Expanding the neck 9.3 x 63

I am converting 30/06 to 9.3 x 63. It is not just simply running it through a 9.3 x 63 die as the neck has to be made larger, then run through the die to adjust the headspace datum line on the case.
So my thought is to make a collet that inserts inside of a 30/06 annealed case that has been run through a 9.3x63 die, expand about 0.20" of the neck (at the shoulder) to 0.20" over the O.D. of the 9.3 case, running it through the 9.3 die again - then fire forming to push the shoulder a head.

Is 0.20" neck expansion enough to form a shoulder to headspace on?
I want to avoid running a 416 Rigby expander button through the case, and sizing the neck down to 9.3 dimensions

Adding .020 to the ID of a .366 neck is only .386.
Why not just expand the entire neck?
Your internal collet is going to be expensive and probably not very robust.
You might be better off getting Hornady or someone to make you a hydraulic form die.
You fill the case with water and hit the forming punch with a hammer to expand the brass.

Why not start with 35 Whelen brass? Expand neck and fire form. Or am I missing something

I have a set of .375 H&H dies that I use just for expanding necks when I am playing around doing the "Lets see what I can make from this brass" game. Maybe that would be enough for your use?

I usually try to form brass from a larger caliber, I'd rather neck down that try to get even expansion. My 6.5-06 brass is made from .30-06 instead of .25-06 for that reason.

Robert

I have several tapered expanding mandrels that I use to bring .30 calibre cases up to slight more than .338 or .358 or .375 depending on the finished cartridge I'm forming. I highly recommend annealing your parent cases before using a tapered neck expander, you'll get far less case failures if you do. I always inside lube the case necks before expanding too as it makes the re-forming job MUCH easier and the expander plug will pass through the necks much more smoothly. I use Imperial Sizing Wax applied with a nylon RCBS inside neck brush, but any good quality sizing lube will work. It makes the neck expanding process much easier and again you'll get far less case failures. Then I rough trim the neck expanded parent case down to just over the finished length I need. (Generally .30-06 brass for most of the new cartridges I'm making) Then I slowly adjust the sizing die down until the shoulder is located at the correct length to headspace correctly in the rifle I'm working with. You should feel slight resistance when closing the bolt at the very end of it's downward travel which is the shoulder of your re-formed case contacting the shoulder in the chamber. Then I trim the cases to their final "trim to" length, load them, and fire-form. Another alternate method to adjust for correct headspace length is to seat the cast boolit you're using well out of the case mouth until it lightly contacts the rifling which firmly pushes the case head back to the bolt face when chambered. That way upon fire-forming the shoulder will blow forward to fit the chamber rather than the case head stretching forward and weakening the case. I've used both methods successfully.

I'm just about to re-form some .30-06 cases into 9x57mm Mauser for a new 98 Sporter I just bought using the method described above.

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Originally Posted by Reverend Al

I have several tapered expanding mandrels that I use to bring .30 calibre cases up to slight more than .338 or .358 or .375 depending on the finished cartridge I'm forming. I highly recommend annealing your parent cases before using a tapered neck expander, you'll get far less case failures if you do. I always inside lube the case necks before expanding too as it makes the re-forming job MUCH easier and the expander plug will pass through the necks much more smoothly. I use Imperial Sizing Wax applied with a nylon RCBS inside neck brush, but any good quality sizing lube will work. It makes the neck expanding process much easier and again you'll get far less case failures. Then I rough trim the neck expanded parent case down to just over the finished length I need. (Generally .30-06 brass for most of the new cartridges I'm making) Then I slowly adjust the sizing die down until the shoulder is located at the correct length to headspace correctly in the rifle I'm working with. You should feel slight resistance when closing the bolt at the very end of it's downward travel which is the shoulder of your re-formed case contacting the shoulder in the chamber. Then I trim the cases to their final "trim to" length, load them, and fire-form. Another alternate method to adjust for correct headspace length is to seat the cast boolit you're using well out of the case mouth until it lightly contacts the rifling which firmly pushes the case head back to the bolt face when chambered. That way upon fire-forming the shoulder will blow forward to fit the chamber rather than the case head stretching forward and weakening the case. I've used both methods successfully.

I'm just about to re-form some .30-06 cases into 9x57mm Mauser for a new 98 Sporter I just bought using the method described above.

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Keep an eye on neck thickness as I have found that the neck can get a little thick in the area that was swaged down . Much depends on which brand of brass you use.

Most chambers are generous enough to accept a few extra thousandths in case neck thickness, especially military chambers, but it is a problem that can crop up when you're loading for a commercial chamber with tighter tolerances. I've had no issues with that so far ...

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Originally Posted by Reverend Al

Most chambers are generous enough to accept a few extra thousandths in case neck thickness, especially military chambers, but it is a problem that can crop up when you're loading for a commercial chamber with tighter tolerances. I've had no issues with that so far ...

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My 9.3x57 L46 Husqvarna will not chamber a bullet sized at 0.367" without trimming the neck of a Federal 30/06 case to 0.012"
My 9.3 x 63 on an FN M98 can chamber bullets as large as 0.372"....

The Hornaday 9.3x57 seating die is not big enough to seat a 0.367" bullet in either 9.3 x 57 or 9.3 X 63 cases. The internal diameter of the bullet carrier in the die will have to be honed larger by 0.001" or 0.002"

When expanding necks I've always used a small charge of fast powder and a cotton ball to seal the shell. Fire to expand. Sometimes I have to do this twice.

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Originally Posted by Wayne Smith

When expanding necks I've always used a small charge of fast powder and a cotton ball to seal the shell. Fire to expand. Sometimes I have to do this twice.

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I am using a 200 Grain cast bullet with a "standard" charge of Unique.
Groups are unexpectedly good, under 3" at 100 meters with no effort on my part.

I'm with Wayne Smith on expanding the neck of a 30/06 to 9.3x62. I use mil brass because it doesn't say 30/06 on the head stamp. I anneal the neck and then fill the case with powder that I have collected over the years from pulled cases. I put a little paper disc over the powder in the neck and seal it with hot glue. I fire the cases and then run them through a 9.3x63 sizing die. The cases are then deprimed, trimmed, ultrasonically cleaned and then polished. Beautiful cases.