Lee push through sizer

[kamikaze1a]

Haven't had time to cast lately so I bought a bunch of cast bullets. It seems that though it advertised as sized to .401, it actually mic's to .403 and I am having occasional failure to return fully to battery due to bullet touching throat.

Previously, I have sized already sized/lubed but too big bullets with my RCBS LAM which got me the .401 I need. Wondering if sizing bullets with lube in the groove through a Lee push through sizer will work? I have used that Lee sizer with tumble lubed bullets but wondering how well it works with lube groove bullets with lube in the groove?

Will I see leading of the sizer? I would think not since it is somewhat like shooting them through a barrel...

[CWME]

I run previously sized .358's in a .356 lee with no issues. If you were to get leading spray them down with some case lube. Doubt you will though.

[35remington]

Failures to return to battery because the bullet is touching the rifling origin (end of throat) aren't due to oversized bullets, but bullets loaded too long.

An oversized bullet in a short enough OAL won't touch the throat if the chamber is large enough to accept the fatter bullet.

So you must distinguish between whether oversized is your problem or too long overall length is your problem.

Mistaking one for the other isn't helpful. If not chambering due to oversize, this is a safety issue. You must have enough clearance between brass and chamber walls to release the bullet. The contact with rifling origin isn't causing it, but rather a loaded case too fat for the chamber.

If not chambering due to touching the throat (rifling origin) sizing won't help. Shortening OAL will.

Check to see if that is your problem. You must be clear on which it is. Sizing will not help if it is OAL.

Running a previously lubed .403" bullet through a Lee push through .401" will work just fine. No leading of the die.

I would probably be sizing to .401" anyway.

[MK111]

Mixed mfg. of brass will cause the same problem. All mfg. of brass is not the same thickness. Some brands will be thicker than others in the same caliber..

[gray wolf]

My friend 35 Remington has it pretty much spot on.


So you must distinguish between whether oversized is your problem or too long overall length is your problem.


If the bullet shape is different than you loaded before it could very well need to be a little shorter. But see quote above .

[kamikaze1a]

Thanks for your input but this is not the case. I "throated" my barrel with a reamer to accept cast lead bullets to my OAL so I am sure it is not the overall length nor the brass that is the problem. It is the diameter of the bullet.

When I say failure to fully return to battery, I was attempting to describe the slide being just slightly out of battery and a rap on the back of the slide will put into battery. If I instead eject the round, I will see interference marks on the side of the bullets bearing surface and mic'ng that bullet will show that it is .403 diameter. The bullets that are from the same batch that are under .403 will load fine but tolerances being what they are, a few are just a shade too big.

My LAM and Lee push through sizer results in .401 diameter bullets that never result in the same out of battery problems. Once bought a batch cast bullets from a different manufacturer resulted in similar problems so I sized them in my LAM to .401 and problem solved. Of the bullets that I have bought from various manufacturers, most have mic'd to .401 but this is the 2nd time I have found .401 bullets that actually mic larger. By the way, I contacted that manufacturer and he said, "no one else complaining", but my thing is, if you state that they are sized to .401, they should mic to .401...not .402 or .403.

The thing is, I'm just thinking that sizing with the Lee push through sizer will be faster than the one by one with the LAM...

[kamikaze1a]

I run previously sized .358's in a .356 lee with no issues. If you were to get leading spray them down with some case lube. Doubt you will though.

Thanks! Good to know that it worked. I considered lightly lubing with LLA but sure don't want to get into the sticky bullet thing again. I used to really like lubing with LLA but got to be a drag once summer and the dry/dusty conditions at the range. Eject the mag during a match and dust stuck to all the LLA residue.

Thanks again, will give it a shot...

[35remington]

"I am having occasional failure to return fully to battery due to bullet touching throat."

This was less than clear, and touching throat is most often due to OAL.

So that explains my reply. Don't worry about the sizing die.

[Stoats]

btw, those sizers also work with jacketed - I sometimes size down cheap .311 123gn bullets to .308 with one.

[kamikaze1a]

"I am having occasional failure to return fully to battery due to bullet touching throat."

This was less than clear, and touching throat is most often due to OAL.


I have seen freebore, leade and throat used interchangeably and not sure whic is correct or the more accepted usage...but for me, the way I use the term throat is the area between the shell mouth and the leade/freebore. And the leade/freebore as the unrifled area just past the throat and just before the rifling. After all, don't they call a "throater" or throat reamer a tool that removes metal from the throat?

