Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters For Mule Deer-everyone tapered expander plugs

Splitting depends on how well the necks have been annealed, and whether the cases are new or fired. If they've been fired, the necks are worked-hardened by both shooting and resizing, and often tend to split. If new, they may still split, depending on how well they were annealed at the factory.

When I neck up brass considerably, I anneal the necks and also chamfer the inside of the mouth, which allows the expander ball to enter noticeably easier. This may or may not help prevent splitting, but it definitely helps prevent cases from collapsing, which I've experienced when thinner cases are necked both up and down.

I learned that the hard way, forming.240 Wby cases from .25-06 brass. That process takes a lot of force, even with a big compound press, a lot more than going from 30-06 to 338-06, etc, as you have to swage the entire case body to form the belt. Fired brass just about won't work in that application; it's just too hard. So, by necessity, I use virgin brass.

So, now when forming other rounds, I use virgin brass, whether I need to or not....

DF.

Oh, and it also helps to lube the hell out of the inside of the neck! I generally use Imperial Wax....

Imperial wax is what I use to form .240 brass. It helps with expanding case necks, too.

Good stuff.

DF

Won't this work?

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012587914?pid=671448

Some dies come with the tapered expander built into the decap stem, some don't. My Lee 338-06 FL has a tapered expander.

I've expanded 30-06 up to 338-06, one step without issue, have not pushed '06 to 9,3. I've had no split cases, but going all the way to 9,3, don't know.

Others may want to chime in. When I had my 9.3x62, I bought the right brass, had no incentive to form brass from the '06. The 338-06 is another matter, too easy to form brass using virgin '06 brass, in fact bought a hundred W/W cases that are now 338-06, all but the head stamp.

DF