Paul, re: Lee Speed Dies
by Hoot 
, Diversityville, Liberal-sota, Sunday, February 22, 2026, 04:12 (34 days ago)
You mentioned loading .38's with same. I have seen them as well as reference to them but have -0- experience. How do they work?
Thanks!
Paul, re: Lee Speed Dies
by Paul 
, Sunday, February 22, 2026, 19:20 (33 days ago) @ Hoot
Pretty simple, really. Let's see if I can do this from memory...
There's one die body. There's a removable carbide sizing ring that screws on to the bottom of the die. Remove the bullet seating stem and insert the decapping pin then run the stem back in to hold the decapping pin in place. Run your cases through the resizing/decapping stage. I don't recall off the top of my head how the mouth belling step works. For seating, remove the sizing ring and decapping pin. Replace the seating stem and adjust for seating depth. Prime your cases, dump your powder, seat your bullets. Screw the seating die out a bit and seat the die body a bit deeper to get the crimp you want. You CAN seat and crimp in one step, but I've always prefered to do so in two steps.
These make for a real handy, compact loading set up when combined with a Lee hand press. I loaded a LOT of 38 Spl on the Lee Speed die setup, both on a bench mounted press and the Lee hand press. I prefer a regular die set, but for travel? The speed die's right handy to have. Combine it with a powder dipper that runs the right charge of your chosen powder and a compact method of seating primers and you're good to go as long as you've got components.
Paul, re: Lee Speed Dies
by Hoot , Diversityville, Liberal-sota, Sunday, February 22, 2026, 20:06 (33 days ago) @ Paul
Cool. Thank you. That sounds like a compact kit, good for certain situations. Maybe I need to see some out for our "country place".
I’m slow to understand?
But then that shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Is this a die that Lee sells specifically for this use, or are you using a single die from a set and adjusting it to fit your needs? Seating die, sizing die?
I am not finding Speed Dies at the Lee website?
I’m slow to understand?
I’m slow to understand?
That won’t open for me, so I went to the Lee website, and found it under instructions…..in this case for discontinued products.
Still won’t open unfortunately, but that isn’t really an issue. Apparently Lee no longer makes these, so I guess it’s not something I will pursue.
Edited to add that I found this: https://wonderwolfs.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-lee-speed-die-in-357-magnum-can-one.html
Hmmm, actually pretty interesting, but it went no where unfortunately.
Otony
Yep, discontinued.
by Hoot , Diversityville, Liberal-sota, Monday, February 23, 2026, 05:12 (32 days ago) @ Otony
They pop up now and then on the bay of E and BrokeGunner. I never gave them much thought but for Paul's past use, they seem like they might be sort of handy to stash at our place up north. I bought up a small pile of reloading stuff on the cheap from my FFL guy---he doesn't deal with any of that (and it included an 8lb. jug of Re7!) Included in the mess was the Lee "nut-cracker" and a set of dippers. I was going to peddle them but now I'm thinking...
Yep, discontinued.
by Paul , Monday, February 23, 2026, 07:37 (32 days ago) @ Hoot
If you've got the hand press, just add a set (or 50
) of carbide dies and you've STILL got a handy, compact setup. I'm thinking that'd be nice for some low volume caliber like 32 S&W. After all, who stocks up with a case of 32 S&W? A box of brass, some lead, compact loading setup, something to while away an evening at the cabin, and then have a pocket popper for targets of opportunity.
I can't remember for sure what calibers they produced the SpeedDie in, but 38 and 44 for sure. There may have been others.
Yep, discontinued.
by Hoot , Diversityville, Liberal-sota, Monday, February 23, 2026, 08:31 (32 days ago) @ Paul
Yeah, I know I could pick up some cheap refugee dies from a show somewhere and just leave them at the cabin with the nutcracker and dippers. I'd still like to look at a Speed Die out of curiosity more than anything. I'm really not much of a 'prepper' so that whole 'fits in a shoe box, grab it and go' idea isn't much of a consideration.
I’m slow to understand?
by Paul , Monday, February 23, 2026, 07:48 (32 days ago) @ Otony
Yep, that's the critter! Interesting note about "not for cast bullets". I loaded with it using as cast/as pan lubed cast and every so often had to clear out the accumulated lube/lead shavings. Even so, the ammo I loaded was better than anything off the shelf at the time/place.