How do you flair 30-30 cases?

[wallacem]

Okay guys, I would like to know how everyone else does this. My 30-30 dies are only two dies, meaning there is no case flair die. For cast bullets I need to enlarge the case tip. I have been using my 32 spl die for the purpose, but have to be very careful doing it. How is the best way? Wallacem in Ga

[old turtle]

The best way is to purchase a Lyman M die. It can be used for any .30 case. I have them for several calibers.

[gnoahhh]

Ditto. I have used a heavy chamfer in the case mouth in a pinch, but the M die is the way to go. Don't flair any more than you have to to allow easy starting of the bullet.

[geargnasher]

Anyone mention the Lyman "M" die for use with cast boolits?

Gear

[stubert]

Or the Lee universal case expander

[AZ-Stew]

Well, let me think... M-M-M-M-M.....

Regards,

Stew

[onondaga]

You can order the decapper/expander from the .303 British Pacesetter die set, part #SE2358, $3. From Lee. Put that pin in your Lee 30-30 Full length sizing die. That will give you a larger inside neck diameter for cast boolits.

The Lee Universal Expander Die Is used in a separate step to flair case mouths for seating cast boolits . LEE Universal Case Expanding Die $14.98 #90798, The die gently flares the case mouth to accept cast bullets without shaving. Includes neck plugs for .22 cal through .45 cal.

These parts will expand the case neck and flair the case mouth nicely for the 30-30. An extra step or die station on a turret press makes this go smoothly.

The Lyman "M" die does this in one step very nicely but is not the only choice.

You can also custom modify the .303 Brit. decapper/expander easily to reduce diameter by chucking it in a drill press and using emery cloth and checking with a micrometer to get exactly the size you wish below the .supplied size. I believe the .32 H&R Magnum expander for $3 will also work with the 30-30.

In most cases, the Universal Expander Die alone will do the job without additionally replacing your expander pin in your sizing die. But if you are using .310- 311" bullets in your 30-30 the new expander pin and additional Universal Expander Die will likely be needed. Or, of course, the Lyman "M" Die.

I use the Universal Expander Die from Lee for all my cast bullet loads. I recently added a 7.62X39R single shot rifle to my collection but the Lee die set for this caliber included 2 decapper/expander pins and the larger one works great with my cast bullets, I installed it and I use the Universal Expander Die for case mouth flair before I seat my cast bullets. So, I have avoided buying an "M" die for a while!

Gary

[Silent]

I use an M die for my 30-30 as well. I also use one for my .357 magnum :D

[HeavyMetal]

Lee Universal Expander. The expander part is a misnomer as it does no expanding what so ever what it does is flare the case mouth.

I find the 30-30 has a very thin easy flowing case neck so an M die kinda over complicates things just a little.

The neck is " springy" enough you need only flare the cae to start the boolit in. The plus to the Lee universal is it is adjustable for all most all case by rearranging the flare portion inside the die.

[peerlesscowboy]

Lyman "M" die, RCBS neck expanding die...........

[Harter66]

I turned LEE styled rods with belling shoulders for use in my RCBS universal decapper. Turn 5" of rod and cut 1/4-28 thread on 1 end. Cut the other end to allow for neck id and a belling shoulder with or w/o a solid decapper pin . I use the rod itself as my stop on the case inside base. Every case matches. While writing this it occurs to me that I should have an adjustable stop for and fewer rods. Nah..... just 1ea for 7.62x39,308,3for 06',1ea for7/8x57,1 for.32 Rem and 1for .410/mongo which will convert from 303.

[Maynard Shooter]

A deburring tool can give you a slight expansion that's what I use with BP.

[35remington]

Needlenose pliers. In all seriousness.

Everyone knew I was gonna say that.

As a stopgap or permanent measure, it's a good one.

[462]

Lyman M die.

[Lead Fred]

Or the Lee universal case expander

Yuppers, You need two different Lyman Ms to do 30-30 & 30-06
Im cheap, and bought only one.

