Lee Powder Through Expanding Die - using for powder charging only

I am setting up my Lee Load Master. I purchased the Lyman M Expading Die, and I want to only use the Lee Powder Through Expanding Die for powder charging. Is it safe to simply remove the expander plug from the Lee die? Or do I need to set it up for minimum case flare and leave the expanding plug in the die?

Best Regards,
Oleg.

I'm frequently confused, but I think you need the Lee expanding plug to actuate the powder measure.

The expander in the Lee die as Steve says is what case-activates the Lee autodrum.

On the autodrum one of the important parts to making it work right is having enough travel. This usually means turning the expander die fairly low on the case, and so it does expand. Some on youtube suggest and my experience is that the lee autodrum also seems more reliable when you expand first in a separate step. On my 7-position turret press I do this - expand first with a quality die and then the autodrum with lee expander. The lee adds an unnecessary additional case mouth flare but it's removed during crimping.

If your press allows it (I see it has 5 positions) you could expand with your nice expander first. But if you're seating and crimping separately (generally recommended) this means you won't have a spot for a powder cop or lockout die. Up to you what's important.

Andrew, thanks for a detailed answer. I do plan to expand separately first with the Lyman M Die. And, I am going to use the Lee AutoDrum Powder Measure. I will experiment with exactly how little expansion I can afford on the Powder Through Die and still have the AutoDrum operating reliably.

I don't know how much over travel the drum would have on the charging stroke, but could you turn down some of the flaring portion to remove the flair & and just leave a shoulder to contact the case mouth??

Steve, I am just starting, so I will be trying to find an optimal setup

Eager to hear how it goes.

I've only ever used VV N310 with my autodrum. Once I realized I had to run the die lower and that I had to operate the ram slower I've gotten to the point I can trust it +/-0.05. But I've talked to others using different powders like longshot that threw theirs away in frustration. I think those two details are most important: make sure the unit has close to full travel and don't operate it faster than you can see the disc spin. I also run a pyrex hopper from DramWorx. At the least you should (according to my NRA reloading instructor) run a baffle at the bottom of the hopper. The new autodrum ship with a really cheap clear plastic bottle - that one can't take a baffle but you can buy the old red from lee direct for $11.

Of course I now have three Dillon powder measures and trust them a little (not completely) more than the autodrum. But I polished all their internals and replaced their hoppers with pyrex ones as well. I haven't tried using them on a non-Dillon press yet.

If you’re expanding separately use a “rifle” funnel in your case-activated powder measure.  For pistol you can usually get by with a “30” caliber funnel.