I bought RCBS dies (18212) to reload .357 mag and .38 and these dies are driving me nuts.
Sized case mouth is .372 OD and .355 ID for a PMG case.
LSWC bullet diameter = .358
The cases are different length 1.383 - 1.390"
The RCBS expander die plug starts out @ .356" and has a length of approximately 1/2" that inserts into the case, then it flares rapidly to .464" over a distance of .300". When you are trying to flare a case mouth from .372" to ~.380" with the way the die plug is configured it is really easy to overexpand the case mouth and endup with a trumpet look and not a nice flare. The crimping die will not accept a case mouth greater than .385", so I have a number of case that need to be resized back to .372".
Is there something I am missing? Are all 357 dies this way? Do I need to use the expander die? To reload 357, do all cases need to be exactly the same length? What do the rest of you use and do?
Thanks
MGK
Sized case mouth is .372 OD and .355 ID for a PMG case.
LSWC bullet diameter = .358
The cases are different length 1.383 - 1.390"
The RCBS expander die plug starts out @ .356" and has a length of approximately 1/2" that inserts into the case, then it flares rapidly to .464" over a distance of .300". When you are trying to flare a case mouth from .372" to ~.380" with the way the die plug is configured it is really easy to overexpand the case mouth and endup with a trumpet look and not a nice flare. The crimping die will not accept a case mouth greater than .385", so I have a number of case that need to be resized back to .372".
Is there something I am missing? Are all 357 dies this way? Do I need to use the expander die? To reload 357, do all cases need to be exactly the same length? What do the rest of you use and do?
Thanks
MGK