[1Shirt]

I sold all of my M dies, and bought the Lee expander. Works well for me!
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[9.3X62AL]

I prefer the Lyman M-Die spud design over the RCBS Expander Die, owing to the small over-caliber "step" it features just before the flaring shoulder engages. Quite often, just that "step" is sufficient to seat a cast bullet, without giving a flare per se to the case mouth.

[quilbilly]

The old Lee reloading kits for pistols used to have a 2" hand expander tool with a knurled top. I use an old one from my 357 kit to expand my 30-30's. I have also used a small marlinspike (found in marine supply stores that cater to sailboaters unless you had one on the deck force in the Navy).
Whenever I go to a gun show, I poke through boxes of old reloading tools and occasionally find one of those hand expander tools. They are very useful and don't take any metal off the case. I also use one on my 7mm TCU, 22 hornet, and 338 brass.

[trk]

Sinclair makes a holder and a number of madrels for expanding necks.

I turn my own two diameter madrels to give just the right neck tension and a lead-in (like the M die but longer in some cases. Then I use (or not) a taper crimp die to just bring the flair back down to the bullet.

[timkelley]

Lee universal.

[JRParrish]

I collect old ball bearing balls. I've used them at times by finding one just too big to go into the case but with a little urging from a machinist vise a bit of flare on the case mouth. Works good for me for soft cast bullets without gas checks. I can't go buy everything for some of my projects.

[Ben]

My favorite today is the Lyman M die, but for over 20 yrs. I flared .30 cal. case necks with one of these, a tapered punch. Two light taps with a small tack hammer I kept on my bench would let the bullet start with no shaving of lead. I remember shooting some pretty impressive groups with this simple system.

Works just as good today as it then did !

The ones with the long gradual taper work really well.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/9713330_orig.jpg

[res45]

I use the Lee Universal expander to flair all my rifle brass I shoot cast in. For a neck expander in the 30-30 I steal the .311 expander ball out of my RCBS 54r die.

Think I'm just going to order another .311 expander ball and put it in the 30-30 decapping dies and be done with it since I've only shoot cast bullets in it anyway.

[dragonrider]

I made a die to accomplish it.

[Bullshop]

I use an appropriate size junk case from my scrap bucket. Say in this case for the 30/30 I may poke around in my bucket and find a worn out 22/250, PERFECT!
Place the 30/30 on the bench insert the neck of the 22/250 into the neck of the 30/30 and give a tap with broken hammer handle or what ever you have handy.
There ya go flaired 30/30 neck. Don't worry you will develop a feel for it.

[geargnasher]

Daniel, that's what I call field expediency! The nice thing about .22 Hornet is that nice, gradual taper to the case, I used to have a handfull of them that I filled with lead and scribed lines on them for judging consistent depth for different calibers. I used them like you say.

For anyone who doesn't own one, the Lee Universal expander die IS NOT AN EXPANDER. Don't be confused about that, it only flares the case mouth and won't make up for an undersized expander and/or sizer die. I own two and use them regularly various things, but I use bushing sizers or customized expanders to get the actual neck diameter I need.

Gear

[skeet1]

I guess I'm cheep. The Lee Universal Expander works on all size of cases and works very well for me.

Ken

[jlchucker]

Lyman M die or Lee Expander. I've got both and use both. If you're on a tight budget, a Lee Expander is a good starting point because it's capable of being adjusted for use with a lot of calibers.

[wallacem]

Thanks guys, I am now well informed. Wallacem in Ga.

[grouch]

Lee collet die and reduce the tension to squeeze to the inside diameter you want.
Grouch

[EMC45]

Lee Universal. Before that I used a punch with a hammer tap. Worked everytime!

[white eagle]

I made a tool similar to what Ben has
works slick as snot
but usually I just chamfer and go

[2Tite]

A quick tap on the base of a 50 machine bullet works as well as anything.

[Lively Boy]

I built an insert to act like a flow thru expander from my 32 S&W long Lee Dies. it fits in my universal expander. took a bit to do but works good! sorry the pic is sideways but its on the top.

[Chiefs50]

I sold all of my M dies, and bought the Lee expander. Works well for me!
1Shirt!:coffeecom

I use the Lee universal expander too. Works great and is very economical.

