About four years ago I wrote a review and description of the 45 Colt collet die. Here's a link to the thread:
Lee 45 Colt Collet-Type Factory Crimp DieNote that the thread was dormant for a half-year, and then got helpfully resurrected.
A couple of footnotes to that old post:
When I wrote the post, the 45 Colt Collet Crimp die was an uncataloged custom item, with Lee #80337. Since then, they have cataloged it (YAY!), changing the number to Lee #90302. The link to #80337 in the 2013 post now opens the Lee web page for #90302. (It's not a big deal, but the title for that web page is
still messed up four years later. It still reads "45 Colt Custom Carbide Factory Crimp Die", but there's no carbide in die # 90302. The Colt Carbide FCD #90865 is an entirely different die.)
Hoot's notes in the post above are correct (of course). The Colt Collet Crimp Die #90302 requires shims (washers) to perform properly, and the jaws of the collet need to be thinned to produce a proper side crimp. I haven't yet thinned mine. I still use it occasionally as described in my later post in August 2013 after the thread was resurrected. I use my modified 45-70 FCD when applying the usual narrow crimp.
My post was written in response to a question by forum member "kozmo", who then helpfully described how he thinned the collet jaws.
--Bob