Redding .30 Cal Carbide Expander Ball

[Walkalong]

I ordered some RCBS .30-30 dies, ass u me ing the Redding .30 Caliber carbide expander ball I had would still work on RCBS dies.

NOT.....

I took today off (just cause), got a wild hair up my rear, and went out to the shed and fixed it. I had to turn the RCBS spindle smaller for a short ways up it so the RCBS expander ball/ pin assembly would screw up all the way with the carbide ball on it. I also turned the now unneeded expander part off off the assembly. Should have taken before pics. Arghh.

All in all, it turned out well.

 

[Doug b]

All my carbide button kits came with an adapter and pin.

 

[JimKirk]

I use the Hornady Carbide expanders for my RCBS dies. I some how broke the spindle that held the carbide ball. So I took an extra regular 6mm RCBS spindle and put the Hornady carbide ball on it. But the expander would not tighten enought to hold the pin either, so I put it in the drill press and took a file to move the shoulder up the spindle shaft to give it some play and tighen up on the pin. I now have a set of RCBS 25/06 dies with a RCBS 6mm steel expander AND a Hornady .25 Carbide expander on the same spindle.

Jimmy K

 

[Walkalong]

All my carbide button kits came with an adapter and pin.

So did this one. It just will not work with the new style RCBS expander set up.

so I put it in the drill press and took a file to move the shoulder up the spindle shaft to give it some play and tighen up on the pin.

Works just the same.

 

[JimKirk]

What is odd ... is that Hornady makes Carbide expanders for RCBS dies, but I've never saw Hornady dies with carbide expanders listed. Have I just missed them, because I don't own any Hornady rifle dies?

Jimmy K

Just emailed Hornady ... so I'll give their reply as soon as I get it.

 

[Fatelvis]

so the RCBS expander ball/ pin assembly would screw up all the way with the carbide ball on it.

Just so I understand: You didn't shorten the stem of the expander so the ball is sandwiched between tightly, did you? There should be play/slop (vertically and horizontally) between the expander ball and stem.
I just wanted to make sure you didnt snug it all up tight.

 

[Walkalong]

Right.

There is play both back and forth and up and down so the ball will float and center its self. It should square up since the ball and the plug that stops its travel when expanding the case mouth are squared up on the ends.

Everything is tightened down in the pic.

 

[Doug b]

"It just will not work with the new style RCBS expander set up."

Walkalong that was my reason for my reply to see what had changed.All my RCBS dies are 30+ years old.Thanks