How long before sizing?

[Jerry Lester]

I've read quite a bit of contradicting info on exactly "how long" to wait before sizing a bullet. From what I've gathered, most casters say to wait a period of time, but the times I've read have ranged from hours to days.

How long should I wait?

[mag_01]

Jerry size them when you want to if you do it after casting they will size easier going thru the dies---as time goes on they will get harder depending on your alloy.

[MT Gianni]

Till when it's convinient for you to do. If you water drop asap works best, but if you wait for a year or 2 to lube before you load they will still go boom and the world won't end. Gianni.

[Ricochet]

If you wait more than a couple of hours after water dropping wheelweight boolits, they can be very hard to size. I badly cracked the table my press is mounted on that way, and have had to take the sizing die out to hammer boolits out of it because I couldn't force them through with the press. They need to go straight to the sizing die from the bucket.

[454PB]

Water quenched boolits will resoften with time if they are not sized quickly after casting. I do mine within an hour or two. Other than that, I've seen no difference when they are sized, my non quenched boolits may sit around for years before they are sized.

[NVcurmudgeon]

Boolits are sized just before loading them, and then only as many as I plan to shoot immediately or in the very near future. This works well for me because all are of only one alloy, WW + 2% tin, air cooled, so age hardening is no trouble. All this is to avoid ever again finding that my lube/sized boolits have melted all their lube into one corner of the box!

[Bass Ackward]

Jerry,

The disadvantage to sizing only pertains to water dropped bullets. And that is based on how many you mold. (how long it takes you) If you mold for say just two hours in one sitting, some of the bullets will begin hardneing that you molded first. Your bullet diameter can / will vary up to .0015 depending on caliber over those just dropped. (molded last)

So just ask yourself if this will be a problem under the conditions you want to use them under and decide.

[Bret4207]

I've sized some very, very hard WCWW booilts before. I had a bit of trouble till I prelubed them with a little RCBS Case Sizing Lube on my fingers before putting them thru the sizer. No problemo.

[Boz330]

When I used to size a lot of bullets, I would mist them with a little Dillon case lube. That really seemed to help. When I felt them getting a little hard to size then I'd do it again. That was when I was shooting IPSC and going through 20 to 30 K per year. Now it is mostly BPCR so I'm not doing that many now and the lead is softer.

Bob

[Poygan]

Tpr Bret: I had sort of the same idea but instead used silicon and dipped the boolits into it before sizing. To my surprise, the sizing became noticably more difficult....

[SharpsShooter]

Boolits are sized just before loading them, and then only as many as I plan to shoot immediately or in the very near future. This works well for me because all are of only one alloy, WW + 2% tin, air cooled, so age hardening is no trouble. All this is to avoid ever again finding that my lube/sized boolits have melted all their lube into one corner of the box!

I do exactly the same NV. I cast a good supply of 30:1 boolits every few months for my BPCR's and they go straight to storage until I am ready to load ammunition.

SS

[Ricochet]

Are you guys prelubing boolits to size them when you're seating checks?

[Bass Ackward]

Are you guys prelubing boolits to size them when you're seating checks?

Ric,

I do. I place the check on and then roll them on my RCBS lube pad for cases.

Just one less thing on the bench if I can get it to do double duty.

[Jerry Lester]

Thanks fellows!