Quote Originally Posted by Mowgli Terry View Post
The Lee Collet dies work very well. There was much on the net about modifying these dies when first introduced. I had two sets of 35 RCBS Whelen dies for custom made rifles. The introduction of tapered expanders here was with 338 Federal RCBS dies. Also, with the Hornady 9.3x57. I ordered from RCBS two decapping stems for the Whelen dies with tapered expander balls. Screwed the old ones out new one's in.

For 308 cast bullets the NOE expanders work great installed in the Lee Universal Expander die. Those little plugs do a grand job of mating case ID to OD of lead bullets. Those NOE plugs are not expensive.


Lee dies can be used to expand necks. Those dies have no expander ball. From now on the older RCBS dies new stem assembles with tapered expander ball will replace the old assembly. Great for spare parts. Bubba uses Channelock's as a combination tools for working on reloading dies. I'm not sure that old style expander balls may have been a victim of the internet Guru's. Pushing those old style expander balls through a case neck is a no-no. YMMV

I remember my experiments with 35 Whelen and 338-06 with lopsided necks using Lyman M dies. No more. The tapered expanded ball rule.
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I have definitely been down the lopsided neck road before. They are ugly.


JTD