Expander plug depth

[johnfreeman]

Is there any reason to run the expander plug any deeper than the seating depth of the bullet ?

John

[rbwillnj]

Run it as deep as you need in order to get the desired flair on the case mouth so you don't shave lead.  Less is better because you are working the case less and the cases will last longer.  Some bullets like the Remington Hollow Base Wadcutters require a lot of flair in the case mouth, but they are great bullets so its worth it.

[tony barone]

I think that the expander was designed to also hold the case down while seating a primer to eliminate stress on the shell plate. I had to modify my expander in order to load 38 supercomp brass as it was bulging the base of the case. This may not be relevant to the question though.

[johnfreeman]

No I think you're right. Seems like some of my brass were being bulged out in the process. I've since adjusted the plug so it doesn't extend so far into the brass.

John