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Tell me about mandrels? Use of, pro & con
- Thread starter tribb
- Start date
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I use both. The mandrel is supposed to help with concentricity and it assures, for the most part, that the diameter of the neck is what you want it to be. Neck wall thickness varies.
Both for Me, also.
And I don't run the expander mandrel until I'm minutes away from seating.
Supposedly the Mandrels push any inconsistency in neck thickness to the outside diameter where it affects release and alignment less.
And I don't run the expander mandrel until I'm minutes away from seating.
Supposedly the Mandrels push any inconsistency in neck thickness to the outside diameter where it affects release and alignment less.
It's a 117 Gr. Sierra Gameking from a 25-06 at 180 yards. Interesting thing is the jacket is totally empty. Found the jacket in the offside shoulder of a blacktail buck. The lead core went on through and exited.
I am just getting into mandrels. Good info here.
DMP25-06
Well-Known Member
I have Redding Competition 3 Die Neck Sizing Set in .300 Win. Magnum . This die set has a "Body Die" that is used to full-length resize the cartridge body ; a Micrometer Adjustable Neck-Sizing Die that uses bushings to allow you to select the amount of neck tension , with a de-capping rod and expander ball (That I have removed to keep from pulling back through cartridge neck) ; and a Micrometer Adjustable seating die .
I use a Lee Universal De-Capping die that I use to remove primers from all of my cartridge cases as my 1st operation of reloading .
Step 2 , I use the Redding Body Bushing Die to full-length re-size the case .
Step 3 , I use the Redding Micrometer Adjustable Neck-Sizing Bushing Die to set my desired neck tension , with the de-capping rod and expander ball removed from the die .
Step 4 , I use a Lee Collett style Neck-Sizing Die , with a mandrel that I use to make the cartridge neck concentric (I ordered a .002" smaller mandrel , from Lee Precision , than the mandrel furnished in the original collet die) . Lee offers various size mandrels to allow you to maintain your desired neck tension , after using the Redding neck-bushing sizing die.
Step 5 , After priming and powder charging the cartridge cases , I seat the bullets using the Redding Micrometer Adjustable Seating Die , to my desired cartridge length .
It requires 2 additional steps in my reloading process , but I have never had any of my reloaded cartridges have any bullet run-out . They are perfectly straight .
I use a Lee Collet Neck-Sizing die with all of my different cartridges that I reload .
Very cheap prices for the Lee Precision Universal De-Capping Die and Lee Collet Neck-Sizing Die . Less than $40.00 total for both .
I may not be doing my reloading in the accepted methods , but this works very well for me .
DMP25-06
I use a Lee Universal De-Capping die that I use to remove primers from all of my cartridge cases as my 1st operation of reloading .
Step 2 , I use the Redding Body Bushing Die to full-length re-size the case .
Step 3 , I use the Redding Micrometer Adjustable Neck-Sizing Bushing Die to set my desired neck tension , with the de-capping rod and expander ball removed from the die .
Step 4 , I use a Lee Collett style Neck-Sizing Die , with a mandrel that I use to make the cartridge neck concentric (I ordered a .002" smaller mandrel , from Lee Precision , than the mandrel furnished in the original collet die) . Lee offers various size mandrels to allow you to maintain your desired neck tension , after using the Redding neck-bushing sizing die.
Step 5 , After priming and powder charging the cartridge cases , I seat the bullets using the Redding Micrometer Adjustable Seating Die , to my desired cartridge length .
It requires 2 additional steps in my reloading process , but I have never had any of my reloaded cartridges have any bullet run-out . They are perfectly straight .
I use a Lee Collet Neck-Sizing die with all of my different cartridges that I reload .
Very cheap prices for the Lee Precision Universal De-Capping Die and Lee Collet Neck-Sizing Die . Less than $40.00 total for both .
I may not be doing my reloading in the accepted methods , but this works very well for me .
DMP25-06
Hugnot
Well-Known Member
Mandrels are good. & Lee collet dies use mandrels.
I use the cheap Lee Collet dies.
I load 100 - 500 rounds per session.
Multi step process.
Evaluate need for anneal - reduce work hardening & spring back.
Evaluate fired neck fit inside chamber - will bullets slip fit inside fired necks - turn necks if not.
F/L size, the Redding body die does this real good. Ground down (shortened) shell holders for each chamber for consistent headspace. Sort brass.
