I've polished every expander ball I own. The biggest problem I had was on the upstroke so a tapered ball wont do much for that. I spin them in a drill press & using 600 grit wet/dry paper move up & down as possible concentrating on polishing the major diameter & rounding the edge opposite the decapping pin hole until it shines like a mirror. Some older dies required a few touches with a very fine file to get the shape right before polishing. There has been a noticeable difference in the amount of grating & drag when pulling it back through then neck. I also use Imperial dry neck lube (powdered graphite). Hornady's elliptical expanders seemed like a good idea when they 1st came out, but they weren't very smooth & the decapping rod wouldn't stay in place no matter how much the lock nut was tightened after a short time so they all went DTFR. Maybe they're better now? Never tried carbide. Never felt a need.
Last edited by 358WCF; 07/03/20.
