Kinda related to my other thread but here it goes:
Im trying to cut out a step of my reloading process so that it all "fits" in my new 4 hole turret press. .38 special.

What I used to do:
Decap/size/prime in one step, then I use a .358 RCBS cowboy expander for .38S&W (heard its best for HBWCs in .38spl because it allows more room and the softbullet wont swage down). Then, I seat with a lee seater/crimp (crimp not used), then roll crimp with another die.

The problem is that im "automating" the powder and I need the lee powder through expander die to charge (set up to not expand, just charge) in addition to everything I listed above. This puts me at 5 dies...

I've decided that seating/crimping in the same step is detrimental to my loads so I must explore another path. Only thing I can do now is to get rid of my cowboy expander plug and use the lee.

So, in short, my question is:
Was it a waste of effort all this time using the RCBS cowboy expander plug? Should I just use the lee? Any experience?

Thanks!

Yes and yes.
Using the larger .38 S&W expander only flares the case mouth and wouldn't really do anything to stop the bullet from being swaged down. In fact the larger diameter of the .38 S&W die will only overwork the brass and shorten the lifespan of the case mouths.

The .38 spl dies are made for .38 spls and work just fine, you don't have to worry about the bullets being swaged down during the loading process. I'm not the worlds biggest fan of Lees dies but they do work and if you are going to be expanding and charging powder at the same time, that's what they are made for.

The S&W expander actually has a plug that goes pretty deep, almost the full depth of the bullet.

With the caveat that I never used a cowboy expander (nor saw Brokeback mountain), my WC achieve 10-ring bullseye accuracy using a standard 3-die load set, polished up a touch.

Course, you might need better accuracy that, so test the loads and see how different they are. Pardon me if I doubt over-working the brass is good.

As an aside, my WC loads from the Dillon progressive are just as accurate as the ones I load on the old turret press,

That could be a negative Glenn. The bullet should fit tighter in the case for better retention, straighter alignment and for reliable ignition, which will vary with different powders.

Have you shot any loaded this way and compared them to just using the .38 spl dies? (I guess that should have been the first question.) If you are getting noticably better accuracy with them this way then stick with it.

Edited to add: I've never used the RCBS cowboy dies so I found the instructions on-line. It looks like you might be going too deep with the expander, unless that was what you intended to do.

No, never tried standard expander die (yet)

Im using bullseye powder FYI

The HBWC are also designed to flare to bore diameter regardless of the difference between the bullet and the bore. So swaging the bullet down a few .001s should'nt matter. (but handloading results are'nt logical sometimes)

FWIW, I acheive sub 1" groups at 25yds rested with just regular DEWC and Lee dies. (even using that darn LFC die)

Agree with above. Not a good idea. Additionally, you don't need to roll crimp with a HBWC. No crimp is best. Just enough de-flaring so that the round will drop into the chamber.

GlennP,

It will cost you little to try out the Lee powder-through expander die to see if it works well for your setup.

But my question is why not use your powder measure in a bench-mounted configuration?

I am curious if anyone has done testing to see if a bench-mounted powder measure is more consistent than the same measure mounted on a turret press.

My impression is that all the back-and-forth of a turret head will hinder consistent powder drops. A progressive press mounted powder measure at least has the advantage of very consistent and effortless (in the sense of not having to "calibrate" your hand turret turning) mechanical movement.

I have loaded many thousands of Remington 148 gr. LHBWC's over the years using a standard 38 Special expander. Currently I use a Dillon 550 with Dillon dies and have not experienced any problems.

I use a Dillon 550 and it uses the same die to both expand and charge with powder. Works like a charm, and you can adjust the die for the amount of expansion desired. Over the years I have loaded tens of thousands of rounds with my Dillon in 9mm, 38/357, 40s&w and 45acp. I am completely satisified with it. Dillon puts out a quality product that they stand behind.