Bucking lube ideas

[44man]

As all of you know, I like to hand lube boolits and run through an oversize Lee die or a cake cutter to remove excess. Even those I size and lube in the lube-sizer go into an oversize die. All of you also know the revolver groups I get at 50 yd's and clear to 500 meters. However I have one boolit that needs sized so I lube it in the RCBS lube sizer. I get lead in the bore and accuracy has been poor. I took a good look at them and they have dry drive bands and the lube in the grooves looks kind of depressed because the lead springs back a little. I rubbed more lube over them and seated them. I had a mess with lube coming back over the case that had to be wiped off but before I did, I smeared some over the nose. Accuracy increased a LOT and leading is almost gone.
The last batch I cast were sized dry, then hand lubed and a cake cutter pushed over them. Accuracy is better then I ever got with this boolit.
All of my boolits other then this one have always had a thin skin of lube on the drive bands like a .22 boolit.
I will no longer shoot this boolit dry! I have never found that too much lube hurts but a dry boolit doesn't work for me. This boolit drove me nuts before I lubed the sides.

[BABore]

Most everything I cast goes through a nose first push-through die, then into my Saeco with an oversized lube die. About the only bad thing is the little bit of lube that gets squeezed into the crimp groove when seating.

Life is good and the boolits are straight.

[Ben]

I've tried it all, your method of nose first sizing through a " Push Thru Sizer " is clearly ...HANDS DOWN...the BEST ! !

Ben

[44man]

Sure is but Lee doesn't have a .359 sizer, only a .357 that I would have to lap out. I actually need a .3595". I don't want to pay them $25 for a special one. They have no selection at all.

[BABore]

Easy task for a man with a Smithy.

I started with a piece of 7/8-14 threaded rod. Drilled through at 0.531". Bored one end at 0.6255 x 1.250 deep. Positioned it in my Rock Chucker to just sit flush with the under side and locked in a locking ring. Drill and tapped through the side of the lock and through one side of the thd. rod for a #8 set screw. Removed the lock ring and drilled out the #8 tapped hole to a clearance hole. Screwedon the ring, lock in the position and run in a set screw.

The die inserts are made from 5/8 diameter O-1 TG&P stock cut 1.250 long. I drill and ream, or bore, to 0.003 to 0.005 under my desired diameter. A 3 degree leade (6 degree included) is cut into the entrance end. The exit end is drill 3/4" deep oversize. The final diameter is hand lapped in with an adjustable bronze barrel lap (about $5-6 each). A set to cover 30 to 50 cal would be around $20. I use 280 or 320 grit Clover lapping compound. Bullets are pushed through to gauge progress. A final finish is done with 400 then 600 grit on a small brass rod. I don't heat treat them when I'm done and haven't seen any wear to speak off. Make the push rod similar to the Lee, but longer. I use a Lee in a pinch. You can even turn down the top of the die body for the *** Lee plastic catch bucket.

[leftiye]

44, Thanks for the info. I generally lube with lanolin and then push through a sizer if I need to size. I like the idea of lubing the whole boolit with a thin coat of a dry wax. Problematically, there have been reports (mainly with bore rider designs IIRC) of too much lube on the noses causing problems with accuracy. The idea of having the shoulder of the ogive lubed as it hits the leade and rifling (or chamber mouth/ forcing cone/ rifling) sounds like it might help keep down deformation. I guess I'll just keep my eyes and ears open and experiment some and see what happens.

[44man]

Babore, yep, I can do it but never have the stock. I would need more money to buy it then a piece of scrap brass that I can make into a cookie cutter. You have to remember---I BE CHEAP! [smilie=1:

[SharpsShooter]

Sure is but Lee doesn't have a .359 sizer, only a .357 that I would have to lap out. I actually need a .3595". I don't want to pay them $25 for a special one. They have no selection at all.

Buckshot makes push through sizers for $19 each and $2 shipping. You specify the diameter and that is what you get.

SS

[slughammer]

...Drill and tapped through the side of the lock and through one side of the thd. rod for a #8 set screw. Removed the lock ring and drilled out the #8 tapped hole to a clearance hole.


I really like the idea of drilling and tapping through the lock ring for the set screw that holds the replaceble bushings. Great way to get enough threads.

[Jim]

If you need a Lee push through a coupla thou bigger'n they make, you can do it very simply without starting from scratch. I had the same situation a few years back and I completed it in about an hour. I had a .452 die that I wanted opened to .455. I slotted a 3/8" dowel and stuck a piece of Scotch Brite in it. This I put in a drill and went at it with an "in an out" motion. I did this for a minute or so with the die in the press and then ran a .458-325-RNFP through it and miked it. If I remember right, the first pass went up about a thou. After a few times of lapping and testing, I got it to .455 on the button. Done deal and ready to size to .455.

[Boomer Mikey]

Most everything I cast goes through a nose first push-through die, then into my Saeco with an oversized lube die. About the only bad thing is the little bit of lube that gets squeezed into the crimp groove when seating.

Life is good and the boolits are straight.

Nose first, then lube - this is my method as well, my cast bullet groups and shooting improved dramatically after discovering this. I no longer size bullets that will chamber as cast either, just lube them. If they require sizing to chamber, they get sized nose first... let the ogive center the bullet in the sizing die for you. This is the reason why the Lee push thru sizers are great. Unfortunately they don't make them in sizes large enough for many applications. Don't be afraid to use the Saeco, Lyman, and RCBS sizers nose first. You'll need a flat base nose punch to push the bullet base with and the range of die sizes is much better than Lee. This method produces flat bases and seats gas checks squarely to the bottom of the bullet too. Saeco sells nose punch blanks for every caliber and the RCBS/Lyman style nose punch blanks are simple to make or have made.

Saeco and Lyman make 0.360" sizing dies. I lube everything for 357/358 in a 0.360" die and everything for 44's in a 0.432" or 0.434" (oversize barrels) die. You need to get them made or do them yourself. Buckshot has posted instructions on how to do this many times or you could send Buckshot your 0.431" dies if you prefer to have them done, he does excellent work.

RanchDogMolds.com has Lee 0.432" sizing kits for $16.50. Michael knows what he's doing; are you listening Lee Precision?

Boomer :Fire:

[Boomer Mikey]

Easy task for a man with a Smithy.

You can even turn down the top of the die body for the *** Lee plastic catch bucket.

Cheaper yet, buy the Lee sizer in 0.460" and bore the inside to the diameter of an H&I die. You get the plastic catcher, some LLA and a die body for $15.00 but you still need to make the push rods. Make the push rods long enough to push the bullet completely clear of the die ~ 1.65". Now your H&I dies can work as push thru sizers and RCBS/Lyman lubrisizer dies.

How did you know I own a Smithy Bruce?

Boomer :Fire:

[BABore]

How did you know I own a Smithy Bruce?

Boomer :Fire:

By all the chatter marks on yer stuff.:mrgreen:

Just kidding. :bigsmyl2:

[Boomer Mikey]

By all the chatter marks on yer stuff.:mrgreen:

Just kidding. :bigsmyl2:

I wish it was a LaBlonde Regal but if it was I couldn't be a mold collector.

The tooling cost way more than the machine.

Boomer :Fire:

[44man]

You are not kidding about chatter! Those china guys built it in so they can laugh. Only fun they are allowed over there. :-D