belling 357 case mouth

[gundownunder]

I've got a bit of a problem.
My brother's 357 Rossi likes it's bullets at .360. My Lee flow thru expander opens the cases well enough for my .358 bullets, but at 360 the cases are starting to shave the HiTec coating off the bullets more often than not when I seat them.
Should I get someone to turn a larger expander plug for us, or add a universal expander to my die collection? I have read somewhere that Lee offer a custom service for different sized expander plugs, but Lee are a PITA to deal with from this side of the planet.

[GunnyMack]

Have someone on this side order it for you?

[Tycer]

Get the NOE plug. http://noebulletmolds.com/smf/index.php?topic=1795.0

Lee won’t expand much past the neck, the NOE will fit your Lee die.

[AJMD429]

Lee also produces almost any 'custom' thing you can think of, for not much more than the price of a 'stock' item.

I'd give them a call.

I got a set of Factory Crimp Dies of the 'RIFLE' type for 44 Mag, 357 Mag, and 45 Colt for a net cost of about $15 over what the regular 'Pistol' type Factory Crimp Dies go for (I prefer the 'Rifle' ones far more).

[Rusty]

Lee is a great company to deal with in my experience.

[Sixgun]

Make your own out of an existing plug you don't use by chucking it in a drill press or hand drill with sandpaper or a file. There are many items you could use to bell it larger. I personally keep a 50 caliber machine gun bullet for such things....a little tap with a light hammer will do it. Maybe a thin brass collar epoxied around the existing plug will work. You can do it! Aussies are very imaginative.....---6

[Tycer]

My 360 Dan Wesson needed .360 bullets for best accuracy. Just shoving a .360” hardcast plain-base bullet into a 357 case with a belled mouth swaged the bullet base down to .357”. I made a plug for my Lyman M die. NOE has the correct plug in stock.

[TomF]

I prefer the universal expander over the M die.

TomF

[earlmck]

I prefer the universal expander over the M die.

TomF

Hah! Different strokes.... I am a fan of the Lyman "M" expander dies and feel "underdressed" if I'm loading cast bullets without my "M" die. But TomF is right: the Lee Universal Expander will put any amount of flare you need, and one die will cover most anything you have to do. The "M" dies you would need one for each caliber.

Six's 50 cal bullet will do the job but adds another dang step off the press which isn't what you really want if you are in production. I usually do the expand/flare step as I prime on the press, though 357's are one of the things I usually do on the progressive press.

[gundownunder]

Well that didn't take long.
Sixgun's suggestion to adapt something else got me looking for something else.
I've got a set of RCBS cowboy dies for my 32-20 and once you get past the .311 sizing shank the mouth flaring section goes out to about .500.
It adds an extra step in the press, but it will work.

[Les Staley]

Good solution! I have used a needle nosed pliers inserted in mouth and give a little twist. Adds a step, but would get the job done. I was just started casting/powder coating for a 25-20 Winchester 92 that had a relined barrel. Turned out to be just the thing for ground squirrels!

[marlinman93]

I'm also in the M Die fan crowd! Wouldn't, and couldn't live without my set. I buy the inserts from Lyman cheap, and use larger diameter plugs turned down to make the exact sizes I need. I toss the extra threaded parts in a drawer, as I unscrew the plugs to change sizes. They just take up less space, and I have a block of wood drilled to hold them in by size.
I've also used plain old 1/2" bolts from the hardware store to make larger plugs. I get one long enough to have about 3/4" of shank on them, and cut the head off. Then chuck the threaded end in my drill press and hold a mill file to the shank to take down the diameter. Shanks are usually larger than .500", so for expanding large cases I can turn the bolt down and make a rounded end quickly. I've mad ea bunch of odd belling dies for the M die set this way too.