Very lightly lube & clean inside necks with Hornady One Shot use cotton Q tip, moistened with 1 shot. clean & lube. Helps to clean up HNO3 residue inside neck to reduce bullet corrosion sticking & provide neck sizing lubrication. Go real lite on the 1 shot - don't want to kill primers & make a mess.
Neck size with cheap Lee Collet die. Collet squashes reduced/controlled work hardened neck around/against mandrel. Within spec neck wall thickness allow easy entrance of neck inside collet. Periodically disassemble collet die to clean collet, sleeve & mandrel to avoid sticking & crumpled brass. Pointy end of multi step mandrel pops out spent primer.
Prime, powder charge & seat bullets.
Put loaded rounds in nice plastic boxes & very carefully label with complete & accurate info.
I run chrony stats on each batch to get min/max average velocities (each tail of bell curve) with 95% probability. Min 10 samples, 15 improves SS (sum squares) value.
I use the cheap Lee Collet dies.
I load 100 - 500 rounds per session.
Multi step process.
Evaluate need for anneal - reduce work hardening & spring back.
Evaluate fired neck fit inside chamber - will bullets slip fit inside fired necks - turn necks if not.
F/L size, the Redding body die does this real good. Ground down (shortened) shell holders for each chamber for consistent headspace. Sort brass.
Very lightly lube & clean inside necks with Hornady One Shot use cotton Q tip, moistened with 1 shot. clean & lube. Helps to clean up HNO3 residue inside neck to reduce bullet corrosion sticking & provide neck sizing lubrication. Go real lite on the 1 shot - don't want to kill primers & make a mess.
Neck size with cheap Lee Collet die. Collet squashes reduced/controlled work hardened neck around/against mandrel. Within spec neck wall thickness allow easy entrance of neck inside collet. Periodically disassemble collet die to clean collet, sleeve & mandrel to avoid sticking & crumpled brass. Pointy end of multi step mandrel pops out spent primer.
Prime, powder charge & seat bullets.
Put loaded rounds in nice plastic boxes & very carefully label with complete & accurate info.
I run chrony stats on each batch to get min/max average velocities (each tail of bell curve) with 95% probability. Min 10 samples, 15 improves SS (sum squares) value.
fire814
Well-Known Member
Does the Lee collet neck sizing die also decap ?
Yes
Wow that's interesting. Thanks
Hey it worked
MOA or bust
Well-Known Member
Novice Question:
What is the difference in using the expander ball in a sizing die versus using an expanding mandrel (other than size)?
What is the difference in using the expander ball in a sizing die versus using an expanding mandrel (other than size)?
Here is an interesting thought by Austin Orgain, 2 time PRS champ.
So you don't run your cases through a neck mandrel to set your case's inside neck diameter? Austin: "Nope. I don't run a mandrel at all. The Micron dies don't have an option to run an expander ball at all. I used to run a Redding Type S Full-Length Bushing die, and I put a carbide, free-floating expander ball in it, and I'd set it up where I got the neck tension I'd want, but then that expand ball would barely touch when it came back through the inside of the neck to make it concentric. I really like that setup, but I started testing that versus the Micron die, and I can't see any difference. Now, I wasn't shooting hundreds and hundreds of rounds testing it, but I did shoot 20 or 30 rounds side-by-side and did different groups with different settings – and I couldn't see any difference between them. So, I don't know that it really matters, and for me, it seems like it's probably past the point of diminishing returns and not even worth doing. To me, it's definitely not worth doing if you have to add a whole additional step to your loading process to run your cases through mandrel. If you had a Dillon progressive loading setup where you could just add a mandrel die into your rotation, and it wouldn't require a bunch of extra time or effort – maybe. But I'm not going to run all my brass through a mandrel if I'm doing it on a single-stage press."
Do you ever neck turn your brass, uniform your primer pockets, or clean your primer pockets? Austin: "If I had to neck turn my brass, I'd quit! No, I don't ever do any of that stuff
And this from another PRS champ… (same first name)
Austin said he doesn't have an expansion ball on his decapping pin on the sizing die. Austin: "A case just goes straight up into the SAC sizing die, so I'm just squeezing down the outside diameter of the neck, and then I seat a bullet shortly after that." He doesn't use a neck mandrel or anything else to set the inside diameter of the neck. Austin: "Nope, no expander or mandrel at all. The bullet sets the insider diameter of the case neck whenever I seat it."
Here is a link…. https://precisionrifleblog.com/2023...ess-austin-buschman-shooter-spotlight-part-3/
Good luck.
T
