I am in the process of FL sizing some 300rum brass. I'm using a Redding Type-S Full Length Bushing Sizing Die (#RED77288) with a Titanium Nitride Neck Bushing. In my process, I decap with another separate die so I removed the decapping pin extension from the die stem but left the expander ball installed. I'm not getting very consistent results trying to bump the shoulder back .002" in once fired brass. When I run a case into the die, the die body sizes the shoulder and body of the case and the neck is sized by the neck bushing. After the case is sized, and I remove it from the die, the expander ball makes contact with the case mouth as it comes out. Sometimes I feel this contact can "pull" on the case and change the shoulder and/or neck leading to bad runout issues which I'm finding at times.
I lube the expander ball and cases with imperial wax by applying with my fingers. I also apply a small bead of wax to one inside edge of the case mouth before sizing.
I'm thinking about just removing the expander ball completely. My neck bushing is .002" smaller than the outside neck diameter of a loaded case so there shouldn't be neck/bullet tension issues?? And if I ever needed the expander ball to reform bent case mouths I could just run a case partially into the die to only insert the expander ball and not touch the body. Then remove the expander ball and size the case right?
Does anybody else using these Redding full length busing dies remove expander balls? Other than possible excess neck/bullet tension, would there be any reason to keep using the expander ball?
Thanks for any feedback.
I lube the expander ball and cases with imperial wax by applying with my fingers. I also apply a small bead of wax to one inside edge of the case mouth before sizing.
I'm thinking about just removing the expander ball completely. My neck bushing is .002" smaller than the outside neck diameter of a loaded case so there shouldn't be neck/bullet tension issues?? And if I ever needed the expander ball to reform bent case mouths I could just run a case partially into the die to only insert the expander ball and not touch the body. Then remove the expander ball and size the case right?
Does anybody else using these Redding full length busing dies remove expander balls? Other than possible excess neck/bullet tension, would there be any reason to keep using the expander ball?
Thanks for any feedback.