Using mandrels reloading

[david g ranes]

I was doing some reloading using my new Wilson mandrel die I wasn't to impressed with the .001 neck tension I was getting so I thought about putting the mandrel in a drill and taking a thousandths or two off. Then I got the idea why not just use my recapping pin for a mandrel so I screwed it back partially in the die and ran a piece of brass just in over the recapping pin no pressure pulling it back off it worked perfect. Wish I had my money back on my Wilson and just bought the universal recapped. Maybe some of you have thought of this I wish I had sooner. David

 

[milboltnut]

you're gonna have spring back. Anneal a case and run it over the mandrel slowly a few times rotating each pass, and see how that does.

 

[david g ranes]

I did but it definitely didn't spring back very much half a thou at the most felt like I could almost seat a bullet with my fingers. David

 

[milboltnut]

I just read you were getting .001 tension.... sounds like a bad mandrel. So yeah take some off. After takin some off seat a bullet and check the OD on the neck before and after seating tension.

 

[david g ranes]

yes that would work. David

 

[PddPdd]

David,

Do you know your neck ID before and after using the Wilson mandrel?

How are you measuring it?

Pdd

 

[milboltnut]

David,

Do you know your neck ID before and after using the Wilson mandrel?

How are you measuring it?

Pdd

worse case scenario.... using a FL sizing die without the decapping/ball expander... would size fine with an expander mandrel. You don't need to know what the ID is, just the OD before bullet seating and the OD after bullet seating.

 

[david g ranes]

worse case scenario.... using a FL sizing die without the decapping/ball expander... would size fine with an expander mandrel. You don't need to know what the ID is, just the OD before bullet seating and the OD after bullet seating.

Yes I've measured everything according to Wilson's information their mandrel is machined for .001 of neck tension plus supposed to have half a thousandths spring back and that is what I'm getting using my seating stem as a mandrel I'm getting a little over 2 thousandths which I prefer. David

 

[cdherman]

I really like my Forster mandrels. Basically use them for all my loads, except my new experimenting with Lee Collet neck sizing. Been trying the collet sizing in guns that I've not been able to get stellar accuracy with my prior methods. Have a Tikka T3Lite in 6.5x55 where neck sizing with bushing and then mandrel was not getting great groups. About 1", never better. But neck tension was always consistent (also I typically anneal frequently). With the Lee collet, I've gotten better SD and accuracy from the Tikka.

I would worry that the decapping ball/expander route might introduce more case runnout than the mandrel. But hey, there is more than one way to skin a cat as they say... (like why are you skinning a cat in the first place?)

 

[david g ranes]

My dad used to they were worth a dime a piece when he was in grade school not for me though. David