[725]

+1 for the Lee Universal Expanding Die

[Hardcast416taylor]

Up until a few years back I had 2 different size needle nosed pliars in my tool tray on my loading bench. One pair was the small hobby size, the other was a normal sized pair. Between the 2 pair I could flare about any size case mouth.Robert

[dla]

I used to use a 270W casing.

[stubshaft]

M - Die

[runfiverun]

i use my 8mm mauser ball. back the die out and let the case mouth just bump the ball.
30 for the 25's ,24 for the 22's, 8 for the 30's.
or my pistol sets where they fit properly
like the 357 set for my 358
32-20 for my 303 brit etc..

[HangFireW8]

For merely flairing, just about anything round or conical will do.

The many recommendations for the Lyman "M" die may stem from the fact that it expands the entire neck, as well as flairs it. (Flairing can also be optional).

I have found the 31 expander to be very useful to get 30 caliber case necks up to size so inserting a plain base bullet doesn't size it down. It also allows for less flair to get the boolit seated, which means my crimp die (I always crimp as a separate step) has less work to do, and smooth feeding is not an issue.

Despite the name, the 31 expander doesn't leave the neck anywhere near .310", but I am loading .310" and .311" boolits so low neck tension is not an issue.

There is no need to order a new "M" die for each caliber.

If you call Lyman directly, you can order additional expanders for a few dollars each and save yourself the cost of the die body. There are two expander columns that hold the expander centered in the die, long and short. I find that two die bodies and two columns and a bunch of expanders are very cost effective, and if you own any Lyman handgun dies, you probably have most of the kit already.

Forum moderator Buckshot (and probably other) can make custom "M" expanders for problematic in-between sizes.

-HF

[watkibe]

Lee Universal Case Expander Die is #1 ! No bottleneck case die set that I know of includes a case flaring die ("expander die"), but straight wall case dies always do. The Lee die is quick and easy to change for all the different bottleneck rifle cartridges that I load cast bullets in.

The best part about the die set was when I told my brother what it was called. His jaw dropped and bounced a few times before he sputtered out " Universal? Universal ? What? HUH? How's that possible ?" The look on his face still cracks me up every time I think about it.

[pls1911]

For most rifle rounds where relatively few are loaded, the advice above regarding flairing techniques is right on....

However, when seriously shooting silhouette pistol, I was loading 400 or so 30-30 rounds a month and I tried short cutting a bit.
I made certain to chamfer the case mouths, and carefully align the gas checked bullet and loaded as usual.
Accuracy remained fine , so I've followed the practice ever since for 30-30, with fine results in all my 30/30s.

For 45-70, I use the powder funnel from a 45 Colt/ACP adjusted for just a bit of flair.

[Pieter C. Voss]

Tapered drift punch--I used a needle file to engrave a line around it at the point where my dial caliper indicates .311. Then I push it into the case mouth and twist until the case aligns with the line.

[MikeS]

I use the predecessor of the M die, the Lyman 310 expander die. It works great for me, especially considering that I only have either 310 tools, or a Lyman Tru-Line Jr. press (uses the same dies as the 310 tool, which are smaller in diameter than standard dies). It works fine for me, as I can use it either in the press, or in the hand tool, so I can sit in front of the television, or computer, and do most of the reloading functions. When handling powder, I don't watch TV, and devote my full attention to the task at hand.

Another thing that I do, which it seems most folks don't do, is that I will charge the case with powder (either directly from the powder measure, or weighed on the scale), then immediately seat a boolit on the case, & seat it with the boolit seating / crimping die. I figure doing it that way is an easy way to know if a case has powder in it, if it has a seated boolit in it (a finished round) it has powder in it, if not, then there's no powder in the case. I think this makes the chances of double loading a case less, as I know with my lack of concentration sometimes, if I charged all my cases, then placed the boolits on them, I would either accidentally double charge some cases, and/or leave out the charge altogether!

[nelsonted1]

Every time I use my needle nose for case expanding I wonder if it would be possible to put a needle nose in a lathe and cut steps in the nose. .310, .311, .314, .316 etc. Then, before I get around to asking my machinist nephew the thought is gone like a bat in the night.