REALLY dumb question.

[sniper]

I have a Lee Factory Crimp Die for .38 Spl.-357 Magnum. Problem was, I took it apart...the Good Lady Wife sez I shouldn't do that!:mrgreen: and I put it together again, and it wouldn't crimp for beans. I figured I might have assembled it wrong...the reason the GLW tells me to not do that. I turned the little ring the other way up, and it works ! Problem is, both ends of it look identical. How to tell, other than try and see how to reassemble the die correctly? Is there some trick I don't know?
Thanx!:)

[tankgunner59]

All of my dies are Lee except for a few, because I started with Lee and liked them. I take all of my dies apart from time to time to clean them, depending on how much work they have been doing. With my Lee FCD's I always put the crimping collet on the table with the same end down as it is in the die body, because I found out this problem my first time. I guess you could look at ways of marking one end to designate the bottom. But my method works well for me, of course I only clean them when I don't need to be doing something else so I don't leave the parts set while I'm busy with something else. I look at it the same as loading never let anything interrupt you. Hope this helps.

[onelight]

I have had several of mine apart but I don't remember having a problem seeing which end goes down but I may just not remember . I don't normally take the crimp die apart I blow it out with an air hose .
The seating dies get cleaned of bullet lube occasionally .

[oley55]

I have a Lee Factory Crimp Die for .38 Spl.-357 Magnum. Problem was, I took it apart...the Good Lady Wife sez I shouldn't do that!:mrgreen: and I put it together again, and it wouldn't crimp for beans. I figured I might have assembled it wrong...the reason the GLW tells me to not do that. I turned the little ring the other way up, and it works ! Problem is, both ends of it look identical. How to tell, other than try and see how to reassemble the die correctly? Is there some trick I don't know?
Thanx!:)

Trying to figure out your turning the ring the other way and it works, but... My gut response was "well put it in the way that works", but I will stifle that response. Well sorta. LOL.

OK the floating crimper (the little ring) only looks identical on the outside. The inside is where the crimping occurs. One end of it is sorta tapered and the other is of uniform diameter and comes to a ridge (where the crimping occurs). Slide a fired or sized case in there (not flared) and you will feel the abrupt stop. If inserted in the other end the case will be gradually squeezed but no abrupt stop at the crimping ridge. So the uniform end with the abrupt stop/ridge goes in first/down. That's how both my 38 and 44 mag dies look/work. The wrong or up end also has a very slightly beveled entrance for some unknown reason (you would think that bevel would be on the other end where bullet and case enter).

Not to muddy your waters, but having just now looked at them, it occurs to me the tapered end if installed down just might act like a tapered crimp die rather than a rolled crimp. Not that we would want a tapered crimp in most 38/357 applications, but it may serve some yet to be known crimping need. Just something for me to file away for future consideration.

[jimkim]

One end has an internal taper. The other doesn't.

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[AntiqueSledMan]

Hello sniper,

It really sounds like you have a Carbide Factory Crimp Die,
The Factory Crimp Die will have slots cut on one end of the collar,
and that is the end which goes into the die body.

AntiqueSledMan.