Good-Day To All:

The other day I was re-sizing some 9.3 brass. I had ordered from the Lee custom shop, the case trim-to-length guage in 9.3x74R.

After rezising the brass, I tried to trim the cases to length however, the guage would not fit into the case mouth.

I measured the guage and it is .364" diameter. Then I measured the inside case neck of the cartridges and they are .361-.362" diameter.

I measure the expander ball on my RCBS die and it is .3645" diameter.

Figuring my expander ball was the wrong size, I phone RCBS and explain the situation. They tell me they will put a new expander ball in the mail, free of charge.

I contact a buddy of mine who also reloads for 9.3x74R and borrow his RCBS sizing die. I measure the expander ball and it comes out .3645" diameter.

I am still waiting for the new expander ball from RCBS. It's been two weeks and will probably be another two weeks before it gets here. Anything coming from the USA to Canada usually takes a while.

Would those of you who reload for 9.3x74R measure your expander balls and and let me know here, who makes the die and what diameter the expander ball is.

I have been reloading for decades and have never encountered a situation like this with all the other calibres I reload for.

Comments, questions and concerns always welcome.

Kindest regards,

Carpediem

Looks like you'd best trim after firing, but before sizing. Nothing is wrong with your expander ball, the brass is springing back down a bit after the ball passes through, and that's where you get your neck tension, ....the neck should not be .366. If anything I'd be complaining to Lee as they should know enough to manufacture the guage in a size that would fit a resized case.
Easiest is for you to polish it down in a drill to fit a resized case.

Hello Arctic:

You are correct about the guage. I did a little more fiddeling around with the guage and as it turns out, I can slide the guage into the case, BACKWARDS to about one third of the guage length. Obviously the nimrod at Lee tapered the guage and did not try it before shipping.

I will try and take the guage down to the proper size.

I also measured the inside neck diameter of a number of other rifle cases I load for and found the average diameter to be .004" under bullet diameter. I thought average neck tension should be no more than .002" with a slight flare at the mouth to start the bullet. The flare would then be closed when the crimp is applied.

Your and anyone elses thoughts please.

Kindest regards,

Carpediem

Yo carpie ....

quote:

they should know enough to manufacture the guage in a size that would fit a resized case

Yup!

quote:

Easiest is for you to polish it down in a drill to fit a resized case.

..... and YUP again!

Artic's gotcha right!

I use many of Lee's Case Gauge Widgets, had some Custom made, too although Across the Pond is a tough way of doing business this Day & Age of "restrictions" though.

I've probably got @ 40 of 'em; some custom, some found locally (Suprise!) like the 9.3x74R which they make for foreign markets but aren't cataloged stateside.

When they work (quite honestly, almost always ....) I can, with an Electric Screwdriver or Drill Press trim a bunch of cases quickly. I like 'em for that.

I had 1 .243 Winchester than never fit into ANY .243 Winchester cartridge case sized or unsized I ever tried. It put it on a .243 diet on my neighbor's lathe, never measured - just Trial & Error 'til it fit a sized case - Job Done, took me 5 minutes with some 120 grade grit. Then polished it.

My first Custom 9.3x62 (after with great difficulty sending empty cartridge cases to Lee) still won't fit ANY, 9.3x62, 9.3x64, 9.3x72R & 9.3x74R cartridge case frontwards I've ever tried it in, either. It goes in @ 2/3's backwards, though. Haven't measured it yet. Bought another one locally years later that fits perfect.

This is no Damning of Lee Precision; occaisionally the Gremlims get the best of ya, just the way it is today. Don't Cuss alot & don't loose any Sleep over the glitches, either. Especially not for the couple of Bucks they cost.

When I read your thread earlier this am thought I'd go downstairs and pull out the calipers but never got around to it. Meanwhile appears you've got a handle on it.

Chuck the $%&=?*+! Thing in a Drill Press, Hand Drill or Electric Screwdriver with one of your sized 9.3x74R cases and attack wrapped with some 120 grit emory cloth & a coupla drops of machine oil, check progress occasionally with the case. Polish with finer grades before it starts wallowing around and you'll be fine.

I didn't think the issue was with your Die's expander ball and you've figured that out already, too. I own virtually exclusively RCBS Dies and polish every expander balls as I purchase them with a couple of revs from a drill, a few drops of oil and some 1000 grade; don't want to take ANY off - just polish.

Good Reloading and enjoy your 9.3x74R!

Hello Gerry:

Took the guage to the lathe today and shaved off half a thousand off the first two thirds of the guage. It now works like a charm.

I took this thing one step further. Today, I removed the primer decapping rod from the sizer die and resized the cases. I used a fired case with a neck diameter of .368"

Since there is no sizer ball, I am getting the amount of swaging the neck is getting before it gets resized by the expander ball.

My case necks were compressed to .353" diameter .

I then screwed the deprimer rod and expander ball back into the die and expanded the neck.

The case neck was expanded to .362" diameter.

I am thinking that .009" resizing of the neck everytime I resize my case is excessive. Would the other 9.3 reloaders try this little test and let me now what you get.

And what's with the case necks sizing to .362" when the bullet is .366"? I always thought that neck tension should be no more than .002". Especially if you are using cast lead bullets.

Comments, questions and concerns always welcome.

Kind regards,

Carpediem

quote:

I am thinking that .009" resizing of the neck everytime I resize my case is excessive. Would the other 9.3 reloaders try this little test and let me now what you get.

With those measurements I agree the brass is being worked too much. For a phone call & a coupla bucks RCBS ought to be able to put a correctly sized expander ball in the post asap.

I've never even had the slightest reason to suspect my RCBS 9.3x74R F/L Die set, so never measured a thing.

I found them on the "Used & Discounted" shelf of a local Gunsmith for a price that was ridiculous (€16,- IIRC). For that price I thought I'd take the plunge and found the previous owner little realized that the accumilated gunk that was in the neck of the F/L Die could actually be cleaned out quite easily. Coupla minutes later I had a perfect F/L Die Set! Violà!

I'm off to my Father-in-Laws 80th B-Day this long weekend so won't get around to it right now but (only because you desire to know) next week I'll take my meticulously set-up Die Set apart and measure the expander ball!

Gerry,

Just miked a few of mine that were sitting, waiting for powder and they run .363. There's a good chance this is what is intended, as 9.3 X 74's biggest use is in doubles. It's rimmed, so on your first shot stress on the brass goes to the rim, and if not crimped, the bullet in the other chamber may creep forward. Therefore, an extra heavy neck tension may be required.

As an aside, I've never had any trouble with cracked necks, only annealing every 5 shots.

~Arctic~