Lee Breech Lock Sizers and NOE Bushings

[jdgabbard]

I couldn't find a straight forward answer, or didn't know what to search for to find the right answer.... NOE's site has almost zero information on them. So you guys are my go-to.

I have a Lee Breech Lock Single Stage Cast Press. It's probably 15-20 years old by now. But still serves me well as a sizing station. I have historically used it with the steel breech lock adapters and standard sizing dies. However, I recently bought one of the Breech Lock Sizing adapters for the Lee APP Press, and it works really well with my press (though I wish it came with a bottle adapter instead of a blank plug for the top).

The problem I am finding, the same with the standard Lee sizing dies, is they don't always have the diameter that I want. Such as a .310" sizer - Lee occassionally makes some, but they do not consistently offer them. And I don't want to open one up for the same reason I don't want to check myself out when buying groceries. I'm paying for a finished product. I don't want to have to do it myself, and possibly damage it by over sizing it.

That said, NOE does offer bushing in a variety of diameters I find useful. However, I cannot find a straight answer as to whether those bushing will work with the Lee adapter. And as mentioned before, NOE provides zero information on them in the website.

So can anyone tell me if the NOE bushings will work with the Lee adapter shown below? And if so, what if any additional items I'd need to make them work.

Thanks.

311397

[Minerat]

311442 NOE bushing

My bushings measure.

Body Dia 0.626"
Length 0.63" includes the flange
Flange dia 0.734"
Flange thickness 0.067"

Hope it helps.

[Papercidal]

There is a breach lock adapter that Lee makes specially for NOE bushings that is available through NOE and is threaded for the bottle adapter that comes with the APP.


https://noebulletmolds.com/site/shop/bullet-casting-reloading/lee_products/lee-app/app-adapter-for-using-noe-bushings/

[megasupermagnum]

If yours looks like the one in the picture, that is the bottle adapter.

NOE bushings will not work in that. Lee has been fairly consistent on keeping odd sizes in stock. Any not in stock can be ordered for a very reasonable price in their custom order section.

[megasupermagnum]

https://leeprecision.com/custom-breech-lock-bullet-sizer-punch

[deces]

I might be misunderstanding your question about the bottle adapter. But in your picture the piece on the left without the buna O ring is the part that is inserted into the bottle adapter from the bottom up (indexes into adapter), nipple side up and that threads into the body (containing sizer) with the breech lock threads. Then into the bottom of the APP.


https://youtu.be/pMKYTdu7oLU

[jdgabbard]

My bushings measure.

Body Dia 0.626"
Length 0.63" includes the flange
Flange dia 0.734"
Flange thickness 0.067"

Hope it helps.

Thanks for sharing! I'll check out the measurements against my Lee examples.


There is a breach lock adapter that Lee makes specially for NOE bushings that is available through NOE and is threaded for the bottle adapter that comes with the APP.


https://noebulletmolds.com/site/shop/bullet-casting-reloading/lee_products/lee-app/app-adapter-for-using-noe-bushings/

Thanks, I've seen it. But I don't want to have to buy a second if it isn't necessary. Though, for the cost of buying the NOE specific adapter it would be cheaper than buying individual custom bushings from Lee. If the measurements above don't match mine, I'll drop the extra money on it.


If yours looks like the one in the picture, that is the bottle adapter.

NOE bushings will not work in that. Lee has been fairly consistent on keeping odd sizes in stock. Any not in stock can be ordered for a very reasonable price in their custom order section.

They have had a few that I've needed. However, a lot of those links just kick you back out to the front page of their website. You can't actually order them from the link. Obviously you can order a custom sizer, but why pay twice the price if the NOE versions work? Though Titan had a few of the ones that Lee mentions but doesn't have valid links for. So that worked out in those instances.

Are you sure about that being the bottle adapter? I don't see how a bottle would attach to the one I have. At most something without threads could slip into the unthreaded hole on the bushing retainer. In the picture the left piece is the Breech Lock adapter, the one of the right is simply a 7/8-14 screw in retainer for the bushing. It's a solid turned/milled piece of aluminum. I think the part in this picture is the bottle adapter....

311475


I might be misunderstanding your question about the bottle adapter. But in your picture the piece on the left without the buna O ring is the part that is inserted into the bottle adapter from the bottom up (indexes into adapter), nipple side up and that threads into the body (containing sizer) with the breech lock threads. Then into the bottom of the APP.

Addressed in the previous quote, but no, I do not believe it is a bottle adapter - it is a retainer. Although, I could theoretically cut a hole in a bottle lid, put it through, screw the retainer in, then thread the bottle onto the lid. I guess that would work as there is about 1/8" between where it tightens down and the bottom of the retainer's ring, but to my understanding the bottle adapter is a different piece from what came with mine. See the picture in the above quote versus the picture in my original post. They are quite different.

[jdgabbard]

My bushings measure.

Body Dia 0.626"
Length 0.63" includes the flange
Flange dia 0.734"
Flange thickness 0.067"

Hope it helps.


Welp, I have my answer. In short, no, they will not work. NOE's are smaller in several ways.

Body diameter 0.795"
Length 0.801"
Flange diameter 0.823"
Flange thickness 0.227"

If it were not for the body diameter being narrower it might be possible to use a spacer to tighten down the retainer to make up the difference in the flange thickness - which is what the Lee uses to "headspace" off of. But with the differences in diameter it wouldn't fit snugly when seated. I guess the NOE adapter is require.

Thanks for the answers everyone.