Expanders for straight wall cartridges - Idea for improvement

[EDG]

One of my pet peeves when setting up for a BPCR round is setting the M die or other expander without ruining one of those expensive cases. You turn the plug down or the die body down until you get the expander just right and you may have to do adjust it 20 times.

I am thinking of milling 3 or 4 window slots about 3/16" wide and about 1" long in my dies.
Has anyone ever tried this? It would make it easy to see the end of the case when it hits the expander plug.

[Motor]

I don't know. It would depend on what press you are using too. I think the view at least in my case (a RCBS RCII) would be blocked by the press itself. I think the area you would want to see would be in the threaded part of the press with most pistol length cases.

I set my first "M" die up a few months ago. I didn't have any trouble and definatly did not scrap any cases. A boolit, a caliper and a fly tying magnifying glass and it was easy.

Motor

[EDG]

Motor
Since you only did that for first time a few months ago it makes you a noobie.
Yeah I know it was easy the first time, but it is a blind operation. It requires you to measure how far down to turn the screw to get to the step or you just sneak up on it. Set M dies up several hundred times with different dies and different cartridges and you will find out what I am talking about. Sooner or later you will ruin a case or two.

For my own use I would switch to compatible or smaller press for case expanding if it took that to see the expander.
Fortunately I don't load many short handgun rounds. Most of my expander dies are for 2" long and longer cases.
I just checked my old first model (shorter than the current RC) Rockchucker and I can see the top of a 5.56 case which is 1.760" long at the top of the bushing.

I have pretty good array of extended shell holders that would elevate the short rounds where I could see them.

[shooter93]

Not a bad idea and I understand what you want to do. I've always used the "sneak" method and have never ruined a case. I wonder if one larger slot would work as well and still keep the case aligned sort of like a Vickerman die.

[EDG]

You have a good thought there.
I got rid of a couple of old Herter's visible seating dies (Vickerman wannabees) last year. They would have made good visible expanders with a few modifications.

This is where I got the idea for the window. K&M already offers a riser with a window for his Expandiron tool. The Expandiron is a benchrest accuracy specialty item that is used to properly expand brass for the K&M neck tuning pilots.

I have the Expandiron tool but I would need to make pilots for the larger caliber rounds.


http://www.kmshooting.com/catalog/case-neck-expanding-tools/expand-mandrel-window-riser.html

134046


Not a bad idea and I understand what you want to do. I've always used the "sneak" method and have never ruined a case. I wonder if one larger slot would work as well and still keep the case aligned sort of like a Vickerman die.