Hornady PTX

[Cannibul]

I was hoping that someone would start making custom sized powder through expanders for the Hornady LnL AP. I like to keep my crimp and seating operations separate AND run a powder check die. The only way to do this on a five station press is to use a powder through expander. Hornady makes them BUT only make a .452 for lead bullets. They don't make a PTX for lead in any other caliber. It's a pretty simple piece but no one seems to have decided to make them.

I'd love to have a .358, .401 or .402, and a .431 PTX. Hornady makes .357, .400, and .430 only. At least I can use the .357 for 9mm.

If I had a lathe I'd try my hand at making some.

 

[Blue68f100]

Call Hornady up. Sometimes they have a few different sizes not listed. With limited quantity, they do not put them on their web site or catalog.

 

[sugarmaker]

The hornady ptx inserts are really more of a flare than an expander, excessive bell, only the last .025 or so of the case with no sizing beyond that. Its like they are prepping for a bullet feeder. I chucked mine into a lathe and made something like a short Lyman M out of them. Hornady ptx also have a rough finish which can make the cases stick on the way down, polishing helps that. Lee is similar.

 

[Cannibul]

Hornady has no other sizes. I'm going to give the RCBS PTX parts a try.

 

[divingin]

Any machine shop with a lathe can whip one out pretty easily; though you may need to determine what length you want it to be (if you adjust each caliber change it's not a big deal; I was looking for a simple swap-out-the-PTX solution without having to readjust the measure height each time.)

 

[RealGun]

I doesn't matter if using bevel-based bullets, because you still need a Lyman M-die or the like to get the bullets to stand for seating. For jacketed bullets at .451, the PTX is fine, especially with a bullet feeder die to follow. A PTX with that M-die step in it would be a real station saver, eliminating separate crimp. Some press manufacturers simply refuse to acknowledge how many reloaders want to use lead bullets and to provide parts that accommodate the sizes. In most cases, the whole die set is tight, with the exception of the RCBS Cowboy series, but in semi-autos with taper crimp, loaders like that extra case tension, given a lubricated lead bullet.

 

[RealGun]

Any machine shop with a lathe can whip one out pretty easily; though you may need to determine what length you want it to be (if you adjust each caliber change it's not a big deal; I was looking for a simple swap-out-the-PTX solution without having to readjust the measure height each time.)

On cartridges loaded often, I use multiple lower assemblies, so I never have to mess with the powder measure itself or try to recapture my belling adjustment setting. The powder measure just moves to a lower assembly for another cartridge. The cartridge-specific PTX is in the lower assembly.