Modify a reloading die

S

Sydney

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Hi I would like to modify a rem 222 reloading full length die
The neck area needs to be opened from appox .242 to .248
this would do away with the expander button
I am looking at a brass expanding cylinder hone
Can i hone out that much?
any help apricated Thanks Sydney
 
derf said:
Are you sure you want to go to .248"? That won't give you much neck tension.
Click to expand...
Hi you are correct--i was thinking about 2 to 3 th neck tension
At this stage i am more concerned about the lapping
Thanks for the reply
Sydney
 
As you probably already know the only practical way to size down a case neck without having to expand out to final diameter is with a collet die. The mandrel can be fine tuned to the neck 'tension' required.
Or you could use a bushing die and use the size bushing that suits.

It is extremely difficult to open up the neck on a FL die to the precision required. Even then you will have to control neck wall thickness and brass 'softness' very closely forever after. Which means turning the case necks and annealing the brass.

Why not just turn the case necks down so the expander has minimal work to do?
 
Consider just opening the die enough to accept a bushing. Convert yours to a bushing die
 
I would suggest that you hone to something like .244-.245” and test for neck tension of sized brass before opening it up any more. You will most likely get some spring back after sizing and .248” may not give you much neck tension, as derf pointed out.

Tom
 
Varying neck wall thickness is the reason for using an expander for final sizing. The important dimension is the neck i.d.
 
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Before you hone the die, I'd turn the necks just enough for a cleanup, somewhere around .011". Polish the expander ball so the top has a more gentle taper. This should yield about .004" smaller than the bullet, which in turn will give about .003" neck tension, which is all your'e gonna get anyway.
 
RJSakowski said:
Varying neck wall thickness is the reason for using an expander for final sizing. The important dimension is the neck i.d.
Click to expand...
Hi thanks for the replies
The brass i am using is Lapua and the neck thickness is very consistent
I was going to buy a bushing type die but some makers can t supply in 222
and the others are very expensive when you add the US -Can exchange rates duty ect
Do you think i could lap out appox 5 th out of a hardened die ?
Thanks Sydney
 
With repeated firings, you will get growth in the neck length at the expense of wall thickness. You may have consistency within a batch but over time, the neck wall will decrease which will result in a looser fit of the bullet if the neck is sized externally.
 
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