Expander ball or mandrel

[Bill Norris]

Which to you prefer for expanding necks after running through fl sizer (a mandrel of expander ball)?

Remove the expander/de-capping pin assembly from all new dies before use. Use mandrels where needed.

 

[Evan]

I run so little neck tension in my BR rounds that I leave the expander in the die and barely feel it touch, unless the neck is dented. I would remove it if I needed more tension from a smaller bushing but haven’t yet needed to on any rifle.

 

[bozo699]

I find myself wondering if the best practice for precision shooting are reasonable for generic bulk reloading. Does the answer change if it is Range Brass being sized for AR15 or factory deer rifle? What if using standard Hornady Die Set ($30)?

Most entry-level dies excessively size the necks. First, the neck ID of die often undersize the neck by as much .005”-.015” (overwork). Second, the oversized expander ball goes to excess in opposite direction. This excessive case sizing is byproduct of die manufacturer’s attempt to right-size any/all cases (varying neck thicknesses and spring back).

Is there any benefit to using the factory die setup for an initial resizing of Range Brass in attempt to get miscellaneous cases to a similar base line? Does the factory die with expander ball do a good job of smoothing out the case neck leading to a more uniform wall thickness across range of cases (various headstamps)

I wouldn’t think there’s a lot of folks in this site using $30 off the shelf dies, idk maybe I’m wrong but for the life of me I can’t figure out why people pickup range brass,…. If I have to resort to that I’ll be done shooting.
Wayne

 

[6Creed73]

I wouldn’t think there’s a lot of folks in this site using $30 off the shelf dies, idk maybe I’m wrong but for the life of me I can’t figure out why people pickup range brass,…. If I have to resort to that I’ll be done shooting.
Wayne

I agree with you about the dies, I didn't even know there were $30 dies.

But have to respectfully disagree about picking up range brass. I will absolutely pick up 5.56/223 range brass for my fun guns and to convert to 300BLK. When I'm out plinking with friends, shooting steel, and doing mag dumps...range brass is exactly what I want to use. Exacting precision doesn't matter in this scenario and I'm not going to shed any tears if half of it gets lost in a field.

When it comes to my precision bolt guns, I only use precision brass and the brass is dedicated to a specific rifle.

 

[bozo699]

I agree with you about the dies, I didn't even know there were $30 dies.

But have to respectfully disagree about picking up range brass. I will absolutely pick up 5.56/223 range brass for my fun guns and to convert to 300BLK. When I'm out plinking with friends, shooting steel, and doing mag dumps...range brass is exactly what I want to use. Exacting precision doesn't matter in this scenario and I'm not going to shed any tears if half of it gets lost in a field.

When it comes to my precision bolt guns, I only use precision brass and the brass is dedicated to a specific rifle.

I understand what you’re saying , I don’t like machine guns so I never shoot them, have a couple stashed with plenty of ammo when the shit hits the fan. Sounds like you and your friends have fun and that’s what life’s all about.
Happy New Year to ya
Wayne

 

[Oso]

I recognize that the majority of active participants on this forum are focused on a narrow field of shooting with an obsessive level of attention to detail in their reloading process. Where else are you going to find another group of OCD individuals who will chase every aspect of their sport to discover the answer and improve the output. I've learned a lot over the years and its forced me to rethink how I do things.

I am a pragmatic reloader. I have premium dies and Lapua brass for my precision bolt rifles. I have a separate dies set for bulk reloading with Range Brass. I use neck expander dies with mandrels from 21st Century and Expander Collet Die with Gage Pins from Porter Precision. I am trying to sort out my process for case prep for bulk loading using Range Brass. Where possible apply precision reloading techniques to improve quality/consistency when making bulk ammo or case forming / cartridge conversion. Granted, not all precision reloading steps translate/benefit reloading process for bulk ammo.

Range Brass snobbery!!! Participating in some dynamic action sporting sports, hunting pigs in muddy river bottoms, and shooting with an AR15 are all good reasons to have an inexpensive source of good quality brass. My first preference is to always take the shot with a bolt rifle, but I pick the tool best suited for the job.

 

[markm87]

Mandrell. Unless you love runout and case trimming.