I learn something new EVERY day!

[n4ue]

OK. I have been reloading for over 40 years. Like everything in my life, I strive to learn some new things every day. If not, to me, it's a waste.

Yesterday, I received my latest order from Midway. Excellent as usual, one item was a Lyman neck sizer / carbide expander die for the .204R Model 12 rifle.
I have only used this type of die a couple of times in the past. (I reload 30 cartridges). I was very impressed with the ease the carbide ball passes through the neck, For all the bottle neck ctgs I reload, I have used Imperial ceramic neck sizing media, Imperial die wax, WS2, etc. Still a pull.
So reading the Lyman info, I realized that Lyman and RCBS use the same thread (10-32) depriming/ expander rod.
THEN, Lyman lists the Part#s for the different size carbide / expanders.
This may be 'old news' for other folks, but this was a revelation for me.
Con: these stems are NOT cheap, but still cheaper than a dedicated die.
Good to know there are still SO many things to learn. ha ha
I ordered one for each applicable die set. Good ole' Midway....

ron
N4UE

[stangfish]

Good info, thanks.

[fgw_in_fla]

I was going to do that a few months ago & the idea kinda went by the wayside as i got invloved in other stuff. The Lyman carbide expander looked like a pretty good way to go.

If you don't mind, what did that set up cost?

Now that you've resparked my interest, I need to look into it again.

THanks,
Frank in Fla

[n4ue]

Hi Frank. Midway sells the Lyman decapper / carbide neck stem for $25... Of course, most are on back order, but I do have the 7mm one coming for my 7-08 rifles.
Here's the P/Ns
20 cal 7680298
22 cal 7680300
243 cal 7680302
6.5 cal 7680304
270 cal 7680306
7mm 7680308
30 cal 7680310
338 cal 7680312

The stems 'out of stock' are supposed to be in by the end of this month.
The 204 expander that came with my Lyman neck sizer die was SO slick, I just had to buy the others....

ron

[fgw_in_fla]

Yeah, I know..... After I wrote that I went to the Midway site & looked around at reloading stuff. Even 30 cal. bullets are a memory. Boy, do I miss the old days (7 months ago...).

I'm going to look into that a little further. Even if I have to take out a mortgage & buy from Lyman. Thanks for the info on that.

Stay well,
Frank in FLa