Lyman M die, straight wall pistol case

B

BandeauRouge

Moderator
Im trying to get one set up for 44 magnum, and cant get the stupid nut on the expander rod to tighten down, it DOESNT have any washer to tighten the lock nut down on...

hornady seating die has a nice little rubber washer to help it tighten down on.

Also, anyone have a PHOTO of what the expanded case should look like? WHat I am getting looks liek what the LEE universal case expander gives me...
 
You're probably going too far.

It takes very little effort to run cases over the mandrel in an M die. If you're putting effort into it, you're probably going too far. This lack of feedback and resistance is part of what makes setting up an M die a little more difficult than other types of dies. But it also helps indicate when you've reached the end of the first and second steps. There is a notable change in resistance, even if still very little overall.

You generally don't want to expand beyond the second step.
In fact, when I have these expanders modified for unavailable diameters, I have the shoulder above the second step set up to be used as a hard stop, rather than for flaring.

Click this link to see illustration.

Edited to stay within the board policy on posting copyrighted materials.
 
Im trying to get one set up for 44 magnum, and cant get the stupid nut on the expander rod to tighten down, it DOESNT have any washer to tighten the lock nut down on...
Click to expand...

Admittedly my dies are decades old but the wrench that came in the die set was always enough to tighten the nut against the die body, locking the expander stem in place. I've never had one move or loosen since I set them ages ago. Never needed any kind of lock washer or crush ring, not once.

I can't see how this would fail to work for you, unless there were something defective about the nut, or stem threads.
 
Frankenmauser is correct that you are driving the expander too deep if it looks like a Lee tool did it. Back the adjustment out until you see only a tiny amount of flare if you are using cast bullets or other lead bullets. If you are using jacketed bullets, you can back it out so you only form the step. Test for this by setting a bullet down into the case's mouth. If it sits upright, you have enough expansion for jackets. The reason for the flare on softer bullet types is to prevent bullet metal from scraping off as you seat it.

You don't really need that nut to be very tight. I just hold the knob by pinching it between my left thumb and index finger while I tighten the nut by hand. Use an open-end wrench if you think you need it tighter, but I don't find it changes adjustment while I use it. If you want a more secure lock on the stem position, you can drill and tap the nut for a small set screw.
 
https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=597605

the picture in post 3 is how the LEE and the Lyman is expanding the case mouths. Its frustratin for me.

I was expecting the case mouth to look how the frankenmauser linked image does,, but it doesnt.

The tiny drawing in the lyman instruction sheet actually shows a mouth forming similar to to B, but with the same curled portion that I am getting..

The tiny nut on the lyman punch? rod, and the nut on my hornady bullet seater refuse to stay in position. Even though i finger tight them like a gorilla on crack, they do NOTHING to keep the adjusters from rotating freely.

Im tempted to email lyman and hornady why they dont make a lock nut version
 
Maybe degrease the nut, stem and die body and see if that makes any difference??

The stamped "wrench" Lyman put in their old die sets and hand tightening (no cheater, no torque wrench, etc) was always good enough with my stuff. No idea why you have the problem you have.
 
ill post my own photo later, i degreased it all, it still does it. did 60 cases last night, they all came out the same.

bullets seat fine, but i really would like to get the fancy shape from that drawing.

Perhaps the LEE full length sizing die I am using could be letting the brass go to large in diameter. A sized, and unflared case, easily lets the front band of the matts bullets 240 swc slide in.
 
BandeauRouge,

Can you measure the diameters of the tip and step on your expander. I just want to be sure they didn't get the wrong one installed in your die. On mine the diameter just above the rounded tip is 0.427", while the diameter of the step portion is 0.431".
 
i cant measure it accurately, id have to use some old circle templates from drafting days, but it is stamped 44 on the very tip of it.
 
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