lee powder through expander die

[area51]

would my 9mm lee powder through expander die work on 380 ?

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I just looked on the Lee site and the body of the die is different. that wouldn't bother me as much as the expander plug being different to, and it is. I would guess the answer is no...

 

[rondog]

Nope. Use the right tool for the job. Don't try to cut corners, you'll regret it.

 

[gamestalker]

Based on a failed attempt to use a 10mm one for .40 cal. a while back, I would say it won't work. The .40 cal. brass was too short to reach the expander / belling portion of the die.
GS

 

[kingmt]

I'd try it. They are really close & you might get lucky. It won't hurt anything.

 

[rdhood]

I'd try it. They are really close & you might get lucky. It won't hurt anything.

If it does appear to work, double check the powder charge on a scale. Check several different throws to make sure that it is doing the right thing.

 

[FROGO207]

Well they both use a bullet that is sized at .356 but the 380 is a fair bit shorter and may not go up into the die far enough to properly flair it. When sizing 9MM and I get a .380 mixed in the brass rides up into the die without hitting so I always wondered about neck tension between the two but have never bothered to measure the individual dies yet to sort it out. I just use the correct die for the job.

 

[area51]

Based on a failed attempt to use a 10mm one for .40 cal. a while back, I would say it won't work. The .40 cal. brass was too short to reach the expander / belling portion of the die.
GS

I thought the LEE set accommodates both calibers.

I'll try to get a Dillon shell plate for the 380 and use my Dillon 9mm powder funnel and locator buttons which are interchangeable with 380.

 

[KansasSasquatch]

I thought the LEE set accommodates both calibers.

I'll try to get a Dillon shell plate for the 380 and use my Dillon 9mm powder funnel and locator buttons which are interchangeable with 380.

Lee makes a set specifically for 10mm. Then they also make a .40S&W set that will reload 10mm as well. http://leeprecision.com/3-die-set-10mm-auto-carb.html

 

[Hondo 60]

My guess is that the 380 dies will work on 9mm, but not the other way around.
The 9mm expander plug will probably be too short to work on 380s.

The only way to know for sure, is to try it.
The bullet is the same thickness .356, so the mouth of the expander plug is the correct size.
If it works, great!
If not, it's not gonna hurt the brass or the die.

 

[dagger dog]

If you are batch charging, you may be able to add a couple small washers on top of the flare peice and then screw the top of the die back on. That will activate the flare early farther down the die.

But it won't work for the powder through option.

 

[Duckdog]

I'm wondering why you would do it anyway? If you have Lee 380 dies, they should come with the powder thru expanding die, and if not, I would just get one to save messing with it every time you change calibers.

 

[rsrocket1]

If you are just flaring the mouth of the case, yes the 9mm expander works fine on 380. I just verified it on my LnL AP. If the body does not screw down deep enough, just flip the lock ring upside down and you'll still have enough threads to grab onto the bushing or press.

 

[kingmt]

I had RCBS dies so I bought only the powder x dies. I have now switched all my dies to like tho.

 

[stevehenry1]

.380 vs 9 dies

Don't count on it. I tried loading .38 special with Lee .357 magnum dies. It did not work well. The problem was the CRIMP DIE. It wouldn't fully crimp, even with the brass shoved up all the way. The die chamber was too long. The leading brass edge SCRAPED going into the cylinder, some would barely go into the cylinder and were harder to extract. Short dies will load both sizes, but not the other way around