Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Here's a test you can do at home

Expanders almost always increase runout IME.

WRT my little test, the dies were used as they came from the factory. Suffice it to say that the more things that attach to a die/case will all influence the finished product coming out of the die. As I used to say at my reloading clinics, it's pretty hard to screw up a case resized in a Lee Loader. It's just a tube, without and expander, a decapping rod, and a shellholder, all of which influence the operation. They all move a little

Two of the dies did not use an expander - the Lee Loader and the Lee collet die. The other two did - the Redding FL and neck resizing dies. I believe that the runout in the Redding FL die was caused because of the tight fit inside the die. I believe that traditional decapping/expander assys have a negative effect.

My personal observations with die sets caused me to abandon FL dies with expanders years ago when I shot competitively.

When possible, you should use either a bushing die, a collet die or even a Lee Loader. Your choice. Since virtually all of my rifles are bolt actions or single shots, it makes sense. For the levers, I don't care. They are fun or short range hunting guns.

I will be shooting cartridges made using all four methods, and will be using 75 gr. Hornady BTSP Match bullets. It's a small sampling, but it will satisfy my curiosity.