Help

[kg42]

It's not unknown for LEE dies to be out of (their own) specs.

Do you think the expanding plug is going all the way in the case? If yes, contact LEE.

If not, would it help to trim the die a little (top or bottom), and either allow the top plug to screw an extra thread or the case to get in further?

I don't need FCD with LEE's 45 dies, or any other caliber, but I did have shavings in 45 at some point:
The crimp would close on the cylindrical part of a new bullet, and simply screwing the seating plug 1/2 turn solved the problem. The crimp now closes on a slimmer part of the bullet.

kg

[cidd11]

Not sure if the case is going all the way into the expander. It doesn't seem like it is. I sent Lee a email yesterday explaining my problem, waiting to see what they have to say.

[cidd11]

I got a hold of Lee and they wanted the dimensions of the expander that was in the die. I sent it to them and they told me it was the wrong one. and there going to send me the right one. Glad to find out it was the wrong one, that dam die was driving me nuts.

[JJB2]

i have seen a set of universal expanding dies on the lee site..... i wonder if that would work well for neck expanding.... i use my old bair expander now as the old lee speed dies doesn't get em quite open enough...........

[versifier]

cidd, I'm glad you solved the problem. Did Lee require you to sent the defective die back to them, or are they just sending you a new expander plug for it? Usually things like that get caught by QC, but unfortunately that's not always Lee's strength.

JJB2, they work great, but they are designed primarily for those wanting to load cast bullets longer bottleneck rifle cases. I have a bunch of them, most are dedicated specifically for cartridges I load often and are stored as part of the die set, but I also keep two for those I don't load so frequently and I leave a little note in their box to let me know what the dies were last used for. In a pinch, they can be used for short handgun cases with good results, but the expander dies that come with the sets are easier to set up and use, especially with really short cases like .380ACP, etc. No reason not to have one or two of them on hand, though.

[cidd11]

In the email I got from them they didn't ask me to send it back.

[noylj]

If you want, simply screw the Lee PTE die down until it just touches the shell holder/shellplate. This will be max expansion.
Run a case or two through the sizing die and then through the PTE die. Does your bullet sit on the top of the cases? Is the case mouth flared away from the bullet? If both yes, you are good to go. If no, contact Lee as your expander die is not sized properly.
Then, your next concern is seating to a COL (OAL) that fits and functions in your gun and crimp just enough to remove the flare at the case mouth. Get a Lee Taper Crimp Die or the Lee Factory Crimp Die. I prefer the FCD for most applications.