What dia. for new expander plug .44 cal.

[RU shooter]

I'm going to have a friend make me a new longer and bigger dia. expander plug for my Lee 44 spl. die as the original is sizing down my soft boolits too much,Question is how much bigger should I make it ? My boolits are .433 dia. Would 2 thou. under provide enough neck tension( I normally dont put much or any roll crimp on ) ? I also want to make this like the M die is ,how much above boolit dia. should I make the flair and how long is the length of the flaired portion.

Thanks,Tim

[462]

RU shooter,

Like you, I have to size boolits for my .44 Special to .433". I use a .45 Colt sizer die to decap the case, leaving it at its fire-formed size. Also, I had a problem with a Lee .44 seating die putting the squeeze on my boolits -- back to about .430". I lapped it till there was just enough pressure to form a light crimp.

Then I bought a set of Lyman dies. Man, what a difference. A properly sized case mouth, thanks to the M die, and the seating die doesn't down-size the boolit. Worked so well, got a set for .38/.357, too.

Many years ago, when I first started reloading, I bought Lee dies due to a limited budget. And, for jacketed they performed just fine. At least for me. Now that I'm casting, I'm finding they have their limitations. I'm still on a limited budget, though...

[cabezaverde]

Take a look at this thread.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=59431

[RU shooter]

Yes I did read that thread earlier, I assume that in your case the M dies being .356 is 2 thou. under your target dia.?? Was just wanting to know how much neck tension is nessary I doubt I'll buy a M die if I can get one made for a few beers by a friend.
Take a look at this thread.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=59431