Does anyone make a FL die with the expander button such as the Type S Bushing Dies that Redding makes?

I know Redding does not make these for the .375. I've done some searching in AR on this and it looks like the answer is no. But thought I'd ask anyway.

One option is to get a Forster die in .375 H&H - I presume this is the caliber you are referring to? Then ship the die to Forster, and have them hone the inside neck dimension according to your specification. This will allow you to use the die without the expander button. Believe me, this is a smooooth resizing setup, and runout is practically nil.

I believe Forster charges 10-20$ plus shipping for this service.You can ask them to remove your expander ball from the decapping assembly. I often order an additional decapping assembly (with expander - to stay flexible and allow me to iron out brass dents) at the same time - about 10-20$.

A good way to establish the inside neck dimension, is to measure the neck diameter of a case with a bullet seated. Then subtract .003-.005" - depending on how much neck tension you want. I would probably lean towards .004-.005" neck tension for a caliber like this.

Note, you might need to limit yourself to brass of a certain manufacturer if you have a fixed (honed) die neck dimension. As brass varies, you otherwise can't guarantee correct neck tension - although you'll have to measure this to verify what neck tension can be achieved with a particular type of brass.

It *might* be possible for you to use a regular (i.e. unmodified) FL sizing die with the expander removed. The key is going to be how much neck tension this produces. If it is more than .005", I would probably stay away from this, lest you run the risk of damaging your bullets at heel when you seat them. In terms of accuracy, that is the worst location for damage.

- mike

A second option is to ship 3-4 cases (of the type you want to use) fired in your chamber to Hornady, and have them make a custom die to match the size of your chamber. As described in the reply above, you can specify the neck dimension of the die, which will allow you to size without an expander.

In addition, this option will allow you to specify other die dimensions as well - e.g. diameter at shoulder, diameter just in front of belt etc. For a .375 H&H you'll need to find a compromise between a (comparatively) tight fit between chamber and a sized case (for accuracy and long case life) and reliable operation of the rifle in adverse conditions. Maybe subtract .005-.007 from fired dimensions?

Hornady offers this service for about 100-150$. They will also include a seater - although I'm personally not that hot on Hornady seaters and prefer the Forster. RCBS (and others?) may also offer this service, but last time I looked they were more expensive than Hornady. I have several of the Hornady custom dies, and have been very happy with them.

- mike

I've had both Redding and Forster hone the inside of the neck to the size I requested for my 9.3x62 (Lapua brass) and 257 Roberts (Win +p brass). Works really slick and you still get the amount of desired neck tension "you" want. Cost is fair and turn around was a few weeks.

You just need a seperate universal decapping die. It adds an extra step but is well worth it for low TIR on the necks.

Alan

quote:

Originally posted by GSSP:
You just need a seperate universal decapping die. It adds an extra step but is well worth it for low TIR on the necks.

Alan

Not if you remove the expander from the decapping assembly - at least that is the way it works on the Forster dies. Then you can decap and size - without expander - in a single operation.

I also like the Forster dies very much. Honed and used without expander they are just sooo smooth!

- mike

quote:

Originally posted by mho:

quote:

Originally posted by GSSP:
You just need a seperate universal decapping die. It adds an extra step but is well worth it for low TIR on the necks.

Alan

Not if you remove the expander from the decapping assembly - at least that is the way it works on the Forster dies. Then you can decap and size - without expander - in a single operation.

I also like the Forster dies very much. Honed and used without expander they are just sooo smooth!

- mike

Mike,

You are so right, I forgot about that.

Alan

I think Neil Jones makes about anything.
You might not like the cost but he can make it.

Neil Jones Custom Products