ordered Expanding Die how to?

[WhelanLad]

hey guys whats the go wit hthe expanding die from LEE.
i got it for those not so round 303 projectiles an i guess will use them for the 375 Winnie aswell?

how does it work, do u just screw down a certain way until it just does what ya want??

will this mean i need to somewhat crimp the necks?

 

[Meroh]

hey guys whats the go wit hthe expanding die from LEE.
i got it for those not so round 303 projectiles an i guess will use them for the 375 Winnie aswell?

how does it work, do u just screw down a certain way until it just does what ya want??

will this mean i need to somewhat crimp the necks?

First, get a good reloading manual; Lee, Hornady, Speer etc, and read it. Most die sets come with an expander incorporated into the decapper. I have a basic two die RCBS set for my 6.5 x 55, but have added a Lee collet neck sizer die to provide the tension needed. I seat with no crimp, and have no issues.

Again, do a lot of reading before starting.

 

[WhelanLad]

Again, do a lot of reading before starting.

naaah mate, Im hoping you blokes have done all the Reading an can pass on 2nd hand info to set me straight- aint that what Forums are for

Thank you for the info.

 

[yomomma]

hey guys whats the go wit hthe expanding die from LEE.
i got it for those not so round 303 projectiles an i guess will use them for the 375 Winnie aswell?

how does it work, do u just screw down a certain way until it just does what ya want??

will this mean i need to somewhat crimp the necks?

Yes, it comes with a couple mandrels of different sizes. Adjust it just like you would your dies. You would at least need to strighten out the case flare. Light crimp????

 

[FLHTCUI]

hey guys whats the go wit hthe expanding die from LEE.
i got it for those not so round 303 projectiles an i guess will use them for the 375 Winnie aswell?

how does it work, do u just screw down a certain way until it just does what ya want??

will this mean i need to somewhat crimp the necks?

I had a Lee Expander die for my 25-20 and never used it.
It was better to have it and not need it should I venture down the rabbit hole of reloading that caliber.
From what I gathered one would screw the expander down expanding the case mouth until the cast boolit slipped in and the next step was to seat the boolit and then a crimp should one wish.
The Coles Notes version and You tube has lots to get a better idea.
Rob

 

[Bigbubba]

LEE?

Who buys that stuff?

 

[WhelanLad]

LEE?

Who buys that stuff?

im not on 24hcf so , This guy right here!!

 

[WhelanLad]

Yes, it comes with a couple mandrels of different sizes. Adjust it just like you would your dies. You would at least need to strighten out the case flare. Light crimp????

oh, i see!
i will read the manual when it turns up in the post. i kind of thought it might of just been a tapered one from small to large an ya just screw it to where it suits after multiple tests pushin bullet in.
in the case of what FLTCHI saiys, then it may very well need a crimp of sorts... unless i can just open up the top of the neck and rely on the rest of the neck to hold er in place!

cos i aint buyn no more dies especially a crimp for that POS 303! the next Dollar spent on it will be a barrel! an it sure as schit wont be "303"

 

[obsessed1b]

The neck expander/ belling die from lee comes with two expanders that will work from 22-50 cal. Set it up so it just bells the case mouth. Set your seating die to lightly crimp and your good to go. The more uniform your brass is in length the less you need to crimp. You do need to make sure you remove the flare/ bell on loaded case to ensure chambering.. I flare all brass when loading cast to keep the brass from shaving the bullet when seating. if done properly you don't get a bulge or anything.

 

[oldrodder]

To my mind, the LEE Universal Expanding Die is mis-named. It is a "belling die". It does not expand the neck to a given ID the way that other expanding dies do. It only bells the mouth of the case. Having said that, it can be a versatile piece of kit, when you combine it with parts from N.O.E. They make true expanding plugs that replace the belling plug, that will expand the neck to a given ID and put a bell on the mouth of the case. This is very useful for cast bullet shooters that might require an expander plug bigger than that provided by the die maker. They also sell compression plugs for BP shooters. I recently got a .40 cal compression plug for my 40-65 WCF that works very well. About LEE Products.....there are some LEE products that I won't use but many others are good quality and great value for the money! Case in point, their early bullet moulds were "serviceable" at best. The new moulds are greatly improved and cast great bullets. YMMV!

