Measuring Expander Dies

[dobledoble]

I've got a problem. My kids got into my locked supply case and started playing around with some of my equipment and supplies. Don't worry, all the actual weapons and power tools are locked down somewhere else. Dang kids... My problem is, they opened up all the die sets and scattered them around for no apparent reason. Now I have to put them back in order, but how do you do that with Expander dies? They are not labeled. The seating and full-length dies are labeled, but not the expander dies. How do I know which expander goes in which case? I never really paid much attention to it before, I just pulled them out of the case and put it back when I was finished.
So is there somewhere I can read instructions on how to choose the correct expander die or something? Or maybe somebody can tell me how to measure them? Like which part do you measure? I'm assuming you would measure the ID of the tip of the part that screws into the expander die, but I need to be sure.

[floodgate]

First, match them by brand, as best you can, then unscrew the expander stem (or the "ball" on the shank of the decapping stem, for two-die sets, for bottlenecked cases). Then use a caliper, micrometer, "educated eyeball" or empty cases of the various calibers to sort them out, ONE SET AT A TIME! The expander ball or plug should go easily into a fired case mouth, but will stick fairly tightly if it has been resized. The expander die bodies for three-die sets are "non-denominational" and are usually not marked (as you discovered), but sometimes come in two or three lengths, for short, medium and long cases.

Fg

[NVcurmudgeon]

Are these the usual expander dies that come with a three or four dies set? Most of mine are marked on the top of the expander, not the die body. All you have to do is mike the long, smaller diameter part of the expander plug, not the flared end that bells the case mouth. My then three year old daughter found some gravel in the yard that was smaller than .30 cal. and filled some of my .308 cases with it.

[Bret4207]

Your kids are messing with your stuff?!?! That NEVER happens to me.:kidding: