Neck expanding

[solaction]

I just bought a 338 Edge I have 100 pieces of 300RUM brass I need to expand to 338. I've never done this so my question is I got a set of Redding S dies with the gun. Do I just need to run the brass though the dies and it’s done or is there other steps I need to take to get the necks expanded? Thanks in advance I'm new to this and literally jumped in with both feet.

 

[bozo699]

I just bought a 338 Edge I have 100 pieces of 300RUM brass I need to expand to 338. I've never done this so my question is I got a set of Redding S dies with the gun. Do I just need to run the brass though the dies and it’s done or is there other steps I need to take to get the necks expanded? Thanks in advance I'm new to this and literally jumped in with both feet.

It is doable with enough lube I would imagine, I have never done the edge but have expanded before with standard dies I try to do it in steps if I have different buttons, maybe .311 then .325 then .338 but the correct way to do it would be to buy and expander die with the correct mandrel then you won't take the chance of collapsing your stem or anything the expander die and correct mandrel are much stronger and longer so it will keep things a little straighter, you can buy them at Sinclairs, Midway, Bruno's etc. also 21stcenturyshooting.com has a real nice one. hope this helps some.
Wayne.

 

[firearmdoc1]

I would think you can just run a tapered expander ball through the necks and be done with it.

 

[Rtheurer]

Sounds like you have the perfect opertunity to purchase a new toy!!! We all like new toys right? Go to Sinclair and buy a Neck expanding mandrel and die. Or the Expanda iron from K&M which is what I decided on a long time ago. Here is the link.
http://www.kmshooting.com/catalog/case-neck-expanding-tools/expand-iron_complete.html

Hope that helps.

RussT

 

[searcher]

Use either the K&M or Sinclair expanders with quality lube (not resizing lube). Best to get a mandrel for the expander midway of the two calibers, annealing your brass after the first pass with the midway expander insert then finishing with the final size expander insert. Expanding without adequate lube in one pass can tear the neck open on the case and can leave necks that are not anywhere uniform in thickness, thus the two-step plus annealing in between to soften the metal up after stretching. Look at you-tube videos on how to anneal with a common propane torch if you lack an annealing machine. Not difficult.