Wilson FL resizing die and expander questions re .001

[WVELK]

Have been down the expander ball expander die rabbit hole before. For 30 caliber rounds and smaller, I have been using a bushing in FL resizing dies that is .002 smaller than the OD of a loaded round. I have used and expander die and expander balls that come with dies. I have also skipped expanding. I have come to the conclusion I want to use an expander of some type. My FL Redding bushing dies are not an issue. Their expander balls are .002 smaller than bullet diameter. My question pertains to the Wilson expander mandrels. They are only .001 smaller than the bullet diameter.

My concern is that using the Wilson expander die and leaving brass with only .001 in spacial difference between inside diameter and bullet outside diameter - in theory since I will not measure the true inside diameter of the expanded brass - is not enough tension on the bullet for hunting applications. For the experts what do you think?

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Why do you FL resize?

 

[Castle Rock]

What’s the neck tension like, only you can answer that.
If there isn’t enough either ditch the expander or hone it down

 

[WVELK]

What’s the neck tension like, only you can answer that.
If there isn’t enough either ditch the expander or hone it down

How do you propose I measure the neck tension?

 

[WVELK]

Why do you FL resize?

For hunting it is far more reliable than just the neck. Lots of people/experts on the net explaining why to FL if hunting who are far more knowledgeable than I.

 

[WVELK]

Why do you FL resize?

Panhandle Precision does a good job of explaining why moisture, dirt and debris in a hunting environment may exist and the FL resizing gives your greater margin for error in chambering the round.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Continued F/L sizing stretches the brass (that's why you trim the oal of the brass). I gets thin at the base and it will cause case separation and/or cracking at the base of the brass eventually.

My Dad f/l sized all his 30-06 brass and he threw some away that had been reloaded enough they cracked at the base. My Dad shot a sporterized 03 Springfield. One time deer hunting he shot at a deer and when he tried to eject the spent case, it separated and he pulled the base off and left the brass case in the chamber. We had packed in on horseback 15 miles into a wilderness area for a week and he had no tools to get the brass out of his rifle.

Once I have fire formed brass for a particular rifle, I only shoot it in that rifle and only neck size the brass.

 

[ckleeves]

Continued F/L sizing stretches the brass (that's why you trim the oal of the brass). I gets thin at the base and it will cause case separation and/or cracking at the base of the brass eventually.

My Dad f/l sized all his 30-06 brass and he threw some away that had been reloaded enough they cracked at the base. My Dad shot a sporterized 03 Springfield. One time deer hunting he shot at a deer and when he tried to eject the spent case, it separated and he pulled the base off and left the brass case in the chamber. We had packed in on horseback 15 miles into a wilderness area for a week and he had no tools to get the brass out of his rifle.

Once I have fire formed brass for a particular rifle, I only shoot it in that rifle and only neck size the brass.

Sounds like he was way over sizing, probably not measuring headspace and in an old Springfield meant to chamber anything under the sun probably bumping shoulders back .015 every firing.

FL size properly and you will never have a problem and gain reliability over always neck sizing.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I will keep neck sizing, works for me. Been doing it for over 65 years of reloading.

 

[Mag_7s]

I think 1.5 - 2k neck tension is sufficient for hunting. What is your neck OD measument between a resized piece of brass, and that same piece of brass loaded?

 

[WVELK]

I think 1.5 - 2k neck tension is sufficient for hunting. What is your neck OD measument between a resized piece of brass, and that same piece of brass loaded?

I have not checked that yet because I have not yet loaded any for this caliber. All my other dies are Redding. This Wilson die is for a new gun. The dies came with the gun. As I was thinking through the process and getting ready to set up, I realized the Wilson did not have and expander ball on they die. It came with a separate expander die. When I took measurements, I was not real excited about an expander that was only .001 smaller than the bullet. Been working today. If time allows tomorrow I will run a couple through just to check measurements and then pull a bullet to see what it feels like.

 

[WVELK]

What’s the neck tension like, only you can answer that.
If there isn’t enough either ditch the expander or hone it down

Read your comment again. I did think about honing it down, but how do you do that an make sure it is honed equally and in a manner that retains a true circle.