Is something wrong with my flaring die? Or is it the brass?

[Renofish]

my lee 4 die set for 9mm does

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[uscra112]

That's news to Lee, if their web site is any guide. It has the "powder thru expander". Are you calling that a flaring die? (I suppose it would flare if you misuse it.)

[Renofish]

it is the flair die/powder flow thru die. And it is not a misuse process but designed as such

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[Kenstone]

That's news to Lee, if their web site is any guide. It has the "powder thru expander". Are you calling that a flaring die? (I suppose it would flare if you misuse it.)

"any guide"
Go back to the Lee site you referenced and read any pistol die setup instructions, pay special attention to the "power thru expander" die.
You will read about the flaring feature of the expander...
.

[jetinteriorguy]

It says on the Lee website that it’s a Powder Through Expanding Die, their words exactly.

[uscra112]

The only die Lee sells that is actually designed to flare is called a "Universal Expanding Die", which does no expanding at all. Go figure.

If you're driving the case onto that "Powder Through" die far enough to flare the case, you've gone too far. If that's what Lee is telling you, all I can say is that that's not the only bit of bad advice coming from Lee.

I admit I have limited experience with that "Powder Through" feature. The one I had for .38/.357 expanded the case to the wrong I.D. for my cast bullets, so I quickly abandoned it. I still use Lyman M-dies, ,often with custom-made mandrels, to expand cases before charging. Note the double diameter of the M-die's plug. I never flare, as this leads to cracking at the case mouth in just a few reload cycles. Straightening out any residual crimp, as the M-die does, is as far as anybody should go. This is why I say that driving the case too far onto the "Powder Through" die is misusing it.

Back to the O.P.'s problem: If his sizing die is reducing his cases too much, then I can see how they might stick on that "Powder Through" mandrel. Only adding a little non-oily lube (i.e. graphite or moly powder) is going to solve that problem. (Can't use anything that might contaminate the powder.) I think it was Lyman that made a gadget for doing this. A small box with a little bottle brush inside, and a hole through which you could thrust the case onto the brush. Dump a teaspoonful of powder in, close it up, and shake it to get the brush loaded with powder, lube a few cases, shake it again. It was a necessity when the expander for bottleneck cases was just a short ball on the decapping stem. "Course by the time you've done that, you might as well have expanded your cases properly, instead of using that Lee kludge.

[onelight]

On new brass I have started rinsing with ArmourAll wax and shine just like I do with cases after pin cleaning . after drying they retain a light coat of wax and gives enough lube that the cases cycle through the dies much smoother.

[onelight]

On new brass I have started rinsing with ArmourAll wax and shine just like I do with cases after pin cleaning . after drying they retain a light coat of wax and gives enough lube that the cases cycle through the dies much smoother.

For strait wall cases the the Lee powder through expander will bell the case to receive the bullet . But it is rough feeling on some cases particularly if they are new or have been pin cleaned without wax.

[Renofish]

we sure are learning a lot more by everyone's experiences here.
it's to bad I didn't have computers internet blogs etc when I started loading in the early 1970's.


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[243winxb]

All Lee users should save this link. https://support.leeprecision.net/en/knowledgebase

[lawdog941]

I used to polish the heck out of the Lee expander plug, then use Blaster graphite dry lubricant on the internal moving parts. Lately, I have noticed that Lee has been polishing the plugs (or using a different type of metal that appears to be polished). They are alot smoother than the originals. New brass has a problem of sticking, so a little lube helps.

[jetinteriorguy]

The only die Lee sells that is actually designed to flare is called a "Universal Expanding Die", which does no expanding at all. Go figure.

If you're driving the case onto that "Powder Through" die far enough to flare the case, you've gone too far. If that's what Lee is telling you, all I can say is that that's not the only bit of bad advice coming from Lee.

I admit I have limited experience with that "Powder Through" feature. The one I had for .38/.357 expanded the case to the wrong I.D. for my cast bullets, so I quickly abandoned it. I still use Lyman M-dies, ,often with custom-made mandrels, to expand cases before charging. Note the double diameter of the M-die's plug. I never flare, as this leads to cracking at the case mouth in just a few reload cycles. Straightening out any residual crimp, as the M-die does, is as far as anybody should go. This is why I say that driving the case too far onto the "Powder Through" die is misusing it.

Back to the O.P.'s problem: If his sizing die is reducing his cases too much, then I can see how they might stick on that "Powder Through" mandrel. Only adding a little non-oily lube (i.e. graphite or moly powder) is going to solve that problem. (Can't use anything that might contaminate the powder.) I think it was Lyman that made a gadget for doing this. A small box with a little bottle brush inside, and a hole through which you could thrust the case onto the brush. Dump a teaspoonful of powder in, close it up, and shake it to get the brush loaded with powder, lube a few cases, shake it again. It was a necessity when the expander for bottleneck cases was just a short ball on the decapping stem. "Course by the time you've done that, you might as well have expanded your cases properly, instead of using that Lee kludge.

I’m getting the confusion here. Correct in the term that the Lee die is not an expansion die, it’s a flaring die. The Lyman M die does expand and flare the case mouth. Even though Lee states it expands, that’s the wrong term for the powder through die. But as a flaring die it works excellent once adjusted properly and polished up nice and smooth so it doesn’t stick so bad. This is in their pistol dies, the rifle powder through die doesn’t flare or expand, it simple seals against the case mouth to prevent powder from leaking while charging and works to activate either the Auto Drum or the Pro Disc powder measure.

[tja6435]

I’ve found that tumbling new (and used) brass in walnut media with a couple squirts of NU-Finish or Mother’s liquid polish of some sort will pretty much eliminate sticking on an expander or powder through. It also will make the brass glide through carbide sizing dies.

[onelight]

Lee's choice of names for some of the dies is confusing they have a universal powder through charge die that does not expand or flare , and they have the universal expanding die that only flares
The straight wall handgun die sets that I have all will expand and flare .
It is confusing and if you get the wrong one it may not do what you need . Go to Lee's web sight and read and look at the cutaway pics to be sure you understand what you are ordering .
I think a lot of the complaints about Lee come from this confusion .