Best way to neck up to .284?

[Flintlock]

Hello, I am putting together a .284 so I bought the Sinclair expander mandrel, lubed it and the neck of the (new) Lapua cases with RCBS case lube but it seems like it is taking a lot of force. I want to make sure I do this right and do not screw up the cases.
Any input from you .284 guys would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Flintlock

 

[21shooter]

Hi Flintlock, This is what I use
http://www.21stcenturyshooting.com/Neck_Up_Expander_Die.php

Thanks, John R Perkins

 

[spclark]

Yeah, that 21st Century product's good for this & other companies make similar:

http://www.kmshooting.com/catalog/case-neck-expanding-tools/expand-iron_complete.html

Sinclair's expander's designed for uniforming case necks that are already close to the correct size, either new brass or fired. Sizing up from smaller needs a tool with a more gradual taper that starts out smaller too.

Annealing will also help, even with new brass, as it tends to harden some with time just sitting around on the shelf.

Which case are you starting from? 6.5x284 maybe?

 

[James EPS]

If you are going from 6.5 to 7mm Sinclairs expander mandrels should be easy and work just fine.

 

[DennisH]

If you are going from 6.5 to 7mm Sinclairs expander mandrels should be easy and work just fine.

I dip the neck in RCBS case lube and immediately expand using the above expander.

Very smooth, lube makes a bid difference, just have to clean the brass. It's worth this process to me.

I would love to use wax, but it's too hard to clean out.

 

[6mmHot]

I've never had any issues necking up Lapua 6.5 brass to 7mm with a Sinclair expander mandrill.
I just make sure the inside of the necks are well lubed with Imperial size wax.
I apply this with a nylon case neck brush or in the past have used a cotton bud.
Doing this neck expanding is a smooth and easy process, you just must make sure you give the cases a good clean after to remove all the lube.
Cheers
Dave.

 

[flatlander]

The pic of the 21st Century mandrel looks just like the Sinclair, which is what I've got. I'll probably try my 7mm mandrel when the box of Lapua 6.5x284 brass gets here - up until now, I've used only WW 284 brass.

In the past, I've used tapered expanders that replace the neck expander button on a die's decap/expander spindle in a FL sizer, and have had excellent results with them. Only thing is, you've gotta dig a little to find these tapered expanders in Redding's or Sinclair's catalogs, and the only ones I've found are for Redding dies.

 

[sparky123321]

I've destroyed quite a few 6.5-284 cases necking them up to .284 until I read a tip from another shooter. He said that he just used a Berger VLD or Sierra MK bullet held upside down in a collet bullet puller. I use a hornady puller. Just lube the neck and use your press to push the case up around the bullet to size the neck. I wish I could remember who gave me the tip because it works better than any other method I've tried. I wasted a lot of money on all different size mandrels before trying this method. Give it a try and you'll never use any other method.

 

[Flintlock]

Correction, what I have is the Redding tapered button#16283.
With the mandrels, are there any that you can drop into the top of a FL bushing type die so the case can be supported better before it starts onto the mandrel?
Or maybe be adapted to work in a competition type seater die?

Thank you for the help,
Flintlock

 

[DennisH]

I've never had any issues necking up Lapua 6.5 brass to 7mm with a Sinclair expander mandrill.

Same here:

Take your time, LUBE the inside of the neck very generously, even dipping the neck in transmission fluid works great, die wax applied with a q-tip works well.

I don't ever remember destroying any 6.5x284 cases I have necked up to 7mm. I have only used the Sinclair expander.

I would have to say it's pretty simple. As stated above, I always run my brass through the expander die three times rotating the brass as I go, just a personal thing with this procedure.

Dennis

 

[sparky123321]

I'll try to post a few photos of the upside down bullet method using a Hornady collet bullet puller die. I'm telling you, once you try it you'll never use any other method. If you're using Win, Horn or RP brass it's no big deal, but if you're using Lapua brass this is the easiest way. I have a box full of expander mandrels and tapered expanders I never use any longer.

 

[nosualc]

I've destroyed quite a few 6.5-284 cases necking them up to .284 until I read a tip from another shooter. He said that he just used a Berger VLD or Sierra MK bullet held upside down in a collet bullet puller. I use a hornady puller. Just lube the neck and use your press to push the case up around the bullet to size the neck. I wish I could remember who gave me the tip because it works better than any other method I've tried. I wasted a lot of money on all different size mandrels before trying this method. Give it a try and you'll never use any other method.

That sounds like a good idea sparky. Do the cases require some next sizing after that to actually retain the bullet for firing? Regardless, sounds like it's worth a shot, thanks!

-nosualc

 

[Ecomeat]

i have done 300 cases now, necking Lapua 6.5 x 284 up to .284 and have only lost one (1) case, where the shoulder collapsed.
I use Imperial sizing wax on a q tip, and then run a 270 Sinclair expander mandrel thru first.......i had one sitting there, and it is so quick and simple to run it first that I figured it could only help, doing the job in two stages.

Then a 7mm K & M expander mandrel, followed by a K & M turner to neck turn to 0.013.

The reason for the change of brand is that my 7mm Neck turner just happens to be a K &M, and i learnt the hard way with a 223 that using one brand of expander mandrel and a different brand turner mandrel was a bad idea if using a K&M donut cutter turning mandrel.
Ecomeat

 

[Steve Blair]

I have processed 1200 Lapua cases and only lost a few to neck splits. Examination revealed what looked like a manufacturing flaw at the case mouth. [br]
I use a Q-tip soaked with Ballistol to lube the inside and expand with a Sinclair expander. The cases are then neck turned, ultrasonically cleaned with some dish detergent, annealed and, finally, tumbled in a vibratory tumbler with walnut media to make them a little slicker. I fire form to Shehane dimensions in an old barrel with cheap bullets jammed hard into the lands and an approximately 50 ksi load. Makes good, consistent .284 Shehane brass. [br]
Attached is a picture of two neck splits. This only happened to six cases out of 1200, 1000 from one lot and 200 from another. They were all in the larger lot.

 

[DennisH]

I use a Q-tip soaked with Ballistol to lube the inside and expand with a Sinclair expander. The cases are then neck turned, ultrasonically cleaned with some dish detergent, annealed and, finally, tumbled in a vibratory tumbler with walnut media to make them a little slicker. I fire form to Shehane dimensions in an old barrel with cheap bullets jammed hard into the lands and an approximately 50 ksi load. Makes good, consistent .284 Shehane brass.

Perfect, I also like the idea of necking up in two stages as per Ecomeat's post.

All post above pretty well state: Lube necks good, clean brass good after necking up.

 

[sparky123321]

I always turn the necks after expanding them with an upside down bullet, so I don't run them through a neck die initially. After expanding and turning the necks they are trimmed, debured and neck sized using a Wilson neck sizing die.

Because of the VLD and MK's profile, the expanding is done very gradually compared to a madrel. I have never damaged a case using this method and the force needed is significantly less when compared to using a mandrel, even a multi step mandrels.