Lost and found ~~~again.

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Sure Shot Mc Gee

New member
I apparently squirreled this new die away many years ago. Can't find much info on the web about its
expander stem ##R
Click to expand...
Can someone help to identify please?

Lyman Neck Expander M-2 die with a {24R} Expander installed. Thanks for your help gents.
 
J

Jim Watson

New member
It is a Lyman M die, a case neck expander.

Set it to run into the .243 or 6mm case mouth so about 1/16" is enlarged by the .246" step.
That lets you start a bullet to be seated straight and smooth.
It is an extra step but I think it is worth it to load flatbase bullets.
 
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Sure Shot Mc Gee

New member
It is an extra step but I think it is worth it to load flatbase bullets.
Click to expand...
So that's what its used for. Unusual looking interior this M-die has. Nothing in it other than a short stepped little rod thingy centered in its bore. Next time I reload some 243 for the son. I'll have to give this M-die a try. Anyway. Thanks for your input fellows. I appreciate it.
 
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FrankenMauser

New member
I figured you just wanted to know which M-die it was.

As Jim mentioned, it's a neck expander, designed primarily for cast bullet use. It helps prevent shaving lead while seating, and gives the bullet a little head start into the case, without being able to cant over.

But... they work well with jacketed bullets, too - especially flat base bullets with really sharp edges.

Everything I load for my .32 revolver cartridges (.32 S&W through .327 Federal), .44 Mag, and .444 Marlin gets the M-die treatment. It's just so much nicer to work with than an unexpanded case, or a regular 'belled' case.
 
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Unclenick

Staff
I'm a user of that profile, too. Below is an illustration of the advantage it has over the standard expander in getting bullets to start in straight. For jacketed rifle bullets, a lot of folks set those dies to enter the neck only far enough to create the step, but not the flare at the top. As mentioned, this lets the bullet start in straight with the result that you can often get a standard seating die to give you low runout that rivals what the competition seating dies can accomplish. You still need to size in a way that produces a neck that's coaxial with the case body, though. It's not a workaround for that. You also normally let the crimp shoulder in the seating die just kiss the case mouth enough to iron out the step, but not enough to bite into the bullet. A taper crimp works best for this.

caseflarestyleshowingti.gif
 
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Sure Shot Mc Gee

New member
Per FrankenMauser:
I figured you just wanted to know which M-die it was.
Click to expand...
You are correct Sir. That was my primary reason for the thread. But as I learn there are times when additional questions come to mind and need to be asked also. This is one of those times no doubt._:eek:

Question:
On a few occasions when seating a jacketed and cast also. I've noticed a outward protrusion resembling the bullets profile on one side of straight walled brass. Is that a sign of a bullets off centered tilt when being seated?
 
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Unclenick

Staff
Yes! And using the M-die profile will cure it except to the extent the case wall thickness itself is not uniform. (A couple of thousandths difference from one side to the other is not uncommon, and occasionally there can be rather more. I had one Winchester .308 Win case out of a lot of 500 new cases one time that had eight thousandths total indicated runout in neck thickness.)

I used a lathe and toolpost grinder to convert my Dillon's .45 cal drop tube to the Lyman profile because of the tilt issue. Where once I would see the bulge (usually called mirroring of the bullet base) that you refer to on just one side of my .45 ACP cases, afterward I never got any where it didn't show all the way around. It's not always 100% equal all around due that brass thickness variation, but clearly way better than before.
 
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Sure Shot Mc Gee

New member
Well what do you know about that.!!
Here I reload 32-40 and I see that mirroring bullet situation more often than I would like when seating its cast. Now I know why. I got to get me another one of those M-dies for that ol' cartridge too. Here I bought a spendy set of Cowboy dies and could have done better in the 32-40s flaring with a simple M-die instead.
"Oh well ain't that the way it always goes. Spend first learn later"_:rolleyes:
 
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