NOE powder through expander problem

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

Well I got them for 38 sol and 44 mag and they do NOT work with the auto disk. they are so long that the auto disk won't even thread in. Mine are going back.

Note, the 45 ACP does work.

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

Well I talked to Al on the phone this morning and went over the measurement differences with him and he told me that was what he expected. They already are working on shorter versions to work with revolver cartridges (revolver cartridge dies have a short expander and a long shoulder section inside the dies, auto cartridge dies have a long expander and a short shoulder section)

So I will be anxiously awaiting the new ones.

[TCFAN]

I bought 2 of the powder thru expanders for 38 special.Both were to long to work. Did make one work for the 357 mag. by not screwing the powder thru die in very far in the press.........Terry

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

So Al still has some "quirks of Lee" to learn so he can make the appropriate insert for the appropriate caliber.

[dragon813gt]

Guess I need to test mine out. I bought them months ago and haven't used them. I did insert the one for 45 and looked way to long.

[dustydog]

I had to grind mine down to work with the lee powder thru die for the auto disk to work with 38/357 also works fine now.

[Moonie]

Are you guys using these in the universal die or the one that comes with the die set? These were designed to work with the universal expander die from what I understood...

[jmort]

NOE is doing two types. One is for use with the Lee Universal Expanding Die (which is really a flaring die) and the second is for the Lee Powder Through Expanding die. I have a few for the Universal Expanding Die and intend to get more for the Powder Through Expanding die, which is also really a flaring die as well. With the NOE inserts, both are great expanding dies for cast bullets.

[dragon813gt]

Are you guys using these in the universal die or the one that comes with the die set? These were designed to work with the universal expander die from what I understood...

The powder through expanders should be made to work w/ the individual dies for each caliber. This way you have case activated powder dispensing. I don't have the Universal die so I don't know if it's built the same way. Maybe this is why the powder through expanders aren't working properly.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

The powder through expanders should be made to work w/ the individual dies for each caliber. This way you have case activated powder dispensing. I don't have the Universal die so I don't know if it's built the same way. Maybe this is why the powder through expanders aren't working properly.

I suspect NOE has made the powder through expanders a bit too long. They should be the same length as the Lee powder through expanding die inserts. If they're too long, he'll need to make them shorter or if someone is in a hurry, they can shorter the top insert to make them work.

[Moonie]

It is my understanding that BOTH the solid and the powder through ones were made for the universal die NOT the one that comes with the die sets.

I have several but haven't used any yet, time to pull them out and check.

[TCFAN]

This is from the NOE description of the powder thru expander........Terry

Powder thru 38P Exp. Plug
[PT38PEXP] http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/images/PTExp38P%20001.JPG (http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/images/PTExp38P%20001.JPG)
38 Cal. expander plug .356" x .360" To use with Lee Powder Through Neck Expanding Die Turns it in to a true neck expander like a Lyman M-die.

[gloob]

My NOE 356/360 hollow powder thru plug is way longer than my NOE Universal plug. The part that fits in the die body is almost exactly the same length as my Lee 9mm flare plug; great for me. BUT this begs the question, is it supposed to be a replacement for the 9mm plug or the 38/357 plug? It seems to me it would be longer than the Lee 357 plug? Yet the part number/name suggest it is supposed to be made for 38/357.

Meh, I haven't tried it, but I suppose it might still work for 357 by screwing the die body out. I don't feel like opening my dies and losing the settings.

[Bzcraig]

Yup, had the same problem. Took a picture, sent it and Al responded sorry for the inconvenience we are working on short ones as we speak. The two for .38 calibers were 38AP and 38P. The AP designation was for autos and the P for revolvers. The autos work fine the revolver ones are too long. The ones I ordered for the Lee universal expander for rifles work great.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Glad he's correcting these things, as I'm soon to order a set I think.

[Gobeyond]

They have one in 30-30 WCF, written twice in 2023. I wonder if that will work in a 30-30 win.

[jetinteriorguy]

I found out the expensive way it’s simplest and easiest to just order his complete kit with the die and everything. I finally wound up with individual setups for each pistol I load for, but that’s because I load 9mm on my 550B and .38,.357, and .41mag on my turret press and once the die is set in the press I leave them alone. If you just load on a single you could get by on one die and one set of spacers and individual expanders to save a little cash. Once properly set up with the proper die they work excellent with the Lee Pro Auto Disc. Al is a great guy to deal with and NOE is a top notch company with excellent service.

[ulav8r]

They have one in 30-30 WCF, written twice in 2023. I wonder if that will work in a 30-30 win.

30 WCF = 30 Winchester Center Fire, later called 30-30 Winchester.