Leaded lee sizer

[popper]

So how does one get lead out of a lee sizer? Melted a stuck cb out but sizer still has junk in it.

[Doby45]

Run a boolit through it, or a nylon bore brush with some Chore Boy strands wrapped around it.

[geargnasher]

Same way you get it out of a barrel.

Gear

[popper]

Boolit didn't do it, that one got stuck too. Looks like a lot of elbow grease today. Thks.

[1Shirt]

Just out of curiousity, how far down are you trying to size your blts, and: are you doing it with bare or lubed boolits? Have never had any leading with lee push thrus myself. As to removal: As gear says!
1Shirt!

[Case Stuffer]

Half and half mixture of peroxide and vinegar ,soak for 10 to 15 minutes and use a bore brush.

Depending on the size you could perhaps use a drill bit that is one or two thousands of an inch smaller and use it to ream most of the lead out. Do not use a drill motor but instead use a pair of vice grips or so and turn the drill bit by hand.

Most of the Lee push pins are only 0.001 or so smaller trhan their matching sizer so if yo have a propane torch you could heat the top of the pin ,start in thru the sizer and heat as necessary so it will melt the lead . This would most likely work best if the sizer is unside down. Not sure why just melting the boolit out did not work. Did you try running a bore brush thru it while it was still hot?

How does one manage to get a boolit struck that badly in the first place? Just curious as I have even sized a few unlubicated very hard case ones a few times and sizer only had a trace of lead which was easy enough to remove withg normal bore cleaning methods.

[joesig]

After you get the lead out, you will cut back or reduce the "leading" if you polish the inside of the die with some 400 grit paper wrapped on a dowel. Based on the amount of lead it sounds like you have stuck in there, you way want to start with 240 and work up. Go easy with the 240 and, to a lesser degree, the 320 so you don't change the dimension of the die.

[popper]

It's an interesting story. I PC'd some 311165 for 30-30, as I had been doing, but didn't size them for a week after PC'ing. First 3 were OK, 4th got stuck bad (broke an old drill bit trying to pound it out, taped of course). Melted it out. First pass with chore boy stripped chore boy off the brush, but it did work. Used a steel spiral bush (connected to vise-grips) to get the burned PC out. Worked well and wasn't that much work. Alloy was 50/50 COWW/Pb with Cu added. Should have sized after casting as this stuff gets tough, quickly, after HT when curing the PC. Got to mike the rest, I think the extra 2-3 thous. didn't help any. They drop @ 313 size to 311, hasn't been a problem before. Oh well, another lesson learned.

[dondiego]

What is PC'd? PC'ing?????

[popper]

Powder coating. Replaces lube and prevents leading. I've been playing with it lately, getting pretty good results in 30-30 180 gr. PB. Did 14 gr of 2400 (>1400 fps? ~ 1" group) getting ready to try 20-25 of LeverE. I miked them, some were .316 but still sized OK so I don't know why one stuck. It was really stuck.

[detox]

After you get the lead out, you will cut back or reduce the "leading" if you polish the inside of the die with some 400 grit paper wrapped on a dowel. Based on the amount of lead it sounds like you have stuck in there, you way want to start with 240 and work up. Go easy with the 240 and, to a lesser degree, the 320 so you don't change the dimension of the die.

600-900 grit paper will work better. 400 is too aggressive... I once oversized a die using 400.

Seems the quality of Lee sizers has been poor lately.

[popper]

I've polished them with 600.

[geargnasher]

Apparently the PC isn't as good of a lube as it first appears. Try some heavily soaped, distilled water for lube next time, and swab the die with lube first. Veggie glycerine might work too, and will come right off with a quick tumble in a damp terry towel.

Gear

[montana_charlie]

Powder coating. Replaces lube and prevents leading. I've been playing with it lately, getting pretty good results in 30-30 180 gr. PB. Did 14 gr of 2400 (>1400 fps? ~ 1" group) getting ready to try 20-25 of LeverE. I miked them, some were .316 but still sized OK so I don't know why one stuck. It was really stuck.
Is that powder coating anything like paint?

Anyway, you had one stick, so you melted it out. Then you tried another to push out the leading, and it stuck, too.
While you have been wondering why this sticking problem exists, have you given any thought to what goes on in your rifle when one of those 'stickers' gets fired?

CM