Dillon flare die adjust question

[adouglas]

Just bought an RL550B and am in the process of setting it up.

I had been using a Lee Anniversary single-stage kit.

My question has to do with the powder/flare (expander) die. My Lee expander die produced a basically straight-walled pocket.

The Dillon die, however, seems to go directly from too-small-to-place-the-bullet straight to a trumpet-mouthed flare, which is supposed to be bad.

Can anyone comment on this and give me tips on proper setup?

Some REALLY detailed photos would be greatly appreciated.

I've seen Brian's competition reloading video where he discusses this, but the images frankly aren't clear enough to really see what's going on.

[larry cazes]

Just bought an RL550B and am in the process of setting it up.

I had been using a Lee Anniversary single-stage kit.

My question has to do with the powder/flare (expander) die. My Lee expander die produced a basically straight-walled pocket.

The Dillon die, however, seems to go directly from too-small-to-place-the-bullet straight to a trumpet-mouthed flare, which is supposed to be bad.

Can anyone comment on this and give me tips on proper setup?

Some REALLY detailed photos would be greatly appreciated.

I've seen Brian's competition reloading video where he discusses this, but the images frankly aren't clear enough to really see what's going on.

Mine are set to only produce enough expansion to set the bullet in the case mouth straight and so that it doesnt move when I cycle the press. No more than this is neccesary. The case necks are shaped slightly flared but minimally. Forget the setup on the Lee press and go with what dillon suggests in the video and manual.

[adouglas]

Mine are set to only produce enough expansion to set the bullet in the case mouth straight and so that it doesnt move when I cycle the press. No more than this is neccesary. The case necks are shaped slightly flared but minimally. Forget the setup on the Lee press and go with what dillon suggests in the video and manual.

Well, that's the root of my question. How much is too much?

I can easily set the die so that I think it's got "only enough to set the bullet in the case mouth straight" but that seems to produce a bell shape. Going with what barely lets the bullet stay there avoids this, but it just seems too unstable to me. It's a matter of not knowing what proper adjustment actually looks like.

Can you post a photo of a properly flared case?

[dajarrel]

When I get home tonight I'll try to post a picture of what "I" think a properly flared case should be.

That's the rub. Not everyone has the same idea of what it should be. For me, I want just enough flare to set the bullet on and it not fall over. Some folks might like a little deeper flare to hold the bullet firmly. I think everyone agrees that the "trumpet flare" is a bit much, not only because you can flare it too much to get into the seating die, but that it works the brass a lot and in some cases will split the brass.

How much will be a personal preference decided by adjusting it to fit your needs.

FWIW

dj

[larry cazes]

I agree with dj. Enough to hold the bullet so that you can cycle the press without problems but not so much that you have issues with press function or case life. This will vary based on your habits, brass, press setup, etc. so there is no one right answer. I start with not enough, this will be obvious since the bullet will not stay put at all, and then adjust the die further until the case mouth grabs "enough". This process of experimentation takes judgment as much of handloading will.

[CSEMARTIN]

Measure the brass. Flare it out 20 thousandths over. That'll do it.

[dillon]

At least .010", no more than .020" should do it. use calipers.

[adouglas]

At least .010", no more than .020" should do it. use calipers.

I just came up from the basement. Tonight I finished setting the press up and loaded my first 20 rounds.

Turns out that what I thought was just barely enough while avoiding the bell shape was only .003 or so. I upped it to .010 and the bullets sit in the case just fine.

It does have a bit of that bell/trumpet shape to my eye, but knowing what the allowable measurement is makes me a lot more confident.

Thanks for the help, all.

[D. Manley]

At least .010", no more than .020" should do it. use calipers.

I just came up from the basement. Tonight I finished setting the press up and loaded my first 20 rounds.

Turns out that what I thought was just barely enough while avoiding the bell shape was only .003 or so. I upped it to .010 and the bullets sit in the case just fine.

It does have a bit of that bell/trumpet shape to my eye, but knowing what the allowable measurement is makes me a lot more confident.

Thanks for the help, all.

After a while you can get it just by "feel". When I first got mine I used the calipers a few times and what I found worked for me was to run a few of every brand of brass I had on hand through and put at least .10 or so on the thinnest one. Thicker brass will measure a bit more but work just fine since internal diameter is the same.

[rfwobbly]

Turns out that what I thought was just barely enough while avoiding the bell shape was only .003 or so. .... It does have a bit of that bell/trumpet shape to my eye.....

The advantages of youth !! Oh, to be able to see like that again.

Flaring and crimping are cold working the metal, which eventually leads to the case's fatiguing and failure. Therefore, I've always understood that you wanted the minimum flare you could consistently work with. That is, the minimum flare that will readily help the case accept the bullet without slicing off a piece of it. This "slicing off" would be especially true of lead bullets.

Edited September 30, 2008 by rfwobbly