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Hornady Match Grade die question.

TommyD11730

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Apr 11, 2020
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When using the neck bushing in a Hornady match grade die do you use the Elipitcal expander? Instructions aren't 100% clear on this.
Thanks!
 
Depends on what bushing you’re using and what your goals are.
Oh boy, a question with a question, me thinks I'm about to get schooled! :)
223 caliber with a 245 bushing. The expander mandral I'm measuring a od in the neighborhood of 222.
I'm just trying to do a full length case resize, with shoulder bump back on fired cases.
I had been using the mandral thinking it's od was smaller them what I'm trying to achieve neck size wise and it wouldn't matter.
Would love someone to explain it to me.
Thanks!
 
Oh boy, a question with a question, me thinks I'm about to get schooled! :)
223 caliber with a 245 bushing. The expander mandral I'm measuring a od in the neighborhood of 222.
I'm just trying to do a full length case resize, neck resize, with shoulder bump back on fired cases.
I had been using the mandral thinking it's od was smaller them what I'm trying to achieve neck size wise and it wouldn't matter.
Would love someone to explain it to me.
Thanks!
 
Oh boy, a question with a question, me thinks I'm about to get schooled! :)
223 caliber with a 245 bushing. The expander mandral I'm measuring a od in the neighborhood of 222.
I'm just trying to do a full length case resize, with shoulder bump back on fired cases.
I had been using the mandral thinking it's od was smaller them what I'm trying to achieve neck size wise and it wouldn't matter.
Would love someone to explain it to me.
Thanks!
Most want to end up with ~.002” of interference fit between the final sized case and the bullet.
How you get there depends on your wants:
The first is if you want to work the brass as little as possible you will just set the size down via the bushing alone (sizes from the outside) to get you that .002 of interference fit.
If you want to address the inner neck to try and make that as perfectly round as you can you’ll will make the bushing slightly smaller (sizes the external) and let the expander (sizes internal) open the neck back up to the .002” of interference fit. That interference fit is what most people will can neck tension.

What most do is measure the loaded round neck diameter and choose a bushing that is .002” under that for the first method or they choose a bushing .003-.004 under and let the expander then open it to the .002 under.

As you have measured, your .222” expander ball is .002 under a .224” bullet which gives you that .002 of interference.
What your .245 bushing gives depends on the thickness of your brass.
 
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Welp this is interesting. My bushing I'm using is based on the LC brass I had been using. I say had as going fwd I'll be using lapua brand. So, I guess I should make 1 round on the Lapua brass, measure and see if the bushing I own will work.
Hey, help me visualise something. So my brass is moving upwards on the ram and enters the die. Does it then hit the mandral 1st then the bushing then the mandrel again as it exits the bushing? Knowing the order of operation would help me understand just how it works.
Thanks!!!
 
When it moves up the large fired expanded neck passes freely over the expander enters the bushing and is sized down to fit inside it as it goes up. Then the case gets retracted and after the neck leaves the bushing it will then encounter the expander ball which is not larger than the neck and gets forced open as it is dragged out.


C26CE189-72E6-48B1-82A6-5F89FF7EE699.jpeg

To get the inside neck diameters you would just subtract the brass thickness from those measurements. My loaded round is .2535 minus bullet diameter of .224= .295 of brass thickness. Divide that by two and the thickness of each side of the neck is .01475” thick.
 
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Thanks for the diagram, and the time. I was always the kid in the back of the room looking at the blackboard. When the teacher asked any questions I didn't even know where to begin. :)
So, for giggles I resized some brass that was headed for the trash bin. I got the same OD on the case neck with or without the resizer mandrell. (When used along with the bushing installed)
Maybe I should have tried to measure the ID too but I figure if the od was the same...