NOE powder thru the expander plug?

[prickett]

I see that NOE has replacement expander plugs for the Lee powder thru the expander die. Their site isn't real clear though.

I don't see a 9mm plug at all. Am I blind?

Also, I'm unclear which plug to get for .45 ACP. They have a 45AP and a 45P. I don't know which to get.


TIA

[gloob]

How big are your bullets, and do you want the universal expander plug or the powder thru plug? That might narrow it down.

I think AP means "autopistol", but I am not sure what P, SP mean, lol. Just find the diameter you want.


I don't see a 9mm plug at all. Am I blind?
In the regular universal plugs, they list them by diameter. In the powder thru, the 9mm plug is listed as 38AP. But the 38P works great if you have oversize bullets; I have the 38P and it fits my Lee 9mm flare die body just right. It works great with .356-358 diameter cast bullets. I just loaded up some .356" commercial cast bullets with it, and neck tension is fine.

I would probably buy this for 45ACP powder-thru, but when I ordered my expander, this one was out of stock. I got the same diameter universal plug, instead:
http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=91&products_id=1209&osCsid=bnavg0q55o1lm50im5ie6fnom3

Pay attention to the diameters. .450/.454 means the expander is .450" and the flare is .454". If you're in the market, I expect you are shooting cast bullets. You will probably want a plug that is about 1 thousandths of an inch smaller than your bullet, plus or minus no more than 1 thou.

[prickett]

How big are your bullets, and do you want the universal expander plug or the powder thru plug? That might narrow it down.

I think AP means "autopistol", but I am not sure what P, SP mean, lol. Just find the diameter you want.


In the regular universal plugs, they list them by diameter. In the powder thru, the 9mm plug is listed as 38AP. But the 38P works great if you have oversize bullets; I have the 38P and it fits my Lee 9mm flare die body just right. It works great with .356-358 diameter cast bullets. I just loaded up some .356" commercial cast bullets with it, and neck tension is fine.

I would probably buy this for 45ACP powder-thru, but when I ordered my expander, this one was out of stock. I got the same diameter universal plug, instead:
http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=91&products_id=1209&osCsid=bnavg0q55o1lm50im5ie6fnom3

Pay attention to the diameters. .450/.454 means the expander is .450" and the flare is .454". If you're in the market, I expect you are shooting cast bullets. You will probably want a plug that is about 1 thousandths of an inch smaller than your bullet, plus or minus no more than 1 thou.

I want the powder thru the expander plugs. And, yes, these are for cast boolits.

My 9mm's are sized to .358", so the 38P is what I want, if I understand correctly.

My .45 are sized to .452, so the 45AP is what I want?

Thanks

[Bzcraig]

The PTE for 9mm is the 38AP.

[gloob]

My 9mm's are sized to .358", so the 38P is what I want, if I understand correctly.

My .45 are sized to .452, so the 45AP is what I want?

Thanks
Yes. That's how I would do it. The 38AP is only .353", which is barely big enough for jwords. And it only flares to .357, so you wouldn't even be able to seat one of your bullets without shaving. The 38P is the biggest plug they make, and it works fine in my 9mm die. It's the only option, and a good one, AFAIC. It expands just the right depth for my 125 gr pills, and the diameter works for my .356" and my soft .357 1/2" bullets. The only "downside" is that some of your cases might get a bulge towards the bottom of the expander. (You really have to set the die to barely flare the mouth). And if your chamber is exceptionally tight, they might not pass the plunk test. But you don't want to use these cases for those boolits, anyway, because with a normal expander, those cases would ruin your bullets; and if you can chamber .358" bullets to begin with, you shouldn't have any problem, at all.

For your 45ACP, the 45AP is your only option. The only other powder thru plug is .453", which is most certainly too big for your bullets. But in the universal plugs, they have more sizes, so you could get a .451/.455, for instance. IME, 45ACP cases are relatively thin and don't have nearly as much springback/swaging force as 9mm or 40SW/10mm. TBH, I didn't even need my NOE expander for 45ACP. The standard Lee works fine. So the 450/454 45AP will probably work great for you. The 450/454 NOE universal plug works great for my cast bullets.

So go ahead and pull the trigger.

[prickett]

TBH, I didn't even need my NOE expander for 45ACP. The standard Lee works fine. So the 450/454 45AP will probably work great for you. The 450/454 NOE universal plug works great for my cast bullets.

Thanks for the info. I can't wait to pull the trigger! The reason I'm interested in the .45 expander is because I've added a bullet feed die to my press and need the mouth spread good and wide so the feed die sets the bullet deep enough to keep if from tilting when the shell plate advances.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Thanks for the info. I can't wait to pull the trigger! The reason I'm interested in the .45 expander is because I've added a bullet feed die to my press and need the mouth spread good and wide so the feed die sets the bullet deep enough to keep if from tilting when the shell plate advances.
Are you planning to use a NOE insert for a Lee PTED in conjuction with the Autodisk or Pro Autodisk measure in the case activated mode ?
You may be disappointed.

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

Actually you won't be disappointed if the NOE expander is for short, auto cases. The problem with the powder through expanders and the auto disk was with long revolver cartridges.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Actually you won't be disappointed if the NOE expander is for short, auto cases. The problem with the powder through expanders and the auto disk was with long revolver cartridges.
Has this been discussed elsewhere ?
as I haven't seen ANY discussion about that

I have only bought the 41AP and the 44P for use with 41 Mag and 44 Mag (respectively). Not only were the inserts too long, the opening where the Pro Autodisk would mount for case activation, wasn't machined large enough. Is the 45AP machined with a large enough opening ?

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

I posted on it before and have discussed it with al Nelson. I order them for 38spl, 44 mag, and 45 acp. The revolver ones were problematic but in 45 acp they were fine.

[TCFAN]

I ordered the powder thru expanders for 38/357 and 45acp. The revolver expander did not work right for me. The 45acp worked as it should.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Thanks.
I must have missed those conversations.

[prickett]

Are you planning to use a NOE insert for a Lee PTED in conjuction with the Autodisk or Pro Autodisk measure in the case activated mode ?
You may be disappointed.

I'm already using the stock Lee PTED + the Pro Autodisk for both 9mm and .45. Are you saying the NOE will make the situation worse? I'm reasonably happy with the existing setup. I just need to open the mouth up a bit more so the bullet feeder works a little better.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I'm already using the stock Lee PTED + the Pro Autodisk for both 9mm and .45. Are you saying the NOE will make the situation worse? I'm reasonably happy with the existing setup. I just need to open the mouth up a bit more so the bullet feeder works a little better.

Those are both auto pistol cartridges, so you should be fine. The problem NOE is having currently is with revolver cartridges and I suspect they'll address those fairly quickly.

[Bzcraig]

When I emailed Al about the revolver PTE and sent a picture, he acknowledged the mistake and said they were working on making a short PTE for the revolvers, 38/357 at least.

[gloob]

This explains why the 38P fits my 9mm die, perfectly. I hope they continue to make the 9mm version after they sort out the proper length for revos.