Thread: Expander ball coming loose on Hornady precision dies

Originally Posted by Westie

Pretty new to this, the challenge with it loose is that it holds the depriming pin which if loose I imagine can line up incorrectly and break. Would I be correct in saying that?

Yes, it's possible to break the decapping pin is seriously misaligned. A small misalignment shouldn't matter. When you screw in the spindle be looking into the die from the bottom ( where cases inserts ) and stop when it appears reasonably centred and lock it tight there.

I have also experienced loosening of Hornady expander plugs. My solution was to unscrew the assembly and run 2 or 3 twists of plumbers thread tape onto the threads, then a smear of grease, before screwing the expander plug back on. Been working OK so far. Actually, I like the Hornady eliptical expander plugs as I think they open necks more gently and have not been a cause of excessive runout.