First time using a neck sizing die with cast boolits: New Issue

[dougader]

So, I've always used a Lyman M die to slightly expand the necks of my rifle cases when using cast bullets. And I've never even owned a neck sizing die before, just adjusted my full length sizing die to only size the neck.

I recently acquired a CVA Hunter in 35 Remington. New caliber for me, and since I only have the one single shot rifle in 35 Rem I just ordered the Lee collet/neck size 2-die set.

I don't have an M die in 35 caliber, but do have the Lee universal expanding die. So I slightly belled 20 cases so I could load some Hunters 190 grain rnfp bullets. The bullets seated fine but I see there is absolutely no crimp feature at all in this seater die. I guess I never thought of that because when neck sizing with my full length set there is a crimp feature to the seating die. Plus, when using the M die it just gives a slight "step" to get the boolit started and after seating there really is no crimp required to remove any belling because there's no belling there to begin with.

So I'm thinking if I grab my 38/357 seat/crimp die or my 9mm taper crimp die I can adjust it to just take away the "bell" in the neck.

Am I on the right track? I'm ordering a 35 caliber M die in the meantime...

[FredBuddy]

This falls in the 'can't hurt to try' category. I do the same with 45-70...I don't resize before hand, but bell the neck, seat the boolit, then run the round part way into the resize die to eliminate the bell. I do this because I use 200 gr SWC's cast at .454, powder coated to .461-2 in a mouse fart load - a sort of taper crimp. Still experimenting and having fun!

[bedbugbilly]

I'm not familiar with the 35 Rem. but looking at my Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook (3rd edition) I wonder if the cartridge neck of the 35 would go up into the die far enough to crimp? I don't think it would in a 38/357 crimp die but possibly a 9mm? In the end, the only way you'll know is to try it. The most you'll discover is that it does or doesn't work.

In the meantime, you might check on flea bay to see if you could find a Lyman DA seating/crimping die for the 35 Rem. or possibly post a WTB on this site.

I reload 38 Colt Short/Long and have Lee dies for those. I kind of doubt if even the seating/crimp die on those w ould be short enough to allow the neck to go in? I do seat and crimp in two different steps and the 9mm taper crimp works well on the 38 Colt Shorts but that casing is longer than the neck on a 35 Remington.

I kind of ran in to the same thing when I started reloading cast in 8mm. I finally got a M-die which works great - kind of like a "shoe horn effect" to get the lead boolit in the neck - I had tried my Lee universal flaring die prior to the M die and that worked pretty well but until I got a Lyman DA seating/crimp die, I had no way to "iron out" the very slight flare.

I now have another mold that casts a boolit that I can almost hand press in the neck - enough to seat it but still I was uncomfortable with the tension on it. I found that after I seated the boolit, I could use my Lyman 310 8mm tong set and by using the "necking die", put a very slight crimp - like a 1/16" or less on the case mouth without swaging the boolit. Sometimes it's just a case of "trying and see what works".

Good luck and hopefully you'll find something you already have on hand that will work.

[dougader]

Good thoughts, guys. The body of the 35 Rem might not allow the neck to go up into the 9mm, 38, or 357 die to crimp/remove bell in the first place. The Lyman die mentioned may be the best bet

[Yodogsandman]

Since that's for a single shot, a little bit of belling might help to align the case in line with the bore.