Is the Lyman M Die necessary for 30-06?

[drmellow]

Hello fellow casters.
I'm still new to this casting business. I have the new Hornady 30-06 sizing die's with the internal expander. I've been loading Jacketed Boat Tails just fine without flairing or belling the neck. Now I want to reload with cast.

Is a Lyman M Die necessary for 30-06 or can I just go with what I have?
Thanks

[Dutchman]

You can do without but you can do better with the M die. Generally your cast bullet diameter is larger than jacketed so the M die makes up the difference. It's a very small cost for such an excellent addition to your loading bench.

The 31L is the size you need. Works good for other .30 and .31 rifle calibers, too.

Dutch

[drmellow]

Thank you Boolit Master

[leadman]

The "belling" of the case mouth and expansion of the inside of the neck are necessary when loading cast. If you scrape lead from the boolit when seating it it most likely lead your barrel. Also the tight case neck from not using the M die can size down the diameter of your boolit, which might also lead to leading or loss of accuracy.

[kelbro]

In a word, yes. They really help and are not very expensive.

[Wayne Smith]

Either the Lyman M die or the RCBS equivalent are what you need. Forget the Lee product, it only bells the neck.

[462]

The 31L is the size you need.

Forget the Lee product, it only bells the neck.

I would change "neck" to "case mouth only".

Keep in mind that reloading dies are manufactured to SAAMI jacketed bullet specifications, and the cast boolit caster and shooter needs to think differently. If you measure the Hornady expander ball, you'll find that it's probably .306". Your cast boolit is probably .310". That equates to a serious and problematic mis-match.

[MT Gianni]

In a pinch you can get by with using a 35 cal bullet or a pair of needle nose pliers to bell cases. [set the 35 cal bullet in the nose and tap it with a hard surface, bullet only not a cartridge] It will let you know if this hobby is for you or not but will not replace an M die.

[grouch]

I've had good luck without the M die, but the neck has to be chamfered well and the alloy has to be at least moderately hard. If you use a collet die (Lee) you can vary the neck tension and won't need the M die. It's a good tool to have, though.
Grouch