LEE numbers ?

[watkibe]

I can't always figure out the numbers that Lee puts on their products. The molds have the 5 digit part number that always starts with 9, which I can look up online if I get mixed up about which mold is which. The dies can be a little trickier. The sizing, seating, expanding, and factory crimp dies you can recognize by the type of die, and it has the caliber on the side. The seating die is 357 mag-F7, the sizing die is 38/357 - J7, and the expanding die is 357- J7. What the F7 and J7 are I don't know, but I wonder.
I have a crimp die for 308 Win. It's not a factory crimp die, which is the only kind they make anymore, I think. The number on it is 308-D1, and I've always thought it was a taper crimp die. I use it after seating cast boolits, and it looks like a taper drimp, not a roll crimp. The thing is, if I forget to put it back in the right box, there is nothing about "308-D7" that tells me what it is, and I can find no reference on Lee's website or in their literature that explains the numbering system.

Has anyone deciphered this ?

[canebreaker]

I engraved cal. size and a number on lids and base of containers, then used a sharpie. If sharpie wears off, some of it will be in the engraved area. I engraved the container number on each die, with a dash, then 1 for decapper, 2 for expander and 3 for seater dies.
Container will have, example: .38spl.-1.
Dies will have, example: 1-1, 1-2, 1-3.
: 30.30-2.
:2-1, 2-2, 2-3.

[mooman76]

I don't think there is any real rhyme or to the 5 digit nubber lee uses. I think maybe just the order they came out. The newer number Lee has in addition to the 5 digit number has a code that makes more since.

[watkibe]

Good idea, canebreaker !

[wallenba]

Yup, fearsome confused by em' myself. Probably used for replacement part ordering, but then where is their parts list?

[Buckshot]

Yup, fearsome confused by em' myself. Probably used for replacement part ordering, but then where is their parts list?

If you go here:http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1252218045.5838=/html/catalog/dies-pistol.html

This is their pistol die listing. On the chart is the caliber and then in blue the 5 digit part number followed by 'Serv. parts', thusly: 32 S&W 90696 Serv.Parts

If you click on the blue, 90696/Serv. Parts area it will take you to a listing for ALL the parts for that particular item, or items.

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

[wallenba]

If you go here:http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1252218045.5838=/html/catalog/dies-pistol.html

This is their pistol die listing. On the chart is the caliber and then in blue the 5 digit part number followed by 'Serv. parts', thusly: 32 S&W 90696 Serv.Parts

If you click on the blue, 90696/Serv. Parts area it will take you to a listing for ALL the parts for that particular item, or items.

................Buckshot
Well, I do see that, but there are still numbers on the dies such as c9 or f9. I think those are the ones in question.:-?

[watkibe]

Yep, Dutch, those are the ones.