Hello everyone

I need tapered expander plugs. I wish to make 9.3 x 62 cases out of 30-06 brass. However, I just learned that RCBS no longer makes custom dies and tapered expander plugs. Any and all information is appreciated.

I'd suggest a set of Hornady's Custom Grade (their lowest priced) dies. The elliptical expander "ball" works very well for necking up brass. I've used my .358 Winchester Customs to neck up .308 brass in one pass. Have also had good luck with the Custom Grade seating die.

I neck up the 204 case to 224, 243, and 257 and the Hornady's are the best, even the .257's get done in one pass, with Redding I need to do it in two steps. But I'm kind of a Hornady fan, I really like their seater dies. Their sizing dies are equal to most on the market.

Hi John

THANKS! RCBS is not what it used to be in my youth. This info is just what I need. I will contact Hornady this coming week.

I REALLY like the 9.3 x 62. I have been on one hunt of a lifetime to Africa. I can't afford anymore. I killed my cape buffalo with one shot using a 286 grain Barnes x-bullet. Shot through the top of the heart from about 45 long paces. He ran for about 45 yards and crumpled up with his legs underneath him and never moved. I WAS IMPRESSED!

Your knowledge has really helped me very much through the years.

Thanks

roanmtn

Use whelen brass

erich...Thanks

You and Mule Deer must be on the same wave length as both you guys agree about Hornady's quality. I never would have known that I could do this with the Hornady dies and expander plugs.

roanmtn

9point3...great idea!!!!!

This is much easier on the brass and gets rid of one expansion step. Thanks

roanmtn

I reduced the angle on a Lee collet die mandrel and added a radius to it and I can go up a couple of steps with these now. I am sure it would work for the Whelen the 30-06 might need an intermediary expansion step. Don't discount PPU brass either, it is a best buy in my opinion. With the full prep it gets darn close to Lapua both in toughness and uniformity. Lapua doesn't drill the primer holes anymore so it gets uniforming and lost a couple of points on the Alpha Brass scale for this.

Joseph von Benedikt (Rifle Shooter) also seems to like them.

A necked up .204 case is a .222 Remington magnum. Why not buy .222 Mag Brass?
Just asking for a friend...

The 204 has the shoulder farther forward.

Eric's cartridges are based on 204 cases, not 222 Mags, which would require a pseudo shoulder or jammed bullet to have headspace to fireform.
If making 222 Mags from 204s, it's just a trip through the FL die.

For the OP:

midway/redding tapered expanders

I'd run away from a set of Hornady dies, even if they're free..

I have used Hornady Custom Grade New Dimension to neck up lots of .30-06 to .35 Whelen with no problems. I have also checked concentricity of ammo assembled with these dies and have found it to be within .003" TIR, good enough the I don'e even check any more. This ammo is capable of 100yd. 3 shot cloverleaf groups, plenty good enough for my use in whitetail hunting.

If you're looking at buying Whelen brass, why not just go ahead and buy 9.3x62 brass from the start? While pricey, Lapua offers 9.3x62 brass ready to go and you will not find better quality brass from anywhere else. Surely there are one or two other manufacturers that list it as well.

When I bought my 9.3 I found I could buy Privi Partisian loaded ammo for less than empty Lapua or Norma cases so I got five boxes. They shot very well and the cases have held up great. I'm on my fourth loading of them. I see the ammo at Target Sports USA for $22 for 20 rounds. When I need new cases I'll look at PPU again.

I use a Hornady .358 neck sizing die to neck up 30-30 to .35. I don't see why you couldn't use a .35 Whelen neck sizer or something in a .338 neck sizer to do the same thing for a first step, and then take it the rest of the way with your 9.3 full length dies.

Apparently some people viewing this thread think there's a vast difference in bullet diameter between .358 and 9.3mm.

There isn't. The difference is less than 1/100th of an inch, .358 to .366. I would be willing to bet a bunch of brass that a Hornady 9.3x62 expander ball will easily neck up .30-06 brass in one pass.

The Lee FL 338-06 sizer has a tapered expander. One pass with 30-06 brass is all it takes.

DF

John I"m sure you would win your bet concerning the brass. Question...How do you guys feel about me running the brass all the way into the full length sizer die after over expanding with a larger expander plug? I remember Finn Aagaard reforming 30-06 brass into 9.3 x 62 brass. He over expanded it and then ran it into the full length sizing die.
What do you guys think?

ripshin

That would sure help with establishing the new shoulder.

Of course, as some have pointed out, there's plenty of new 9.3x62 brass available these days in the U.S., which wasn't true when Finn was doing his 9.3x62 article.

I just suggested two different dies if somebody is afraid of losing some brass to splitting. I lost a few out of every bunch of used brass going from .308 to .358 in one pass. I figured if you went to .338 or 358 first, it might help. I confess, I've never neck up to 9.3 from .308.

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