I need to replace all my die lock rings and want to do it well. It's not a lot, but I need about 15 lock rings.
What I've been using up until this point are Lee Lock Ring Eliminators for a press that has only the Breech Lock sockets (no bushing insert).
Many of my dies are Redding and I have the Redding lock rings that I kept before fitting the LRE's, but I discovered they suck. When I tighten the jam screw and then loosen it to adjust the die, it sticks. Since there appears to be a soft metal insert in there, I don't think the jam nut is damaging the die threads and since I'm not torquing it much I don't think I'm oblonging the lock ring. Instead, I think it's just the soft metal threads on the jam piece that are jamming even after the screw is loosened. Very lame design. It looks like RCBS, Wilson, and Whidden have a similarly lame design with a jam screw. Even Lee used a cross-bolt pinch design on their Lock Ring Eliminators. When they machined them out of steel, they were great. Now they're making them out of Aluminum that galls in their Aluminum press heads -- terrible mistake.
So as far as I can tell, Hornady, Forster, Lyman, and Sinclair make cross-bolt lock rings.
Hornady's lock rings have flats on the sides to fit a standard open-end wrench.
Forster's cross bolt head appears to stick out -- a problem that Lee's rings also had and which I found very annoying on a tight progressive press head (solved by replacing all the bolts).
The Lyman cross-bolt lock ring looks good.
The Sinclair has a notch to relieve stress on the threads when the ring is pinched. Sinclair also makes an Aluminum lock-ring wrench to fit knurled circumference of their lock rings.
I can't afford to buy click-adjustable lock rings like the Whidden:
and my most of my dies where it is useful already have micrometer adjustment features.
Since I was already using Lee's Breech Lock quick change system, I tried a bushing insert that would allow me to keep using them. I found that I could not move dies between the Breech-Lock only press and a press adapted to the Breech Lock with a bushing without changing the die adjustment. Especially since Lee changed to Aluminium LRE's, I've found the Breech Lock system frustrating because the LRE's gall and stick in the press head. They never did that with the steel LRE's. Lee's Breech Lock bushing insert is also stupidly Aluminum rather than steel. I also hate the stupid little plastic wrench.
So I decided to try Hornady's Lock N Load quick-change system. I bought a bushing and a 10-pack of the inserts. I notice they don't lock on the die. Am I missing something?
First, this means I need lock rings and LNL inserts. At least the Lee system eliminated the lock rings and gave all my dies a consistent grip.
Second, the die position is secured only by how much it is torqued into the LNL bushing. That's lame for two reasons: one, I have to torque the die before I know the final position. If I set the position correctly, it will be off once I torque it. Two, because the torque of the die in the lock ring and the die in the LNL bushing are opposing one another the die cannot be adjusted simply by unpinching the lock ring. It must also be untorqued from the LNL bushing.
I read in another thread Cascade Hemi describing runout problems he attributed to the LNL inserts. I have not measured that.
I'm leaning toward the Sinclair lock rings, but I think any of the four I pictured above are good. Since I need about 15 of them at the moment, I thought I'd see if I could identify the best one before I bought a bunch.
What do you think?
What I've been using up until this point are Lee Lock Ring Eliminators for a press that has only the Breech Lock sockets (no bushing insert).
Many of my dies are Redding and I have the Redding lock rings that I kept before fitting the LRE's, but I discovered they suck. When I tighten the jam screw and then loosen it to adjust the die, it sticks. Since there appears to be a soft metal insert in there, I don't think the jam nut is damaging the die threads and since I'm not torquing it much I don't think I'm oblonging the lock ring. Instead, I think it's just the soft metal threads on the jam piece that are jamming even after the screw is loosened. Very lame design. It looks like RCBS, Wilson, and Whidden have a similarly lame design with a jam screw. Even Lee used a cross-bolt pinch design on their Lock Ring Eliminators. When they machined them out of steel, they were great. Now they're making them out of Aluminum that galls in their Aluminum press heads -- terrible mistake.
So as far as I can tell, Hornady, Forster, Lyman, and Sinclair make cross-bolt lock rings.
Hornady's lock rings have flats on the sides to fit a standard open-end wrench.
Forster's cross bolt head appears to stick out -- a problem that Lee's rings also had and which I found very annoying on a tight progressive press head (solved by replacing all the bolts).
The Lyman cross-bolt lock ring looks good.
The Sinclair has a notch to relieve stress on the threads when the ring is pinched. Sinclair also makes an Aluminum lock-ring wrench to fit knurled circumference of their lock rings.
I can't afford to buy click-adjustable lock rings like the Whidden:
and my most of my dies where it is useful already have micrometer adjustment features.
Since I was already using Lee's Breech Lock quick change system, I tried a bushing insert that would allow me to keep using them. I found that I could not move dies between the Breech-Lock only press and a press adapted to the Breech Lock with a bushing without changing the die adjustment. Especially since Lee changed to Aluminium LRE's, I've found the Breech Lock system frustrating because the LRE's gall and stick in the press head. They never did that with the steel LRE's. Lee's Breech Lock bushing insert is also stupidly Aluminum rather than steel. I also hate the stupid little plastic wrench.
So I decided to try Hornady's Lock N Load quick-change system. I bought a bushing and a 10-pack of the inserts. I notice they don't lock on the die. Am I missing something?
First, this means I need lock rings and LNL inserts. At least the Lee system eliminated the lock rings and gave all my dies a consistent grip.
Second, the die position is secured only by how much it is torqued into the LNL bushing. That's lame for two reasons: one, I have to torque the die before I know the final position. If I set the position correctly, it will be off once I torque it. Two, because the torque of the die in the lock ring and the die in the LNL bushing are opposing one another the die cannot be adjusted simply by unpinching the lock ring. It must also be untorqued from the LNL bushing.
I read in another thread Cascade Hemi describing runout problems he attributed to the LNL inserts. I have not measured that.
I'm leaning toward the Sinclair lock rings, but I think any of the four I pictured above are good. Since I need about 15 of them at the moment, I thought I'd see if I could identify the best one before I bought a bunch.
What do you think?
