After many decades of reloading I managed to have a loss of attention span and over expand a few pieces of .357 brass. I tried to resize it, pulling the primer removal pin for safety, but they would not fit in the carbide die. This is not a life or death matter and we are only talking a few pieces of brass but curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to know if some of you seasoned reloaders no of a way to resize this mistake.
Is there a correction for over expansion.
- Thread starter Typingturtle
- Start date
venomballistics
Member
try the seating die. In the past, I seem to recall this die being capable of taking the bell off enough for the sizing die to get at it
OP
That’s a thought, thanks!
Lou_NC
Member
Do you reload larger calibers and have dies for them? Maybe start with 10mm/.40 sizing die as a first pass?
cfplinker
Member
You didn’t say how much you over expanded them. You might try running them into a Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die.
imashooter2
Member
Take a paint stirrer stick or similar, lay the brass on a hard surface, press down and roll. Enough bell will be removed that you can get it in the sizer. Quick and easy.
Did some 38spl then forgot the spacer for 357.
Sometimes as mentioned you can use the seating die. But if difficult just ditch them. I have so many 38s I wouldn't miss a few hundred. Hopefully you didn't do that many.
Last edited:
OP
Only two but it was a lesson for me.Did some 38spl then forgot the spacer for 357.
Sometimes as mentioned you can use the seating die. But if difficult just ditch them. I have so many 38s I wouldn't miss a few hundred. Hopefully you didn't do that many.
OP
Thanks… that’s an option
Those just go in the trash as the cost of doing business. I have thought that over expanding will weaken the case mouth and lead to cracked cases or weak crimp, so just toss them. I try really hard to keep .357 brass out of the .38 box.
Lay them on their side. Then roll them on a hard benchtop using a flat piece of steel. You press down with a bit of pressure using the bar, holding it in two hands, and the extra belling will flatten right out.
Shrivel?
STORMINORMAN
Member
Uh... "Only two..."?
Cheers!
Cheers!
Alk8944
US Veteran
There are several ways to over-expand cases due to mis-adjustment of the expanding die. If they are so badly over-expanded that they cannot be re-sized in the sizing die then just toss them. They would probably split on the next firing anyway
Similar threads
