Ok guys with my 45/70 dies (Lee) it is not a problem as the dies are designed to bell the case for cast loads. What about my bottle neck loads like 30/30/ 308/ 8mm ect do I have to buy M dies for all of them or is there a other solution? Speed is not a issue as I am using a Lee hand press for all my loading I like the better "feel" I get with it. Jim

You will want to bell the mouths on bottleneck cases.

If money is tight Lee makes a univeral belling die. It only bells the mouth, it does not open up the neck except for the bell. Usually that should suffice for plinking loads.

An M die or equivalent not only bells the mouth but also enlarges the ID of the entire case neck. Whether or not that is necessary depends on a lot of things. Usually, the button on the case sizing die opens up the neck adequately.

For years I struggled to load cast bullets without an M die, using a variety of improvised gadgets instead. The M die is easier and better.

Thanks I did not know Lee made a Universal Die I will check it out! Jim

CH makes an expanding die with interchangeable pilots. They will supply an expander to your specifications. I ordered a .459 plug which after removal from the case leaves .458 brass. 1 thou is enough to hold the projectile firmly without it falling out. Typically 'M' dies are still too small to be usefull.
http://www.ch4d.com/

thanks for the info BAW, Like I said my dies bell for the 45/70 it is the smaller bottle neck cases I want to deal with. I like Lee stuff so I will check out the Lee die first if that does not work out I will check out your link thanks. Jim

I use a tapered bridge reamer, similar to Lymans VLD case mouth reamer. With a gently tapered case mouth, I've had no problem loading cast in any bottlenecked cartridges. The tapered section is about 1/16" long, so does slightly shorten the effective length of the neck. I've had no problems with firing cast or jacketed through those cases.

jh - I use either the M Lyman expander (works well) or a 15 degree included cone setup to fit the Wilson 7/8-14 expander mandrell holder. The expander mandrells are good in that you know exactly how much you're expanding the case and so you know that you've got just the spring-back tension holding the bullet (and the crimp).

M expander works best - it is of two diameters and one is for tension the other for clearance. With any other expanding (using tapered devices) the case length may be a factor (when using a press) affecting repeatability.

JH,
When you use Lyman M dies, you only need one short, and one long, die body. Then you just interchange the apropriate expander stem. Bit of a PIA, but the expander stems are cheaper than the whole die.

Only place I've ever seen just the plugs is with Lyman themselves. About a year ago they were $3.00 each.

I posted this topic on Shooter's over a year ago and alot of people just use a needle nose pliers. I started using it and have had no problems