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17 Hornet Lee Collet die
Not sure if anybody has ventured down the rabbit hole to make a 17 Hornet Lee Collet die using a 17 Remington die?
I converted one this last week and most of the time was spent getting the dimensions correct - lots of trial and error! If there is any interest on the dimensions required and the steps to accomplish let me know as could post them. I am no machinist so just used tools that were already in my possession. With that said the die works flawlessly Yes, I love my Collet dies |
#2
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I am interested. A gent gave me instructions of what to do a few years ago and I have lost that information, or put it up so I wouldn’t loose it.
Jeff |
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17 Hornet Lee Collet die Part 1
Step 1: Cut mandrel to correct length: refer to Pic #1. Note: 2.125” is the maximum length and probably could get away with .050” shorter.
Step 2: Peen the mandrel end : refer to Pic #2 Step 3: Measure inside diameter of collet and machine your 22 hornet shell holder slightly smaller to allow the shell holder to slide inside the collet - I machined .015” smaller than collet inside diameter. I do not own a lathe so used a bench grinder to accomplish this task. Refer to Pic # 3 & 4. Last edited by chevy; 12-28-2020 at 01:14 PM. |
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17 Hornet Lee Collet die Part 2
Step 4: Using another shell holder (any size) as the base, weld the machined 22 Hornet shell holder together. If you do not have access to a welder you could possibly use some liquid metal to bond the two holders together.
Refer to Pic #5, 6, 7 & 8. |
#5
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17 Hornet Lee Collet die Part 3
I then setup the collet die to size a fired brass to check out how it would work and the brass deformed at the shoulder. Refer to Pic #9 It was then determined that the inside of collet in the shoulder area needed to be bored out.
Step 5: Using a pipe clamp close up the collets, then using a 1/2” ball carbide die grinder bit removed .075” from the inside of the collet in the shoulder area. I own a press drill but believe I could of accomplished this task using a regular electric 3/8 hand drill. Refer to Pic # 10, 11 & 12. Last edited by chevy; 12-28-2020 at 01:22 PM. |
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17 Hornet Lee Collet die Part 4
To help measure how much was removed from the inside I used another 1/2” die grinder bit as a depth gauge and a vernier calliper to measure the amount removed. I did this very slowly as wanted to ensure I did not remove too much. After crushing 4 pieces of brass it was determined that .075” needed to be removed without disturbing the shoulder of the brass. Refer to Pic # 13, 14, 15 & 16.
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#7
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17 Hornet Lee Collet die completed
17 Remington converted to 17 Hornet Collet die completed. Pic # 17 & 18
Last edited by chevy; 12-27-2020 at 07:25 PM. |
#8
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If I would have noticed your post sooner you, I could have told you about the easy way that only involves machining/modifying an extended shell holder.
Somewhere on Saubier there is a 10 year old post with pictures. No worries. It looks like you charted your own path to success. John Last edited by Johnly; 12-27-2020 at 10:32 PM. |
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Hi Johnly, thanks for the reply.
That is too bad as during my search all I found were people looking at getting Lee to make up a set. Oh well, it turned out OK and rather enjoyed the time to create. With that said, sounds like just extending a shell holder is the way to go.....will have to give that a more thorough search to see how that was done. Stay safe and happy shooting! |
#10
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Take a look at this old thread and you can see how I did the die conversion.
http://www.saubier.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16388 John |
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