NOE Expander Plug

[RyanJames170]

I saw a post that mentioned these and it got me intrested in them as they might be solution to some issues i have.

so what i wanted to know is.

1. do they put a bell on the case for a cast bullet to enter.
2. would they help with loading larger for caliber bullets into a caliber for instance i want to load .311 Jacketed bullets into 30-06. would that help with that ie get around needing a larger expander ball in my 30-06 die.
3. how dose the sizing work. say i wanted to load .311 cast into a 30-06 what size of expander would i want?

[megasupermagnum]

#1- They don't put a bell, per se, it is a straight section larger than the bullet. All of their expanders have two numbers, always .004" part. Some say this "straight flare" helps center the bullet. I personally don't like it, and would much rather it be tapered for a bell shape. Sometimes if I'm having trouble, I'll run through both the NOE expander, and then a Lee expander to get the bell

#2- Yes, these expander plugs are made exactly for that purpose.

#3- I've found .002" under bullet diameter to be about the sweet spot. Sometimes .001" works fine, but I ran into times the brass didn't have enough springback to hold a bullet firmly. I'm referring to the smaller dimension, the larger dimension is the flare diameter.

All that said, I'm not at all impressed with the NOE expander plugs. I use them, because they are all that is out there. There are the Lyman M die expanders, but they do not offer the sizes I need. I'm still in the experimenting phase, but I've had great success with modifying these NOE plugs. The first thing you will want to do regardless, is to chuck the plug in a drill, and polish it smooth with fine sandpaper. You will also want to use a lube of some kind with these plugs, as they grab hard.

If you want to go farther, I've made improvements modifying these on a lathe. I cut most of the surface away for the deep expanding section, leaving only a .010" or .015" expander ball for lack of another term near the bottom. This greatly eases sizing such that I don't even need lube with them. I've also been trying to cut the taper section into more of a flare, but not having a ton of success. Finally, I take a drill bit, and drill straight through them, and then taper the upper section. This allows them to be used as a powder through expander. I really wish NOE would make these improvements.

[Wansingct]

To answer your questions:
1) yes, they put a slight bell on the case at the larger listed diameter
2) yes, they would help you load .311 bullets into a 30-06 without a different expander ball
3) for cast they (NOE) recommend .001 -.002 below bullet diameter for good case tension. From my experience I will say that if you’re using dead soft lead get the same size as your bullet to avoid squishing and put a more firm crimp on the case.

The NOE expanders solved a huge problem in getting subsonic soft lead bullets chambering correctly in my 300BLK. When I was seating the soft lead bullets the seating die would squish the nose and make the bullet too big to chamber correctly. Getting the .311 x .314 NOE expander let me seat my .311 bullets without squishing and then a lee FCD snugs things down. There were other possible solutions (nose sizing, etc) but I wanted to shoot the bullets as dropped and use soft lead for expansion at subsonic velocity. The NOE sizers helped me achieve that very well.

[gwpercle]

They expand for cast boolits like a Lyman M Die ... which is the best .
If you are not sure which size die to buy , go over to NOE forum and ask for advice .
I'm going to be sizing my boolits to .412 (or whatever size you are sizing to) which expander size would be best ... the experts there ( Al Nelson himself )will post a reply .
I thought I had it figured out ... but asked anyway and glad I did because I was going to buy the wrong size for a boolit sized to .412 .
These expanders are the best for loading cast lead ...almost a necessity in rifles ... just make darn sure you are ordering the correct size .
Gary

[Conditor22]

as others said, the large number is the flare/bell and the small number is how big the expander portion is. I've found that my brass tends to spring back .001 after expanding it. I go the exact size of my boolit and with the spring back I get good tension and don't compress my boolits.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

as others said, the large number is the flare/bell and the small number is how big the expander portion is. I've found that my brass tends to spring back .001 after expanding it. I go the exact size of my boolit and with the spring back I get good tension and don't compress my boolits.

I also use the size that matches my boolit size. This has worked very well in my 30-30 and .308 rifles.

[Shiloh]

I saw a post that mentioned these and it got me intrested in them as they might be solution to some issues i have.

so what i wanted to know is.

1. do they put a bell on the case for a cast bullet to enter. YES
2. would they help with loading larger for caliber bullets into a caliber for instance i want to load .311 Jacketed bullets into 30-06. would that help with that ie get around needing a larger expander ball in my 30-06 die. YES Get the proper expander
3. how dose the sizing work. say i wanted to load .311 cast into a 30-06 what size of expander would i want?

I think mine is a .312x.308. I'm at work so I cant check

Shiloh

[saturn]

Different expander die required for different lots of brass. Brass spring back will differ significantly with manufacturer and number of times fired.