 

[WhelanLad]

The neck expander/ belling die from lee comes with two expanders that will work from 22-50 cal. Set it up so it just bells the case mouth. Set your seating die to lightly crimp and your good to go. The more uniform your brass is in length the less you need to crimp. You do need to make sure you remove the flare/ bell on loaded case to ensure chambering.. I flare all brass when loading cast to keep the brass from shaving the bullet when seating. if done properly you don't get a bulge or anything.

thanks interesting. gettin slightly complicated.... should my LEE seating die some what crimp the bullet an close the belling at the case mounth in one go?!

i guess il play with it a bit an check youtube for some more info if i cant work it out!!
appreciate the responses guys, lot to think about

 

[dan belisle]

thanks interesting. gettin slightly complicated.... should my LEE seating die some what crimp the bullet an close the belling at the case mounth in one go?!

i guess il play with it a bit an check youtube for some more info if i cant work it out!!
appreciate the responses guys, lot to think about

If you set it up correctly, yes. It's fiddly though. - dan

 

[Rick]

To my mind, the LEE Universal Expanding Die is mis-named. It is a "belling die". It does not expand the neck to a given ID the way that other expanding dies do. It only bells the mouth of the case. Having said that, it can be a versatile piece of kit, when you combine it with parts from N.O.E. They make true expanding plugs that replace the belling plug, that will expand the neck to a given ID and put a bell on the mouth of the case./QUOTE]

That man right there. Exactly so.

Probably falling on some deaf ears, however, while useful to others.

 

[Meroh]

oh, i see!
i will read the manual when it turns up in the post. i kind of thought it might of just been a tapered one from small to large an ya just screw it to where it suits after multiple tests pushin bullet in.
in the case of what FLTCHI saiys, then it may very well need a crimp of sorts... unless i can just open up the top of the neck and rely on the rest of the neck to hold er in place!

cos i aint buyn no more dies especially a crimp for that POS 303! the next Dollar spent on it will be a barrel! an it sure as schit wont be "303"

Done wasting my time... You sound and act like a troll.

 

[yomomma]

Done wasting my time... You sound and act like a troll.

Trolls, hobbits and elves are from NewZealand...sshhheeeshhhh!!!!

 

[Ganderite]

Adjust the plug down until it kisses the case moth enough that a bullet starts easily. And then adjust the crimper (seater die) down enough to kiss the case again, and push the flare back.

 

[bertn]

Maybe see if you can find a Lyman M die (i think sku ‎7349005 for the 303).
This die is not just flaring the end but a few mm down to the right diameter so your bullet goes in straight and in case of cast bullets the lead does not scrape/shave off.

 

[Potashminer]

hey guys whats the go wit hthe expanding die from LEE.
i got it for those not so round 303 projectiles an i guess will use them for the 375 Winnie aswell?

how does it work, do u just screw down a certain way until it just does what ya want??

will this mean i need to somewhat crimp the necks?

The Lee Expander die that I have, came with two inserts - for two ranges of inside neck diameters. They do nothing inside the case neck - certainly do not "round it out". But they do create a flare at the very front end - so, if you have a good fit bullet seating die - that one bends that flair back to straight as the bullet slides home. But, on mine, the Lee Expander die only touches the very inside of the front rim - does not go down inside like a Lyman M-die. So if you have squashed, dented or otherwise out-of-round necks, need to run them through a sizing die - even with that sizing die's expander ball turned way out - do not need to resize the outside of case neck - the expander ball forced through from front will make the inside of that neck "round". The Expander die then creates a flair. And yes, sort of trial and error to get it set just right - and need your brass pretty much exactly the same length to get consistent flairs.

The one that I got came with instruction sheet - I just did what it said to do - seems to work to create a flair. With more experience at it, I preferred the Lyman M Die, since it creates a nice "seat" to hold the bullet before pushing it down. Then used my lathe to turn an insert for my Lee Expander Die - sort of made my own M-die, except it goes into a Lee Expander body - amazed even myself that I could do that!!!

 

[Potashminer]

My "home made" M-die style thing that works in the Lee Expander body - also showing the original Lee tapers for flaring:



A brass that started life as an 8x57 - now resized and shoulder moved forward into a 9.3x57 case, and a gas check 285 cast bullet nicely in the "seat" formed by that home made M-die... Placed there with finger pressure only - Seems to work okay.

 

[just having some fun]

hey guys whats the go wit hthe expanding die from LEE.
i got it for those not so round 303 projectiles an i guess will use them for the 375 Winnie aswell?

how does it work, do u just screw down a certain way until it just does what ya want??

will this mean i need to somewhat crimp the necks?

What are you trying to do ??

Cast rifle rounds ??

you use the neck expanding die on rifle cases, just like you would on pistol cases ( not too little and not too much)

yes you have to crimp after