case expander will not work ???

badboybeeson

badboybeeson

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ok i got a set of used lee 10mm/40 call dies and the case exspander will not work, not even a little.
I,ve cleaned the sh*t out of the die and it still will not expand the case mouth, so the lead bullet keeps getting shreded as itry to seat the bullet.
I did not think a reloading die could wear out.
Has anyone had this before.
bbb
 
Is it screwed down as far as you can get it? Did it work before? When you say you've cleaned the die, any chance the expanding plug is now sitting higher because it didn't go back together the same?

If you've never used this plug before, is it possible it's meant for the 10mm and doesn't go down far enough for the .40?
 
Case expander

I don't have any Lee dies so have no idea if there is any provison in them for case mouth flaring. Take the die apart and look to see if there is any shoulder on the internal expander that will expand the case mouth if the die is adjusted correctly.

If there isn't then you need to get Lee's Universal Case Mouth expander which will put a nice flare on just about any case you are likely to use in any case size.
 
GOTO www.leeprecision.com then down the left side to "help videos" pick "expanding die adjustment" MIGHT HELP. But with a second hand die set you don't really know if it is all there, unless you have the instructions that comes with it..
 
Canuck223 said:
Is it screwed down as far as you can get it? Did it work before? When you say you've cleaned the die, any chance the expanding plug is now sitting higher because it didn't go back together the same?

If you've never used this plug before, is it possible it's meant for the 10mm and doesn't go down far enough for the .40?
Click to expand...
no never worked.
yep put it back togeather right.
i,m guessing that it may be the 10mm thing or its worn out
bbb
 
Pretty hard to wear one out. Maybe someone polished it down at some time. Have you measured its diameter? Contact Lee for a replacement.
 
badboybeeson said:
no never worked.
yep put it back togeather right.
i,m guessing that it may be the 10mm thing or its worn out
bbb
Click to expand...

I had a look at the Wholesale Sports catalog. If I'm reading it right, Lee sell a seperate 40 and 10 mm die set. My guess is you've got the 10mm. The size die would of course be the same, but the expander ain't.

Got a friend with a grinder? You can simply grind the bottom of the die body.
 
Is it the powder through expanding die? it should have the size stamped on the nose of the die. There should also be an insert in there that rattles about. The sticky out bit of that points down.

Sorry if you've checked all this, I don't know your level of knowledge on reloading dies. :)
 
yer guys ive checked all this stuff, but thats good to know that i checked all the right things.
But it looks like the 10mm dies just dont cut it for the 40 cal.
i figgered it worked with my 357 dies it would work this way too:(
ill call Lee and ask them that before getting a set of 40 dies.
Thanks guys
bbb
 
Your set is likely a 10MM set. The sizing die body, crimp die body and the seater die body will say 10MM/40S&W but the powder through expander die will not say both. The explander plug is free to move up and down inside the die but its the wrong one. You could add a washer between the plug and the top, of course you still are able to adjust the die to fine tune the adjustment so a presice thickness isn't required.

Cheers
 
The difference between the 10mm and .40cal neck expander length will be similar to the difference between the .38 Special and .357 lengths...the shorter expander plug (for the larger caliber) simply won't reach the shorter case.

LeeDies.jpg
 
Six Star said:
The difference between the 10mm and .40cal neck expander length will be similar to the difference between the .38 Special and .357 lengths...the shorter expander plug (for the larger caliber) simply won't reach the shorter case.

LeeDies.jpg
Click to expand...

so i guess if i order a 40cal expander plug i should be good to go?
bbb
 
Call me I might have one I got a couple more die sets, but haven't had to use them. I'm having no problem with loading 40 on my 10mm dies...

Maybe bring some lead over and see if they do the same on my press and dies....
 
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