The last full measure (Lee Deluxe 22 Hornet dies snagged)

[Elric]

Well, I broke down and popped a set of 22 Hornet Deluxe dies off of fleabay. I pretty much have every suggested part in place for 22 Hornet bliss. Looks as if Lee stopped offering the 22 Hornet Deluxe set, and makes you buy the collet die plus dead length seater separately. Dunno, every hit I had for 22 Hornet Deluxe die set said discontinued, out of stock, or unavailable.

Not that I care anymore, since I got mine, but I wonder if Lee would assemble a Deluxe set with the LCD, FL, and seater dies if you contacted their customer service and asked real nice. I found the 22 Hornet LCD for $26 (IIRC) on Lee's site while researching.

Now for some Lee hate, hate, hate! In the best traditions of the Two Minute Hate from 1984...
I detest the Lee O-ring lock ring. Hate! Hate! Hate! So I picked up a pack of Hornady Sure-Loc rings to replace them. The Hornady rings clamp onto the die, but don't dork up the threads like some other brands. Repeatability... Love it.

I do like the wrench flats on the Lee dies, but the smooth decap spindle is Hate! Hate! Hate! I punch out the primers separately, anyways.

Lee seater dies are not bad, but I would rather try my (costly!) RCBS competition die.... It might not like the .225 diameter cast bullet... But the loading port for small bullets is dee-vine... No more crushed fingers or cocked bullets. Vickerman dies would be sweet, but not cheap.

225438 mould, check
438 top punch, check
Rem 6 1/2 primers, check (some prefer pistol primers, as cast uses lower pressure, SP primers would work)
Selection of powders, Unique, Red Dot, 4227.... check
100 cases, new from Nosler, check (Grafs)
Lee Deluxe dies, with the Collet die to carefully size the neck, check
21" Contender, w/scope, check

Now... waiting on some drier days to cast.

If I miss, it sould be the nut behind the trigger, not the gun or components.

 

[RBHarter]

Just a note .
The air bleed holes on the FL Lee dies of late have had burrs on them and will scar a neck badly . Make or get a piece of sacrificial brass and lap the neck . The reported thin brass will thank you .
This isn't a hammer on Lee gear I have dies for 222,6.8Rem,45 ACP , 308 and 358 win . I didn't get the burr 45 or 308 and it turned off the 222 made from 223 . 5 minutes and all is right is right .

Sounds like you're ready to roll .

 

[Elric]

Just a note .
The air bleed holes on the FL Lee dies of late have had burrs on them and will scar a neck badly .

Any burr sounds like the air bleed hole is drilled AFTER the die is reamed for the cartridge.

I will pull the decap stem and czech the neck against the light.

SAAMI calls for a neck that is .2453 at the shoulder and .243 at the mouth of the shell.
http://saami.org/PubResources/CC_Drawings/Rifle/22 Hornet.pdf

How much room is needed for lapping with compound?

Letter C is .2420, Letter D is .2460, 6.62mm is .2441

 

[Ian]

Weird how we can have different experiences and preference with tooling, this is a perfect example. Two of the things I absolutely LOVE about Lee reloading dies are the o-ring lock rings and the method of retaining the decapping rod....but in my NSHO their seating dies are USELESS, crooked, neck-bending pieces of junk in any caliber.

Sometimes I have to buy two or three sets of Lee dies to get all the individual ones I want for a certain cartridge. Then I supplement the set with things like Forster in-line seating dies or an RCBS neck expanding die. All the extra Lee seating dies get pillaged for their lock rings and tossed in a box to use later for things like expanding die bodies (if I ever get a lathe to make threaded expander plugs) or jug line anchors.

More on the the lock rings, my least favorite ever are the huge antique RCBS knurled split rings with the pinch screw, followed closely by any other lock ring RCBS ever made. The steel lock rings are terrible at letting the die get loose and back off in the press while you aren't looking, and force the die crooked in the press threads if you ever try to use the set screw to lock your adjustment. They're either loose in the press or take a 2' wrench to break them loose. Also, half the RCBS rings across their manufacturing history will not fit Lee 4-hole turrets, same goes for some other manufacturers. The Lee rings allow a reliably firm adjustment without forcing the die crooked in the threads. Sure, they're stiff to adjust and can be a little bit of a pain to remove if installed for a long period of time, but I find them far superior to any other lock ring out there for my purposes, the quick-change rings by Lee and Hornady notwithstanding.

 

[RBHarter]

I had the good fortune of being able to size up for the 358 and stopped short , the other bottle necks cleaned up with use ,it didn't occur to me that it might be a common issue and to polish it out , after a 100 cases from 223 to 222 it cleaned up . The straight cases have had no such issues .
It may clean up with compound on a mop . It is really usually more like a hung chip . It has been common .

 

[Elric]

but in my NSHO their seating dies are USELESS, crooked, neck-bending pieces of junk in any caliber.
Sometimes I have to buy two or three sets of Lee dies to get all the individual ones I want for a certain cartridge.
More on the the lock rings, my least favorite ever are the huge antique RCBS knurled split rings with the pinch screw,

Hmm, my dad has got maybe 8 sets, and he has no complaints. I myself load 7-30 Waters on a Lee die and I get 1/2" groups at 50 yards with my crude cast bullets.

This thing with mix n match dies... Lee offers separate dies... For the 22 Hornet, all I want from Lee are the Collet Die and the seating die. The collet die does not seem to have an equivalent from other manufacturers, and IMHO (and others) is a necessity for the Hornet neck. I will be attempting to use my RCBS competition seating die with cast, maybe I need the bullet guide opened up a skosh, we will find out.

Lee lock rings on a single stage press does not seem to be sensible. However... on a turret press where you can pull the plate, I don't see why not.. What I regret is I saw a three die CH press at a gunshow for $30 and I didn't pick it up. That way you can set up the neck die, M die, and seater die and not have to mess with them while loading one caliber....

If you want all my spare Lee lock rings, send me a PM.

Any die ring that uses a set screw that either directly impinges on the threads, or uses a brass plug to transfer the force to the threads, is IMHO, not very desireable.

If I had a Forster press, their round lock rings would be nice. The Hornady rings with the wench flats are nice for normal presses.