 38 S&W at the case mouth. Not that much difference to begin with, then consider the thicker case walls of the Auto brass (hence the slightly smaller diameter bullet) to allow it to headspace on the mouth the same sizer die should work fine for both.

Lee saves (us) $$ by "splitting the difference" on some things as they can reduce inventory stock numbers and do longer "runs" between setup changes. This is pretty much the same thing some of us do when we "mix 'n' match" dies from different sets to form and load for obsolete cartridges or compensate for "nonstandard" components.

Brings to mind when I ran a machine in the last furniture factory I worked. Our engineers had drawn up two "standard" drawer front blanks, one for a single cut (two fronts) another for a double cut, (three fronts). By splitting the difference in allowable tolerance and saw kerf allowance I was able to run both on the same setup saving time (increasing my incentive bonus) between loads.

Lee works pretty "smart".

[lreed]

Hello: I bought a set of Lee 38 S&W dies a couple years back same as yours ---38auto sizing die--- recon it isn't a mistake, used them worked great.
lreed

[HeavyMetal]

OK it looks like this was packaged this way on purpose??

You'd think they'd mark the die right or add some info in the instructions, which I'm going to read right now!

I'll give these a try and see what's up before I make a call.

I had already figured on having to open the seater die up for .361 dia boolits.

[KCSO]

Heavy Metal
The 38 Super and the 38 Sa nd W use the same sizer. Been that way with Lee from the git go. I have used these dies to load a couple thousand 38 S and W's with no problem.

[mike in co]

yup its suppose to be that way.....

mike in co

[Buckshot]

...............If you shoot pure lead in your 38 S&W you'd be better off with the Lee 9x18 Makarov dies. My Lee 38 S&W size and seater dies have been idle since 9.3x62AL turned me on to this deal. All the above is assuming you want to use .361"+ cast lead. I also made up a new casemouth expander with a larger OD parallel section (.361") and then a step (.363") and flare (.365"). I shoot the cast slugs 'as cast' and TL'd only.

In Lee's 38-55 die set the sizer is for the 375 Winchester.

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

[HeavyMetal]

I was looking for the Mak die set when I got this one Bass pro's didn't have a Mak set on hand.

I might be able to get by neck sizing with this set. as soon as I get the chance I will fire up my 38 slim mold which should drop .361 and we'll see how well this works.

I had already been prepared to alter the expander and seater dies to use with cast.