Misread your question Mal. Yes, the cases are tempered. The pinkish color is very uniformed around the mouth.
We tried the same die on some of my Norma brass and it had the same problem. It was not NEARLY as bad but the friction was still very noticeable. I'm curioius what Hornady will have to say.
If they do not offer a .224 expander, I'm just going to order a bushing from Redding and convert my Hornady die