Expander button situation with Hornady rifle sizing die

C

condor bravo

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The Hornady sizing die for my 8mm Rem mag, and maybe all Hornady dies, has an unusual decapping stem arrangement. Instead of being threaded into place like with most other brands, it is held in place by a collet nut on top of the die. The problem here is that often during sizing and when extracting over the expander, rather than extracting properly the case will pull the decapping rod out of the collet nut, presenting a delay until the mishap can be undone (decapping rod stuck in the case) and things returned to normal. Part of the solution is to tighten the collet nut with extreme force. Then lubricate the inside of the case necks. Easy way to do this is by spraying Hornady one-shot case lube into a small container and applying with a Q-tip. Problem corrected until next time and I forget to lube the inside of the case necks. Are all Hornady dies like that and have you experienced that situation?
 
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Hornady uses a zip spindle, which is light threads on the stem to help get things set properly. You then tighten the nut/collet on top to hold things in place. I guarantee you that you cannot over tighten the collet/nut on top, so tighten as much as is required to ensure that everything stays in place.

I polish all of my expander balls to reduce drag inside the necks and to slightly reduce the OD as well. I have not gotten into the world of not using them like others have.
 
Good explanation, thanks. I noticed the light threads and wondered if I had just stripped them. Like you say, can't tighten too much.
 
…and, you can add a little rosin if you need to, or even one of the removable Loctite's, just to gain a little adhesion. Given the micro-threads, the Loctite 249 tape might be better than the liquid.

Lee invented this collet expander/decapper retainer, and it has been on their dies for many years, though Hornady added the grip threads. The idea was that it would slip rather than bend if the decapper hit an extra thick head or a flash hole too far off center. The second purpose was to provide a stuck case remover you could tap with a mallet after loosening the collet nut.
 
Yes I guess the benefits, should they be needed, would out weigh the occasional problem. Hornady is thereby forgiven for the now and then aggravation and wondering why they did it that way.
 
Crimped in primes in 5.56 are more of a problem. Tried Lee dies and they soon became my first and last Lee. Try RCBS.
 
Try some dry neck lube...also brushing the necks with an old bore brush of the same caliber might help a bit. If you don't have dry neck lube you can smear a little regular case lube on the mouth before sizing, to help keep the expander from grabbing and pulling out of the die. And you really can't get that spindle collet too tight either.
 
"Crimped in primes in 5.56 are more of a problem. Tried Lee dies and they soon became my first and last Lee. Try RCBS."

Yes, LEE dies have non-threaded decapping rods. Yes, they may slip when decapping crimped primers. The answer is NOT being whiny and dissing all LEE products-it's degreasing the decap rod and the inside of the collet so there's more friction(tiny bit of lube on the outer threaded portion of the collet to allow tightening w/o galling the threads). Yes, it works when prepped that way. I've sized many thousands of crimped cases using this method(while preventing decap stem damage from several Berdan primed cases).

This will work on any friction held decap stem.
 
And then;

I have not a clue how resistant the cases are to sizing. Some cases get to the point they have more resistance to sizing than the press can overcome. Then there is pulling the sizing plug through the neck, some case necks want to keep the sizing plug. I have pulled sizing plugs through case necks that were so tuff they made that 'thoing' when they made that vibrating sound.

A case neck that is annealed and or new or once fired will not make that 'thoing' sound. Then there are reloaders that fire a case 5 times then start over by full length sizing; and I always wondered how they do that. The case has been fired 5 times.

F. Guffey
 
Fotheringill:
I would think sizing wax would then have a tendency to cause powder to adhere to the inside of the case necks. While I don't use Hornady One-shot for usual case lubing, it is good for inside neck lubing when needed since it dries without resulting in powder cling during powder charging.
 
Then; again, anneal.

Then; again,

When the case wants to keep my sizing plugs I decide it is time to start on another case and or anneal. Like other task my annealing method and or technique is unlike any other reloader’s method and or technique.

F. Guffey
 
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