Just got one of these dies for use with a single stage press. Very interesting unit. It is an All in One Die body that you screw into the press and add and remove parts.

I just loaded some 44 Mag and can say that it is no where near as fast as a Progressive but beats screwing 3 dies in and out from a normal pistol set in a single-stage press.

It most likely has it's niche where you have only a single-stage press and need some target ammo. But, I usually make up smaller batches for experimentation and it is useful there to.

Only thing I might do is get another seating stem that has a flat face OR flatten the one I have with the set on a drill press or lathe. The supplied one has a fits-all convex surface which fits the majority of bullet tips.

This is also a good set for the hand press where a minimum of equipment is desired.

The only caution I could state is that when you are expanding/decapping, you DO NOT fully cycle the press handle as the adjustment is such that it is not possible to do so. For this though, you can "feel" when the case hits the stop groove on the expander stem or bottoms in the case. Not really a problem for anyone that has seated primers on a press by feel to get used to that area.

Also, if you have a press with a very thick top section as my Ultra Mag, It can get a little tight to reach up into the threaded hole in the top as it is deeper, to unscrew the carbide ring from the die. But this is quite negligable.

In closing, I had been looking at this set for some time but was unsure how it actually worked. So I simply e-mailed Lee with my home address and asked them to send me an instruction sheet to study. They did so, free of charge.

All in all a novel idea and a neat little die set.

Regards

My only problem with the speed die is with the expander. The decapper/expander plug will bottom out before you can bell the case enough to accept some cast bullets without shaving. Other than that, I've been very happy with the 2 I've used (.45 ACP and .357).

I don't think screwing the various bits on and off is any faster than changing dies in standard set. However, it is a cheap way into carbide for a single stage reloader.

Yes you are correct about the expander/decapper. The case length appears to be a bit critical for proper expansion.

A better design would be to put a more pronounced step on the expander like a Lyman "M" die has.


Regards

Some many years ago I acquired a Tokarev commie pistol in 9mm for a rediculously cheap price,(it fit my non-existant budget) and needed dies to feed the thing.  The same flea-market I purchased the pistol in, also had a fellow with a Lee Speed Die for 9mm Luger.  I purchased it for five bucks!  I felt great, a new gun and dies for fifty bucks!  What a day.

Interestingly, I've used that speed die to load probably between four and five thousand rounds of ammo with very good uniformity and success.  No, It has seen little use in these later years, but as mentioned before it is a great space saving tool, and a very economical way of getting a carbide sizer!

God Bless,

Marshall

__________________
Marshall
Romans 1:16



Beartooth: A Bullet Worth Waiting For!