My oversized or rather under sized bullets are touching the barrel all along the area from just forward of the shell (bullet's bearing surface) to the ogive. It is not touching on the ogive or forward edge of the bullet's bearing surface which would then be too long OAL... In other words, the bullet's diameter is too big to fit into the barrel. .401..fits and goes fully to battery. .403, fails to go to battery fully.

[XWrench3]

it will work just fine. actually, that is how i am lubing some of my boolits now. i lube them (fill the grease grooves) and send them through the lee sizer die. it works fine. the way i do it though, is kind of messy. i end up wiping off the excess lube (remember, i am lubing with my fingers, and there is already an excess amount) with a paper towel. i do not know if that would happen with already sized and lubed boolits or not.

[-06]

Sit your loaded round next to a factory load and check for highth. Or, get your reloading manuals and check your OAL with your caliber. You will probably find that they are loaded long.

[HammerMTB]

I have a Lee 175TC mold that turns out .403-.404 boolits. Same story on sizing. I need to size them or they won't chamber fully, and in exactly the same way you describe. Proof of the diameter being the culprit is that .40S&W brass loaded into a 10MM chamber has the same result, and 10MM is .142 longer, so hitting the throat is NOT the problem.
I run all those boolits thru the Lee push thru without lube, no leading. I have polished out the sizer to .401, leaving the sizer very smooth inside.

[kamikaze1a]

Sit your loaded round next to a factory load and check for highth. Or, get your reloading manuals and check your OAL with your caliber. You will probably find that they are loaded long.

I can assure you that it is not the OAL. It is over sized bullets touching the throat.

When I encounter a slightly out of battery and I eject the round, the sides of the bullet (bearing surface), NOT the ogive or leading edge of the bearing surface, displays interference marks from contact with the barrel's throat. The interference marks run nearly the full length of the exposed bearing surface. Mic'ng those problem bullets will read .403 while non-problem .401-.402.

If my OAL was too long, the interference marks would be on the ogive or leading edge. My OAL is actually longer than spec, 1.155, but I can run them that long because I reamed my barrel's throat. Loaded rounds with bullets .401-.402 diameter will drop into chamber fully but if bullets .403 or larger will not fit into chamber without pressure.

[kamikaze1a]

I ran the balance of the first carton through the Lee sizer lastnight. I applied a small amount of bullet stick lube to the first bullet and the rest went through no problem without having to apply additional lube...no leading of the die. As was discussed, the lube in the groove probably did it's job.

Mic'd them and read .402 whereas my RCBS sizes to .401. Some of the initial loads from that first carton were too large diameter so will try load the Lee REsized bullets and hope they ALL chamber fine. If I still get out of battery, I guess I will have to go back to the slower process RCBS. The Lee was way faster to re-size...

[RobS]

Glad to see you working out the kinks. Seems like you are leaning toward the expediency of the Lee push through setup so maybe your luck with .402 boolits ends up working out for you gun. You could also get yourself another push through spec to .401 as a second means.

[kamikaze1a]

Glad to see you working out the kinks. Seems like you are leaning toward the expediency of the Lee push through setup so maybe your luck with .402 boolits ends up working out for you gun. You could also get yourself another push through spec to .401 as a second means.

Thanks! What manufacturer makes those .401 dies? Custom Lee? Must be beau coup bucks... Loaded some sized to .402 lastnight for Sunday. Will post the outcome next week. The RCBS sized .401 been functioning well for some time now but haven't really used this Lee die since I got my LAM a couple of years ago.

By the way, asked this manufacturer about their sizing. Said that though it says .401, the die is .4015 but I mic .402 and a few problem inducing .403...

And called the reamer manufacturer and he says that he can get me a reamer to work with .403 bullets but better results if I get the bullets to spec instead. As for the other bullet manufacturer saying no one else having problems, he said that he found that hard to believe. Believes bullets mic'ing to .403 would give giving grief to most.

[RobS]

buckshot, a forum member here, can make you up a push through sizer die that is proofed with his WW alloy and his work's really good quality. I can't remember the cost but it's fair for sure. If you send him a PM explaining your problem, what alloy you are using and if it's air cooled or water quenced etc. he'll be able to help you out.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/member.php?u=67

[Wayne Smith]

Even better yet send Buckshot some of your boolits and ask him to make you a .401 sizer. You will get one that sizes your boolits precisely.

[kamikaze1a]

Great! I will do that. I actually came back to post that I contacted Lee and they said they have sizers for just about any dimension you would want. I will contact buckshot too.

Thanks!!!

[kamikaze1a]

Update; I reamed the throat a bit more and now the .402's drop into the chamber properly too. I think this will resolve all my issues with larger than .401.

So, I have to admit, for larger than .4015, with the throat reamed to what I had initially, the OAL of my rounds were in effect too long.