Interesting observation on Lee shell holders...

[stilly]

So some time ago I posted about my Lee Classic Turret and the issues that it had sometimes when I put shells in and I resoprted to getting some needle files and filing down some of the rims a bit to fit...

I got tired of doing that so I started putting them aside and about 3 weeks ago when I was having issues with my 44 reloads I had placed the Shellholder from my 50 AE die set into the turret press and THEN I had issues priming because for some reason the primers just were NOT going in properly and I ended up cutting two of them and smashed another one or two.

WELL, I figured that that would have solved the problem because the 50 AE shellholder that I use holds all of the 44 mag brass and never has an issue when I am decapping them with the handpress.

So when I got my shellholder set from midwayusa I looked at it and thought Hey wait a second. 500 S&W is Number 16 or something that did NOT come in the set (figures). but then I noticed that the 44 mag shellholder is number 11 and that was in the set and that is what is also in the 50 AE set. SO, I put the new 44mag shellholder on and it looked like it fit fine and it even fit all of those old shells with no problems.

SO then if it primes with NO problems tomorrow should I bother sending both of my other shell holders back and telling Lee that I would like different ones because one is maybe too big and the other is too small or something like that? I can send them a pic or two or even a couple of the primers (well wrapped of course) as evidence of what happened.

Crazy...

[AndrewTannerCA]

I'd just send lee a message via their site. I broke the primer feeder on my press once and they just mailed me a replacement free of charge. They stand behind their products.

[stilly]

:|

Yeah I guess I can do that too... :\ I will do that.

[klewan]

Figure out why; this a Lee product. We don't go runnin' to CS everytime there is a problem. That's a big part of the Lee deal. Demonstrating the ability to do some simple problem solving. Like the rest of life.

Try some of your other shell holders and brass and see how much clearance there is between the brass and holder. The instructions that come with the shell holders say if there are two #'s that fit, use the first one if you have it.

There is some tolerance in the holders and do some checking to find it out. Do you have any lapping abrasive? A little on the tight brass and spin it in the shell holder with your fingers, you'll see the tight spots in a couple of seconds. Comet cleaner will sub if you don't have the correct stuff. This way you're not out of business for a week waiting for the brown truck to deliver your junk.

Instead of sending broken depriming pins back and waiting, I ordered some .200 steel rod, .0625" needle bearings, .750" long, and a couple of .0625" drills. Cut a piece off the rod, center drill .0625" in the lathe, and glue in the roller bearing. I can make about 100 for the $7 in parts. I already had the lathe...everyone should have a lathe. Even one of those 7X11 ones, you can do a lot of stuff with it.

[Cowboy T]

Hey, klewan, you sound like you're belittling the poster here. All he did was ask a question, and he backed it up with his observations.

Stilly, go ahead and get a hold of Lee Precision and describe what you're seeing. As AndrewTannerCA put it, Lee does stand behind their products. I know this from experience.

.

[klewan]

I don't think I was belittling him. I pointed out the reasons why it's better to be able to figure something out on your own. Shell holder is a pretty simple piece of kit, this isn't like having a die that is machined to the wrong dimensions, CS for that. But I've read in a few places that Lee makes fewer shell holders than say, RCBS, and one of the reasons is the Lee parts have a looser tolerance that you can use with more than one cartridge.

I find it a real drag to be doing something and have to fart around with CS and UPS and wait a couple of weeks for something I could fix myself with a little effort. I guess it reminds me of most of the population, that can't do much of anything of value and looks to the govt for everything.


YMMV.

[vortec_cruiser]

I don't think I was belittling him. I pointed out the reasons why it's better to be able to figure something out on your own. Shell holder is a pretty simple piece of kit, this isn't like having a die that is machined to the wrong dimensions, CS for that. But I've read in a few places that Lee makes fewer shell holders than say, RCBS, and one of the reasons is the Lee parts have a looser tolerance that you can use with more than one cartridge.

I find it a real drag to be doing something and have to fart around with CS and UPS and wait a couple of weeks for something I could fix myself with a little effort. I guess it reminds me of most of the population, that can't do much of anything of value and looks to the govt for everything.


YMMV.

Since 99.9% of the people on here don't have a lathe at home, this is not a viable option. I do agree that for the 0.1% of those who do have a lathe and skill to use it, this would be a good solution.

[stilly]

Until a week ago I never had more shell holders, now I have THREE of the same size and each one is a little different. One works great and takes all shells. One is great but does not take about 10 percent of the shells. One is great and takes all shells, but for some reason the primer is getting sloppy. I do not like that and it bugs me.

As for repairing the pins myself. I have no lathe. I have no lapping abrasive. I am not a metal worker and God help me if I DID have a lathe because then all of my silencers would be nice metal onces instead of PVC. (yes that was a joke, I do not have anymore of those silencers anymore) .

Seriously though, That sounds like a lot of work for a 1.99 pin. Hey good for you but if I had ANY kind of lathe or metal machinery I would also have a completed bayonet for my M&PR8 but I don't and it is prolly good that I do not. Hell, I can barely drill a hole in wood without the goddamn bit walking all over the place.

I am uncertain how to measure these things since they are so tiny. It is hard to jam the calipers in there. The shells do not even make it in half way most of the time, they get stuck on the outside with about 20% fitting in and then the rest are a no go.

How would I fix the primer issue? Let Lee look at that. I have shells to send them so they can see what I am talking about. Anyways, at this point I have already sent an e-mail so we will see what they say.