Expander balls

[AHPP]

Just prepped some new Lapua brass and thought I might as well neck-size while I was at it (keep neck tension same as before, right...). Getting the ball though the neck required quite a pull on the press handle and left scoring inside the neck. Maybe there's a lot of meat on the necks of this particular batch?

This lead me to think, "Why have an expander ball anyway?" Why can't I just do the necks with the bushing only?

[Vermincinerator]

Just prepped some new Lapua brass and thought I might as well neck-size while I was at it (keep neck tension same as before, right...). Getting the ball though the neck required quite a pull on the press handle and left scoring inside the neck. Maybe there's a lot of meat on the necks of this particular batch?

This lead me to think, "Why have an expander ball anyway?" Why can't I just do the necks with the bushing only?

 

You can size the necks with only the bushing but its pointless unless you neck turn.

I also think its pointless having bushing dies with expander balls, as its the expander that controls the neck tension why use a bush, you might as well use normal neck dies.

If you have uneven neck thickness, bushing only will not give you a consistant internal diameter hence the use of the expander but if you neck turn your brass to a consistant thickness you can dispense with need for an expander as the ID will be controlled by the bush alone.

 

Ian.

[AHPP]

You can size the necks with only the bushing but its pointless unless you neck turn.

I also think its pointless having bushing dies with expander balls, as its the expander that controls the neck tension why use a bush, you might as well use normal neck dies.

If you have uneven neck thickness, bushing only will not give you a consistant internal diameter hence the use of the expander but if you neck turn your brass to a consistant thickness you can dispense with need for an expander as the ID will be controlled by the bush alone.

 

Ian.

 

Understood.

Never thought about how the things work before, just run cases through them! The whole changeable bushing size thing seems blown out of the water if you use the expander.

Is Lapua brass good enough to use just the bushing or is neck turning needed?

[silentsoulsleave308holes]

sounds like you need a lee neck die as they squash the neck to a mandrel and do not have to draw an expander ball back through

 

you may want to resize, full length size, the brass you did as if it was difficult to the ball back through when necking then the brass is likely to have stretched longer

 

if I have to use a die other than lee for neck sizing, and yes I have redding and rcbs comp but not often use them, I use some imperial sizing wax on a mop and wipe inside the neck before sizing then wipe dry after sizing

[brown dog]

The whole changeable bushing size thing seems blown out of the water if you use the expander.

 

..not really.

 

Bushings minimise overworking of the brass....if you have thick high quality brass you just squeeze the necks just enough to grip before running the expander back through ....and don't unecessarily squeeze them all the way down to the amount reqd for thin cheap brass.

 

...and if you're not neck turning, it's the expander that makes the internal walls of the neck concentric with the case axis.

 

Unless you're doing benchrest, or using shite brass I wouldn't even consider the agro of neck turning -law of diminishing returns applies. It's a mind game.

 

 

And I must say, if I was having trouble getting the expander ball through NEW Lapua brass; I wouldn't be questioning the ball or the bushings; I'd be wondering why the hell I was bothering neck sizing something that's already good to go